Unearthed Arcana 10/04/18 - Order Domain
I wasn't expecting an Unearthed Arcana for a while because of Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes taking up a lot of Wizards of the Coast's time, so imagine my surprise when I spotted this on the D&D website!
The Order Domain is a playtest Cleric option that explores the enforcement of the law and obedience. It sets out to bring order to the chaos of the multiverse and as such is associated with Lawful Gods such as Tyr, Avandra and Pelor...
From a roleplaying standpoint I found Lawful characters to be quite boring as they very restricted in their interactions. This Order seems even more strict because your powers are derived from a strict Deity, if you deviate from the lawful path too much there is a chance that your God will abandon you and your powers will disappear.
Mechanically there are five special moves to use.
Voice of Authority at first level can lead to some interesting interactions if there is a melee heavy hitter in your party like a raging barbarian. Kick out a Healing Word as a bonus action and you compel your ally to make a melee attack as their reaction, then move in and make a melee attack yourself. Alternatively you can buff an ally with Heroism and then use their new found skill to get extra uses out of the buff.
Order's Domain at second level is a mass stun, a thirty foot radius charm that causes charmed creatures to fall prone if they fail a saving throw. If you don't shout "Kneel before God Heathens" when you use it you're missing a trick!
Order's Dominion at level six grants the ability to regain spell slots when you cast enchantment spells.
Divine Strike at eighth level you can imbue an attack each turn with 1d8 force damage.
Order's Wrath at seventeenth level if you use Divine Strike then your allies can pile on and do an additional 2d8 force damage on their first hit with a melee attack.
With all the cool abilities my earlier worries about this option being boring were misplaced. This Domain has a real firebrand cleric vibe to it, shouting 'the power of Tyr compels you!' and making enemies cower in fear has great flavour and the Voice of Authority ability can be used to chain some interesting effects. Overall I like it and it seems quite powerful, give it a test and comment on your finding below.
May you roll well!
