Clerics as monster slayers

"My life... my job... my curse... is to vanquish evil."

-Van Helsing, 2004

As the story goes, clerics were introduced to the game when the players wanted a character class that could slay a vampire. Peter Cushing's Van Helsing in the Hammer horror films was the foundation, to which (Wikipedia says) Gygax later added a more knights-templar-religious-militant flavor to the class.

 

I appreciate the knights templar healer-tank cleric but in a sense they get overshadowed by paladins. Meanwhile, I love the concept of a Van Helsing-style hunter and expert of supernatural fiends. And also the Exorcist—not like Damien Karras but Lankester Merrin and Father Morning, holy men pulled by fate into conflict with the enemies of god. 

So for a while I've been sitting on this idea and I had the thought that in a lot of media focused around vampire/monster slaying, starting perhaps in Stoker's Dracula but most likely before, there's a big emphasis on stuff—the tools and weapons used in the practice of slaying. Wooden stakes, garlic, holy water, even the fanciful gadgets in later monster slayer films like Van Helsing, Blade, and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. 

What that led me to was this: you know the Hammer horror props like garlic and wolfsbane gathering dust on the adventuring gear list because no one buys them? Anyone can use them for their implied purpose, but a cleric's special training and covenant with god grants new capabilities, as follows: 

Wolfsbane. A dried bundle (about the size of a torch) forces lycanthropes to check morale if a character whacks them with one in melee combat. In the hands of a cleric, wolfsbane takes on the properties of a mace +1 against lycanthropes. Additionally, wolfsbane's potent medicinal properties allows clerics to treat a recently poisoned character by beating the poison out of them. The poisoned character takes 1d6 damage and is granted another saving throw with a bonus equal to the damage received. 

Holy water. Undead creatures doused in holy water take 1d8 damage for 2 turns. Clerics can sprinkle holy water on undead and demons while saying a prayer to deal 1d8 damage or remove any mundane damage immunity until the end of the turn. This counts as a close-range attack but uses the cleric's ranged attack bonus. One vial holds enough for 6 sprays.

• An Aspergillum can hold up to two vials worth of holy water and doubles as a mace. One can be purchased at a church for 500 sp by clerics of at least 3rd level.  

Wooden stake. Piercing a vampire’s heart with one will destroy it, but this typically requires hammering in the stake with a mallet. In the hands of a cleric, a successful melee attack with a stake will slay the vampire if it has 4 hp or less. At level 9 clerics can throw stakes as if they were daggers. 

Salt. A cleric can pour a line on the ground to create a barrier undead and creatures of the lower planes cannot cross. One sack has enough salt for a 30’ line. Effect lasts for one turn before the line degrades. Creatures with HD greater than the cleric are only warded for 1d4 rounds. 

Bell. A cleric can spend a round standing stationary, ringing a bell, and chanting a prayer to cause creatures possessed by chaotic entities, including constructs and animated objects, to save vs. paralysis or be unable to move or attack (cleric’s choice) until the next round. 

Garlic. Normally, a character can chew a clove of garlic to avoid being attacked by a vampire. A cleric can crush a head of garlic while uttering a blessing to prevent vampires and other creatures of chaos from using charm and mind-control abilities as well as prevent the transmission of curses and diseases within a 20’ radius. The effect lasts for 1 minute, after which the crushed garlic loses its potency.    

Is giving these extra capabilities to clerics overpowered? Maybe, but these features are limited by the fact that they require gear, meaning players still have to plan in advance based on what they are going up against, and only function against specific types of enemies. Undead are some of the most dangerous foes in the game, so granting clerics more options to engage allows the party to be more proactive. This isn't a flat buff so much as it is a retuning of certain encounters to be more puzzle-like. 

Slayer clerics

To make the cleric less templar and more slayer, the easy way would be to swap the weapon and armor restrictions such that they can wield any weapon but can't wear plate mail. That way they can use thematically appropriate weapons like crossbows and throwing knives while not wearing heavy armor, which figures in slayer media never seem to wear. 

For a more robust subclass I put this together:

SLAYERS. Clerics sworn to vanquish creatures of chaos. Everything as the base class with the following changes.

• 2:6 chance to climb, hide, move silently, and know lore about a creature of chaos, gaining 1 skill point per level.
• Ability to use firearms, crossbows, and one-handed bladed weapons except against humans and demihumans.
• Turn functions against fiends and extraplanar creatures as well as undead—however, instead of destroying such creatures, they are sent back to their plane of origin.
• Borderline heretical practices prevent slayers from benefiting from cleric services in settlements. Other clerics have a flat 50% chance of not recognizing you as legitimate.
• Slayers require mobility to fight and use their abilities and so may only wear leather armor. 
• Destined for a lifetime of conflict against the enemies of their god, slayers may not construct strongholds after reaching 9th level.
• A wide-brim hat is standard headgear. 

Inspiration:

From top to bottom: Gabriel Van Helsing from Van Helsing, D from Vampire Hunter D, Solomon Kane, Grégoire de Fronsac and Mani from Brotherhood of the Wolf