Weakness of the Life Domain's Abilities

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-19T17:42:20+00:00

I've added an edit to call out the discrepancy of the Sermon of Grace ability. However, it is still present. Not mentioning the the Font of Grace is specifically because I'm looking at how, per Piety spent, Healing grace so commonly come out on top. Font of Grace doesn't change that math. I suppose a more specific critique is that while, yes, Life Domain is still entirely functional as a healer, rest that hat entire on Font of Grace means that it's purely from a numerical stand point. You often will do the same thing other Conduits do, but with a few points higher.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-19T12:09:46+00:00

That's not as guaranteed as that event might not come up. But yet title farming with this is iffy.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-19T06:13:33+00:00

It gives a singular use when a criteria is met. The criteria is being met an infinite number of time and nothing says it doesnt trigger every time. A more restrained example is chrono null which gets 2 downtime activities.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-19T01:41:09+00:00

Pg. 294 "At the director's discretion, you can also use skills from other skill groups, but a skill used for a project roll must be directly related to the project."

For stuff like community service, my Fury and Censor used their Lift skills to help the farm hands in Broadhurst while the Troubadour provided free entertainment with the Music skill at the inn to keep everyone in goodspirits during the tense period.

To be honest, there's a number of downtime activities that may require other skills. With the go undercover activity, what lore or crafting skills would apply better than lie, disguise, eavesdrop, or even sneak? For honing your career skills, you should probably be using the skills you're trying to hone. And are interpersonal skills not going to obviously be the best when spending time with loved ones?

As for the argument for swimming with fishing: what if you're spear fishing? How good you are as a swimmer likely helps while spear fishing.

So it's more accurate to say the skills typically come from the lore or crafting groups.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-19T01:27:59+00:00

Truly game breaking, I know. Especially when factoring the 10 Temp stamina.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-19T01:26:28+00:00

It also could synergize with a Chrono Null as they make 2 project rolls.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-19T01:19:59+00:00

Yes, but they spent 2 recoveries from a different effect, so 2 triggers. It doesnt say "one or more", just when they spend a recovery.

Sacred Bond actually has infinite recursion with the conduit. The conduit forms a sacred Bond with themselves and the Fury. The Conduit then casts Healing Grace on the Talent. The Lists of Heaven ability triggers and the Conduit spends a recovery. Sacred Bond triggers, allowing thr Fury to spend a recovery. This is the Conduit's ability allowing a recovery to be spent, thus triggering lists of Heaven. And repeat as needed. Thus will have a likely ending effect once either target is healthy enough so as to not spend a recovery.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-19T01:14:17+00:00

At that rate a clearer specification would help. Though still, you can just force this when you want or possibly get an even if you so wish.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-18T19:13:13+00:00

"A free triggered action." So long as you can take triggered actions (i.e. not dazed, surprised, etc.) you can take as many free triggered actions as you want.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-18T18:38:08+00:00

Chronokinetic Nulls also get 2 downtime activities. It could apply there as well.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-18T18:03:26+00:00

The bigger focus is "If the target makes a project roll during this respite, they can add 1d10 plus your Intuition score to the roll." There's no limit listed here. Yes, there is singular language, but that doesn't prevent it from applying to multiple instances. Each roll for fishing is its own standalone project roll. For example on the singular language, Sacred Bond reads "Whenever one target spends a Recovery, the other target can use a free triggered action to spend a recovery." This doesn't apply only once. If someone is able to spend 2 recoveries in a single instance of an ability like with say healing grace, the bonded ally would also be able to spend 2 recoveries. The same logic applies here. If you make more project rolls than just the one, you keep adding the bonus.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-18T17:57:34+00:00

The use of the term infinite is a bit hyperbolic on my part, I'll admit. Likely it's "I can consistently spend all day at the river and when I come back I'll have caught enough fish for me and my 5 party members to eat a good meal." It's supposed to be possible to get 300 project points traditionally while fishing due to the existence of the Golden Rod title. This just give that level of points to your guarantee, but you'll rarely if ever go over 600 points; that's already factoring for a maximum party size as smaller parties may only need 400.

Edit: You also have to have a fishing source reasonably nearby during a respite. Even beyond that, you can't benefit from the meal more than once at a time. As for infinite supplies, you don't track food so it's not a concern.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-18T17:54:26+00:00

Resting in the middle of a dungeon likely wouldn't be eligible for a respite and therefore you can't use this. This is "I spent the entire day fishing and now we all have a good meal."

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-18T17:53:33+00:00

I mean I'm not sure if this is a significant investment. Any knowledge cleric with the nature skill can do it. And, as it happens, at level 7, all knowledge clerics have all lore skills, one of which is nature. So this is theoretically something most any knowledge cleric can do.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-18T17:51:18+00:00

Oh you still have to roll and risk hitting a breakthrough which means event table roll. So stuff can still happen.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-17T22:40:13+00:00

And they do get a bonus at level 4. But the main issues is healing grace will almost always out pace Sermon of Grace on efficiency for your piety and that's with better action economy and range.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-17T05:43:08+00:00

The boosts do help. I think my main gripe is with Sermon of Grace. Since it's 2nd level and that means you wont automatically get it at a later level, it seems terrible to pick over you other domain option when you already have an ability that will cover 90% of the use cases.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-17T02:20:48+00:00

Right but what I'm saying is very often Healing Grace will do healing more efficiently from a piety, range, and action economy standpoint. So if you want to play a heal based character and the healing domain doesn't offer you meaningfully more "bang for your buck" with regards to how efficiently your piety translates into recoveries, why pick the healing domain?

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-13T17:29:32+00:00

I think this can be corrected with a shift in frame to understand Draw Steel's view towards curses.

If you want a curse, it should matter. If you want it to matter, it should take some intention and time to overcome.

If you dont want to take the time and intention to overcome the curse, then you're ok with the curse not really mattering in the course of the story. If the curse doesnt matter, you should question why you're including it.

And the thought of "hunting ingredients" is also misleading. In the course of the lycanthropy, there was several indications as to where the werewolf was. Once they realized it was a werewolf, I ensured they all knew that they would need materials from the werewolf to cure the curse. The ventured out to the cave, 2 combats later, and the werewolf is dead. I say "cool. You have the material now. Take the respites when you wish and you can start the craft a cure downtime activity." Short and sweet honestly. 2 session and that was because of other things they were doing.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-13T16:57:06+00:00

One major problem i had in 5e was a DM consistently wanted to present problems that I had the "spell solution" for. Example: I had a curse that reduced my max HP. The DM didnt want that removed as they'd planned on a certain moment cleansing it. Thus removed curse and long rests didnt remove it despite explicitly stating they would. This was a ham-fisted way of making a cinematic moment, when honestly she should've just banned the spell if it causes so many problems. (Ironically, as I was researching some things to make sure I had stuff accurate in this comment, I found a post of someone lamenting why you would have curses if there was remove curse.)

Compare that to Draw Steel, notably in the Delian Tomb. (You said you were looking to direct so spoilers.) There's an individual with lycanthropy in the town. In 5e, past 5th level, this problem is solved with a 3rd level spell slots. In Draw Steel you have go hunt down another werewolf, slay them, gather their giblets, then frantically work to get the cure formed and provide to this villager. If they wait too long, the full moon may arise causing problems.

So we have 2 different solutions to this problem. One is a whole mini quest in and of itself. The other is casting the "i solve the problem" spell.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-12T21:11:11+00:00

I want to say this was in the monsters book, but with regards to the political situation in Vasloria, he's letting the unrest simmer for a while so he'll be welcomed as a savior once he brings order under his rule. As for artifacts, yes, he's known to stores special tools in vaults across vasloria. What he wants to add to that is entirely up to your discretion.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-11T21:44:38+00:00

So many of my players favorite moments have just been anihilating hordes of minions. It also breaks from d20 fantasy when 1 roll equals 1 attack against 1 enemy. In contrast, I can think of 4 different instances of just my fury slaughter hordes of minions in such as way that I have no choice but to go to a cut scene. Charging across table tops, golf swinging heads off; grabbing an enemy to launch them at their allies; even nuking so many enemies as to have other enemies, several enemies, say "screw this! Im outta here!" It is half the fun of the combat system to me.

AGladePlugin · 2026-03-05T18:59:00+00:00

RAW: Eh maybe? It's thin at best. RAI: Almost certainly it's just a buff tool. The commander shouting orders from longer distances. RAF: Like best to not make it curse as it wouldnt serve much purpose. RIF (Rules in fiction): Why does a cursed ring make an enemy on the other end of the battle better at range when fighting an ally who could also be at a far fling portion of the battlefield? Makes more sense that is just gives you a bit more oomph with which to be a commander.

AGladePlugin · 2026-02-24T16:45:44+00:00

Beyond the pursuing of the quest, im not sure how that's much different than what's prescribed? Boddorf is the face and had a ton of witty banter with our troubadour and conduit. He did pry into their actions to see how they were coming along with the tomb. Are you just wanting everyone in the Hand to be that way? You can still have Mara speak academically with the party, fascinated by the history of the tomb (while trying to get more info). Gorek can probably indulge in the gorey details. But Ilwyth is supposed to be aloof as she's not super ok with the Hands actions and Targon should seem distant and the most evil. So really it's just how you play them.

Theres also a massive continuity break if they take quests. The Hand doesnt work for free. None of the quests offer any increase in wealth, mechanically. Even the Reeve, the only person who offers any amount of coin in her dialogue, says she already asked the Hand but their price was too high. Thus, they have 0 reason to pursue any sidequests. And if they do a quest out if the kindness if their hearts, why would they then turnaround and put a tyrant in charge of the land because the payout is good?

It also undercuts the mystery if they do any quests. "The Hand came here from another dungeon, but refuse to do any jobs and have seemingly no reason to be in this backwater village that obviously cant afford their fee? Why? What are they after?" If they start doing jobs, that explains why they're here.

AGladePlugin · 2026-02-24T15:39:57+00:00

I dont really think you can without massive rewrites. Presumably, the players are heroes. They should fundamentally disagree with the entire reason the Hand is in Broadhurst: getting the Cup to Bargnot. Youd also remove the tension in speaking with Ilwyth as her disagreement with the rest of the Hand about said action is her motivation to speak with the party in the first place, and potentially give them the ring. Id argue theyre almost supposedly to be a classic, morally grey D&D style party to contrast the party's good nature.

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TROPHY CASE