Identity
Death-clerics are not Grave-clerics. Grave-clerics keep the line; Death-clerics carry the scythe. They serve the Covenant of the Ebon Creed, or an Aurelion under-temple of black candles, or a frontier shaman-circle that holds the local apex-predator god in honest, undecorated terror. They do not hate the living. They simply understand that what is dying needs to be helped along, and that this is a kindness most of the time. Their channels carry the chill of the Ether and the weight of the buried.
Features
- L3 Reaper's Tithe
**Domain Channels.** You always have the following channels prepared, and they do not count against the number of channels you can prepare each day: • 1st level: **Etheric Hand**, **Pebble** • 3rd level: **Etheric Bolt**, **Earth Spike** • 5th level: **Mind Lash**, **Stone Fist** (You may cast each from your domain preparation when you can normally cast a channel of that level.) **Reaper's Tools.** You gain proficiency with martial weapons. You also learn one channel cantrip of your choice from the Ether-school; when you cast that cantrip and it deals damage, the damage type becomes necrotic (instead of its normal type), and if the cantrip normally targets one creature you may target a second creature within 5 ft of the first, treating the second creature's hit as a single combined attack roll at disadvantage. **Channel Divinity: Touch of Death.** As an action when you hit a creature with a melee attack, you may expend your Channel Divinity to deal an additional 5d8 + your Cleric level necrotic damage to the target, ignoring resistance to necrotic from non-magical sources. This is a Channel Divinity option.
- L7 Inescapable Destruction
The necrotic damage you deal with channels and Channel Divinity options ignores resistance to necrotic damage. Against a creature that has immunity to necrotic damage, your channel-sourced necrotic damage is reduced to half (instead of zero). This feature applies only to damage from Cleric channels, channel cantrips, and Channel Divinity options — not to mundane weapon damage or to damage from items.
- L11 Channel Divinity: Mark of Mortality
As an action, you choose one creature you can see within 60 ft and mark it with the Reaper's sigil. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your channel save DC. On a failure, the creature takes 6d8 necrotic damage and is marked for 1 minute or until you mark another target. While marked, the creature has disadvantage on saves against necrotic damage from any source, and each time it takes necrotic damage it loses additional HP equal to your Cleric level (this loss is not separate damage and cannot itself be resisted). On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and is not marked. This is a Channel Divinity option.
- L15 Divine Strike
Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you may cause the attack to deal an additional 1d8 necrotic damage. This bonus damage increases to 2d8 at Cleric level 18. The damage is part of the original weapon attack and is not a separate effect.
- L18 Avatar of Death
Once per long rest, as a bonus action, you assume the **Reaper-Avatar Form** for 1 minute. While in this form: each hostile creature that starts its turn within 10 ft of you, or that ends its turn within 10 ft of you, takes 2d6 necrotic damage (no save); whenever you reduce a hostile creature to 0 HP with a channel or melee attack, you regain HP equal to half the damage dealt by that final blow (minimum 1 HP), up to your HP maximum; you have resistance to necrotic and poison damage; and you cannot be Frightened or Charmed. The form ends early if you fall unconscious or end it as a free action.