The Top Ten Domains...

[Hannibal Barca]

I'm curious as to what people consider the top ten domains in the PHB and FR. An example (in noparticular order) follows.

1) Time
2) Magic
3) Luck
4) Planning
5) War
6) Family
7) Destruction
8) Nobility
9) Spell
10) Sun

 

[Mr Fidgit]

top ten what, Hannibal? most used, most popular, most powerful...?

 

[Crothian]

top ten what, Hannibal? most used, most popular, most powerful...?

Most intersting, most I'd like to see used, most I'd like to be removed from the books, most what?

 

[Mr Fidgit]

alrighty, if we're looking at popularity or power, i'm not sure Planning should be so high on list. (i'm not sure about Nobility, either. i've never seen (or read of anyone on the boards) taking or recommending it.) otherwise, it's pretty acurate.

if there was a 'most underated' list (from all WotC books), i'd vote for Renewal (from FR, great for battle clerics) and Ancestor (from OA - best non-combat domain power IMO)

 

[Crothian]

Slime has got to be on the list of top ten. Travel is also very good as well.

 

[CRGreathouse]

Time, Luck, Travel, Destruction, and War are all good; they'd be my top 5 (in order).

 

[Mr Fidgit]

ooops! totally forgot about travel.

and slime goes without saying!

 

[Victim]

Planning is good because it sets a character on the path of Persistent Spell for free, and has a few useful spells in their.

Nobility has some commonly used spells (DF, Magic Vestment, Geas/Quest), can act as a super bless or bard song 1/day. Also, both planning and nobility are domains of Red Knight, so it's easy to take Divine Disciple, get those and War, and with the help of persistent spell, become a major combatant with Persistent Divine Favor as a domain spell, bonus feats from War, and the extra feat you saved by not needing extend spell. I've seen this combo recommended a few times.

I would put War up higher though. It definitely beats Planning. Strength is good too.

 

[Celebrim]

I'm going with my instinct that you mean 'Most Powerful'

In general I find a domain powerful if it satisfies the following conditions to some degree:

1) It gives access to highly useful Arcane spells that you would not otherwise be able to cast.

2) It's domain power will constitantly and repeatedly come into play.

3) It's domain power has a powerful effect on play.

4) It lets you take a prestige class more easily.

For those reasons, I like the following in no particular order:

1) Time
2) Travel
3) Air
4) Fire
5) Knowledge
6) Sun
7) Magic
8) Renewal
9) Storm
10) Planning
11) War
12) Water

Ok, so I couldn't limit myself to 10.

Renewal's domain power just rocks. Sun is a good well rounded domain with offensive and defensive capabilities and Greater Turning is phenomenal. Air, Fire, and Water are all highly underrated in my opinion.

I think Protection, Luck, Strength, and Destruction are fairly weak, though all of those are pretty popular, and if I had to drop one from the above list it would be the uber-popular War which is good at 1st level (you are effectively a fighter) and good at high levels (power words) but only so so at middle levels. Nobility is a slightly improved Protection domain. I don't remember the particulars but it seems like Family is another decent by not great domain.

I'm not familiar with Spell or Ancestor.

Trickery has great spells, but unfortunately its domain power is pretty weak. Death has a great domain power, but unfortunately its spells are pretty weak (except for Wail of the Banshee at 9th level).

 

[Mistwell]

KOK Player's Guide (which is just as legit a licensed source as FR) lists Celerity as a normal domain. So, I'd have to vote Celerity as #1 best domain.