Sun Domain | Cleric Subclass, and the design of Channel Divinity investment and similar thematic spaces

This is my first blog post so I decided to start with something I feel I'm quite proud of. This subclass was made during a bout of cleric subclass making and I wanted it to feel special. 

Most of my previous domains used a level 6 feature that didn't interact with Channel Divinity, and I wanted to try something new. Furthermore, I didn't really want to make a Channel Divinity option at level 6 either, since it didn't fit my image of the class. After some brainstorming, I eventually came across Caim's Divinity Domain. 

The Divinity Domain moves away from the concept of being a cleric that worships a god, instead, it makes you into a person with a spark of divinity. While the concept is certainly uncommon and many believe its thematic shouldn't be done, I was immediately drawn to its main mechanic and how it works so elegantly.

At 1st level, you get a new damage option called Light of Judgement, a spell attack that deals 1d6 + your Wisdom modifier. At 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to create a pair of wings, and while you have these wings, you can fly and use Light of Judgement as a bonus action. At 6th level, the initial damage increases, and when you use your Channel Divinity, you can choose to expend multiple uses of it t create more pairs of wings. For each additional pair, you deal more damage, and your flying speed increases.

With the Sun Domain, I took a similar mechanic. At 2nd level, you can create a chariot pulled by a pair of solar steeds. Multiple creatures can be in the chariot, and while in there, there is a great bonus to mobility and defense. At 6th, you can use more uses of Channel Divinity at once, creating more pairs of solar steeds, increasing the chariot's base statistics, its speed, and grants you resistances. When you use all three Channel Divinities, you gain immunities, and the flying speed increases even more.

Now, another side of the Sun Domain is its thematic similarities to the Light Domain. Basically, the Sun Domain could be seen as a Light Domain variant, due to how similar they are. 

Frankly, this was a known issue from when I first sat down to write it. Instead of trying to really separate it thematically, I decided to embrace those similarities and invest in the mechanical differences. Each subclass shares common mechanical themes, such as blinding light, radiance, and the whole concept of emitting light, but each takes those notes in separate directions. 

At 1st level, the Light Domain blinds enemies and protects allies at the same time, while the Sun Domain uses its action (later bonus action) to heal and impose the blinded condition on foes. Both have to do with 'blinding light' and 'protecting allies', but each does it in very different ways.

At 17th level, the Light Domain gains an aura of light. At 2nd, the Sun Domain's chariot also produces light. While the Light Domain's is offensive, giving disadvantage on rolls, the Sun Domain's is attached to a defense/mobility feature, with the light being mainly a ribbon.

With the mechanics, the Sun Domain's use of the Solar Chariot is really what makes it separate from the Light Domain. Because of the Light Domain's broad scope, it would not be able to have such a feature, since it would only fit one narrow thematic. The Sun Domain embraces that thematic, meaning it can use such features.

To conclude, while the Sun Domain fits within the thematic of the Light Domain, its different mechanics, especially those that fit only a narrow theme, set it apart and allow it to have its own space beside the Light Domain, instead of underneath!