Notes from the writer: We took our first run at this subclass back in 2016, and recently reworked it for 5.5E independent of the Villainous Options playtest. So it’s up to you: who wore it better?
Pestilence Domain
Cleric Subclass: Spread Infections and Disease
Often called the “Festering Faith,” the Pestilence Domain venerates corruption and sickness, from feverish infections to catastrophic plagues. Their Clerics are ravaged by diseases but unharmed by them, acting as carriers for the rest of the population. Such Clerics believe that infections choose their victims with purpose, acting through the unseen influence of myriad gods to spare some and condemn others. Every infection is a gift, every symptom a blessing.
Level 3: Carrier
Your innate magical contagions grant you the following benefits.
Ignore Poison Immunity. Your Cleric spells and features ignore Immunity to Poison damage and the Poisoned condition. A creature with Immunity to Poison damage instead is treated as having Resistance for you.
Inoculate. As a Magic action, you can touch a creature and remove the Poisoned condition and any magical contagions affecting it. Additionally, the target has Resistance to Poison damage for 1 minute.
Level 3: Pestilence Domain Spells
Your connection to this divine domain ensures you always have certain spells ready. When you reach a Cleric level specified in the Pestilence Domain Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
Pestilence Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Prepared Spells |
| 3 | Blindness/Deafness, Detect Poison and Disease, Poison Spray, Ray of Enfeeblement, Ray of Sickness |
| 5 | Bestow Curse, Remove Curse |
| 7 | Blight, Confusion |
| 9 | Contagion, Insect Plague |
In addition, your connection to the domain afflicts you with benign symptoms of illness. Choose a symptom from the Symptoms table or determine it randomly.
Symptom
| d8 | Symptom |
| 1 | You are always accompanied by a loud, sickening cough. |
| 2 | One of your limbs is black and withered but completely functional. |
| 3 | One or both of your eyes are entirely blood red. |
| 4 | Intense shivers come at you in waves. |
| 5 | A number of growths and tumors lump your body and hunch your back. |
| 6 | Your skin is riddled with boils and sores. |
| 7 | Your body is horrifically gaunt. |
| 8 | Constantly fevered, you are drenched in sweat. |
Level 3: Infection
As a Magic action, you present your Holy Symbol and expend a use of your Channel Divinity to infect a creature you can see within 30 feet of yourself, which must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have the Poisoned condition for 1 minute. While the creature has the Poisoned condition, it suffers the effects of one of the following magical contagions. At the end of each of the Poisoned creature’s turns, the creature repeats the save, ending the condition on itself on a success.
Bloodmore. Whenever the creature takes Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage, it takes an extra 1d6 Necrotic damage.
Joint Lock. The creature’s Speed is reduced by 15 feet, to a minimum of 5 feet.
Ruby Eye. The target can see normally out to a range of 5 feet, but has the Blinded condition beyond this range.
Level 6: Fester
When you cast a Cleric spell or use a Cleric feature that forces a creature to make a Constitution saving throw, you can give one creature Disadvantage on its saving throw against the spell or feature.
Level 17: Epidemic Infection
Your magical contagions become viral and more dangerous, improving in the following ways.
Cursed Infection. Choose one ability when a creature gains the Poisoned condition of your Infection. While it has the condition, it has Disadvantage with ability checks and saving throws made with that ability.
Viral Infection. A target of your Infection spreads disease in a 5-foot Emanation while it has the Poisoned condition. Whenever the Emanation enters the space of a creature you can see and whenever a creature you can see enters the Emanation or ends its turn there, you can force that creature to make a Constitution saving throw against your Infection as well. On a failed save, the creature also gains the Poisoned condition and magical contagion of Infection and spreads disease in a 5-foot Emanation.
The Pestilence Domain also appears for 5E 2014 in Valda’s Spire of Secrets, a titanic player expansion with 10 new base classes and 152 new subclasses. Our new core classes are already updated for 5.5E (you’ll get the compatibility update with every purchase) and updates for the core class material are coming soon!
