My god has only one domain, what do I do?

[Xuldarinar]

Looking over D20 Call of Cthulu, I noticed somethings of interest. Mostly the deities described within.

My question pertains specifically to Cthugha, Father Dagon and Mother Hydra, Glaaki, Mordiggian, and Shudde M'ell. Each of which only possess one domain each (Fire, Water, Water, Death, and Earth respectively). If one is a cleric to such a being, what do they do for domains? Do they attain two domains, one of which must be their deity's or do they only obtain a single domain?

Lets say someone is a cleric of the Charnel god, Mordiggian. Do they only possess the death domain or would they acquire a second domain of their choice?


On a slightly different note, would it be fair to say the deities of the C'thulhu mythos, and their outsider servants, be reasonably described as "farspawn" in the context of D&D (and thus valid parents for half-farspawn), or would they be considered something else entirely?

[Zaq]

RAW, you pick from your deity's list of domains. There's no provision for getting more opportunity to pick things than you have options from which to pick, so you're stuck with a single domain unless you worship more than one of those deities (as a pantheon or as a subset thereof). (It's like what happens if you have more INT than your race has options for bonus languages, I guess. Not that I've ever seen anyone actually enforce the racial options for bonus languages.)

In practical terms, ask your GM. I would imagine that most GMs would be willing to toss you a bone or two and help you pick a thematically appropriate second domain.

Alternatively, the Divine Magician ACF from Complete Mage lets you give up one of your domains. In exchange, you get to add a new Abjuration, Divination, or Necromancy spell from the Wizard list to your Cleric list (one spell per spell level). So you get the one domain your god offers, and you also get a selection of Wizard spells. No granted power, but you're also not limited to prepping those new spells in your domain slots, so that's pretty cool.

[Thurbane]

I'd recommend adding alignment related domains as well (Chaos, Evil) for each deity.

[nedz]

Talk to your DM and see if you can't add more domains to these gods; after all it's your DM's setting, not anyone else's.

[Darrin]

I think you can safely add the Madness domain to all of those.

[Chronos]

All of the standard gods offer, at the least, the alignment domain or domains corresponding to their own alignment. I don't expect any of those dudes are True Neutral, so that gives you at least one obvious option for another domain for them.

You could also go splatbook-diving for thematically similar domains to the ones they've already got, like the Watery Death domain in addition to Water.

[Crake]

You can always trade your second domain for the respective devotion feat from complete champion?

[Rebel7284]

You can always trade your second domain for the respective devotion feat from complete champion?

For that you have to be getting that domain... how do you know what to trade for if you never get it? I think divine magician is the best suggestion. It's bulletproof rules wise and you can pick up some pretty awesome spells.

[Erik Vale]

Is there a [elemental] or Death Devotion? If so you could pick the domain twice and trade one.

[Xuldarinar]

Some good responses here, though one I must address


All of the standard gods offer, at the least, the alignment domain or domains corresponding to their own alignment. I don't expect any of those dudes are True Neutral, so that gives you at least one obvious option for another domain for them.
-snip-

Only one of the ones possessing one domain is true neutral, Mordiggian.

Another oddity, at least I find it to be, is the domains associated with many of these entities when it comes to alignment.

While Azathoth is CE and has the corresponding domains, both Cthulhu and Nyarlathotep are CE but doesn't possess both alignments as domains, Chaos and Evil respectfully. Hastur is NE but possesses both Chaos and Evil as alignment domains. Shub-Niggurath is CN but Chaos and Evil are both domains for him/her/it, and Yog-Sothoth is N but possesses Chaos as a domain.

Not to mention Chaugnar Faugn and Ithaqua, who are CE but lack Chaos, and Elhort, who is also CE but lacks evil.

[AuraTwilight]

The answer is that these gods were written up for a game in which clerics as D&D knows them don't exist, soooo, yea, you just need to improvise.

[Ceiling_Squid]

I think you can safely add the Madness domain to all of those.

This, very much this! I'd encourage any DM to allow this by default. Simply because these entities are meant to be incomprehensible on a deeper level.

Heck, I'm hesitant to give alignment-based domains to ANY of them. Then again, I hate D20 CoC precisely because it's trying to shoehorn them into the DnD alignment system.

Lovecraftian deities might be CE from a mortal standpoint, but the entire theme behind Lovecraft is that the universe is amoral and uncaring, and that the greater dieties operate on a blue and orange morality rather than black and white. DnD's absolute alignment system runs completely antithetical to the core assumption of Lovecraftian horror.

Well, except Nyarlathotep. That guy's a jerk. He's about the only Lovecraftian entity I'd even dare to give an explicit alignment, if only because he's much more active in screwing with humanity. We might as well be below notice, as far as the other gods are concerned.

[Fax Celestis]

For that you have to be getting that domain... how do you know what to trade for if you never get it? I think divine magician is the best suggestion. It's bulletproof rules wise and you can pick up some pretty awesome spells.

Does it really say you can't pick the same domain twice? Most times you wouldn't want to, but in this case you pick the domain, trade it for the devotion feat, then pick it again and get the actual domain.

[Xuldarinar]

This, very much this! I'd encourage any DM to allow this by default. Simply because these entities are meant to be incomprehensible on a deeper level.

Heck, I'm hesitant to give alignment-based domains to ANY of them. Then again, I hate D20 CoC precisely because it's trying to shoehorn them into the DnD alignment system.

Lovecraftian deities might be CE from a mortal standpoint, but the entire theme behind Lovecraft is that the universe is amoral and uncaring, and that the greater dieties operate on a blue and orange morality rather than black and white. DnD's absolute alignment system runs completely antithetical to the core assumption of Lovecraftian horror.

Well, except Nyarlathotep. That guy's a jerk. He's about the only Lovecraftian entity I'd even dare to give an explicit alignment, if only because he's much more active in screwing with humanity. We might as well be below notice, as far as the other gods are concerned.

I don't hate CoC for that, but I understand that frustration. Not even humans every day fit into the alignment system exactly, so how can someone expect to shove supposedly incomprehensible entities into such systems. That having been said, its interesting seeing what their decisions are for each. The choices make sense to a point. That having been said, what would you say is the most benign Lovecraftian entity featured in CoC?

I do agree though that madness is a suitable domain for all of them, it pretty much hits the nail on the head.

[Psyren]

I think you can safely add the Madness domain to all of those.

Thirding this, it fits quite well. Portal might be a good one also.

[Maginomicon]

Use the Domain Focus ACF (Dragon Magazine #347 page 91) and optionally the Improved Power feat (Dragon Magazine #342 page 21). You lose the spontaneous cure/inflict ability and your second domain (which you don't actually have), but you get an improved version of the first domain. The feat then improves even that.

[Fax Celestis]

Also try the Customize Domain feat from Dragon 325.

[Juntao112]

I'd recommend adding alignment related domains as well (Chaos, Evil) for each deity.

Bah, you puny mortals and your quaint concepts of law and order, of good and evil...

[Thurbane]

Yes, the Cthulhu mythos doesn't exactly shoehorn into the D&D alignment system very well, but most entities would probably be CE, CN or true neutral. Kind of like the Far Realm and it's inhabitants.