Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 RKVM Jul 13, 2014 22:47:55	In your personal opinions, how limited should a Cleric be in their choice of Domains as related to their deity? All D&D deities have their portfolio of domains, but they also have various Orders and sects of worshipers who pursue different agendas and through different means. I wonder if a Cleric of a particular deity might benefit from a domain outside the portfolio by dedicated themself to one such particular Order.   The example I'm specifically thinking of is the Swords of the Lady, an "order of fanatic Selûnites known as the Swords of the Lady, who were often referred to colloquially as the 'Lunatics'. Its members were led by a few Selûnite crusaders who tended to act rapidly in response to threats from Shar and her priesthood, although their behavior was often viewed as bizarre by the public at large."   Crusading and dedication to combatting an enemy force. Kinda sounds like a job for Clerics of the War Domain, don'tcha think? Could a Cleric of Selune who is a member of the Swords of the Lady take the War Domain even if Selune doesn't have that domain in her portfolio? To clarify, I'm not asking if I should allow it in a game because obviously it's up to me if I were DMing. I'm asking if it would canonically be acceptable to a bunch of hardcore D&D nerds such as yourselves. ;P
#2 Ashrym Jul 13, 2014 22:51:20	Sounds like paladins to me, but I don't see any real reason not to allow nontradional domains.
#3 jaelis Jul 14, 2014 6:28:17	All up to the DM and  how s/he sees the deity's place in the world.
#4 1eejit Jul 14, 2014 6:57:05	Depends on the deity and domain. Though of course if they're really diametrically opposed I'd be very doubtful, like a Cleric of Velsharoon taking Life or Light Domains.
#5 JohnLynch Jul 14, 2014 7:24:24	I've allowed Paladins to non-lawful god deities, so I'm pretty open to it. If a player can come up with an interesting angle that is supported by the canon of the campaign setting, I'm all up for it.
#6 autolycus Jul 14, 2014 7:45:00	I don't think it would work as Canon because then there would be no real reason for the concept of diety protfolios and domains.   A god of "the moon, stars, navigation, wanderers and good lycanthropes" is fairly thematic. If you suddenly throw in "and sometimes war" it muddies the waters.      A custom campaign world at your table, however, is perfect for this kind of experimentation.
#7 Mephi1234 Jul 14, 2014 8:04:56	RKVM wrote:
#8 Sword_of_Spirit Jul 15, 2014 17:41:20	I personally would stick with a specific list of domains for each deity that they are metaphysically connected to. They just don't have access to the other domains, and so they can't really grant them to their followers. If you do allow it, you are taking a different sort of stance on your cosmology. What stance do you want that to be? You might say that domains are just D&D crunch that doesn't replicate setting metaphysics, and deities can pretty much grant whatever abilities they want--they just tend to focus on the abilities relating to certain listed domains in most situations. Of you could say that it isn't the deities that choose/grant domain powers at all, but that it is purely based on the beliefs of the mortal, and they can pretty much access any domain that they can justify. Or something else entirely.
#9 Qmark Jul 15, 2014 21:11:26	1eejit wrote:
#10 RoninJT Jul 16, 2014 2:42:34	Really it's a personal issue rather than an issue of Canon. How do the players/GMs you play with see it? That's what matters. While the rules don't account for it they don't expressly forbid it either thanks to gaming rule #1. I personally don't see any problem with choosing a domain outside your deities portfolio IF you present a solid and well reasoned argument for it IC. Your example being a perfect illustration. If you need help convincing players on the fence, there is actually a pair of classes in 3.5 that are a prime example of just that (a cleric/paladin performing their duties in a way different from the majority of their faith). Forget what they were called but they were basically cleric/rogue and paladin/rogue hybrid PrC's.
#11 edwin_su Jul 16, 2014 3:01:31	Mephi1234 wrote:
#12 thespaceinvader Jul 16, 2014 3:15:37	I'd have no problem with a PC taking a domain that they think shows their character's relationship to their god (or indeed, worshipping a domain in and of itself) even if that wasn't that god's traditional domain.   Religion is much more in the eye of the character, to my mind, than what tradition says the deity thinks.
#13 Emerikol. Jul 16, 2014 5:17:00	I wouldn't allow a cleric to take a domain outside his or her god's portfolio.   I might though consider certain domains common to most or all of the gods.  I really see healing as something many good gods would have.   The war domain might be a very common one too with only the pacificistic gods not having it.
#14 edwin_su Jul 16, 2014 5:22:54	Emerikol. wrote:
#15 Emerikol. Jul 16, 2014 5:30:22	edwin_su wrote:
#16 Mechatarrasque Jul 16, 2014 9:05:53	I see the gods as trying to strengthen their portfolios.  Domains are just tools.  Most clerics use the tools (domains) associated with their gods, because they make sense.  In my campaigns, most clerics of Asmodeus (who promotes himself as the God of Security, although his portfolio is tyranny, but getting people to sacrifice freedom for security is a good path to tyranny) wouldn't take the chaos domain, because they are publically pushing for a safer society (most lower level clerics think he is LN, not LE) and chaos wouldn't help that.  A special cleric who was hiding the fact that he served Asmodeus could take the chaos domain to use to stir up trouble that a ruler could use to justify more tyrannical practices.  Of course, if that cleric was caught, his fellow clerics of Asmodeus would kill him as a "troublemaker" (and to keep his allegience a secret).  A player could play that special cleric if he/she had a good story idea and was willing to take the chance that the domain would put his/her character on the outs (possibly fatally) with the organzied faith of his/her deity.