Human Paladin Alternate Favored Class Bonus

[setzer9999]

I've seen some scattered posts intermixed in threads on other similar topics, but nothing on this directly so here goes:

The human alternate favored class bonus for a Paladin says:

prd wrote:

Paladin: Add +1 to the paladin's energy resistance to one kind of energy (maximum +10).

This is unclear. I hope this doesn't devolve into a nasty argument, but really, I hope how anyone can see how this is NOT crystal clear and can be interpreted at least three ways:

1) You can only ever take this bonus 10 times and they all have to be used for the same energy type.

2) You can only ever take this bonus 10 times and those 10 times can be interchangeably used between different energy types

3) You can take this ability as many times as you want, but you can only increase resistance any one energy type by a maximum of +10, at which point if you take this alternate bonus again you must choose a different energy type.

Its vague enough that its possible I missed yet other interpretations that could be derived from this.

I saw a brief post I can't find again right now about how there is some clarification in comparing it to another similar rule, where Gnome Druids can gain energy resistance for favored class bonuses as well:

prd wrote:

Druid: Gain energy resistance 1 against acid, cold, electricity, or fire. Each time the druid selects this reward, increase her resistance to one of these energy types by 1 (maximum 10 for any one type).

Now, there is some slightly different wording, but it still doesn't stitch up the confusion, it only makes it worse. One might interpret the gnome druid ability as being more lenient than the paladin's... or vice versa.

1) Because the druid language says "maximum 10 for any one type" and the paladin wording only says "to a maximum of 10", not mentioning "any one type", the druid can take a limited selection of energy types, but may increase any of them and a selection of at least 2 of them (in a 20 level character) up to 10 each, whereas the paladin can only take the one chosen energy type to a maximum of 10 and no others.

OR

2) The paldadin language doesn't list out a limited selection of energy types, and that is why the wording is different regarding the "max 10" language. Because the paladin is not limited in what energy type may be selected to increase the resistance for, the language about "any one type" was left out simply because the text was written differently end to end for the ability and the same copy wasn't copied.

The paladin text does say "one type of energy", but the bonus chosen is chosen per level. Adding +1 to one type of energy per level seems every bit as valid a reading of the raw as interpreting it as that you can only add to one type of energy ever once chosen. Given that favored class bonuses are intended to be chosen level by level as you go along and the non-clarity of this rule, I think the way I'd rule it is that you CAN take multiple energy types and that any one of them cannot exceed a +10.

Anyone else have a stab at it or an official ruling lying around?

[Glutton]

I say 3, because I did.

[Nakteo]

I say 3.

A munchkin says "put 5 in against Force Energy for immunity to Magic Missile." ;)

[setzer9999]

Ugh! I hadn't even though of that for magic missile... that's nasty!

[Nakteo]

setzer9999 wrote:

Ugh! I hadn't even though of that for magic missile... that's nasty!

Yeah, RAW it kinda works. RAI, I doubt it, but if you can find a GM who'll allow it, more power to ya. :)

[setzer9999]

Hm, I'm inclined to think now that I'm reading on that as that was kind of a crazy scary thought on making magic missiles worthless against a character, that it doesn't work.

"Force" is not technically an energy that qualifies in this sense I don't think. Only acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic energy are ones you can pick from for the spell "resist energy". I suppose that positive and negative energy are also something to research, but nothing ever resists them.

I think if a RAW interpretation lets you decide what constitutes "energy" and throw your own game definition in there in the absence of one like there is for acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic... you could go totally nuts and say you have a resistance to "kinetic" energy, thereby giving yourself an unbeatable DR because instead of DR you "resist" every attack there is rofl.

[Hawktitan]

Nakteo wrote:

setzer9999 wrote:

Ugh! I hadn't even though of that for magic missile... that's nasty!

Yeah, RAW it kinda works. RAI, I doubt it, but if you can find a GM who'll allow it, more power to ya. :)

I don't think it even works by raw. Pretty sure can do only resist fire/electricity/cold/acid.

To answer the original question #3.

[Icyshadow]

Nakteo wrote:

I say 3.

A munchkin says "put 5 in against Force Energy for immunity to Magic Missile." ;)

That wouldn't be a munchkin. That'd be a savvy Paladin fighting magic.

The Favored Class Bonus does say "any one type", and Force counts. I'd allow it if I was DM.

[Umbranus]

I think resistance to negative energy would be nice.

[Icyshadow]

Well, it IS energy of a certain type...

[Mauril]

Not RAW, but Hero Lab uses option 3 for its human paladins. It also limits you to fire/electricity/cold/acid.