Just a few thoughts that occured to me about the domains:
Animal:
I see how it works for a cleric, but for Druids, it's sort of strange, since it's an alternative option to having an animal companion, yet the domain itself grants an animal companion (!?!?) Either it should be dropped, or replaced, say with Sun or Knowledge.
Artifice:
I was thinking about the Wizard's Bonded Item, and it seemed to me that clerics should be able to have a similar feature. It wouldn't seem out of place for Artifice/Creation clerics to be 'attuned' to an item of their own creation that they can enchant easily. ????
The 1st level Touch of X bonus-granting abilities:
Alpha 3 made them all more useful by applying to all eligible rolls within 3 rounds. But one bit could still be cleared up: Different domains have differing texts to indicate that they may be used once per recipient per day, either "once they are effected by" or "once they have benefited from".
In cases where the recipient doesn't get a chance to use the ability within 3 rounds (either a relevant check doesn't occur, or they choose not to use the benefit), would they have been "effected by" or "benefited from" the ability (and thus used up their daily allotment), or would they still be able to receive the touch a second time?
It's relevant if characters want to continually cast the effect on themselves "in case" something happens, though once they 'use' the ability, they would have used it up for the day.
I had the following thoughts regarding Clerical Domains.
The current SRD Magic Domain grants the following:
Granted Power: Use scrolls, wands, and other devices with spell completion or spell trigger activation as a wizard of one-half your cleric level (at least 1st level). For the purpose of using a scroll or other magic device, if you are also a wizard, actual wizard levels and these effective wizard levels stack.
This is totally absent from the proposed changes to the Magic Domain. In terms of backwards compatiblity this is a fairly large omission. Clerics that had been built to take advantage of arcane items lose this ability.
While the new Domain powers are interesting -- I'm curious what motivation exists for radically changing them.
I'm also not sure why Domain Spells were eliminated. This seems unnecessary as well. I know that since 1st edition I have always tweaked cleric spell lists to reflect the deity they worship. It just makes sense.
My humbly ask that things that aren't broken NOT be fixed.
CJ