Agony Domain (5e Subclass)

Agony Domain

Cleric Subclass

There are things in this world that are not happy or pretty or desirable. These things, too, need the attention of a deity, and those deities require worshipers, acolytes, and devotees. Agony is one such oft-overlooked domain. In the Forgotten Realms, this is the prevue of Loviatar, Mistress of Pain, though Bane (god of tyranny), Bhaal (god of murder), and other evil gods have clergy of this domain, as might some lighter gods and goddesses, such as Torm (god of self-sacrifice) or Ilmater (god of endurance). Deities of war and death are also likely to boast followers of this domain.

Clerics of Agony (often dubbed "Pain Priests", "Screamers", or "Sams") specialize in two things: bearing pain and delivering pain. Their abilities intensify as they accumulate damage. They can shrug off a blow that would stagger most creatures or use a fireball's blast to fuel their own magic. The faint of heart should not pursue this devotion, nor should they face off against one who has taken up Agony's call.

Agony Domain Spells

Level	Spells
1st	dissonant whispers, armor of agathys
3rd	cloud of daggers, prayer of healing
5th	life transference, spirit shroud
7th	death ward, phantasmal killer
9th	enervation, contagion

Closer to Thee

From 1st level, when you dedicate yourself to your deity and the Domain of Agony, the more damage you take, the greater your god's favor shines. Whenever your total hit points drop below certain percentages of your maximum, you gain benefits. These benefits are cumulative.

% of Max HP	Benefit
80%	+1 to AC
60%	temporarily gain proficiency with Constitution saving throws
40%	attacks against you have disadvantage
20%	advantage on all saving throws

If you regain hit points (or your maximum hit points are lowered) such that you are no longer below a given percent, that benefit is lost until you drop below again. If your hit points equal zero, all benefits are lost and cannot be recovered until you are above the given percents and drop below again. Once gained, a benefit lasts only one hour before fading and requiring reactivation.

Consider this example: An Agony Cleric with a hit point max of 50 drops to 30 hp. Since 30 is exactly 60% of 50 (not less than 60%), only the first benefit is gained (+1 AC). Then the cleric takes 5 more damage, dropping to 25 hp, which is 50%, making her below both 80% and 60%, so the first two benefits are gained (+1 AC and Con save proficiency). Next round, the cleric takes 31 more damage, dropping her to 0 hp. Consciousness is lost as are all benefits. Next, the paladin lays on hands, healing the cleric by 5 hp. The cleric is now conscious with just 10% of her max hp, but experiences none of the benefits of this feature. The cleric uses her next action to cast cure wounds on herself, regaining another 8 hp, making her total 13, which is 26% of her max. Still she gains no Closer to Thee benefits. She then moves and provokes an opportunity attack, taking another 7 damage. Now at 6 out of 50, that's 12%, less than 20%. Now she gains the last benefit (advantage on all saving throws) without gaining any of the higher benefits.

In other words, once you hit 0 hit points, you need to heal to above a percent to reset the benefit before it can be activated again. This also holds if a benefit fades after an hour, but not if a benefit is removed due to healing.

Channel Divinity - Agonizing Aura

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to amplify any pain creatures near you feel. As an action, you present your holy symbol and utter a prayer of offering. Whenever a creature of your choice within 30 feet of you takes damage, they must attempt a Constitution saving throw. If they fail, they take extra necrotic damage equal to your Wisdom modifier and they spend 10 feet of movement for every 5 feet they move and have disadvantage on any attacks until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, their movement is reduced by 5 feet with no other effects.

Regardless of save, spell casters of your choice in the aura have disadvantage on concentration checks caused by damage due to the distraction the aura's pain enhancement causes. This aura lasts for 1 minute or until you lose concentration as if concentrating on a spell.

What Does Not Kill Me

By 6th level, your devotion to your deity allows you to compensate for the damage your body takes, or in some cases feeds off that damage. When you take damage that would NOT drop your hit points to zero, you can use your reaction to do one of three things:

1) take half as much damage instead, rounded down. (For example, if you take 37 damage, you can take 18 damage instead.)

2) regain a spell slot of a level up to one tenth the amount of damage taken, rounded down. (For example, if you take 37 damage, you can regain a spell slot of 3rd level or lower.)

3) regain your Channel Divinity if the damage was more than twice your cleric level.

Once any of these benefits is used, that benefit cannot be used again until you complete a long rest. At 15th level, this ability resets at the end of a short rest.

Makes Me Stronger

At 8th level, the damage you take starts to supercharge your attack spells. Anytime you take at least 10 damage from a single attack, spell, or event, you can use your reaction to store a d6 for up to 1 minute. During that minute, when you deal damage to a single target with a spell attack, you can expend up to 2 stored d6s and add their roll in necrotic damage. At any one time, you can store up to a number of d6s equal to your Wisdom modifier. If at any point you lose consciousness, you also lose the stored dice.

At 13th level, the stored dice become d10s.

Acute Focus

At 17th level, pain is less likely to distract you than it is to focus you. If you are concentrating on a spell and fail a concentration check, you can use your reaction to sacrifice a spell slot of at least half the level of the spell you're concentrating on to maintain that concentration. This can be done once for any spell that requires your concentration.

Divine Word Pain

Also at 17th level, your deity teaches you the divine word for "pain". Uttering it at a creature creates the same effects as the spell Power Word Pain with the following changes:

• it affects creatures with up to 200 hit points
• creatures cannot concentrate on a spell while affected
• if the creature is not susceptible to the spell's effects or when a creature successfully saves against this spell, it takes a number of d6s equal to your Wisdom modifier in psychic, radiant, or necrotic damage (your choice when cast)

This feature is treated as a spell (i.e., it is subject to counterspell). This feature can be used once without a spell slot, regaining that ability at the end of a long rest. This can also be cast using a spell slot of 7th level or greater.

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