Class Feature Friday: Air Domain (Pathfinder 2nd Edition Cleric Domain)
The 2nd edition cleric is customizable right out of the gate by doctrine, but also by domains, and now that we’ve done both currently available doctrines, it’s time to start working on the latter of the two.
2nd edition domains, which are usable by clerics, champions, and oracles, are much like their first edition counterpart in that they represent the divine caster’s mastery of one of the aspects that is favored by their deity, but in this case, the domains only provide two focus spells.
In any case, the air domain! This is a domain favored by the gods of the sky and weather, naturally, reflecting the control over the atmosphere that those gods demonstrate. The air can be a life-giving breath or a structure-rending cyclone accompanied by bolts of lightning.
Unfortunately, for those hoping to see a similar power set to the 1st edition version of the domain, you may be disappointed, as like many other elemental themes in 2e, they have decided to divorce the elements from the energy types that were associated with them, meaning no acid for earth, cold for water, or electricity for air. So yeah, no lightning powers here. However, both cold and electricity get their own separate domains, so that’s nice.
In any case, this domain offers some impressive abilities, a promise from the caster’s deity that the wind will always be at their back.
Calling upon the power of the winds, the basic power of this domain unleashes a blast of air to attempt to push a foe back, possibly even knocking them over.
Mastering their form, they can also learn to disperse themselves into air when attacked. While this does not prevent the harm inflicted, it does prevent them from being attacked again for a few seconds, before they reform nearby, ready with their counterattack.
The air domain has both an offensive and defensive option, both dealing with positioning, so this can be a rewarding domain to take if you wish to control the location of yourself and your foes, and being able to become immune to harm after an initial attack is very useful if you find yourself in close quarters with a foe with a lot of attacks, making it very good for a combat-oriented character.
The domain of air is, like many elemental domains, connected to deities both benevolent and malicious, and a few who are more ambivalent. As such, what air means to the caster will vary depending on the nature of their worship and their equally tempestuous nature. Some may revel in the violence of windstorms, gales, and tornados, while others embody air’s ever-present, soothing, life-giving nature.
Keris Hearthkiss may have a lineage of fire, but the halfling ifrit would rather manage his windmill in peace. However, when trouble comes a knocking, he dons his old armor and stands to face it, the brave redeemer ready to blow foes over and strike them down.
The Free Wind, goddess of travel and the sky, is said to watch over all that travel the plains, and for the faithful who channel the winds, her protection can be found in the breeze and gale alike, with sometimes the winds carrying bralani and ghael azatas to provide aid and succor.
Priests of the wind and rain are a common sight on the ships of the Eshova Sea, using the divine magic to fill the sails and ward off ill weather, but rumors have begun to creep in of a cult of a demon lord of fell winds infiltrating the coastal nations, using their magic to bring misfortune to other vessels, and even their own, should the whim cross their mind.
