Hey, all. I'm not sure if this has been asked before (I'd assume so, but I can't find it by search), so I figured I'd give it a go.
Anyone got some rough guidelines or ideas for converting domains from the various 3.5 sources, like the Spell Compendium or Complete Divine? The pantheon of my homebrew used a fair number of the domains, and I find the more limited selection available in the PF Core to not quite fit all the gods as well as I'd like.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. The big trick is creating a spell-like ability that'd be appropriate and then an 8th level ability. I guess that's the main trick, but I'm just not sure what kinds of things to do with them or how to approach them.
Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing, too.
I am glad Domains got a boost in Pathfinder, but it's hard to convert the dozens of new ones that came out in 3.5e. I easily managed to convert the Undeath domain.
I believe Paizo can get away with repeating the new domains in 3.5e without breaching copyrights. After all, I don't believe WotC has the legal right to keep a stranglehold on the "Life Domain", "Dwarf Domain", or "Domination Domain".
Honestly, I wish they would repeat material from 3.5e and change the style a bit to make it their own. Because a lot of good things that have come from 3.5e could use a Pathfinder touch to them. I'd love to see a Pathfinder Warlock, Pathfinder Ninja, or a Pathfinder Marshal class, a Pathfinder-themed Tome of Battle, etc.
There's a book author that got away with this, with permission from WotC in fact, with the Secrets of Pact Magic book. A lot of the material is easily compatible with the Binder class in WotC's Tome of Magic, he just had to avoid specifics and he was set to go. I'd love to see material like this come from Pathfinder.
Is it being a copycat? I don't think so. It's staying compatible while also being Pathfinder, and to most people it'd still be a brand new thing to use for the game.
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Anyone got some rough guidelines or ideas for converting domains from the various 3.5 sources, like the Spell Compendium or Complete Divine?
The only OGL domains that haven't been converted by Pathfinder are Creation, Mind, Scalykind and Void.
My interpretations of those three are here. I also came up with Metal and Wood domains, for Tien clerics that might use an Asian-esque 'five elements' structure.
I also came up with some conversions for the Scarred Lands domains.
Which Domains are you most interested in converting?
When converting Domains note the huge differences that may exist. The Earth Domain in 3.5 allowed you to rebuke and control Earth creatures and turn Air creatures, allowing your Cleric to have a couple of tamed Thoqqua or Gargoyles or Mephits or Small Earth Elementals or whatever serving as his gumbies, potentially at low level, if he took Improved Turning. The PF Domain allows you to spit acid that does less damage than your crossbow, and eventually gives you acid resistance. Huge downgrade. Spiders and Scalykind and Plant and Cold and Slime/Ooze/Thirst, etc. all gave out free Command abilities, and it could get pretty insane.
PF Domains are much more generally useful (a GM could prevent you from ever seeing an Ooze, for instance, and make that Slime Domain power pretty boring), but generally less powerful than the awesome ones (and more powerful than the crappy ones, like Trickery, that just gave you some extra class skills you couldn't afford to buy anyway at 2 +Int mod skills / level...).
A plague domain (that could serve as a replacement for the SpC Pestilence Domain) I came up with awhile ago for a Scarred Lands thread;
Contagion Domain
Granted Powers: You command the forces of plague and pestilence. You can carry disease, but do not suffer the effects, harmful or otherwise.
Shuddersome Touch (Sp): You can cause shuddering illness to wrack a creature with a melee touch attack. The subject is staggered and sickened for 1 round, as long as its hit dice do not exceed your own, and is sickened for rounds thereafter equal to one half your Cleric level (minimum 1). Once a creature has been affected by the shuddersone touch, you cannot affect it again for 24 hours. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Cloud of Flies (Su): At 8th level, you can emit a 30 ft. aura of buzzing flies that afflict all within with Filth Fever (Fort save 10 + ½ Cleric level + Wisdom modifier to resist initial infection, DC 12 thereafter) that immediately inflicts damage, as if delivered by a contagion spell, and then recurs (at much lowered efficacy) each day thereafter until cured. Creatures that succeed on their saving throw cannot be affected by this aura again for 24 hours. You can create this aura for a number of rounds equal to your Cleric level, and these rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Domain Spells: 1st – ray of enfeeblement, 2nd – blindness/deafness, 3rd – stinking cloud, 4th – confusion, 5th – eyebite (sicken only), 6th - harm, 7th – insanity, 8th – mass inflict critical wounds, 9th – horrid wilting
Paizo's already actually made domains that synch up relatively well with some non-core domains (Community, Glory, Nobility, for example). But as for the domains that I'd like to see converted...
Family (from Forgotten Realms)
Competition (Complete Divine)
Hero (Oriental Adventures)
Pact (Complete Divine)
Celerity (Complete Divine)
Creation (CD)
Inquisition (CD)
Planning (FR)
Time (FR)
Metal (OA)
Endurance (Book of Exalted Deeds)
Mind (CD)
Retribution (FR)
Suffering (FR)
Summoner (CD)
Dream (Spell Compendium)
Illusion (SC)
Mentalism (SC)
Shadow (Eberron)
Purification (CD)
Exorcism (CD)
Oracle (CD)
Fate (FR)
Storm (FR)
Ancestor (OA)
Life (Eberron)
Pestilence (CD)
Renewal (SC)
Domination (SC)
Tyranny (SC)
Envy (SC)
Passion (Eberron)
Slime (FR)
Cold (SC)
Fey (BoED)
Commerce (Eberron)
So, yeah, there's a lot of non-core domains that have really worked to make my gods function (and I'm a huge fan of a wide assortment of domains available - most of my gods have 5-7 domains, to really make the clerics choose). Converting them is going to be tricky, so I was just sort of hoping that there might be a convenient sort of short cut. I remember in the Beta, someone had whipped up a Beta Domain conversion system, but the Beta domains weren't that much like the final ones...
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Hmm, I've got Creation, Mind, Metal and kinda/sorta Pestilence either linked to or in the post up there.
That's like four out of thirty-six. Yikes!
Edit: Ooh, also versions of Dream, Domination and Fey, in the Scarred Lands domains link, but I suspect they will be nothing like the ones you've sourced, since I was looking at a completely different 3PP baseline.
Judgment (also in the SL domains link) might or might not work for an Inquisition or Retribution Domain, but I'm not sure.
I really like that sample time domain, my only suggestion would be to either make it so the precognitive dodge ability starts off a bit lower and gains in strength while leveling, and possibly add the line "after the attack is announced but before the attack roll is made"... either way cool ideas.
You might want to check out The Book of Divine Magic from 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming. It includes the following domains:
Dream, Dwarf, Elf, Fate, Gnome, Halfling, Ocean, Orc, Pleasure, Renewal, Retribution, Song & Time.
Robert
4 Winds Fantasy Gaming
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I really like that sample time domain, my only suggestion would be to either make it so the precognitive dodge ability starts off a bit lower and gains in strength while leveling, and possibly add the line "after the attack is announced but before the attack roll is made"... either way cool ideas.
Changing Precognitive Dodge to use an immediate action to grant a +2 insight bonus to AC vs. one attack sequence (which could include an entire full attack from a single foe) or to a single Reflex save at 1st level, and then +1 for every 5 levels thereafter, 3+Wis x/day could be neat.