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Hi, I'm Sharkles and I like clerics. A lot. I'm always looking for opportunities to make more varied and interesting via homebrew.

To my knowledge, there has never been the option for a cleric of an elemental deity to channel anything other than positive or negative energy, even though it would be thematically appropriate to do so.

This is why I've thought up this feat, and would appreciate feedback on if it's boring, weak, or overpowered. This includes the name, which I'm not really satisfied with.

Channel Blast

Prerequisite: CHA 13; channel energy class feature; air, earth, fire, water, or weather domain.

Benefit: Select a type of simple blast available to kineticists that matches one of the listed prerequisite domains (air or electric blast for air or weather domain, cold or water blast for water domain, etc.) excluding telekinetic blast. Once this choice is made, you may not change it.

You may use that type of blast at-will as a kineticist, with effective kineticist level equal to cleric level to determine save DC and using channel energy dice to determine damage (including +1 damage per die for physical blasts). Also, use charisma in place of constitution for all variables associated with the blast.

You may instead expend 1 use of your channel energy ability to deal this same damage in place of positive or negative energy effects.

Treat this as channel energy for feats that modify channel energy, such as improved channel or selective channel.

Benefit: You may select this feat again, allowing you to select a second type of simple blast that matches one of your domains. As well, you may expend 1 use of your channel energy ability to deal damage as per a composite blast associated with two blast types you have available, with the same limitations as listed above.

I figure that any class can deal comparable (if not more) damage than an at-will kinetic blast, and it doesn't quite steal the kineticist's thunder because it doesn't allow wild talents to be selected or used. However, it has its own specific flair since it can be used as a 30-foot burst based off a limited resource.

Aside from that, I'm not sure I'll stick with the weather domain counting as the air domain for blast types or prereqs, but that's from my own bias; I just don't like the air domain that much.

I'm a bit confused with how some of the brawler archetypes are supposed to work, considering the features that are replaced.

For example, both the Exemplar and Strangler archetypes replace Unarmed Strike. This isn't worded the same as monk archetypes where unarmed damage doesn't increase after a point; it simply replaces Unarmed Strike. Does this mean that the brawler loses Improved Unarmed Strike, which is perhaps their most iconic and basic feat?

In addition, neither of those classes lose Close Weapon Mastery, which is strange because to my understanding, the text says it works based on unarmed damage. Would this mean in these cases that close weapon damage scales, but unarmed damage doesn't? I'm okay with that if so, but this does need clarification.

I've loved the Cloistered Cleric since its introduction in 3.5e, but I just don't most of what the PF version offers. I'm not looking to get into a huge debate here about its viability here, because that's not the reason of this post. I'm posting this because I'm planning on playing a CC in an upcoming campaign, and the GM has basically given me full reign to tailor it to my liking as long as there's some semblance of balance. However, I'm running a bit dry on some features that could be included here, so I'm looking for suggestion.

I'm planning on giving this CC the following, despite some of it being a bit counter-intuitive; I'll explain my reasons why I'm choosing certain features as I list them.

• 4+Int skill points/level (I'm not bumping it to 6+Int because I haven't noticed another archetype going beyond a ±2 skill point difference per level)
  
• Weapon/armor proficiencies are unchanged (I might look to include proficiency with the deity's favored weapon, but that seems to go against the noncombatant flavor here)
  
• BAB and HD are unchanged (no archetype as of yet has changed these things compared to the base class, so I'm not changing it either)
  
• Channeling increasing by 1d6 starting at 4th level and every 3 thereafter (I'm not big on channeling and I see no reason why the CC can't suffer this loss)
  
• Same class skills and Breadth of Knowledge (always been one of my favorite class features)
  
• Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat
  
• Domains and spellcasting abilities exactly the same as the base Cleric (if it's gonna be worse at combat, this is the least I can do; I might be willing to drop one domain if necessary)
  

New or modified class features pose a problem here, as I can't think of what might mesh with the class features that are given up. It may also be because I have a number of ideas already and can't decide on what to use.

Mainly, I want a bit of Int dependency here. Yes, I know that makes the class even more MAD, but we've already got less channeling power here, so it's lightening the necessity for Cha to an extent. That, and the Int bonus wouldn't be applied towards anything major.

I like the idea of adding Int bonus when fighting defensively, casting defensively, using total defense, or Combat Expertise, but that suggests the CC should actually be on the front lines. Int to initiative would be nice, and not necessarily OP because of less Int investment.

I also considered something similar to the Archivist Bard's Naturalist ability, granting certain bonuses once a specific enemy type is identified. Something like X insight bonus to AC, attack rolls, and saving throws increasing every X levels, which uses a move action to grant to all allies within 30 feet and lasts as long as the CC's Int bonus. Borrowing a bit from the Ranger's bond with his companions for that idea. Does it make sense for this to replace anything I've listed?

I'm not opposed to keeping Verbal Instruction, though it is a bit lacking. Would it be OP to remove the restriction on the number of allies it can affect as long as they're within 30 feet, and giving it the benefits of a normal Aid Another check? Maybe the bonus could even increase every X levels? I like the idea of increasing allies' skill checks, but could it be implemented better?

And then I thought, since the archetype gets Scribe Scroll for free, why not give it some scroll-related tricks? Maybe like not provoking AoOs for taking out a scroll, Quick Draw for scrolls, or maybe applying metamagic feats to scroll spells as a full-round action 3+Int (or just Int) times/day? Again, that might be too much to replace proficiency with medium armor, shields, and most weapon proficiencies.

As you can probably see, it's really more a matter of balance than a lack of ideas. I obviously can't include all of these features at the expense of less combat/channeling ability, so I welcome opinions from someone more experienced in building balanced archetypes than I am. Or opinions from anybody, for that matter. Thanks!

I was looking over the mad dog barbarian introduced in Animal Archive (an awesome archetype concept, in my opinion), but I as a little unclear on what exactly this meant with regards to rage powers.

I took it to mean that the Barbarian just gets 6 fewer rounds of rage overall, but does this apply to when the Barbarian qualifies for rage powers? The only thing that would make me think it doesn't affect prerequisite levels is that one of the new rage powers for it says you must be an 8th level barbarian to qualify—and even that's a little unclear!

Obviously you can't take rage powers before you get rage, but that would seem a little disappointing that you'd have to push back qualifying for certain rage powers. I guess it is worth it, though, as unlike rangers you can get *any* animal for a companion. Oh, the possibilities.

Say I have a character who wields a shield as their only weapon. Hypothetically, I’ll say it’s for a spellcaster who wants to keep one hand free all the time and still have a shield (I do know there are ways around that, but that’s not what I’m asking). Or maybe I just want a melee fighter who just doesn’t want to meet the dex prereqs for the TWF tree.

So my question is, you can enchant a shield as a weapon and armor separately, correct? As in, +X to attack and damage rolls and +X to armor? And would this work for both regular shields like it does shield spikes?

I realize the Shield Master feat is supposed to add the shield bonus to attack and damage rolls too, so I don’t want to assume it’s made less useful (aside from removing TWF penalties) just because you can already put a weapon bonus on your shield to improve shield bashes.

I’m a little worried that I might be missing something obvious here, so please let me know if the text I’ve bolded in the quote below is the straight answer I really want:

An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

In other words, is it pretty much saying “you can place weapon enhancements on your shield”?