Refreshing Channel Energy Uses Per Day

[Dosgamer]

I tried to do a search of the boards for this information, but did not find any. My apologies if this has been asked and answered.

Are channel energy uses restored every day regardless of rest? I know spells cast during the previous 8 hours prior to recovery count against the day's allotment, but I'm not sure about channel energy uses. Is there a rule somewhere that specifies? Do they work like spells (recovering at the same time as spell preparation, and any uses in previous 8 hours count against next day's allotment)?

I see rules for rage and ki requiring 8 hours of rest, but I don't see any such mechanic for bardic performance. So I have a similar question about refreshing bardic performance uses.

Any light shed on the subject is appreciated. It impacts how I design encounters for my group (which, ironically enough, consists of a cleric, bard, barbarian, and monk among others). Thanks!

[Someoneknocking]

If you look at divine spells, they don't require an 8 hour period of rest, they require the caster to pray at a specific time each day for 1 hour. While I didn't find anything in the book about channel energy specifically I would say that it refreshes each time the cleric prays.

[Dosgamer]

Correct, but any spells (whether divine or arcane) cast in the 8 hour period prior to preparation count against that day's totals. I'm just wondering if the same thing is true of channel energy and/or bardic performance? Rage and Ki do not work that way, so there are clearly different mechanics for different abilities. Thanks!

[Dosgamer]

I guess I have the same question about domain abilities (the ones that occur x times/day). Are uses during the previous 8 hours counted against the next day's total?

Is this all just a judgment call on the DM's part, or are there rules governing them that I'm missing? I really wish the mechanics across the classes on times-per-day abilities were consistent. It would make my life so much easier. Thanks!

[Lathiira]

You're going to have to define what a day is. No, I'm not trying to be a smart@ss (though that's something as natural as breathing to me). But abilities that work on a per-day basis are going to be bounded based on when a day starts and ends. You could go midnight to midnight or dawn to dawn, as they're easy enough to understand and remember. Let all the per-day abilities recharge on that basis, and then use the core rules for spell preparation.

[Jason Packer 445]

Lathiira wrote:

You're going to have to define what a day is. No, I'm not trying to be a smart@ss (though that's something as natural as breathing to me). But abilities that work on a per-day basis are going to be bounded based on when a day starts and ends. You could go midnight to midnight or dawn to dawn, as they're easy enough to understand and remember. Let all the per-day abilities recharge on that basis, and then use the core rules for spell preparation.

And here's a great opportunity to let your spellcasters differentiate themselves further - maybe clerics of a goddess of night get theirs at midnight, while the sun god grants his at dawn.

[Dosgamer]

Heh, I understand the semantics Lathiira, but regardless of the definition of "day" in this context, the core question is should uses of "per day" abilities during the rest period prior to preparation count against the next day's uses?

For spells it is clearly yes.
For rage and ki it is clearly no.
For channel energy it is ??
For domain abilities it is??

I'm sure there are other daily uses that could be clarified as well. Thanks!

[Jal]

The time of the day when you pray is the kicker for the divine. You can use all your channels and domain abilities just before praying for that specific hour of the day, then use them all again just after if you wanted.

My guess is that the 8 hour window before preparation was to limit people from having long duration spells overlap with the next day, back when there was day long spells and alot of the ability boosting spells had 1 hour/level durations.

Time of Day:

Time of Day: A divine spellcaster chooses and prepares spells ahead of time, but unlike a wizard, does not require a period of rest to prepare spells. Instead, the character chooses a particular time of day to pray and receive spells. The time is usually associated with some daily event. If some event prevents a character from praying at the proper time, she must do so as soon as possible. If the character does not stop to pray for spells at the first opportunity, she must wait until the next day to prepare spells.

[Dosgamer]

Jal wrote:

The time of the day when you pray is the kicker for the divine. You can use all your channels and domain abilities just before praying for that specific hour of the day, then use them all again just after if you wanted.

Does it say that somewhere about divine abilities other than spell casting, or is that just how you play it? For the record that is how we have been playing it as well, but now I'm questioning whether that's correct or not. Thanks!