Hello everyone, and welcome to another 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: Plant.
The Plant domain is described as “You find solace in the green, can grow defensive thorns, and can communicate with plants.” – So it’s probably safe to say that not only is your deity a nature deity of some sort, it is quite likely that your clergy contains both clerics and druids, and potentially even rangers and other nature-loving people.
The powers gained are “wooden fist” which turns your fists into hard wood, covered with thorns, which causes you to do lethal damage (instead of non-lethal) and gains you a bonus to damage equal to half your level.
The second ability gained is “bramble armor” where anyone attacking you with an unarmed strike or a non-reach weapon takes damage per attack equal to 1d6+½ your level in damage per attack. In effect, your opponent could punch themselves to death on you, if they do less damage per attack than they receive.
Spells:
The spells you get with the Plant domain are as follows:
Entangle
The entangle spell has a simple effect. It applies the entangled condition on anyone stuck within the 40 foot spread that the spell unleashes, as plants writhe up from the ground to restrict movement. An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell. – That makes this an excellent area-control spell and an even better one against spellcasters.
Barkskin
A simple spell, it adds an enhancement bonus to your natural armor class bonus. Importantly, most player characters do not have a natural armor class bonus, which means that they count it as a +0 to start with, but it CAN stack with other armor class bonuses. (And those who have a natural armor class bonus will just love this spell even more).
Plant Growth
This spell causes the plants in a specific area to grow exponentially in a very short period of time. This can restrict movement through the area, by making it more difficult to move through, but it also stacks with things like entangle, making that spell more effective. Finally, those who live in agricultural areas would be interested in this spell, as it can help enrich the soil, making for better harvests. (Worth bearing in mind for those campaigns that use the Kingdom Building Rules, though the GM might have to apply the bonuses for this himself).
Command Plants
This does exactly what it says on the tin. It allows you to treat plant creatures as friendly (meaning that they will usually do their best to assist you), but they get a saving throw if you ask them to try to do something that they wouldn’t normally attempt to do. (So depending on the plant creature in question, you could get them to do different things without them getting a saving throw against the spell).
Wall of Thorns
Related to the other wall spells, this is an area-denial and guard spell more than anything. Anyone attempting to force their way through the wall CAN do so, but they take automatic damage while they’re trying to do so. (if they have a high enough armor class [quite likely at the level where you get this spell], they might ignore the damage though). As several creatures that would present a worthy challenge to you at the level where you get this spell (9th) can ignore the damage, don’t use it as a primary method of attack. That is not what it is for. It will, however, slow them down considerably if used in the right manner.
Repel Wood
This quite literally repels wood (without a saving throw). This means that weapons and anything really that contains wood, cannot be used to attack you, rendering things like arrows, spears, axes and so on, completely useless against you. Even magic items are repelled in this manner if they contain wood.
Animate Plants
I’m not going to dive too much into this spell, because the effect is really simple. You get to play at being Treebeard during the Siege of Orthanc! I mean, what more could you ask for than a small army of animated trees? (On a side note, it can also be used in a similar manner to entangle, but that is much less fun. :P)
Control Plants
This is basically command plants writ large. You get a bit more control over the plant creatures and you can affect more, but that seems to be about it. Though it does remove the language barrier.
Shambler
Honestly, I’ve never seen this spell used in a game, but it feels like it should be awesome. It summons 1d4+2 advanced shamblers that remain under your control for 7 days (or 7 months if guarding something). That is FAR longer than any of the summon monster spells, and although they’re each only CR 7 individually when combined, you create a CR 9 to CR 12 encounter, depending on the amount of them you summon. Having a set of bodyguards like that should make it a bit easier for you (and your party) to keep your backs free when dealing with enemies.
New Deity
Medeina
Lady of the Forest, the Hare-goddess, She-Wolf, the Protector of the Forest
Alignment N
Worshipers hunters, foresters, intelligent animals and plants, fey
Cleric Alignments NG, LN, N, CN, NE
Domains: Animal, Earth, Plant, Protection, Sun, Water
Sub-domains: Defense, Growth, Purity, Solitude, Thorns
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Symbol: a wolfs head, overlaying a blossoming birch tree
Medeine is the lady of the forest. Contrary to many wilderness deities, she’s not particularly interested in those who venture into the wild, she is primarily interested in preserving the wilderness itself. Preserving those who use the wilderness is a second priority at best, and that shows in her clergy.
Each of the clergy has a deep-seated connection to the wild, often seeing themselves as divorced from the cares and worries of human-, elf-, whatever-kind. They usually live in the wilds and see themselves as an essential part of the wild itself.
Most of the clergy live in forests, but they can be found in any kind of wilderness, even underground (though that is admittedly rare). Those who can will find caves to live in, but they’re quite happy to be living out in the open, exposed to all the elements.
The clergy dress in whatever befits the time of year, usually in some sort of leather or fur, but in the spring and summer, some of the might well run around nude, if the temperature is high enough, safe in the knowledge that they’re the masters of their environment, and within the protection of their goddess.
They get up early each day (usually rising with the sun), and going to bed again when the sun goes down. However, they often make it a point to spend at least some of the year as a nocturnal, simply to keep in touch with that part of their goddess’ sphere of responsibility.
Her normal worshippers simply restrict themselves to regular sacrifices of plants and animals and ensuring that they spend as little time interfering with her beloved wilderness as they possibly can, and hoping for either her protection (against the wild) or warding off her attention (so that she doesn’t send wild animals).
Kim Frandsen
Latest posts by Kim Frandsen (see all)
- Finder’s Archive – Crypt of the Eternals - June 2, 2023
