Benefit: When you channel energy, you can choose a number of targets in the area up to your Charisma modifier. These targets are not affected by your channeled energy.
When using the Selective Channeling feat when Channeling do you need to see whom you are trying to exclude?
Situation: Enemy goes invisible within 30-feet of Cleric. Cleric doesn't have a means to perceive the invisible enemy, but wishes to exclude her.
I think I'n a word no.
though question. does selective channeling omit creatures? or squares? if it's squares I think you could try to guess his location and not channel heal that square.
if it's creatures I think you cannot prevent it if the creature is invis.
Selective Channel
Benefit: When you channel energy, you can choose a number of targets in the area up to your Charisma modifier.
These targets are not affected by your channeled energy.
If you're never aware of a target, obviously, it can't be selected.
If the cleric was at one time aware of it, but it's no longer visible, I'd say the cleric would still be able to select it for exclusion, since it's an area effect and its exact location is irrelevant within the effect's range.
Selective Channel
Benefit: When you channel energy, you can choose a number of targets in the area up to your Charisma modifier.
These targets are not affected by your channeled energy.If you're never aware of a target, obviously, it can't be selected.
If the cleric was at one time aware of it, but it's no longer visible, I'd say the cleric would still be able to select it for exclusion, since it's an area effect and its exact location is irrelevant within the effect's range.
If you can't see it, you can't choose it as a target for exclusion.
my 2cp
Well, look at it this way ...
Channeling is an ability of faith. Your intent has a lot to do with who and why you target. I just can't see a cleric healing an enemy accidentally based on the fact it can't be seen, yet the cleric is aware of it.
Kinda like 'blind' faith.
:)
Well, look at it this way ...
Channeling is an ability of faith. Your intent has a lot to do with who and why you target. I just can't see a cleric healing an enemy accidentally based on the fact it can't be seen, yet the cleric is aware of it.
Kinda like 'blind' faith.
:)
If a cleric casts an area spell, his allies are not excluded from negative effects because he "has faith" either.
If a cleric has 3 exclusions, and there are five enemies in range, he does not exclude all 5 because "accidentally" healing even 2 enemies woudl be bad yes? something that happens because its an "ability of faith".
It's not a spell, it's channeling faith. Whether or not he can 'see' them, I believe he should still be able to exclude them from the benefits of his faith.
I agree, this would not apply to area spells.
Are there any area spells in which particular targets can be excluded? How are those handled?
EDIT: After looking back to the Core Rulebook, I see that this is a supernatural ability, not a spell-like ability, which makes me lean more in favor of just needing to be aware of its presence, not its exact location, as you would a spell.
Well, look at it this way ...
Channeling is an ability of faith. Your intent has a lot to do with who and why you target. I just can't see a cleric healing an enemy accidentally based on the fact it can't be seen, yet the cleric is aware of it.
Kinda like 'blind' faith.
:)
I have looked at it both ways. Right now I am ruling it so you can omit the bad guys even if you can't see them, but you don't get to choose which ones.
I would like an official answer though. I just kept forgetting to create a thread for it. Time to hit the FAQ button.
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Concerning Special abilities (including Supernatural ones) : "A number of classes and creatures gain the use of special abilities, many of which function like spells." (p 221 of the core rulebook)
Concerning the targets of spells : "You must be able to see or touch the target, and you must specifically choose that target." (p214 of the core rulebook)
If you cannot see or touch the enemy, you cannot target him.
This is strenghtened by the fact that, according to Selective Channel, you need to choose the targets to be excluded "in the area" of the Channel. If your invisible enemy is not within the area anymore (which you cannot know unless you see or touch him) you definitely cannot choose him as a target.
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If you cannot see or touch the enemy, you cannot target him.
This is strenghtened by the fact that, according to Selective Channel, you need to choose the targets to be excluded "in the area" of the Channel. If your invisible enemy is not within the area anymore (which you cannot know unless you see or touch him) you definitely cannot choose him as a target.
Does this mean if your fighter knocks down an enemy and the enemy falls out of sight (such as behind a wall or around a corner), when the cleric channels that enemy will automatically gain the benefit and cannot be excluded?
Pooh
The easiest thing for the cleric to do is to move so that either he sees the downed enemy or the square where this enemy lies is outside of his Channel area. In the usually close quarters of combat encounters, it should be quite simple to do one or the other.
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I think it varies between if the cleric knows that they might be in range or not. I don't see why they couldn't just choose not to heal someone if they potentially are in range. Don't get too gridded down.
Now for someone that the cleric actually didn't know was there (someone who was invisible before the cleric came into the room rather then someone the cleric watches turn invisible) would probably get some free healing.
The difference between knowing someone is about and not knowing it.
Concerning Special abilities (including Supernatural ones) : "A number of classes and creatures gain the use of special abilities, many of which function like spells." (p 221 of the core rulebook)
[...]
Supernatural Abilities (Su): Supernatural abilities are magical but not spell-like. (p 554 of the core rulebook)
Personally, I think if a feat is taken to channel selectively, the CHA limitation is sufficient to balance the ability.
On the flip side of this, I was in a combat with an enemy evil cleric who channeled negative energy and didn't include his mooks. However I had successfully Glitterdusted him the round before, so he couldn't see, and I argued therefore couldn't target his allies. He could still channel, but would have to risk hurting his allies, which he did because he was evil.
So yeah, I'm definitely of the mind that if you can't see them you can't choose to omit them from the benefits/repercussions of your channel energy burst.
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Benefit: When you channel energy, you can choose a number of targets in the area up to your Charisma modifier. These targets are not affected by your channeled energy.When using the Selective Channeling feat when Channeling do you need to see whom you are trying to exclude?
Situation: Enemy goes invisible within 30-feet of Cleric. Cleric doesn't have a means to perceive the invisible enemy, but wishes to exclude her.
If the cleric didn't know the creature was there, he couldn't choose to exclude them (i.e., before combat). Once the cleric suspects that the creature is there, though, there is nothing, RAW, that can prevent him from selecting a creature as his target. Nothing says that you cannot target an invisible creature. You just get miss chance against it, which doesn't matter for the ability.
tl;dr -- RAW, you can exclude anything you are aware of with Selective Channeling.
Can you choose the enemy wizard to exclude while the deity does the rest?
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Supernatural Abilities (Su): Supernatural abilities are magical but not spell-like. (p 554 of the core rulebook)
You are right, and both pages give a list of differences between supernatural abilities and spells/SLA. The definition of a target is not mentioned as one of those differences though, which is the reason why I believe that the definition of what a target is for a spell is still valid for the Channel ability (which does not give any other specific definition).
Once the cleric suspects that the creature is there, though, there is nothing, RAW, that can prevent him from selecting a creature as his target. Nothing says that you cannot target an invisible creature. You just get miss chance against it, which doesn't matter for the ability.
tl;dr -- RAW, you can exclude anything you are aware of with Selective Channeling.
Well, the definition I gave for what a target is for a spell is RAW. And I saw nothing in the RAW saying that you can exclude anything you are aware of with Selective Channeling.
Can you choose the enemy wizard to exclude while the deity does the rest?
Your reasoning fails when you try to apply it to selective spell which has identical rules.
RAW seems to indicate that you can't invis guys.
SRD[/url]]Some spells have a target or targets. You cast these spells on creatures or objects, as defined by the spell itself. You must be able to see or touch the target, and you must specifically choose that target. You do not have to select your target until you finish casting the spell.
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James Jacobs hath spoken.
huh. Interesting. Well, I'm not one to dispute James' ruling, as he tends to know the rules better than I do (obvious understatement is obvious).
Still, this interpretation seems to assume that the ability projects itself as a sphere around the caster and warps around certain creatures instead of just not affecting them, which makes it work more like the Shape Spell metamagic.
I actually really dislike this interpretation. It seems like the Cleric should just be able to choose who is and is not affected if he believes them to be within Channeling range. Still, I'm not about to debate it if there's a clear ruling on it. I'll just houserule my version and save myself the trouble of changing the way I think about it. :P