Clerics are the conduits through which many deities and greater entities of the planes manifest their will, and as such have great variety among their number.
Some clerics worship one or many gods (possibly even entities of darkness) while others attend to a philosophy or ideology which resonate with matters of ultimacy. Witting or unwitting, joyful or begrudging, lighthearted or solemn—clerics are the sheer presence of divine favor.
With divine power at their fingertips clerics can heal the wounded and even revive the dead. Their allies glow with boons wrought from outside the Material Plane, and their enemies fall into shadow and flame as they feel the wrath of almighty forces. These abilities are granted when the cleric is chosen by a greater entity, or even a whole pantheon, to fulfill a divine duty, and more are given as they prove themselves worthy. With expertise in both protection and affliction, clerics are indomitable allies and terrifying foes.
When the time calls for it some are just as handy in close quarters with a mace or warhammer as they are at the sidelines with an amulet and divine word. Unlike many spellcasters, a cleric distills their magical ability from acts of devotion and revelations from beyond the pale. Their command over supernatural power stems from their unique connection to forces outside of this realm, and from the mission granted to them.
No matter their religion or cause, a cleric is distinct from the average worshiper and even those at the highest echelons of its hierarchy. Rather than simply choosing a spiritual path, they are called to a spiritual duty. Their greater entity has chosen them as a vessel for their will, anointing the cleric with theurgic magic to manifest commands from beyond.
A cleric may receive their divine mission in the fog of a dream, the gentle whispers of nature, or the appearance of an intercessory messenger (such as angelic or demonic beings, a holy animal, or a long-deceased ancestor) after long study of holy texts. The cleric may even have been non-religious until the moment of their calling (and might still consider themselves that way), born with an innate skill or understanding essential to their mission—for them worship is often more in the form of deeds than in prayer or meditation. Their precise goal is shaped by the entity or pantheon they worship and their chosen archetype (and perhaps a discussion with the Narrator). An oracle may be bound to travel the world and distribute word of things to come, whereas a healer may wade into the chaos of battle to rescue the wounded. Whatever their mission, adventure is central to the life of clerics as they perform the extraordinary to fulfill their duty.
Full instructions for how to create a cleric can be found here.
- Anointer (GPG #16) - The Anointer is the hand from which blessings flow. Oils, blood, ash and holy water, the gods and mediums may vary, but each anointer takes that which has been blessed and bestows it on those they deem worthy.
- Divine Hedonist (GPG #31) - Many clerics devote their life to grand ideals, glorious purposes, and grim reckonings. Divine hedonists believe those paths are for the foolish, as we all are wonderful-yet-brief children of the divine and life is meant to be thoroughly enjoyed while it lasts. The best of them create or support beautiful art, fine foods, and sweet music to enrich the lives of the masses, while the most debased forcefully draw unwitting laity into their worship.
- Elemental Priest (MoAR Comp Pg. 127) - Elemental priests are those clerics whose special power (and divine revelation) center around one of the natural elements. Fire priests, ice priests, and stone priests may have varied theological insights and opinions, but they are cut from similar cloth. Most elemental priests worship one or more of the gods from the mainstream pantheon, positioning their element as a key theological symbol. Some elemental priests go so far as to identify nature itself as the true divinity. They might offer up their prayers to fey, elementals, and greater nature spirits much like a druid, but their spiritual disposition and worldview (including the specific call to religious leadership) is much more in line with other clerics.
- Execrator (PMG C Pg. 2) - When a higher power wishes to express its displeasure with someone or something, it has more options than simple annihilation. Often a less-permanent or at least less-sudden measure will prove more educational to the enemies of the divine.
- Exorcist (GPG #16) - A select few have the perception and fortitude to excise corruption and purify the innocent souls who’ve been tainted by it. No matter how innocent a situation may seem on the surface, an Exorcist draws out what evil lurks in the hearts of men and banishes it back to the depths. Monster hunters, preachers, and solemn undertakers, the exorcist is an instrument of their faith that no one hopes to have need of, for it is only the presence of the vilest fiends and spirits that leads an Exorcist to your door.
- Healer (AG Pg. 159) - Healers have devoted their existence to the preservation of life in others. Many systems of belief have at their heart a tale about the spark of creation, when life came into being. Restoration clerics, however else they live, are driven to wield that spark, preserving and nurturing it wherever they can. While many do strive to preserve life for its own sake, perhaps living as pacifists or seeking a peaceful existence, many restoration clerics have lives as tumultuous as any warrior’s—they need those healing abilities for a reason! Their restorative prowess allows themselves and their allies to fight longer and harder for their cause.
- Hecatomb (GPG #16) - Some deities direct mortal hands to bloody their altars. Hecatombs earn power from their god and the fearful respect of their followers through the power of sacrifice. While nearly all deities that appoint Hecatombs have a certain disregard for mortal life, they are not exclusively evil, however. To such clerics, the axes of good and evil and law and chaos matter little—they are all secondary to the divine will.
- Judge (PMG MOAR: I Pg. 16) - For many faiths, the very concepts of justice and morality are gifts from the divine, and clerics called to adjudicate these matters are bestowed training and supernatural gifts for this service. These judges may be kind and incorruptible, dedicated to fairness and impartiality. Or they may be merciless or corrupt, keeping their hands firmly on the scales which are supposed to blindly measure justice.
- Labyrinth Priest (DDG Pg. 33) - Mazes are found in the myths and religions of cultures the world over, and you believe the greatest truths lie within the mystery of the labyrinth itself. With every warren and passage you navigate, your devotion and the power it grants increases, so surely there must be some truth at the heart of your worship.
- Necropomp (HOaN) - The necropomp is a cleric in service to gods and forces of death and the afterlife. Some are vicious and cruel necromancers who inspire devotion through terror, others hunters of the undead that track down and destroy these abominations. Some serve gods of murder and bloody sacrifice; others are living psychopomps who run hospices, perform funeral rites, and help guide all those near death or recently departed. Still others are dark avengers, bringing ruin and retribution, plague and divine punishment down upon the unrighteous. All are deeply in tune with death.
- Open-Road Adherent (GPG #31) - Incapable of staying in one place for too long, Open-Road Adherents generally devote themselves to deities related to travel, freedom, nature, or even commerce. While their faiths may vary, they all share a deep desire to constantly move and to break all types of chains.
- Oracle (AG Pg. 160) - Many higher powers and great entities can see where mortal eyes cannot, whether that be beyond barriers between planes, into the vast knowledge wells of the multiverse, or how the threads of fate will weave. Oracles are gifted with insights into this knowledge. Some oracles delve into the wealth of knowledge already amassed by great minds. For others this is not enough—they long to explore new knowledge, or even see that which has not yet occurred. Whatever their focus, discovery clerics are gifted with the means to follow these desires, and the choice between sharing or sequestering the knowledge lies to them. Whether they gain their knowledge from prophetic dreams, visits and whispers from long-dead all-knowing ancestors, or simply an uncanny knack to interpret the signs that abound for those who care to look, for good or for ill these clerics see where others cannot.
- Preserver (GPG #17) - When people pray for deliverance from threats, they often hope the higher pow er they beseech will send a Preserver. While any cleric can be a competent defender and protector of those they care about, Preservers make it a singular focus, honing themselves into bastions and refuges that ensure that no harm shall befall those they protect.
- Pilgrim (SoS) - Pilgrims are clerics that seek to access the divine by undertaking a journey of great significance. For some, a single destination defines the entirety of their lives, while others visit a variety of holy sites in their time. For others still, the end destination is unimportant or even entirely unknown; it is instead the journey itself which chiey forges their soul. Whatever their path, these holy travelers are always on the road, beckoned ever forward by the calling in their souls.
- Shadow Priest (GPG #31) - Darkness is always around us, no matter where we are. The shadows as you walk down that alley, the movement you seem to glimpse from the corner of your eye before it’s gone, the feeling of uncertainty that comes just after dusk. For most these are threats and signals of danger, but for Shadow Priests they are the tools of the faith.
- Sun Priest (AG Pg. 162) - Whether it’s the first hopeful rays of sunrise, the roar of flame in darkness, or the gentle glow of a candle, sun priests wield and worship the power that illuminates and warms the world. While sun priests are bound by this common archetype, their intentions, methods of worship, and philosophies differ greatly. Some may see the light as symbolic, choosing to add warmth and light to the world with joyful acts, feasts, and fun, while others choose to illuminate new knowledge and discoveries, enlightening minds and changing the world. Still more revere the homely hearthfire or cherish the cleansing properties of a white-hot flame.
- Trickster Priest (HOaN) - Trickster priests are clerics of duplicitous nature. Some devote themselves to clandestine or secret organizations within more traditional faiths, others are devoted to gods or faiths of trickery and subversion acting as cosmic gestures seeking to pants powers both light and dark in service of the true absurdity of the cosmos, while more villainous examples act as impersonators, stealing the devotion of adherents of other faiths often for selfish ends while drawing their true strength from more nefarious powers.
- Undertaker (PMG MOAR: L&D Pg. 15) - Undertakers are clerics charged with guiding the living into the dark—be that gently or with the gnashing of teeth. Some undertakers worship the gods of death and destruction, uttering curses of decay and raising armies of undead. Others worship gods who—out of a respect for the dignity of life or hatred for the undead—practice death magics as a way to balance the cosmic scales. One way or another, they find themselves dealing with the rivers of life and death, either wading through or gliding gently across.
- Warpriest (AG Pg. 163) - These clerics meet their foes with the might of powers beyond mortal ken. Blessed blades strike down spiritual assailants, divine will shelters allies from enemy onslaught, and victory flies to them on holy wings. Warpriests come from many walks of life—some from the worship of martial gods, some from the ritual of training, and others by catching the eye of greater entities through their prowess and soldierly dedication. Whatever their origin, warpriests are imbued with the combined forces of a warrior’s strength and a cleric’s commitment to their cause.