Okay, so the rules say this:
A cleric who chooses a subdomain must have access to both the domain and its subdomain from her deity.
This confuses me. Why the need for aces to both the domain and the subdomain?
Say I want a goddess of end results, ruined empires and wasted forges, and thus select Ash as one of her domains. Now, Ash is a sub domain to Fire. But I don't want her to be a goddess of fires still burning. Now, rules-wise, the difference for a cleric between the Fire domain and the Ash Domain is rather small. But thematically, it is (sort of) important.
So, can I create a goddess with the Ash subdomain but without the Fire domain and then house rule that requirement for having access to both away without causing any unexpected consequences?
A subdomain isn't a substitute for a full domain. Gaining only features from the Ash Subdomain, but nothing from the Fire Domain would leave you with substantially less usefulness. In your example, you won't get anything out of your Subdomain until 8th level, when you get the Wall of Ashes ability.
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For house rule purposes you would take the results of the combination (Fire with its Ash modifications) and call it a Domain. The access rule is mainly so they didn't reprint all the non-changed material as part of sub domain publications.
Doing the above will avoid problems and meet your purpose I believe.
A consequence of this, which likely suits your purpose here but impacts other cases, is things that affect Fire domain users (like the Ifrit racial) will NOT affect your 'Ash Domain' where it WOULD affect a normal sub domain Ash user.
Subdomains: Ash (as a subdomain to Death, not Fire. Replaces X instead of Y).
No problem at all.
A subdomain isn't a substitute for a full domain. Gaining only features from the Ash Subdomain, but nothing from the Fire Domain would leave you with substantially less usefulness. In your example, you won't get anything out of your Subdomain until 8th level, when you get the Wall of Ashes ability.
Ah, right. I assumed that the subdomain would still give you the powers of the full domain that the subdomain don't replace, even though you didn't have access to the full domain.
Subdomains: Ash (as a subdomain to Death, not Fire. Replaces X instead of Y).
No problem at all.
Cool! That ability to make new combinations will help me matching crunch to my pantheons fluff. Thanks.
Ah, right. I assumed that the subdomain would still give you the powers of the full domain that the subdomain don't replace, even though you didn't have access to the full domain.
It will grant the whole thing, if you are the GM.