Rat God Domain

[Worldmaker]

Has anyone come up with a rat-slash-furry vermin-themed domain for use by the clergy of a rat god? If so, would you mind sharing?

If not, does anyone have any ideas as to what such a Cleric Domain might contain?

[mechaPoet]

You could use the animal domain, and that should give you most of what you're looking for. You could adjust some of the spells and powers to be more rat- and swarm-themed.

[My Self]

Perhaps you could have Summon Monster or Summon Nature's Ally, limited to rats (or dire variants) as a domain spell. It's a rather poor option, though.

Summon Swarm is something you should definitely include on the list.

Perhaps rat-like transmutations, such as Form of the Beast or ones that gives you claws. Passwall or something that lets you burrow might be nice, too. A spell that grants darkvision or scent would work. Also, Speak with Animals is certainly thematic, although it's not something I'd like to prepare every day.

Some disease-creating spells would fit well on the list.

Perhaps you should get a rat animal companion, a vermin animal companion, or rat familiar, like the animal domain's power.

[Worldmaker]

Good advice, guys. Thanks.

First attempt

---

Familiar: You gain a giant rat familiar. Your effective Wizard level for this ability is equal to your Cleric level. Your Cleric level stacks with levels from other classes that grant Familiars when determining the powers of your familiar.

Vermin Friend (Ex): You can use Wild Empathy to influence rats -- including giant rats and dire rats -- as if you were a Druid of your same experience level.

Scent (Ex): At 6th level, you gain the Scent ability.

Domain Spells: 1st - Jump; 2nd - Vomit Swarm (Creates Rats); 3rd - Darkvision; 4th - Insect Plague (Creates Rats); 5th - Swarm Skin (Creates Rats); 6th - Anti-Life Shell; 7th - Creeping Doom (Creates a Swarm of Rats); 8th - Summon Nature's Ally VIII (Rats/Dire Rats Only); 9th - Shapechange

----

Some of those spell choices were honestly because I couldn't think of any thing better, so I'm open to suggestion.

[My Self]

I'd switch out Jump for Expeditious Retreat.

[Worldmaker]

Good call.

[My Self]

Perhaps at 8th level, Maze, Charm Monster, Mass, Antipathy, Sympathy, or Mass Animal Shapes would be better?

[Worldmaker]

I like the idea of Maze. Its poetic.

[Paladin of Baha-who?]

There's already a rat god in pathfinder.

[Worldmaker]

Paladin of Baha-who? wrote:

There's already a rat god in pathfinder.

Well, yeah, I know. The problem with this is three-fold.

First, I'm not playing Golarion. This is a homebrew world.

Second, this is not an Asian-flavored rat god, much less *that* Asian-flavored rat god. This is going to be a classic pulp era grungy sewer-dwelling Rat God Cult that you would find acting as villains in a story set in Lankhmar or the Seven Cities of Zinn. You know, the kind that Conan was fond of exterminating.

And thirdly, even if I were talking about Lao Shu Po, there's still no "Rat Domain".

So... do you have any ideas for a Rat Domain?

[Rathendar]

Pestilence? Rats are commonly the bringers of it.

[GM Rednal]

I feel like Vermin would be the most appropriate domain here, maybe edited a bit to be more rat-themed.

[Worldmaker]

GM Rednal wrote:

I feel like Vermin would be the most appropriate domain here, maybe edited a bit to be more rat-themed.

I think that's the one I started with. I added some things from the Animal Domain. I'm still not completely happy with it, but its at least workable.

Current version:
---
Familiar: You gain a giant rat familiar. Your effective Wizard level for this ability is equal to your Cleric level. Your Cleric level stacks with levels from other classes that grant Familiars when determining the powers of your familiar.

Vermin Friend (Ex): You can use Wild Empathy to influence rats -- including giant rats and dire rats -- as if you were a Druid of your same experience level.

Scent (Ex): At 6th level, you gain the Scent ability.

Domain Spells: 1st - Expeditious Retreat; 2nd - Vomit Swarm (Creates Rats); 3rd - Darkvision; 4th - Insect Plague (Creates Rats); 5th - Swarm Skin (Creates Rats); 6th - Anti-Life Shell; 7th - Creeping Doom (Creates a Swarm of Rats); 8th - Maze; 9th - Shapechange

---

Like I said, I'm not completely satisfied with this, but...

[My Self]

What's not satisfying?

[Rathendar]

My suggestion would be to drop the familiar as a domain power , make the wild empathy on vermin the level 1 ability and at 6th or so give them immunity to the effects of disease while still being a carrier.

[Worldmaker]

My Self wrote:

What's not satisfying?

I wish I knew. It just feels. Off. Not "deal-breaker" off. Just "this could be better" off.

Rathendar wrote:

My suggestion would be to drop the familiar as a domain power , make the wild empathy on vermin the level 1 ability and at 6th or so give them immunity to the effects of disease while still being a carrier.

That might work.