Why do they not give a shade?

Death domain is about -death- not your inner avatar.

~SF

Anyone?

Not sure exactly what you're asking...

Death domain isn't even supposed to give a summon ability, if we look at PnP.

Quote: DEATH DOMAIN
Granted Power: You may use a death touch once per day. Your
death touch is a supernatural ability that produces a death effect.
You must succeed on a melee touch attack against a living creature
(using the rules for touch spells). When you touch, roll 1d6 per
cleric level you possess. If the total at least equals the creature’s
current hit points, it dies (no save).

Death Domain Spells
1 Cause Fear: One creature of 5 HD or less flees for 1d4 rounds.
2 Death Knell: Kill dying creature and gain 1d8 temporary hp, +2
to Str, and +1 caster level.
3 Animate Dead M: Creates undead skeletons and zombies.
4 Death Ward: Grants immunity to death spells and negative
energy effects.
5 Slay Living: Touch attack kills subject.
6 Create Undead M: Create ghouls, ghasts, mummies, or mohrgs.
7 Destruction F: Kills subject and destroys remains.
8 Create Greater Undead M: Create shadows, wraiths, spectres, r
devourers.
9 Wail of the Banshee: Kills one creature/level.

It's a pity that it ended up looking like an 'evil' domain in NWN rather than being a bit more neutral as it is in PnP.

Whenever I've played a Kelemvor cleric, I've taken the Death domain but avoided using the summon, just because although the Domain itself fits, the implementation is sadly wrong and "hay guise am evul lolz". Perfect if you're a Myrkulite playing a pre-1358 server though, heh.

Could you please explain your question a bit further because I don't understand what it is you're after. According to the a quick googling the death domain should grant you the ability to summon a shadow in NWN. Are you saying that it doesn't work for some reason? What about the reference to inner avatar?

It does actually work, I've seen a character use it in TSM.

I, too, am not quite sure what the question was... so I just babbled in hopes I accidentally answered it

only time i remember seeing a shade or anything...was from a shadowdancer summoning their lil buddy....not that that helps much....but, maybe that was what you saw?

Pale Masters get them at level 6 I believe for one level, and when I checked this by making a cleric and sticking it in HotU it gave a greater shadow for a level 15 cleric.

Chirijiriden wrote: only time i remember seeing a shade or anything...was from a shadowdancer summoning their lil buddy....not that that helps much....but, maybe that was what you saw?
I saw Tanna summon one when she was low level, and she certainly wasn't a Shadowdancer I've also used the Death domain elsewhere in the grey and distant past, and seen the Shadow you get.

The power itself is described thus when you select the domain. "Negative Plane Avatar: The cleric is able to summon a shadow that gains in power as the cleric advances."

Kelemvor doesn't actually get the death domain.

The Secret wrote: Kelemvor doesn't actually get the death domain.
Hm, alas for different sources saying different things

I hadn't bothered to check Faiths & Pantheons when posting in this thread, assuming it would match. Instead my reference here comes from Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting where, under the Death Domains, it lists Kelemvor as a deity granting it to clerics.

Anyway, as you say, Faiths & Pantheons doesn't give him Death, just Repose, which it goes on to say is effectively a version of the Death domain for use by clerics who are not permitted to cast the Evil spells.

From the setting information thread on gods and domains:

Quote: KELEMVOR (Greater God) Lawful Neutral
Kelemvor assigns the essences of the dead their proper place in the ongoing cycle of existence. Taking a different tack from his predecessor gods of the dead, he is neither malign nor secretive. Kelemvor's church assists the dying, the dead, and their families. His clerics sometimes multiclass as necromancers or rangers, using their knowledge to hunt down and destroy undead.
Cleric Alignments: Any Lawful.
Domains: Death, Protection, Travel
Favored Weapon: Bastard Sword


Also remember not all domains are in NWN and not all clerics can even chose the correct domains, just try to get something close. That's been the case for every cleric I've made.

In Kelemvor's priests case, the taint of the creation of the undead and the goodness of the endresult of said creation may balance eachother out, thus resulting in a neutral stance... a though.

In general I would agree that a evil act can be used every once in a while even though the cleric isn't evil. The good an undead critter could do under a good cleric's command won't change the fact that calling the undead is evil on its own, but "karma" is the sum of all actions so a spot on a white sheet won't ruin a soul. It should of course be a last resort and frankly I can't think of a situation where I would summon undead with a goodly cleric. However, when it comes to Kelemvor it is just completely out of the question as Ii see it.

Kelemvor urges his clerics to act as stewards of the afterlife and to teach the people of FaerĂťn that death is a natural part of life. There is nothing to be feared in the transition, for only the truly wicked, the Faithless, or the False must fear the world beyond the Fugue Plane. Kelemvor views all undead as abominations, ordering his servants to destroy them at every turn.