By default, the database password file is stored in ASM instead of on the file system in Oracle 12c (if ASM is used). If the ASM instance cannot be brought up due to loss or corruption of the password file, creating a password file on the file system (with command orapwd) is not helpful. You can't run any asmcmd command to tell ASM to use the password file on the file system because asmcmd needs ASM to be up. Even a command like `crsctl query credmaint' (Ref: Doc ID 1313657.1) won't work. This chicken-and-egg problem can be solved by a passwordfile option for the sqlplus startup command, much like the pfile option.
Alternatively, allow certain very basic asmcmd commands to run even when ASM is down, much like the function provided by -init of crsctl, or -prelim of sqlplus.