Best Cleric Domain

[AZNtrogdor]

I was thinking of creating a cleric character (I have never done this before) and I was wondering In ur opinion what is the best domain? Is there any domains that are overpowered? underpowered? What book is the domain from? Is their a specific diety suggest to go with these domains? Is the diety good or evil?


thanks in advance

 

[Nifft]

I was thinking of creating a cleric character (I have never done this before) and I was wondering In ur opinion what is the best domain? Is there any domains that are overpowered? underpowered? What book is the domain from? Is their a specific diety suggest to go with these domains? Is the diety good or evil?

Travel is excellent, and highly rated.
Magic is also excellent, and underrated.
Trickery is not so bad.
Luck is really quite good, especially if you take a lot of PrCs.

-- N

 

[two]

I'd say luck was the best, simply because it will probably save your bacon before 5 or 6 levels are done with. I'm not sure any other domain is 95% guaranteed to save your PC's life over the course of 10 levels (it will definately save your life at least once in 10 levels).

Turn that "1" on a saving throw into a "10".

Honestly, it's a very boring special power, but reroll 1ce/day is absolutely the best ability EVER (when you really, really, really need a reroll).

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Travel and Luck. The reroll from Luck can save your bacon when you roll a bad save. Travel is a free "Get Out Of Grapple" Card, as well as immunity to Hold Person and other immobilizers.

 

[Shin Okada]

My favorites are,

1) Travel ..... Virtually immune to Hold spells and such. Very good selection of domain spells which are usually not available to clerics.
2) Magic ..... Really good if plentiful of magic items are accessible.
3) Luck ..... One reroll per day may change your character's life and death.
4) Plant ..... Barkskin.
5) Trickery ..... Invisibility is good. The additional skills are not bad, too.
6) Sun ..... Good against undead. Especially when combined with Luck domain. The importance is rather diminished if Disciple of the Sun feat (CDiv) is available. But at least, you can be a Radiant Servant of Palor.

 

[Jdvn1]

Healing is handy.
Good and Sun are also pretty good.
Knowledge is good.

A lot of it depends on your flavor, though. There's no best domain.

 

[Celebrim]

I've got good use out of Travel and Sun. I happen to think Travel is the most powerful domain. Sun can be exceptionally good if your DM likes to throw undead at the party. The only trouble with it, is that you can get so good at handling undead near your character level that your DM just doesn't bother to challenge them with you.

Lots of people swear by Luck but I've never tried it. I have taken Renewal and it did save my party from a TPK once, so I'm willing to believe them on Luck. I can definately see the attraction of Magic, but I've never taken it.

Glory could turn you into an anti-undead monster, but combining this with Sun is just over kill. Some of the elemental domains are pretty good as well if you are looking for something different. Fire and Water give you access to some pretty potent offensive spells.

Nobility is a pretty good domain at low levels. I've taken it and Community just for the flavor before in a game that I didn't expect to go long (and it didn't).

Which deity to favor depends on whether you value RP concerns over gamist ones. In the FR, it's hard to beat Lathlander for shear power. His portfolio is just insanely awesome, something like Glory, Good, Nobility, Protection, Renewal, and Sun.

In Greyhawk, I would favor Fharlanghn because he offers both Travel and Luck and his precepts will let him easily get along with most adventuring companies.

 

[yennico]

Knowledge is good.

Casting the always useful divinations at +1 caster level is good, but a cleric seldom has a high int, so he did not have much skill points for knowledge skills

A lot of it depends on your flavor, though. There's no best domain.

I totally agree. But it also depends on the GM e.g if undeads are the GM´s favorite monster then the sun domain is a must-have domain.

 

[Thanee]

Travel is the most useful from the PHB, I think. It really adds a lot to the cleric's repertoire.

Of course, there are also domains like Spell (FR-specific; PGtF) and Pact (CD) out there.

Bye
Thanee

 

[mhd]

Travel is a free "Get Out Of Grapple" Card, as well as immunity to Hold Person and other immobilizers.

Hmm, I thought that's different in 3.5, at least that's how I read the rules:

For a total time per day of 1 round per cleric level you possess, you can act normally regardless of magical effects that impede movement as if you were affected by the spell freedom of movement. This effect occurs automatically as soon as it applies, lasts until it runs out or is no longer needed, and can operate multiple times per day (up to the total daily limit of rounds).

Emphasis mine. Maybe my romantic life is just lacking, but calling a grapple a "magical effect"?

Personally I never liked the Travel domain. Certainly some effective spells that a cleric won't get otherwise. Then again, I never liked Dimension Door, Fly and Teleport even for mages. I don't like mixing superheroes with fantasy. Especially bad if you want the archetypical crusader-priest ("Oh Lord of Light, grant me the power to BAMF!")

Trickery is kinda neat, though I find it hard to play a decent roguish cleric without, well, some actual Rogue levels. (cf. the half-orc cleric of Olidammara in the Enemies & Allies book).

Strength is okay. The domain power has a high pose factor, and enlarge is neat at lower levels.

Destruction - Smite is rite.
Death - death gods get the best lines.