The title says it all really. If I'm an Oracle VMC Cleric can I take an Inquisition or an Animal/Terrain domain as my level 3 VMC ability?
The best answer here is to ask your GM.
Variant multiclass can have some weird consequences that I personally don't like and generally don't allow it in the first place.
That said, a normal cleric can take an Inquisition with caveats.
Almost everyone has a vision of the inquisitor—garbed in a mix of regalia and the rough-and-tumble tools of the adventurer, her word is often treated as divine law. But this is merely the most dramatic aspect of the inquisitor. Her world is filled with secret knowledge, constant danger, and strange mortal and outsider politics. The inquisitor’s path has many branches and specializations, each with its own methods for rooting out and vanquishing enemies of the faith.
Inquisitions are like domains. Other classes that use domains can take inquisitions but inquisitions are typically weaker than the domains those classes can already choose because they don’t grant domain spell slots or domain spells.
For example, the Sun domain’s 1st-level granted power augments the effects of channel energy, but inquisitors don’t have the channel energy ability, so they gain no benefit from their domain selection until 8th level, when they get a second granted power.
To remedy that problem, this section introduces inquisitions—new, specialized domain-like class features for inquisitors that grant abilities appropriate to their deity’s portfolio.
While inquisitors often take on the domains permitted to the clerics of the faith, they are privy to special lore not open to priests and other agents of their religion. These divine pursuits, called inquisitions, grant inquisitors the tools necessary for the fight against enemies of the faith. An inquisitor may select an inquisition in place of a domain.
If an inquisition’s granted power calls for a saving throw, the DC of the save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the character’s inquisitor level + her Wisdom modifier. Unless otherwise stated, the caster level for granted power spell-like abilities is equal to the inquisitor’s class level.
Inquisitions are intended for inquisitors, not for other classes that give access to domains. While a cleric or other domain-using class can select an inquisition in place of a domain (if appropriate to the character’s deity), inquisitions do not grant domain spell slots or domain spells, and therefore are much weaker choices for those classes. These other classes use the appropriate class level as their inquisitor level for the purpose of inquisition granted powers (clerics use their cleric level as their inquisitor level, and so on).
Once you get to 3rd character level, you should get access to your first domain, and I believe you count as a 3rd level cleric for determining what you get from the domain, though I can't actually find the rules that state what level you count as.
And nothing about VMC would prevent you from taking a Inquisition instead of the normally offered domain.
Oh, and whether you can take Animal/Terrain domains will depend completely on what deity you selected to worship as part of your Variant Multiclass and what they offer (just like your choice of Inquisition is restricted by deity too). As far as I'm aware you don't have any special capacity to access Animal or Terrain domains because of VMC if your deity doesn't normally offer them.
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Ultimate Magic specifies that animal and terrain domains are druid specific domains. So, unless your deity specifically states they grant that domain, they cannot be taken by clerics. If a normal cleric cannot take the domain a VMC cannot take them either.
Ultimate Magic specifies that animal and terrain domains are druid specific domains. So, unless your deity specifically states they grant that domain, they cannot be taken by clerics. If a normal cleric cannot take the domain a VMC cannot take them either.
To clarify though, normally with domains you can only take them if your deity offers them. I'm pretty sure there is at least one archetype that modifies that, but generally it's deity dependent.
I think your note regarding animal/terrain domains is unnecessary since domain access is generally restricted, it requires something to tell you that you can access it.
Ultimate Magic specifies that animal and terrain domains are druid specific domains. So, unless your deity specifically states they grant that domain, they cannot be taken by clerics. If a normal cleric cannot take the domain a VMC cannot take them either.To clarify though, normally with domains you can only take them if your deity offers them. I'm pretty sure there is at least one archetype that modifies that, but generally it's deity dependent.
I think your note regarding animal/terrain domains is unnecessary since domain access is generally restricted, it requires something to tell you that you can access it.
Usually the domains that do modify your selected domains force you to take a specific domain, even if it's not on the deity list, not just blanketly add to the list per god.