The Death Domain oversees the end of life and how to contact those who have already passed to the Underworld. Clerics of this domain assist dead souls in moving on peacefully to the afterlife. This comes with the additional mission of preventing souls from returning who have not paid the toll set down in the Resurrection Pact of Hades.
The central deity of Death is Hades. He rules the Underworld realms of Erebos, Elysium, and Tartarus. The Resurrection Pact of Hades allows souls to leave if certain sacrifices and rituals are performed. Lucky souls return to life while others receive rituals that summon them as monstrous undead.
Hermes acts as a secondary deity of Death. His role is to guide dead souls from their corpses to the Underworld’s threshold at the River Styx. At blinding speed, Hermes snatches each deceased mortal and deposits them on the shores of Hades’s Kingdom.
Death Domain Spells
Level 3: Your connection to this divine domain ensures you always have certain spells ready. When you reach a Cleric level specified in the Death Domain Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Bane, False Life, Gentle Repose, Grave Stride (New Spell!) |
| 5 | Revivify, Speak with Dead |
| 7 | Blight, Death Ward |
| 9 | Antilife Shell, Raise Dead |
Soul Shepherd
Level 3: Your presence assists the dead in moving on to the afterlife and your god rewards you for your service. When a creature dies within 30 feet of you, you gain Temporary Hit Points equal to the creature’s Challenge Rating (minimum of one).
Death’s Touch
Level 3: You can touch a creature and end its life. As a Magic action, expend a use of your Channel Divinity to make a melee attack using your spellcasting ability modifier against one creature within reach. On a hit, roll a number of d6s equal to your Cleric level. If the result is greater than or equal to the target’s Hit Points, the target dies.
Persistent Undertaker
Level 6: Once one soul goes, you’re ready to take another. While you have Temporary Hit Points, Bloodied creatures have Disadvantage against your spells.
River of Life
Level 17: Your mastery of death magic allows you to steal a piece of a creature’s life energy to give to another. When you deal Necrotic damage, you or one creature you can see within 30 feet regains Hit Points equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.
New Spells
Grave Stride – Level 2 Necromancy (Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard)
Grave Stride
Level 2 Necromancy (Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard)
Casting Time: Action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round
You briefly take on the incorporeal form of a ghost and move through creatures and obstacles for the duration. You can move through other creatures and objects as if they were Difficult Terrain. While moving, Opportunity Attacks made against you have Disadvantage. If you end your movement in an occupied space, you are shunted to the nearest unoccupied space and take Force damage equal to twice the number of feet you are moved. Each creature you move through must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 Necrotic damage.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The damage increases by 1d6 for each spell slot level above 2.
