Can a cleric take the same domain twice, if he burns it once for a devotion feat?

[somehownotsingl]

I'm taking a cloistered cleric dip for my character, which of course gets the knowledge domain for free. Thing is, I really want the knowledge devotion feat ... but I also really want to keep the knowledge domain for flavor/utility.

Normally, I would just use a feat to grab knowledge devotion, but my build is quite feat starved. While I do have plans for one of the two domains I get just as a cleric, I don't see a third domain that really strikes me as particularly exciting.

So I'm wondering if I can take knowledge as one of my two domains I would normally get as a cleric, then burn that second knowledge domain for the the knowledge devotion feat.

So, my cloistered cleric would have domains: knowledge, knowledge, x ... then burn one of those knowledge domains for the knowledge devotion feat.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Well, the cloistered cleric class feature says: "In addition to any domains selected from his deity’s list, a cloistered cleric automatically gains Knowledge as a bonus domain".

I suppose that means you can pick up Knowledge twice, as long as your deity offers Knowledge. The base cleric class feature description, in the PHB, says you need to pick two domains, but it doesn't say you can't pick a domain you already have, somehow*. So you could pick two different domains (x and Knowledge), satisfying the base description, then get Knowledge as bonus, according to the cloistered variant description.

*That rule might be elsewhere, I haven't checked everywhere.

[Petrocorus]

I'm taking a cloistered cleric dip for my character, which of course gets the knowledge domain for free. Thing is, I really want the knowledge devotion feat ... but I also really want to keep the knowledge domain for flavor/utility.


More importantly, you actually need the Knowledge Granted Power to fuel the Knowledge Devotion feat, unless you have a good Int.

[somehownotsingl]

Well, the cloistered cleric class feature says: "In addition to any domains selected from his deity’s list, a cloistered cleric automatically gains Knowledge as a bonus domain".

I suppose that means you can pick up Knowledge twice, as long as your deity offers Knowledge. The base cleric class feature description, in the PHB, says you need to pick two domains, but it doesn't say you can't pick a domain you already have, somehow*. So you could pick two different domains (x and Knowledge), satisfying the base description, then get Knowledge as bonus, according to the cloistered variant description.

*That rule might be elsewhere, I haven't checked everywhere.

That's how I read it, too, and I can't find any 3.5 cleric RAW anywhere that would contradict this interpretation.

[somehownotsingl]

More importantly, you actually need the Knowledge Granted Power to fuel the Knowledge Devotion feat, unless you have a good Int.

True! Knowledge Devotion without a major number of knowledge skills doesn't do too much for you.

[Petrocorus]

True! Knowledge Devotion without a major number of knowledge skills doesn't do too much for you.

The way people tend to forget that leave aghast.

[Crake]

I was thinking that the answer would be "it's fine to give up a domain for a domain feat and then take it again" But reading the wording in complete champion on domain feats, it specifically says you cannot prepare domain spells or use the granted power of the sacrificed domain, which to me implies you still "have" the domain, but it's benefits are locked away in lieu of the domain feat, so you would be unable to take gain the benefits of the domain.

[somehownotsingl]

I was thinking that the answer would be "it's fine to give up a domain for a domain feat and then take it again" But reading the wording in complete champion on domain feats, it specifically says you cannot prepare domain spells or use the granted power of the sacrificed domain, which to me implies you still "have" the domain, but it's benefits are locked away in lieu of the domain feat, so you would be unable to take gain the benefits of the domain.

Okay, so you're reading it as: my character would have knowledge domain x2 in this scenario, with one of the knowledge domains "dormant" (for lack of a better term) and one active?

Would that be illegal, though?

[Curmudgeon]

Clerics and Domain Feats: If you are a cleric (or any other character class who gains access to a domain), you can choose any domain feat corresponding to the list of domains offered by your deity ...

In addition, you can choose to give up access to a domain in exchange for the corresponding domain feat. Doing so allows you to select up to three domain feats, but you cannot prepare domain spells or use the granted power of the sacrificed domain. In essence, you trade in a domain for an extra feat slot that you can spend only on a specific domain feat. The language they use is the same for gaining and giving up domains. Gaining access refers to the entirety of going from not having a domain to having it, so losing access when you trade the domain for the corresponding feat would represent the entirety of going from having a domain to not having it.

Consequently, I think it's viable under the rules to gain access to Knowledge, trade it for Knowledge Devotion, and then gain access to Knowledge again.

[Troacctid]

I'd say you could be a standard Cleric with the Knowledge domain, trading it for Knowledge Devotion, then use the Player's Handbook II retraining rules to retrain into a Cloistered Cleric and gain the Knowledge domain as a bonus domain. Alternately, take levels in Ordained Champion, Contemplative, or some other class that gives a bonus domain and do it that way.

[somehownotsingl]

The language they use is the same for gaining and giving up domains. Gaining access refers to the entirety of going from not having a domain to having it, so losing access when you trade the domain for the corresponding feat would represent the entirety of going from having a domain to not having it.

Consequently, I think it's viable under the rules to gain access to Knowledge, trade it for Knowledge Devotion, and then gain access to Knowledge again.

Cool! Thanks!