Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 MechaPilot Dec 31, 2014 18:48:37	I like the customization that domains offer to clerics. I think they are flavorful, interesting, and provide greater variety to the cleric class. However, I was designing a cleric character the other day when it occurred to me that a lot of this extra flavor can easily get lost in one of the cleric's primary abilities: spellcasting. I know that clerics get domain spells to better reflect the flavor of their domain, but those spells make up a small part of the cleric's spellcasting ability.   The answer that I came up with is to alter the appearance of spells based on the deity/domain of the cleric. For example, a tempest cleric who casts the Raise Dead spell will do so under gathering storm clouds until, at the height of the casting, a bolt of lightning strikes the corpse and revives it. Meanwhile, a cleric of a deity of love would light candles, anoint the corpse with fragrant oils, and finally waken it with a kiss.   While this level of flavor works for some spells, other spells can be adjusted with minor flavor changes. For example, a Bless spell might temporarily mark those who receive it with the symbol of the cleric's deity; not only would this provide more flavor to the spell, it would also provide a rationale for the characters knowing when the blessing had ended.   What do you think about the idea of imposing a divine flavor on cleric spells? Have you implemented something like this before? Do you have any examples of divine flavor that you would like to share?
#2 pukunui Dec 31, 2014 19:01:02	I'm not sure if "imposing" is the word I'd use. I'd be happy to let a player reflavor their spell descriptions to bring them more into line with their chosen domain; however, I would not require it of them.
#3 MechaPilot Dec 31, 2014 19:23:59	Perhaps I could have been more clear.  I didn't mean the DM imposing the flavor on the spells, I meant the player doing so (assuming she can get DM permission).
#4 pukunui Dec 31, 2014 19:28:08	MechaPilot wrote:
#5 ankiyavon Dec 31, 2014 20:36:16	ACKS uses a mechanic called the spell signature for this, and I think it works quite well.  Mage: the Ascension's Resonance system is also similar, and I liked it too.   In short, a character on creation picks a theme for their spells, and all of their spells manifest with that theme in mind.  I kind of like doing it for every spellcaster, and a cleric would naturally have a theme that is related to their deity's (or, if not, they would have some reason why not, and it would be weird and people would remark on it making for good RP and such).   So in summary, I think it's good and everyone should do it.
#6 Rhenny Jan 01, 2015 6:53:39	Great stuff.  It could also be something that a player could get into.  Jim Darkmagic does it with his arcane spells.  Clerics can be creative too.
#7 BRJN Jan 01, 2015 9:22:48	I totally re-wrote an Invoker's powers to be Truename spells.  He spoke the Language of Creation.  It was fun theory-crafting but I never got to play him at a table,alas.  (Finding some good appropriate poetry was educational too - bonus!)   I used Sauron's ring-poem (in the Black Speech) for his top-end Daily spell.  It properly creeped my kids out when they heard me reading it for practice.   Fluffing spells to be theme-appropriate is a great way to personalize your character without having to mess with rules changes.   I can easily see this, too: Wizard: "I cast Disguise Self to look like a typical human." Bard: "I cast Disguise Self to look like Clark Gable."
#8 cowleymen Jan 01, 2015 13:19:38	forget just divine, I kinda expect this from any caster. I havent started my campaign yet (still world building, and picking houserules out of these fourms) but I love the idea. I also will OPENLY incourage creating new spells, divine or arcane.
#9 cowleymen Jan 01, 2015 13:19:39	forget just divine, I kinda expect this from any caster. I havent started my campaign yet (still world building, and picking houserules out of these fourms) but I love the idea. I also will OPENLY incourage creating new spells, divine or arcane.
#10 cbwjm Jan 01, 2015 16:36:11	I remember a good article for this in an old dragon magazine called (I think) the colour of magic. It was for basic D&D and provided ideas for adding a bit of colour to the spells of magic-users. This included some minor prestidigitation effects like the wizard known for flinging fireballs able to light his pipe with a small spark of flame.   For magic missile, a spell players would be very familiar with, I think it used an example of an enemy caster slashing at the PCs with a knife and having cuts appear on their body. This also meant that players weren't certain which spell he had just cast (Only 1 missile? He's not even 6th level, should be a cakewalk guys.).