Cleric domains

[wellard]

Cleric domains

There are so many to choose from its hard to make a selection. Some offer great spells such as stoneskin but others offer some better skills. There are a lot that give you the ability to turn elamentals.

Which ones have you found to be good or bad?

[dominions]

They've all got their good points. I'd suggest you take a look at each one and specifically which powers might interest you. Look at the level at which you receive these powers and think: "Will this make any difference to me at that time?"
I mean, I took Good and Water for a Knight of the Crown I did on a dragonlance server. One of the major powers of the water one is Ice Storm, but by the time I recieved it I could do far more damage by just hitting things making Ice Storm superfluous. It was still the right one to take, mind you, from the roleplaying perspective due to the god that supports the Knights of the Crown.

Also, take a look at the god you're supposed to be serving and that will give you a clue.

[Legolas]

The Air domain gives you access to a potent Call Lightning spell (3rd level). That can be a good help. Chain Lightning later on isn't bad at all either, but by then you'll have plenty of alternatives so it's not essential.
The Animal domain has great advantages. Truesight at level 3 instead of level 6, access to Cat's Grace, and on top of that all your summons count as being a summon class higher. Having a better pet helps you survive much better.
The Death domain is decent as well. The negative energy ray provides you with a good low-level damage spell, and the negative plane avatar grows into a reasonably useful summon.
The Destruction domain I find isn't usually that effective, as most of your enemies won't be constructs. Don't dismiss it entirely, but you'd typically only take this with an especially good reason.
The Earth domain gives you access to two useful spells your cleric is lacking, stoneskin and energy buffer. It isn't up there with the best, but those two are some strong arguments for selecting the domain.

Evil gives you Negative Energy Burst. This spell does some decent damage, and on top of that, has the potential to lower your opponents' strengths by quite a lot. Weakening them in combat can make the fight a lot easier, but it is only one spell. Being able to turn outsiders is a nice bonus, however, and shouldn't be overlooked.
Fire also offers Energy Buffer, like Earth. But it isn't much good otherwise.
Good allows turning of outsiders, just like Evil does. In addition it gives you Stoneskin and Lesser Planar Binding, both useful spells.
Healing is one of the popular ones. You heal more hitpoints with curative magic, and on top of that, you can cast Cure Serious Wounds as early as spell level 2. You also get Heal a bit sooner, but that isn't nearly as significant a difference. Healing is also perfect for the undead slaying cleric, as healing magic harms them.
Knowledge is not too bad. Truesight at level 4, as well as the two identify spells, give it some uses. However, it is one of the least destructive domains.

Magic is another popular choice. It gives you Negative Energy Burst just like the Evil domain, Stoneskin, and the damaging spells Melf's Acid Arrow and Icestorm. Great for the cleric specialising in casting.
The Plant domain is not too useful most of the time. Barkskin does help boost your AC a significant amount, but you won't encounter much vermin you cannot easily smite in most worlds, and Creeping Doom doesn't come along until level 7. It's down there with Destruction and Knowledge probably.
Protection is not too bad. The sanctuary isn't terribly impressive but you do get energy buffer and some spell protection.
Strength is quite useful as domains go. With sufficient charisma and levels, the boost to strength can become impressive and will last long enough to be of use. Stoneskin is there in the list but doesn't become available until later. Divine Power comes early, but only by one level, and there are lots of other level 3 spells you may want to use instead.
The Sun domain is another good choice for the undead slaying cleric. Not only do they get a bonus, they also gain access to a pair of divine damage spells just a little sooner. Typically paired with Healing.

The Travel domain makes up for a significant weakness of the cleric class compared to other casters; the lack of Haste. While it only comes along at level 5 instead of the usual level 3, an extra attack or spell per round in addition to increased movement speed is nothing to be sniffed at. You also get a few other movement related spells or get them sooner, which is nice.
Trickery is one of the best out there, making up for another weakness. Improved Invisibility is as much a powerful spell as haste is, not only allowing you to walk around unseen, but also providing a 50% concealment in battle. That spell alone is reason for many to take this domain.
War is another favourite, providing welcome boosts to your fighting attributes through spell and domain power. It also grants you Cat's Grace, a minor shortcoming off the cleric class.
Water is one of the less useful domain options, the redeeming factor being the ice storm spell later on.

Also, all Elemental domains do indeed allow you to turn Elementals. This ability is almost as useful as turning outsiders is, and certainly better than scaring off the vermin. They are not good arguments for taking Fire and Water though, because there are two other, better alternatives.

Summarizing,
5 stars: Animal, Healing, Trickery, War
4 stars: Air, Magic, Strength, Travel
3 stars: Earth, Good, Protection, Sun
2 stars: Death, Destruction (conditionally), Evil, Knowledge
1 star: Fire, Plant, Water

You'd also do well to keep an eye on what combinations you use. Combining War and Animal for example, you'd gain Cat's Grace twice. Which is a bit of a waste, and you'll have to decide if it's worth it. Likewise, with Trickery and Knowledge, your two main spells would both be of 4th level, possibly competing for a place in your spellslots.

You can use the domains in a number of ways; to make the most effective character, to portray the powers granted by your god tuned to what he represents, to fight a specific type of enemy, anything.

[wellard]

Well Legolas that is a thorough answer Thankyou for both the info and the time taken to write the answer. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[wellard]

Just clarification though about Elemental turning. Does a domain in air give you the power to turn all Elementals or just air ones?

[Legolas]

All of them.

[Larry_OHF]

I like the combination of Healing and Sun, but that is because I fashioned my character after one that I use in the IW RPG forum.

[Cloudbringer]

I usually take Healing, War, Strength, Air in some combination. Depends on the type of cleric I envision for roleplaying usually.