WOTC messed up the Death Domain!

[Number47]

The Death Domain for Clerics as it appears in the PHB is fine, as long as you use the supplied gods. The way they did the table though, it makes it damn hard to have your own gods. In my game, a god of death isn't necessarily evil. In the domain posted in the book, FOUR of the nine domain spells have the evil descriptor. Death knell, animate dead, create undead, create greater undead.

Now what am I supposed to do? I am trying not to change too much in the book, only add in the domains I created (and change the useless first level spell of the Magic domain). So now, should I rewrite the Death domain so it isn't so evil, have non-evil versions of those spells, have two separate Death domains or simply not worry about it until a player complains? I certainly don't want to remove the evil descriptor from those spells completely, because I don't want good guys creating undead and those are very important spells if you have the Evil domain.

What say you all?

 

[Enforcer]

I think Faiths and Pantehons (FR) has the Repose domain. Same special ability, different spells. It's part of Kelemvor's (LN god of death) portfolio, I believe.

 

[Crothian]

I'd create a new, non evil death domain.

 

[Ryan Koppenhaver]

I agree.

IMC, worshippers of the (LN) God of Judgement and the (LG) Goddess of the Afterlife have access to the following domain, tentatively titled "Passage", which emphasises knowledge and control of a balance between life and death:

Passage

Granted Power: Deathwatch, as the spell, at will.

Spells:
1 Detect Undead
2 Speak with Dead
3 Negative Energy Protection
4 Death Ward
5 Slay Living
6 Antilife Shell
7 Finger of Death
8 True Resurrection
9 Soul Release

The Soul Release spell is as follows:

Soul Release
Abjuration
Level: Passage 9
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Visual (can be cast through Scrying)
Target: See text
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No (harmless)

This spell counters the effects of any spell which traps a creature in a state which is neither natural life nor death. This spell can undo Imprisonment, Binding, Soul Bind, or Trap the Soul. (some campaign specific stuff snipped.)

 

[Kibo]

I add another vote for the repose domain. It's also in dieties and demigods, which, incidently, isn't a bad book to have if you're going to have a lot of divine intervention flying around.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I'd suggest renaming the death domain the undeath domain, and possibly giving it a more fitting domain power (greater quantity of controlled undead for instance).

Then go about creating the death domain.

Well, actually I'm wholly in favour of removing the alignment descriptor from a bunch of those spells (ever wondered why telekinetically animating skeletons was evil, when giving someone an incurable disease wasn't?)

 

[Hand of Vecna]

there's already an Undeath domain in the Forgotten Relams Campaign Setting. And the Repose Domain (for non-Evil Death deities) is in Faiths & Pantheons and in Deities & Demigods.

 

[Number47]

I'm going to go ahead with the suggestion that I make essential two Death domains, evil and non-evil. The undead creation stays evil, though. Have you ever seen a zombie movie? Man, those guys sure hate the living. That's how it is in my game. The undead hate the living and yearn after their lifeforce. Very, very, very evil to actually go about creating those things!

 

[Nightfall]

I like mindless undead. At least skeletons. They make for great troops, especially in Hollowfaust. But back on track, I'd recommend the Repose domain from D&Dmg and F&P.

 

[Psion]

Ravenloft also has a repose domain.