In this paper, we initiate the study of a variant of Roman dominating functions. For a graph G=(V,E), a Roman {2}-dominating function f:V→{0,1,2} has the property that for every vertex v∈V with f(v)=0, either v is adjacent to a vertex assigned 2 under f, or v is adjacent to least two vertices assigned 1 under f. The weight of a Roman {2}-dominating function is the sum Σv∈Vf(v), and the minimum weight of a Roman {2}-dominating function f is the Roman {2}-domination number. First, we present bounds relating the Roman {2}-domination number to some other domination parameters. In particular, we show that the Roman {2}-domination number is bounded above by the 2-rainbow domination number. Moreover, we prove that equality between these two parameters holds for trees and cactus graphs with no even cycles. Finally, we show that associated decision problem for Roman {2}-domination is NP-complete, even for bipartite graphs.

We mainly study two related dominating functions, namely, the weak Roman and 2-rainbow dominating functions. We show that for all graphs, the weak Roman domination number is bounded above by the 2-rainbow domination number. We present bounds on the weak Roman domination number and the secure domination number in terms of the total domination number for specific families of graphs, and we show that the 2-rainbow domination number is bounded below by the total domination number for trees and for a subfamily of cactus graphs.