Positive Energy vs Negative energy. Living vs Undead.


Rules Questions


I have a question.

If my Character was undead and usually undead are healed by Negative energy but under no circumstances will positive energy will heal or help undead.

I wanted to use this spell "Shared Suffering"

DESCRIPTION

You infuse a dagger with necromantic energy, then plunge it into your own body.
You take 1d6 points of negative energy damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every 2 caster levels you possess beyond 1st (to a maximum of 5d6 at 9th level). The target takes an amount of damage equal to the damage you took this way, plus an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier (if you're a witch or wizard), Wisdom modifier (if you're an inquisitor), or Charisma modifier (if you're an antipaladin or sorcerer).
Damage from this spell cannot be divided by effects such as shield other or unwilling shield; it cuts through such protections completely.

Can I use this spell for my undead wizard to heal my self and dmg a living target?


Probably not; the Inflict spells, for example specifically call out that they heal undead, this spell does not note that.


Teeechnically, yes, but it would be horribly impractical even at the best of times. You'd only be doing the bonus damage from your modifier (which is never terribly high) since you did no damage to yourself (you only healed).


GM Rednal wrote:
Teeechnically, yes, but it would be horribly impractical even at the best of times. You'd only be doing the bonus damage from your modifier (which is never terribly high) since you did no damage to yourself (you only healed).

Even so, it's a pretty big heal for its spell level.


No. The spell transfers damage caused by you to yourself and applies an equal amount to another creature. If you follow the rules of symmetry, you would heal your target, not damage him.


Quintain wrote:

No. The spell transfers damage caused by you to yourself and applies an equal amount to another creature. If you follow the rules of symmetry, you would heal your target, not damage him.

So target an ally and have the best 1st-level heal spell in the game.


The Sideromancer wrote:
Quintain wrote:

No. The spell transfers damage caused by you to yourself and applies an equal amount to another creature. If you follow the rules of symmetry, you would heal your target, not damage him.

So target an ally and have the best 1st-level heal spell in the game.

Not necessarily.

In Pathfinder, negative energy doesn't automatically heal undead as well as harm the living.

Look at how clerical channel energy works for negative energy:

Channeled Negative energy used to harm the living does not heal undead, the negative energy must be used to heal the undead, and in that case, does not harm the living.

It doesn't do both at once.

By that same token, this spell is designed to harm the living with negative energy, so it could quite easily be interpreted to do nothing to undead, as the effect the negative energy on undead is not described in the spell at all.

Quote:
A good cleric (or one who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil cleric (or one who worships an evil deity) channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead creatures.

The difference between this an an inflict spell is that the effect that an inflict spell has on undead is described in the spell.

The spell description only says that it transfers harm done. It says nothing in regard to transferring healing.

Given it's level of power, I think focusing overmuch on the "negative energy" aspect of the spell is incorrect.


Quote:
The target takes an amount of damage equal to the damage you took this way, plus an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier (if you're a witch or wizard), Wisdom modifier (if you're an inquisitor), or Charisma modifier (if you're an antipaladin or sorcerer).

If you are healed by it, then you were not dealt damage. The target would only take an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier in damage.

Dark Archive

Going by this faq, it seems like you would take no damage, and your target would take damage equal to your Int.

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