Deities with subdomains missing the parent domain: how to use?


Rules Questions

Grand Lodge

As some or many may know, a number of deities grant access to subdomains that DO NOT grant the parent domain (for example, any deity listed in this blog post with an asterisk next to the subdomain). My question is, when such a subdomain is chosen for a cleric of one of these deities, do the subdomain options replace one of the domains the deity DOES offer? Or does the actual parent domain get to sneak in its other features "through the back door" for that deity so to speak?

For example, let's look at the Ice subdomain. It alters the Water domain and would look like this (where the replaced options are marked with an asterisk):

Ice Subdomain
Granted Powers
1st level - Icicle
8th level - Body of ice*
Domain Spells
1st - obscuring mist
2nd - fog cloud
3rd - water breathing
4th - control water
5th - ice storm
6th - cone of cold
7th - freezing sphere*
8th - horrid wilting
9th - polar ray*

Now, let's look at the demon lord Kostchtchie. He grants the Ice subdomain but not the Water domain. So if a cleric from his cult took the Ice subdomain, would they receive what's listed above (meaning Water domain isn't granted but a transformed version of it [Ice subdomain] is)? Or would they pick one of his granted domains (Chaos, Evil, Strength, War) and apply the replacement powers and spells marked above to one of those?


You are granted the subdomain with all of its replacements as if they had the base domain.

So they would get the transformed domain.


What you've listed is the ice subdomain. The "sub" part is only for the player's benefit, it works just like any other domain. All nine spells are its domain spells, and those two powers are its domain powers.

Basically, you aren't using water domain stuff, you're using ice domain stuff that just happens to be identical.

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