So you want to play a Cleric in Savage Worlds?
Just take Arcane Background: Miracles.
OK, fine. Because there’s more or less a close analogue to Divine Magic, we’re going to focus on the Cleric’s many, many archetypes, particularly any Edges, Powers, and Trappings you would need to take. I’m only doing a few of the archetypes, because bugger me if we’re doing fifteen or more of these.
These aren’t going to be strict, in order builds, but the Powers, Trappings, and Edges you might want to take to recreate the feel and some of the abilities of your favorite Domain and really stretch the limits of what a vanilla AB: Miracles character can do.
The Forge Domain
You are the avatar of the anvil and the hammer, breaking your foes with great, fiery blows and blessing your gear with powerful magics. Forge Domain is awesome, but doesn’t translate very well into AB: Miracles. You’ll see why below. Consider reskinning AB: Weird Science - this will allow you to make permanently magical items. Am I already contradicting my awesome JoCat reference from the start? Maybe? Also, shush.
Suggested Powers
Smite, Protection, Environmental Protection, Barrier, Elemental Manipulation, Object Reading, Telekinesis
Trappings
Fire, fire, and more fire
Proficiencies
Get your strength up to at least d8, preferably a d10 eventually so you can wear Plate. The Brawny Edge can provide a shortcut. This simulates the Heavy Armor proficiency.
For the stereotypical hammer, I’d recommend asking your DM if you can reskin the Maul or Mace - the Warhammer as written has somewhat lackluster damage and does a better job of simulating a historical warhammer than the ridiculously chonky sort you might see in fantasy art.
Put some points into Repair to sub in for proficiency in Smith’s Tools.
Blessings of the Forge
Take the Smite Power and use that to give weapons and ammo bonus damage and a trapping, allowing the wielder to bypass resistances and exploit vulnerabilities. Smite will also allow you to emulate the 8th level ability Divine Strike.
Artisan’s Blessing
So, now you can create permanently magical items. You can use AB: Weird Science and take the Artificer Edge, as mentioned above, to create Arcane Devices. Talk to your DM about what makes sense for their game world, or if this is something they’d allow you to do as part of AB: Miracles. If they say “neither,” then I’m afraid you have to roll with it. Not every setting works great with Weird Science
Saint of Forge and Fire
Gaining immunity to Fire and resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage is straightforward, but imperfect. I’d suggest taking the Protection Power, adding the Toughness Modifier (so it stacks with the armor you’re wearing). If you’re wearing Plate, this will potentially give you up to +8 Toughness vs mundane weapon damage. There’s no way to gain outright immunity to Fire damage in SWADE. You may take Environmental Protection Power and specify it’s against Fire, though.
Grave Domain
The Grave Domain is a weird one. They have some necromantic abilities, but they seem to strangely be the best healers in the game, if the goal of a healer is to keep party members from dying. There’s not a way to translate most of their abilities without doing homebrewing, which I’m trying to avoid. I’m open to suggestions for how to do this.
Powers
Bless/Curse, Healing, Boost/Lower Trait, Damage Field, Detect/Conceal Arcana, Resurrection, Zombie
Trappings
Necrotic
Knowledge Domain
Knowledge is another non-traditional cleric domain. You’re sort of a skill monkey and, like Tyrion Lannister, you drink and you know things. Maybe you don’t drink, but maybe you should. Boost/Lower Trait and Divination are going to cover for most of your skill monkey and know-it all abilities. Most of your other archetype abilities don’t translate well or are covered in the Powers list, below.
Powers
Boost/Lower Trait, Confusion, Detect/Conceal Arcana, Divination, Farsight, Object Reading, Speak Language
Channel Divinity: Knowledge of the Ages
Take Boost/Lower Trait and possibly the Jack-of-All-Trades Edge.
Life Domain
When you’re perfectly OK with being the healbot, this is the domain for you. Actually, 5E clerics of (almost) any sort are solid damage dealers and mid-line fighters, but the Life Domain is most comfortable with keeping the party members on their feet. And because of how Wounds and healing work in SWADE, unlike in D&D, healing is more efficient than in 5E.
Powers
Healing (duh), Boost/Lower Trait, Relief, Resurrection, Smite
Proficiencies
Boost strength/take brawny so you can wear the heavier sorts of armor.
Gift of Life / Blessed Healer / Supreme Healer
To my knowledge, there’s no as-written ability in SWADE to boost just your healing spells (please correct me in the comments if I'm wrong). Talk to your DM about if they will let you take a Life trapping that would provide bonus points of healing.
Divine Strike
Smite!
Light Domain
The light domain is for when you don’t want to leave the radiant damage dealing to your paladin and wizard allies. You also get some neat abilities to blind and disorient your enemies. So grab your flashbulb and let’s get started.
Powers
Barrier, Blast, Bless/Curse, Blind, Bolt, Burst, Damage Field, Deflection, Light (duh), Smite, Stun
Trappings
Light (of course)
Warding Flare/Improved Flare
This could be simulated by taking Deflection with a Light trapping.
Radiance of the Dawn
Take the Blast and Damage Field Powers with a Light Trapping
Corona of Light
Use the Bless/Curse Power from the Fantasy Companion, spend extra Power Points to make it effect a Large Burst Template, and use it to lower enemy’s Vigor (and thus Toughness). Not exact, but close enough.
Nature Domain
For when you want to be a Druid, but would rather be a Cleric for some reason. The Nature Cleric has many of the same abilities as a Druid, with the exception of its Wild Shape, but is even more of a frontline fighter. Plus, angry ticks fire out of your nipples.
Powers
Beast Friend, Burrow, Burst, Damage Field, Elemental Manipulation, Entangle, Environmental Protection, Fly, Growth/Shrink, Healing, Relief, Smite, Summon Ally
Trappings
Nature, plants, animalistic things, swarms of insects
Proficiencies
Take skills like Riding and Survival
Boost your strength so you can strap on heavier armors.
Channel Divinity: Charm Animal and Plants and Master of Nature
This is emulated through the Beast Friend Power and maybe Summon Ally.
Dampen Elements
The Environmental Protection and Protection Powers are here for this.
Divine Strike
Take Smite and put your favorite elemental flavor on it.
Tempest Domain
Have you ever wanted to be Thor, Lord of Thunder? Here you go, flying around the battlefield and throwing zappy bolts around. Just take Flight plus some offensive Powers, slap some thunder and lighting trappings on them and, baby, you got a stew goin’.
Powers
Blast, Bolt, Burst, Damage Field, Elemental Manipulation, Environmental Protection, Fly, Havoc, Light/Darkness, Sloth/Speed (emphasis on the Speed), Smite, Sound/Silence, Stun, Telekinesis
Trappings
Lighting, thunder, and wind
Proficiencies
Boost Strength so you can strap on the heavy stuff, because nothing says “I like electricity” like “I also wear thirty pounds of steel.”
Wrath of the Storm, Thunderbolt Strike
Take the Telekinesis and Havoc Powers with wind Trappings
Divine Strike
Say hello to my little friend, I call him “Smite” with lighting Trappings
Stormborn
This can be reasonably well simulated with use of the Fly power.
Trickery Domain
If the Tempest Domain cleric is Thor, Trickery is Loki. You don’t have a lot of direct damage dealing power, but you can mess with your enemies like no one else.
Powers
Blind, Boost/Lower Trait, Confusion, Deflection, Detect/Conceal Arcana, Disguise, Drain Power Points, Empathy, Entangle, Farsight, Fear, Growth/Shrink, Havoc, Illusion, Intangibility, Invisibility, Light/Darkness (mostly for the Darkness), Mind Reading, Mind Wipe, Puppet, Shape Change, Sloth/Speed, Slumber, Smite, Sound/Silence, Stun, Telekinesis, Teleport, Wall Walker
Divine Strike
You can magically poison your weapons. Take the Smite power, but with a Poison trapping.
War Domain
Killing is your business and business is good. You get extra attacks, inflict extra damage, and can use your Channel Divinity to be absolutely certain of a hit. You can mostly simulate this using Boost/Lower Trait and Smite and some creativity.
Powers
Arcane Protection, Damage Field, Deflection, Protection, Sloth/Speed, Smite, Stun, Warrior’s Gift
Channel Divinity: Guided Strike
Cast Boost Trait on yourself for whatever you use to attack (e.g. Fighting). If you have the Elan Edge and use it to reroll, now you could get a potential +6 to the roll. Not bad.
Avatar of Battle
Layer Arcane Protection, Protection, and Deflection on yourself. Now enemy casters have a potential -8 to hit you and do -8 damage if you got Raises on your rolls. Mundane fighters still get a potential -4 to hit and -4 damage.
Conclusion
Whew, OK, that’s all I feel like doing. Not all the archetype abilities translate over, but one thing I love about Savage Worlds is the versatility. You can get close enough to simulate most of these class features and abilities through systems like Trappings, Power Modifiers, and Edges.
I’ve gotten some feedback from the Savage Worlds community. Most is positive, but some question why even bother trying to emulate D&D through Savage Worlds. To that, I say, I’m mostly doing this as an exercise for myself. It’s a good excuse to start writing again and it gives me a way to familiarize myself with the SWADE ruleset, while channeling my newfound passion for D&D. It's also more than a little tongue in cheek. This isn’t a serious project - I’m not going to be selling any books or conversions or anything. I’m just doing it for fun and I hope you’re enjoying it too.
Next up, everyone’s favorite shape shifting wild boy: The Druid!
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