Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever made an archetype for the cleric built around channeling energy? Perhaps another means of gaining the Holy Vindicator's Versatile Channeling class feature?
Rite Publishing has the Secrets of the Divine Channeler base class. I believe it's based on the same premise.
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Rite Publishing has the Secrets of the Divine Channeler base class. I believe it's based on the same premise.
This. I've actually read through it and it's well-written, though I would have called the Divine Channeler a Cleric archetype instead of a separate base class. If you made a couple little tweaks to it it could easily be considered an archetype.
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Haven't seen the divine channeler, but here is an attempt:
Elite Channeler (cleric archetype)
Single Domain: An elite channeler chooses only one domain from her deity's portfolio rather than the normal two domains.
Elite Channeling (Su): At 1st level, the elite channeler selects one channeling feat from the following: Alignment Channel, Elemental Channel, or Lifeforce Channel. She increases her cleric level by +2 for that feat. If the elite channeler selects the same channeling feat again or gains other channeling feats, her level for those feats is treated as her cleric level. This ability replaces the normal channel energy.
Pinpoint Channeling: At 1st level, when the elite channeler channels energy, you can choose a number of targets in the area up to 1/2 your cleric level (minimum 1) + your Charisma modifier. These targets are not affected by your channeled energy. The Selective Channel feat does not stack with this ability.
Bonus Feats: At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, an elite channeler gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, she can choose any feat which has a prerequisite of the channel energy class feature. The elite channeler must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat. These bonus feats are in addition to the feats that a character of any class gets from advancing levels.
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Choose living or undead. You can channel divine energy to affect creatures of that type.
Prerequisites: Ability to channel energy.
Benefit: Instead of its normal effect, you can choose to have your ability to channel energy heal or harm creatures of the chosen type. A good cleric (or one who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil cleric (or one who worships an evil deity) channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead creatures. A neutral cleric who worships a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) must choose whether she channels positive or negative energy. If you choose to heal or harm creatures of the chosen type, your channel energy has no effect on other creatures. You must make this choice each time you channel energy. The amount of damage healed or dealt and the DC to halve the damage is otherwise unchanged.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take this feat, it applies to a new type. Whenever you channel energy, you must choose which type to effect.
Choose a favored enemy. You can channel divine energy to affect creatures of that type.
Prerequisites: Ability to channel energy, favored enemy class feature.
Benefit: Instead of its normal effect, you can choose to have your ability to channel energy harm your favored enemy. You increase the channeling damage dealt by the bonus you get against that favored enemy. If you choose harm your favored enemy, your channel energy has no effect on other creatures. The DC to halve the damage is otherwise unchanged.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take this feat, it applies to a new favored enemy. Whenever you channel energy, you must choose which type to effect.
I would also add alignment and elemental versions of Command Undead, Turn Undead, and Life Lure to increase the list of bonus feats available.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Haven't seen the divine channeler, but here is an attempt:
Elite Channeler (cleric archetype)
Single Domain: An elite channeler chooses only one domain from her deity's portfolio rather than the normal two domains.
Elite Channeling (Su): At 1st level, the elite channeler selects one channeling feat from the following: Alignment Channel, Elemental Channel, or Lifeforce Channel. She increases her cleric level by +2 for that feat. If the elite channeler selects the same channeling feat again or gains other channeling feats, her level for those feats is treated as her cleric level. This ability replaces the normal channel energy.
Pinpoint Channeling: At 1st level, when the elite channeler channels energy, you can choose a number of targets in the area up to 1/2 your cleric level (minimum 1) + your Charisma modifier. These targets are not affected by your channeled energy. The Selective Channel feat does not stack with this ability.
Bonus Feats: At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, an elite channeler gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, she can choose any feat which has a prerequisite of the channel energy class feature. The elite channeler must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat. These bonus feats are in addition to the feats that a character of any class gets from advancing levels.
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** spoiler omitted **...
I don't really understand the point of Lifeforce Channel... you already affect undead with channeling, and you can use Selective Channel to exclude other living creatures nearby...
Also I feel that you're not giving up enough for the new abilities. Elite channeling just replaces normal channeled energy, so I assume that the channeling dice would be the same for those, but then pinpoint and the bonus feats don't seem to replace anything. If you give four bonus feats, you definitely need to get rid of something else, and losing a single domain isn't enough for that.
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RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Elite Channeling (Su): At 1st level, the elite channeler selects one channeling feat from the following: Alignment Channel, Elemental Channel, or Lifeforce Channel. She increases her cleric level by +2 for that feat. If the elite channeler selects the same channeling feat again or gains other channeling feats, her level for those feats is treated as her cleric level. This ability replaces the normal channel energy.I don't really understand the point of Lifeforce Channel... you already affect undead with channeling, and you can use Selective Channel to exclude other living creatures nearby...
Also I feel that you're not giving up enough for the new abilities. Elite channeling just replaces normal channeled energy, so I assume that the channeling dice would be the same for those, but then pinpoint and the bonus feats don't seem to replace anything. If you give four bonus feats, you definitely need to get rid of something else, and losing a single...
The cleric does not start with the ability to be able do the normal heal/harm to the living/undead. Instead they must select one of the 3 types of channel. The lifeforce channel is a weakened version of the normal clerics channel. Affects only living or undead the first time the feat is taken. And has the normal alignment restriction on heal/harm. Getting only a single domain and a weakened version of channeling energy accounts for the other abilities to be added.
Maybe I need to lengthen the description for clarification?
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Elite Channeling (Su): At 1st level, the elite channeler selects one channeling feat from the following: Alignment Channel, Elemental Channel, or Lifeforce Channel. She increases her cleric level by +2 for that feat. If the elite channeler selects the same channeling feat again or gains other channeling feats, her level for those feats is treated as her cleric level. This ability replaces the normal channel energy.I don't really understand the point of Lifeforce Channel... you already affect undead with channeling, and you can use Selective Channel to exclude other living creatures nearby...
Also I feel that you're not giving up enough for the new abilities. Elite channeling just replaces normal channeled energy, so I assume that the channeling dice would be the same for those, but then pinpoint and the bonus feats don't seem to replace anything. If you give four bonus feats, you definitely need to get rid of something else, and losing a single...
The cleric does not start with the ability to be able do the normal heal/harm to the living/undead. Instead they must select one of the 3 types of channel. The lifeforce channel is a weakened version of the normal clerics channel. Affects only living or undead the first time the feat is taken. And has the normal alignment restriction on heal/harm. Getting only a single domain and a weakened version of channeling energy accounts for the other abilities to be added.
Maybe I need to lengthen the description for clarification?
I do agree that lengthening the description will help, but I don't understand why if you're making a more channeling-focused character you would start them off with a more restrictive version of channeling. I think you should instead start them with a bonus feat chosen from Elemental, Alignment, or Selective, and then improve that type of channeling through the abilities given by the class. I also think you could give them the Diminished Spellcasting feature to start off and improve the channeling ability right from the start by letting them use d8 dice instead of d6. Here's what I would do:
Elite Channeling: At first level, an Elite Channeler may choose one of the following three channel focuses: Positive/Negative, Elemental, or Alignment. If he chooses Positive/Negative, he gains Selective Channeling as a bonus feat. If he chooses Elemental, he gains Elemental Channel as a bonus feat. If he chooses Alignment, he gains Alignment Channel as a bonus feat. In any case, when channeling energy of his chosen type, d6 hit dice are replaced with d8s. In addition, his cleric level is treated as two higher for any effects related to his channel energy ability (even when not using his chosen channeling type). This ability replaces the cleric's second chosen domain.
Domain: An Elite Channeler chooses only one domain from his deity's list of domains. He must prepare the domain spell from that domain each day in order to make use of the domain spell slot at each level. He gains domain powers as normal from his single domain.
Bonus feats: At first, fifth, and every five levels thereafter, an Elite Channeler may choose any feat with channel energy as a prerequisite that he qualifies for. This replaces the cleric's standard spellcasting progression (see Diminished Spellcasting below).
Diminished Spellcasting: An Elite Channeler prepares and casts one less spell per day than other clerics. If this lowers his spells/day at a given level to 0, he may only cast spells of that level using his domain spell slot and any bonus spell slots gained through a high Wisdom score.