When I chose variant channeling for my cleric, the rules say:
"A variant channeling either modifies positive channeled energy when used to heal or modifies negative energy when used to harm. When using positive energy to heal, affected creatures gain only half the normal amount of healing but also receive a specific beneficial effect. When channeling negative energy to harm, affected creatures take only half the normal damage but take an additional penalty or harmful effect; a successful saving throw negates the additional penalty or effect but does not reduce the damage any further. Creatures that would normally ignore the effect of a particular channel (such as undead with respect to a positive energy channel used to heal) ignore the variant effect of that channel."
So, do I get to chose whether I channel positive or negative energy each time I channel?
Or as a good cleric, do I always use the heal channel variant and as an evil cleric always the harm variant?
Or do I use the heal channel variant when positive channeling to heal and when positive channeling to harm undead, I would get the harm effect?
For instance: freedom variant channeling:
Which one would be true?
1. I'm a good cleric, so I can only ever use my channeling to give people the channel bonus against grapples and on saves vs paralyze?
2. When I channel, I choose whether I use the positive or negative variant. I could basically heal my buddies and give them the channel bonus to escape grapples or on saves vs paralysis and the like. Or I could harm my opponents and stagger them until the end of my next turn.
3. I'm a good cleric, so if I use my power to heal my buddies, they get the listed bonuses, but if I use my power to harm undead, they get the slow effect. I can't use the harm on opponents that aren't undead.
The third option makes most sense to me. If it would be the third option could I use alignment channel to have my slow variant work against evil outsiders?
