The Cleric

The lands of Dungeon World are a gods-forsaken mess. They’re lousy with the walking dead, beasts of all sorts, and the vast unnatural spaces between safe and temple-blessed civilizations. It is a godless world out there. That’s why it needs you.

Bringing the glory of your god to the heathens isn’t just in your nature—it’s your calling. It falls to you to proselytize with sword and mace and spell. To cleave deep into the witless heart of the wilds and plant the seed of divinity there. Some say that it is best to keep god close to your heart. You know that’s rubbish. God lives at the edge of a blade.

Show the world who is lord.

Names

Dwarf: Durga, Aelfar, Gerda, Rurgosh, Bjorn, Drummond, Helga, Siggrun, Freya

Human: Wesley, Brinton, Jon, Sara, Hawthorn, Elise, Clarke, Lenore, Piotr, Dahlia, Carmine

Look

Choose one for each:

Kind Eyes, Sharp Eyes, or Sad Eyes

Tonsure, Strange Hair, or Bald

Flowing Robes, Habit, or Common Garb

Thin Body, Knobby Body, or Flabby Body

Stats

Your maximum HP is 8+Constitution.

Your base damage is d6.

Starting Moves

Choose a race and gain the corresponding move:

Dwarf

You are one with stone. When you commune you are also granted a special version of Words of the Unspeaking as a rote which only works on stone.

Human

Your faith is diverse. Choose one wizard spell. You can cast and be granted that spell as if it was a cleric spell.

You start with these moves:

Deity

You serve and worship some deity or power which grants you spells. Give your god a name (maybe Helferth, Sucellus, Zorica or Krugon the Bleak) and choose your deity’s domain:

  • Healing and Restoration
  • Bloody Conquest
  • Civilization
  • Knowledge and Hidden Things
  • The Downtrodden and Forgotten
  • What Lies Beneath

Choose one precept of your religion:

  • Your religion preaches the sanctity of suffering, add Petition: Suffering
  • Your religion is cultish and insular, add Petition: Gaining Secrets
  • Your religion has important sacrificial rites, add Petition: Offering
  • Your religion believes in trial by combat, add Petition: Personal Victory

Divine Guidance

When you petition your deity according to the precept of your religion, you are granted some useful knowledge or boon related to your deity’s domain. The GM will tell you what.

Turn Undead

When you hold your holy symbol aloft and call on your deity for protection, roll+Wis. ✴On a 7+, so long as you continue to pray and brandish your holy symbol, no undead may come within reach of you. ✴On a 10+, you also momentarily daze intelligent undead and cause mindless undead to flee. Aggression breaks the effects and they are able to act as normal. Intelligent undead may still find ways to harry you from afar. They’re clever like that.

Commune

When you spend uninterrupted time (an hour or so) in quiet communion with your deity, you:

  • Lose any spells already granted to you.
  • Are granted new spells of your choice whose total levels don’t exceed your own level+1, and none of which is a higher level than your own level.
  • Prepare all of your rotes, which never count against your limit.

Cast a Spell

When you unleash a spell granted to you by your deity, roll+Wis. ✴On a 10+, the spell is successfully cast and your deity does not revoke the spell, so you may cast it again. ✴On a 7–9, the spell is cast, but choose one:

  • You draw unwelcome attention or put yourself in a spot. The GM will tell you how.
  • Your casting distances you from your deity—take -1 ongoing to cast a spell until the next time you commune.
  • After you cast it, the spell is revoked by your deity. You cannot cast the spell again until you commune and have it granted to you.

Note that maintaining spells with ongoing effects will sometimes cause a penalty to your roll to cast a spell.

Alignment

Choose an alignment:

Good

Endanger yourself to heal another.

Lawful

Endanger yourself following the precepts of your church or god.

Evil

Harm another to prove the superiority of your church or god.

Gear

Your load is 10+Str. You carry dungeon rations (5 uses, 1 weight) and some symbol of the divine, describe it (0 weight). Choose your defenses:

  • Chainmail (1 armor, 1 weight)
  • Shield (+1 armor, 2 weight)

Choose your armament:

  • Warhammer (close, 1 weight)
  • Mace (close, 1 weight)
  • Staff (close, two-handed, 1 weight) and bandages (0 weight)

Choose one:

  • Adventuring gear (1 weight) and dungeon rations (5 uses, 1 weight)
  • Healing potion (0 weight)

Bonds

Fill in the name of one of your companions in at least one:

_______________ has insulted my deity; I do not trust them.

_______________ is a good and faithful person; I trust them implicitly.

_______________ is in constant danger, I will keep them safe.

I am working on converting _______________ to my faith.

Advanced Moves

When you gain a level from 2–5, choose from these moves.

Chosen One

Choose one spell. You are granted that spell as if it was one level lower.

Invigorate

When you heal someone they take +2 forward to their damage.

The Scales of Life and Death

When someone takes their last breath in your presence, they take +1 to the roll.

Serenity

When you cast a spell you ignore the first -1 penalty from ongoing spells.

First Aid

Cure Light Wounds is a rote for you, and therefore doesn’t count against your limit of granted spells.

Divine Intervention

When you commune you get 1 hold and lose any hold you already had. Spend that hold when you or an ally takes damage to call on your deity, they intervene with an appropriate manifestation (a sudden gust of wind, a lucky slip, a burst of light) and negate the damage.

Penitent

When you take damage and embrace the pain, you may take +1d4 damage (ignoring armor). If you do, take +1 forward to cast a spell.

Empower

When you cast a spell, on a 10+ you have the option of choosing from the 7–9 list. If you do, you may choose one of these effects as well:

  • The spell’s effects are doubled
  • The spell’s targets are doubled

Orison for Guidance

When you sacrifice something of value to your deity and pray for guidance, your deity tells you what it would have you do. If you do it, mark experience.

Divine Protection

When you wear no armor or shield you get 2 armor.

Devoted Healer

When you heal someone else of damage, add your level to the amount of damage healed.

When you gain a level from 6–10, choose from these moves or the level 2–5 moves.

Anointed

Requires: Chosen One

Choose one spell in addition to the one you picked for chosen one. You are granted that spell as if it was one level lower.

Apotheosis

The first time you spend time in prayer as appropriate to your god after taking this move, choose a feature associated with your deity (rending claws, wings of sapphire feathers, an all-seeing third eye, etc.). When you emerge from prayer, you permanently gain that physical feature.

Reaper

When you take time after a conflict to dedicate your victory to your deity and deal with the dead, take +1 forward.

Providence

Replaces: Serenity

You ignore the -1 penalty from two spells you maintain.

Greater First Aid

Requires: First Aid

Cure Moderate Wounds is a rote for you, and therefore doesn’t count against your limit of granted spells.

Divine Invincibility

Replaces: Divine Intervention

When you commune you gain 2 hold and lose any hold you already had. Spend that hold when you or an ally takes damage to call on your deity, who intervenes with an appropriate manifestation (a sudden gust of wind, a lucky slip, a burst of light) and negates the damage.

Martyr

Replaces: Penitent

When you take damage and embrace the pain, you may take +1d4 damage (ignoring armor). If you do, take +1 forward to cast a spell and add your level to any damage done or healed by the spell.

Divine Armor

Replaces: Divine Protection

When you wear no armor or shield you get 3 armor.

Greater Empower

Replaces: Empower

When you cast a spell, on a 10–11 you have the option of choosing from the 7–9 list. If you do, you may choose one of these effects as well. On a 12+ you get to choose one of these effects for free.

  • The spell’s effects are doubled
  • The spell’s targets are doubled

Multiclass Dabbler

Get one move from another class. Treat your level as one lower for choosing the move.