Cold Domain
The Cold Domain turns ice, winter and supernatural cold into a divine weapon. This is a published D&D 3.5 supplemental domain, not a universal domain that exists under the same name in every supported ruleset.
At a Glance
| Divine Sphere | Cold, ice, snow, winter and creatures with strong ties to cold |
|---|---|
| Typical Role | Cold-damage caster, winter controller and elemental specialist |
| Published Rules | D&D 3.5e supplemental material |
| Pathfinder 1e Status | No same-named Pathfinder core Cold Domain. Pathfinder uses other domains and subdomains for related elemental and winter concepts. |
| Modern D&D Status | No official same-named Cold Domain in D&D 5e/2014 or the 2024 Cleric rules. |
| Strong Campaign Patron | Thrym, where winter and frost are central to the established divine portfolio |
Edition Applicability
The Cold Domain is published for D&D 3.5e in supplemental rules including Complete Divine, Frostburn and the consolidated Spell Compendium domain list. It is deliberately presented here as one rules tradition rather than being copied into Pathfinder or modern D&D without a separate adaptation.
Cold Domain — D&D 3.5e
Rules status: official D&D 3.5e supplemental domain.
Granted Power
You can turn or destroy Fire creatures as a good Cleric turns undead, and rebuke or command Cold creatures as an evil Cleric rebukes undead. These uses share a total daily pool equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
D&D 3.5e Cold Domain Spells
| 1st | Chill Touch |
|---|---|
| 2nd | Chill Metal |
| 3rd | Sleet Storm |
| 4th | Ice Storm |
| 5th | Wall of Ice |
| 6th | Cone of Cold |
| 7th | Control Weather |
| 8th | Polar Ray |
| 9th | Obedient Avalanche |
How the Cold Domain Plays
The domain starts with close-range cold magic and quickly becomes a battlefield-control package. Sleet, ice walls and weather manipulation can split encounters or deny routes, while Cone of Cold, Polar Ray and Obedient Avalanche give the cleric increasingly direct ways to punish enemies that cannot escape the terrain.
Who Grants the Cold Domain?
Thrym is a strong campaign fit because frost and winter belong directly to his established identity. Older D&D source material also assigns the Cold Domain to several setting-specific deities, including Bahamut in some source lists; those assignments should not automatically determine campaign portfolios here.
Priests, Temples and Rites
Cold priests may bless winter travel, preserve food and bodies, read ice and snowfall as omens, or venerate winter as a destructive test of endurance. A temple of a frost giant power should feel very different from a community cult that treats snow as part of the seasonal cycle.
What Are Cold Priests Doing Now?
They are guiding travellers through lethal passes, investigating unnatural freezes, competing over control of winter roads, containing creatures awakened from ice and searching for relics that can prolong or end a season.
Related Domains and Character Options
Rules Sources and Licensing
- D&D 3.5e supplemental: the granted power and spell list follow the published Cold Domain consolidated in the Spell Compendium and appearing in other 3.5e supplements.
- Other editions: no same-named official Pathfinder 1e, 2014 D&D or 2024 D&D panel has been manufactured for this page.