Channeling negative energy


Classes: Cleric, Druid, and Paladin


WE really need evil clerics to be better undead commanders.

The rules state channeling negative energy can be used to heal undead, but you should be able to bolster them ahead of time as well.

That way skeletons and zombies remain useful and viable baddies and cronies when in the presence of evil clerics of higher level (imagine zombies with 40 or more hit points)

Channel negative energy should also give undead baddies an extra plus 1 to hit and damage per 1d6 of negative energy available.

Also positive energy should counter this making the undead weaker by the same increments, this way if you dont turn or destroy the undead completely they did more than just take damage, it also makes a lower level clearic have more effect on an undead boss, like a vampire.

Possible make this a cleric feat?

Anyway skeletons and zombies should be more useful at all points in the game, and not just something to slap aside when you annoyed at it with your 10 level fighter.

Shadow Lodge

I agree with most, but seems like it will be more work and effort than it might be worth. I think the direction that might benefit more is to give Clerics additional abilities throughout their levels. One set might involve something like this.

Scarab Sages

One thing I haven't seen addressed either in the Beta PDF nor on the forums (although the forum search seems very difficult to use as well as I can use Google) is how two clerics battle it out for control over undead.

I'm near the beginning of a Paizo AP and my neutral-cleric-who-channels-negative-energy now has a couple of skeletons under his control. I don't particularly mind that, except the person who original put the skeletons in place is significantly higher level that the PC cleric. Shouldn't there be some kind of opposed check if someone has the undead under their control?

I'm leaning towards either an opposed Char check, or having both parties roll damage as though they were channeling energy and the higher damage result wins.

How do the rest of you handle this?


azhrei_fje wrote:

One thing I haven't seen addressed either in the Beta PDF nor on the forums (although the forum search seems very difficult to use as well as I can use Google) is how two clerics battle it out for control over undead.

I'm near the beginning of a Paizo AP and my neutral-cleric-who-channels-negative-energy now has a couple of skeletons under his control. I don't particularly mind that, except the person who original put the skeletons in place is significantly higher level that the PC cleric. Shouldn't there be some kind of opposed check if someone has the undead under their control?

I'm leaning towards either an opposed Char check, or having both parties roll damage as though they were channeling energy and the higher damage result wins.

How do the rest of you handle this?

Well is the other NPC cleric actually there? or are they unattended skellies that he created?

If the other cleric isnt there to oppose your control,then they are yours.

IF this is happening in a fight, then handle it along the same lines as dispel magic when one wizard is trying to dispel another wizards spell.

Scarab Sages

Pendagast wrote:

Well is the other NPC cleric actually there? or are they unattended skellies that he created?

If the other cleric isnt there to oppose your control,then they are yours.

IF this is happening in a fight, then handle it along the same lines as dispel magic when one wizard is trying to dispel another wizards spell.

So if they're unattended, there's no battle to assume control, just the channel energy roll?

Is there any place in the PF rules that you know of that states that there is EVER an opposed roll? Or does the last character to exert control just own those undead? For example, if an opposed cleric were there, would they have to spend a standard action to do their channel energy thing again? If the undead get their action between the time cleric A controls them and the time cleric B controls them, then cleric B will never have a chance to issue orders! (Although I suppose they could ready an action, but I never liked the potential loss of an action that goes with readying.)


azhrei_fje wrote:
Pendagast wrote:

Well is the other NPC cleric actually there? or are they unattended skellies that he created?

If the other cleric isnt there to oppose your control,then they are yours.

IF this is happening in a fight, then handle it along the same lines as dispel magic when one wizard is trying to dispel another wizards spell.

So if they're unattended, there's no battle to assume control, just the channel energy roll?

Is there any place in the PF rules that you know of that states that there is EVER an opposed roll? Or does the last character to exert control just own those undead? For example, if an opposed cleric were there, would they have to spend a standard action to do their channel energy thing again? If the undead get their action between the time cleric A controls them and the time cleric B controls them, then cleric B will never have a chance to issue orders! (Although I suppose they could ready an action, but I never liked the potential loss of an action that goes with readying.)

Ok lets say you go into the dark temple and come across 8 zombies under the control of the dreaded goblin shaman "pointy Mcnose"

The zombies shamble toward you, but yo worship the dark god of bone chewing and can channel negative energy.

You make a roll and poof, the sombies are yours!

"nooo!" shouts Pointy McNose, "these beasties are mine!" he uses another neagtive energy burst and brings them back under his will.

we could go back an forth and do this all day, or we could match the rolls of the opposing clerics and take the winner.

Thats basically how its done.

More often than not, if the undead are being attended by an NPC, the DM makes aroll for his negative energy to begin with, and already knows the result, you make your roll to see if you can over come the existing control.

This is pretty much like one mage, dispelling another mages spell.

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