When I first started playing D&D, I was really all about the spellcasting. I loved me some sorcerer power, and that’s typically all I played until my first sorcerer for my current group (Detroit LFG) got torn in half by a tree.
When trying to pick a new character to play, I had no idea what to pick. I wanted to stray away from what I always went with and wanted to move in a direction I had never done before. For me, that would be the Cleric. But Clerics seemed so boring. When people are looking at cleric domains to choose from for their D&D campaign, they typically lean more towards the types of domains that deal a lot of damage or heal a lot of hit points all in one go. However, these domains seem to be pretty limited, and pretty cliche. I mean, I’m not one to talk about cliche for starting with a human sorcerer every single time I start a new campaign.
But one domain really caught my eye – the Trickery Domain. That Invoke Duplicity – creating a perfect illusion at Level 2 and being able to cast from it, move it around as if it were your own self – that was super dope. So I made Shander – a Human Trickery Cleric. Not going to lie, I was hooked from the start just based on that ability alone. However, it really is just an in-combat ability since it lasts for a minute. Also, as a Cleric, you are really limited when your concentration is taken up by something. But hear me out – RANGED Inflict Wounds. RANGED Cure Wounds. RANGED Spare the Dying (up to 120 feet – suck it, Grave Cleric.) All of a sudden, all of these touch spells become ranged spells, because my Trickery Cleric can just stay behind a wall while he lets his illusion (aka Shander 2) go out to 120 feet to do all of the spell shenanigans. Not only that, but it extends the range of spells like Toll the Dead, Guiding Bolt, Healing Word, and other ranged spells that are so vital. And if you Sanctuary yourself, or Blink, or do anything that protects you against attacks to keep yourself safe while your illusion goes out to be the source from which you cast spells, your utility all of a sudden increases dramatically. And, just a cherry on the top – if the illusion is within 5 feet of a creature you’re attack, that gives you advantage on your attacks. That can mean a 5th Level Inflict Wounds at Advantage. Don’t fuck with the Trickery Cleric.
Also, if your DM is playing it right, this illusion is a PERFECT illusion. It looks like you. The only time that a creature would know it’s an illusion from the get-go is if it has tremorsense, blindsight, true sight, etc, which aren’t too common until you get to higher levels. The illusion can’t be destroyed, but a creature can attempt to attack it. It would be presumed that attacks automatically would just go through it – you can’t actively move the image unless you use your bonus action, so it’s assumed you wouldn’t have the control to make it “dodge” an oncoming attack. Once the attack goes through, the creature may realize this isn’t a real person, but they may get confused when that illusion then does an Inflict Wounds on it. So it can be a good distraction or gimmick in battle to confuse your enemy for a turn.
“That’s what the Trickery Cleric is supposed to run as – utility, with a side of roleplay badassery.“
That’s what the Trickery Cleric is supposed to run as – utility, with a side of roleplay badassery. Not to mention those Domain Spells and some very useful Channel Divinities. If you have a Paladin who doesn’t know how to be stealthy, all you need to do is give him Blessing of the Trickster, then cast Pass Without a Trace, and suddenly the Paladin isn’t fucking up any stealth mission and you have a tank who can get the drop on enemies without problem. Being able to use the Cloak of Shadows CD to get out of a sticky situation (because, really, as a Trickery Cleric you’re going to want to stay away from combat while you have your illusion up) is incredibly useful, if somewhat niche (and limited since it’s only for one turn), and also crumbles when you get to the true sight levels with your enemies. But whatever, it’s gotten me out of sticky situations before, and I’m sure it’ll keep helping out just the same.
But let me be clear – the Trickery Cleric gets the BEST domain spells of all domains. Charm Person and Disguise Self for infiltration and espionage? The Trickery Cleric can keep up with the best of them. Mirror Image and Blink for defense in combat? The Trickery Cleric makes it so difficult to be hit. Pass Without Trace and Dimension Door? No one can keep up. Dominate Person? Polymorph? Dispel Magic? Modify Memory? Holy hell. You could not have created a better set of spells for a utility caster. The Trickery Cleric offers so much in the way of stealth missions, combat, support, roleplay, intel, espionage, etc. If you want a character ready for anything, the Trickery Cleric is just the domain for you.
Trust me, it’s so satisfying to cast Polymorph to turn your barbarian who was getting low on health into a T-Rex, and then you Dimension Door to a safe location to let the T-Rex do its thing, or you cast Sanctuary, Blur and/or Mirror Image to sit back and watch the T-Rex do its thing while you prep any healing spells to keep the T-Rex your vicious, reptilian tank. Or even casting Dominate Person on, well, anybody and then having total control over this person and making them do whatever you desire.
I only have two qualms with this class that I wish weren’t as…lame. First of all, having a Poison Divine Strike sucks. So many things resist or are immune to poison, so it’s the weakest of the Divine Strikes. However, this is okay, because you’re not going to be within attacking distance anyway if you’re playing the class right. You should not be a frontliner as a Trickery Cleric, not at all.
My other qualm is the fact that it really takes a lot of setup to really do the class right. Action economy is not your friend in this instance, and it will take a few turns to really get the setup right. However, if you play it right and you stay out of your enemy’s range or stay hidden until the time is right, then you will be a powerhouse! It just takes a little bit, and you have to be clever. There are multiple in-combat combos with this domain that work very well. Mirror Image + Spirit Guardians. Invoke Duplicity + Sanctuary while you play Healer. Polymorph + Dimension Door. Ranged Inflict Wounds with Invoke Duplicity. Advantage Inflict Wounds with Invoke Duplicity. Mirror Image + Beacon of Hope.
I feel as though the Trickery Cleric was intentionally limited in all regards to keep it from being OP. The Invoke Duplicity ability was made concentration and given a time limit to prevent it from being way too powerful and prevented epic combos with other concentration spells, the Cloak of Shadows was made to be a one-turn invisibility, the Blessing of the Trickster is only able to be used on other characters, the Divine Strike sucks because advantage with an illusion at your side is powerful, so on and so forth. It’s not the best at healing, it’s not the best at combat, it’s not the best at support – but the Trickery Cleric does it ALL. That’s why this class is underrated – people are drawn to the subclasses and domains and such that offer a one-trick pony, but they do that one trick VERY well. The Trickery Cleric can handle any mission, any situation, with above average utility. That’s why I love this domain, and why Shander and Shander 2 will forever be one of my favorite characters I’ve ever played.
The Gayme Master 