Moon Domain, Beacon of Silver Light and Hidden Tides
Silver light, hidden tides, lunar perception and protection against lycanthropy.
At a Glance
| Divine Sphere | Moonlight, lunar phases, perception and lycanthropes |
|---|---|
| Rules Traditions | Original D&D 5e campaign rules; Pathfinder 1e; legacy d20 3.x sources |
| Pathfinder Parent | Darkness |
| Campaign Patrons | Artemis, Hecate, Arianrhod and Selene |
Edition Applicability
The four main edition panels distinguish original, GM-approved 2024 and 3.5e Moon conversions from the preserved original 2014 subclass and published Pathfinder 1e Moon subdomain. The optional credited third-party d20 3.x material remains below the edition tabs, not mixed into Pathfinder or 3.5e rules.
Moon Domain — D&D 2024
Original GM-approved 2024 campaign conversion; not a published same-named subclass. Choose it at Cleric level 3. The normal 2024 Cleric Divine Order, Channel Divinity, Blessed Strikes and spellcasting progression apply. Supplemental 2014 spells listed below require GM approval if not reprinted for 2024.
2024 Moon Domain Spells
Always prepared from the listed Cleric level; do not count against your normal prepared spells. The level-3 row includes two 1st-level and two 2nd-level spells.
| Cleric Level | Always-Prepared Domain Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Faerie Fire, Longstrider; Moonbeam, Enhance Ability |
| 5 | Daylight, Haste |
| 7 | Freedom of Movement, Greater Invisibility |
| 9 | Greater Restoration, Dream |
Level 3 — Waxing Insight
Gain proficiency in Perception or Insight (your choice). When you use Wisdom (Perception) to search by moonlight you have Advantage, unless the light is obscured by magical darkness. You also learn the Light cantrip, which counts as a Cleric cantrip but doesn’t count against your normal cantrip limit.
Level 3 — Channel Divinity: Silver Witness
As a Magic action, expend one Channel Divinity use and choose one creature you can see within 60 feet. For 1 minute it sheds Dim Light in a 10-foot Emanation, can’t benefit from the Invisible condition, and has Disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. On a successful Wisdom saving throw against your Cleric spell save DC, this effect instead lasts only until the end of its next turn. The light ends if you become Incapacitated.
Level 6 — The Other Side of the Moon
When you or a creature you can see within 30 feet is hit by an attack, you can use your Reaction to impose a -1d8 penalty on the attack roll, potentially turning the hit into a miss, as moonlight twists the attacker’s perception. Uses equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum once) per Long Rest.
Level 17 — Keeper of the Turning Sky
As a Bonus Action, you gain a Fly Speed of 40 feet and can see through nonmagical darkness and magical darkness you created for 1 minute. While active, one willing creature you can see within 30 feet has Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed or Frightened. You can use this once per Long Rest.
Original campaign rules for a fifth-edition game. Custom spell names and feature wording belong to this campaign design, rather than to an official published cleric subclass.
Cleric: Moon Domain
Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | faerie fire, longstrider |
| 3rd | moonbeam, enhance ability |
| 5th | see invisibility, haste |
| 7th | freedom of movement, Aura of Purity¹ |
| 9th | greater restoration, wall of light¹ |
¹ Wall of Light reflavored as a shimmering lunar barrier.
Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the light cantrip if you don’t already know it.
1st Level: Lunar Sight & Lycan’s Warding
- Moonlit Vision. You gain darkvision out to 60 ft., and in bright or dim moonlight you ignore dim/light penalties as if it were bright light.
- Lycanthropy’s Bane. You have advantage on saving throws against lycanthropy and on any ability check to avoid or remove the condition.
2nd Level: Channel Divinity: Silvered Grace
You can use your Channel Divinity to invoke lunar blessings. As an action, choose one:
- Lunar Speed. Until the end of your turn, your movement speed doubles and you can move across difficult terrain in dim or bright moonlight without extra movement.
- Lunar Armor. A shimmering aura of lunar light surrounds an ally you touch. For 1 minute, that creature gains a +2 bonus to AC while in dim or bright moonlight (no concentration).
6th Level: Strength of the Tide
Whenever the moon is waxing (DM’s call or as determined by you), you and friendly creatures within 30 ft. gain a +1 bonus to Strength and Dexterity checks and saving throws. When it’s waning, that bonus applies to Constitution and Wisdom instead. You know the current lunar phase and may determine it as a free action.
8th Level: Moonlit Step
When you or an ally you can see starts its turn in moonlight, you can use your reaction to grant that creature one of these benefits (your choice):
- Moonlit Stroll. Ignore difficult terrain and avoid opportunity attacks for this turn.
- Waxing Health. That creature regains hit points equal to 1d8 + your Wisdom modifier.
17th Level: Body of Moonlight
You become a being of lunar radiance. As an action, you and up to six willing creatures you choose within 30 ft. become incorporeal and lightly invisible (–10 to be seen) for up to 1 minute. While in this form, you all have resistance to all damage except force and radiant, and can move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain (you take 5 force damage if you end your turn inside an object). Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Moon Domain Summary
- Lunar Sight & Lycan’s Warding: Darkvision + moonlight vision; protection from lycanthropy.
- Channel Divinity (Silvered Grace): Burst of speed or AC in moonlight.
- Strength of the Tide: Dynamic buffs keyed to lunar phase.
- Moonlit Step: Reaction-based mobility or healing in moonlight.
- Body of Moonlight: Epic incorporeal, semi‑invisible form.
Moon Subdomain — Pathfinder 1e
Published Pathfinder 1e subdomain of Darkness.
Choose this subdomain in place of its parent when your deity grants both. You cannot also select the parent as your other domain. All retained powers and all nine domain spells are included here.
Blind-Fight
Gain Blind-Fight as a bonus feat, retained from Darkness.
Touch of Darkness (Sp)
A melee touch attack causes the target to treat all other creatures as having concealment: its attacks suffer a 20% miss chance. The effect lasts half your cleric level in rounds, minimum 1. Daily uses equal 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Moonfire (Su)
This power replaces Eyes of Darkness. At 8th level, use a standard action to make a ranged touch attack against one target within 30 feet. It deals 1d8 damage per two class levels and dazzles the target for one round per class level. Against a lycanthrope, use 1d10 damage per class level instead. You have one daily use at 8th level, plus one for every four levels beyond 8th.
Domain Spells
| Spell Level | Domain Spell | Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faerie Fire | — |
| 2 | Blindness/Deafness | Blindness only |
| 3 | Deeper Darkness | — |
| 4 | Moonstruck | — |
| 5 | Summon Monster V | Summons 1d3 shadows |
| 6 | Dream | — |
| 7 | Power Word Blind | — |
| 8 | Greater Shadow Evocation | — |
| 9 | Shades | — |
Sources: Dragon Empires Gazetteer, page 57; Dragon Empires Primer, page 27; Inner Sea Gods, page 226; Core Rulebook, page 42. Archives of Nethys: full domain and subdomain rules
Moon Domain — D&D 3.5e
Original 3.5e campaign domain requiring GM approval; not a printed SRD subclass. A 3.5e Cleric chooses two available domains and gains one bonus domain spell slot at each castable spell level, preparing a spell from either domain in each slot. These are spell levels, not Cleric character levels.
Granted Power
You gain a +2 bonus on Spot checks when outdoors under moonlight, and Knowledge (nature) becomes a Cleric class skill. Once per day, as a standard action, you may shed silvery light equivalent to a Light spell for 1 minute per Cleric level. This original GM-approved domain does not override published 3.5e Darkness or lunar third-party domains.
D&D 3.5e Moon Domain Spells
| Spell Level | Domain Spell |
|---|---|
| 1st | Faerie Fire |
| 2nd | Darkness |
| 3rd | Deep Slumber |
| 4th | Divination |
| 5th | Dream |
| 6th | Mislead |
| 7th | Greater Scrying |
| 8th | Moment of Prescience |
| 9th | Foresight |
How the Moon Domain Plays
Pathfinder Moon retains Blind-Fight and Touch of Darkness, then gains Moonfire to punish lycanthropes and dazzle a single foe. The original fifth-edition design instead uses moonlight, lunar phases, mobility and protection.
Priests, Rites and Sacred Places
The Moon Domain manifests in divine spellcasters as a silvery aura that waxes and wanes with celestial rhythm. Clerics of this domain often bear moon-shaped holy symbols, wear robes woven with shimmering thread like starlight on velvet, and carry staffs crowned with crescent motifs. Their eyes may gleam faintly in dim light, reflecting their connection to secrets, serenity, and shadow. When channeling divine power, a soft lunar glow surrounds them, casting long, elegant shadows—even in darkness. This domain’s presence is felt like a calm hush before revelation, cloaking its wielder in mystery and quiet power.
Related Domains and Character Options
Darkness · Night · Cleric · Domain Directory
Rules Sources and Licensing
Modern and D&D 3.5e conversion status: Original campaign subclass designs and Moon domain spell adaptations require GM approval; do not attribute missing official same-named domain rules to the publishers. The Pathfinder 1e subdomain is source-based and is distinct from the 3.5e conversion.
Pathfinder 1e: Dragon Empires Gazetteer, page 57; Dragon Empires Primer, page 27; Inner Sea Gods, page 226; Core Rulebook, page 42. Archives of Nethys: published domain and subdomain rules
Open Game License and Pathfinder copyright notices.
Legacy source credits: Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks, Timothy S. Brannan and the Netbook team; Relics & Rituals: Olympus, © 2004 White Wolf Publishing, Inc., by W. Jason Peck, Aaron Rosenberg, Christina Stiles and the Olympus team. The fifth-edition subclass is original campaign material.
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