Hello everyone, and welcome to another installment in a series of articles focusing on the Cleric Domains in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The goal for each of these is to provide you with a quick overview of your domain powers, spells, and introduce you to a god or goddess from real-Earth mythology who could be a deity using this particular domain.
All that said, welcome to this week’s article on the domain of: Earth
The Earth domain is described as “You have mastery over earth, metal, and stone, can fire darts of acid, and command earth creatures.” – so we have someone who can control the very lay of the land, throw acid and command earthen creatures, almost an old-fashioned style alchemist.
The powers given are Acid Dart that allows a ranged touch attack for 1d6+1 points of damage for every 2 cleric levels you possess. The important parts of this are of course that it’s ranged touch, making it easier to hit and that it’s acid damage. Not that many creatures have acid resistance, but importantly of the many creatures that have regeneration, almost all of them are vulnerable to the effects of acid, as it prevents their regenerative abilities from working. And you don’t even have to sacrifice a spell for it, as this ability is always available to you (unless you’ve spent all your daily uses of course).
The second ability is acid resistance. Very handy in certain circumstances, though generally not quite as effective as fire, since there are comparatively few creatures that do acid damage. Against those that do, however, it is extremely useful to have the resistance, as it also affects the lingering damage that many acid abilities have.
Spells:
The spells you get with the Earth domain are as follows:
Magic Stone
Magic Stone creates 3 sling bullets, meaning they have a range of 50 feet, and which do 1d6+1 points of damage (plus your Strength modifier, as they are thrown weapons). The damage is higher than a normal sling (which does only 1d4 points of damage), and it is also a magical weapon (having a +1 enhancement bonus), meaning that this is one of (if not THE) lowest level spell that provides you with the ability to overcome DR/Magic. For the level it is, having that ability is almost indispensable. Don’t leave home without it, and with the Earth domain, you won’t have to.
Soften Earth and Stone
This is one of those spells that you need to discuss with your Game Master. For while it is certainly handy given the right circumstances (especially if you’re dungeon delving, and don’t care about collateral damage), the actual description of it is very much left up to the Game Master’s discretion. For example, it says “You affect a 10-foot square area to a depth of 1 to 4 feet, depending on the toughness or resilience of the ground at that spot.” – so while you obviously affect granite less than dirt, it doesn’t give specifics on how much. The same issue goes for how it affects buildings, in that no damage is stated, only that it does. – So while this can be a handy spell, it’s one your Game Master needs to consider the impact of.
Stone Shape
Here is one of the spells that allow you to get a bit more creative with things. While it cannot do more than crude shapes, it’s still possible to do things like doors (in castle walls), close a cave entrance, make a small rise, so that you can easily climb up a wall, even raise up the floor underneath you, so that you can get to an overhead entrance. Using this spell, it’s just a matter of thinking around the obstacle. You might even, Game Master willing, be able to entomb an enemy, such as a vampire, so that they cannot escape again. (Or at least in the near future). – In the right hands, when combined with Soften Earth and Stone, it can be a powerful tool.
Spike Stones
This is effectively a caltrops spell, but a NASTY one. The area you can cover at the level where you get it (7th) is seven 20 foot squares within 170 feet. That means that you could place 4 squares of this in front of you, so that anyone charging you would have to go through that area, causing damage to themselves along the way (1d8 points of damage per 5 feet, meaning a massive 16d8 points of damage for them to move through those 4 squares) and while their movement is halved, the damage done is NOT halved by a successful Reflex save, only the effects of it. And with the note that it has of “Rocky ground, stone floors, and similar surfaces shape themselves into long, sharp points that blend into the background,” you can set up some nasty ambushes. An important errata notes the following, which was not included in the original printing: “Magic traps such as Spike Stones are hard to detect. A rogue (only) can use the Perception skill to find spike stones. The DC is 25 + spell level or DC 29 for spike stones. Spike Stones is a magic trap that can’t be disabled with the Disable Device skill.”
Wall of Stone
This spell likely does not see much use in most games, but in some games, it is tremendously effective, as the spell is very useful for creating buildings and the like. In games where rules for campaign building are included, it can speed up construction and save on build points tremendously. And it is always fun to trap someone in a Wall of Stone box.
Stoneskin
This spell sounds great on the surface, but at the level where you can get the spell, it becomes increasingly likely that any attackers have adamantine weapons or do enough damage to power through. However, on those occasions where they have to power through the damage reduction, at least you take that much less damage, making it more likely for you to succeed in your quest. And on those occasions where they do NOT do enough damage or have adamantine weapons (such as when clearing large groups of low-level monsters), this will almost make you feel like a god. Or Achilles at least.
Elemental Body IV (Earth only)
This spell allows you to take the form of another creature, in this case, that of an Earth Elemental. Earth Elementals come with a +8 bonus to Strength and a +4 bonus Constitution and a natural armor bonus of +6. You are also immune to bleed damage, critical hits, and sneak attacks while in elemental form and gain DR 5/—. On top of that, you gain the ability to earth glide and 60 feet of darkvision. Not bad for a spell that you gain automatically.
Earthquake
A localized earthquake that does damage depending on your location (you don’t want to be underground with this), it presents a lot of ways for a cleric to make things go bad, like creating quicksand, or trapping someone in a destroyed building. (Note that the damage given to a building is a flat 100, not the 8d6 that creatures take – buildings can’t dodge).
Elemental Swarm
This spell allows you to, given time, summon a small swarm of elementals; as in, within 20 minutes you have 2d4 Large Earth Elementals, 1d4 Huge ones, and 1 greater Earth Elemental, all with maximum hit points. Pair that with Augment Summoning and Superior Summoning feats and this becomes rather dangerous as backup. But just to give you an idea: Each Large Earth Elemental is CR 5, each Huge one is CR 7 and a greater Earth Elemental is CR 9. That gives you a potential CR ranging from 11 to 14 – so while it takes 20 minutes to get them all though, it is a HUGE boost to any group of adventurers, if nothing else than in sheer terms of adaptability.
New Deity
Gaia
The Earthmother, Planet, Mother Nature
Alignment NG
Worshipers dwarves, elves, farmers, anyone living off the land or underneath the surface, midwives, and healers
Cleric Alignments LG, NG, CG, N
Domains: Animal, Community, Earth, Good, Healing, Plant
Sub-domains: Caves, Family, Growth, Home, Medicine, Restoration
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Symbol: a large white dove, holding a bundle of wheat in its beak
Gaia is the Earthmother, quite literally both the planet itself and the mother of all life. She is a benevolent creator goddess who views all her children with love, even if some of them sometimes disappoint her terribly. She knows the elder races well, and she rejoices in their triumphs. She freely blesses the elves with large bounties when they live in her forests, but she views the dwarves with equal favor for their efforts beneath the earth, for while they dig and remove parts of her, they also encounter and remove the monstrous infestations that are inimical to life, such as the ancient aboleths and the drow efforts to pervert life in their flesh vats.
Humans are a curiosity to her, and possibly her most loved creations and inhabitants. Their endless inventions, their fecundity are a wonder in her eyes, but just as she sees their potential for good, she has seen their potential for extreme evil, as they are the ones most likely to inflict atrocities on both themselves and others.
Her way is that of life, and her clergy serve as midwives, healers, teachers, farmers, and millers. Any who contribute to the creation and sustenance of life can be found in her priesthood. She even has a military order, though it is strictly devoted to defense, except in those rare cases where a particular monstrosity or abomination must be sought out and destroyed (such as the aforementioned aboleth). Almost all priests end up in relationships, as love is encouraged within the priesthood, and most end up with a small horde of children. It is a rare priest indeed who has been struck barren, and those are viewed with great pity by the rest of the priesthood, and while not denigrated or ostracized, these few will often turn to adventuring to make their mark on the world in which they live.
Prayers to the Earthmother take place at dawn, with the rising of the sun, where each priest spends time in solitude reflecting on the day ahead, and the gifts of the goddess for which they are most grateful. Holidays take place regularly once a fortnight, usually on the rest day. On that day they arrange for festivities and competitions, all designed to bring the young together and to strengthen the bonds of community within any given settlement.
Kim Frandsen
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