As a side note, in this case it will be a Neutral Cleric who channels positive energy.
OK so it's situational against undead BBG. but other than that, Meh.
When I have mostly seen it used if the cleric is very much a melee weapon attack build.
He will almost never 'waste' his action on a mediocre area attack. he will be charging in to slice the BBEG with his greatsword. But as added damage to the melee attack he was already going to be making it is worth while.
IMO would be better if it let you do damage to anything that gets hurt by positive energy, and not just undead. I think it should work on pretty much anything that a sunblade or a paladin's smite doubles damage on. (Evil outsiders, undead, evil dragons)
Well that post seems awfully confusing.
Evil outsiders and dragons aren't usually hurt by positive energy.For Positive Energy-damaged creatures there are basically Undead, Dhampir (pseudo-undead) and Negative Energy creatures.
Neither of those non-Undead are Paladin Smite Double Damage fodder (unless the Negative Energy creature happens to have evil subtype as an Outsider).
Sunblades double vs. Undead and Negative Energy creatures only (regardless of alignment),
just barely overlapping with Paladin Smite by coincidence. They just get a +2 enhancement vs. Evil.
Look at Greater Channel Smite, it actually says that it damages creatures damaged by the Channel Energy type.
I can't believe that isn't exactly how the base Channel Smite is meant to work, Undead are just the common example.
When I have mostly seen it used if the cleric is very much a melee weapon attack build.
He will almost never 'waste' his action on a mediocre area attack. he will be charging in to slice the BBEG with his greatsword.
But as added damage to the melee attack he was already going to be making it is worth while.
exactly. this is always how i have used it.
without the feat, he would just be using channel less in combat.
One of the criticisms that has been leveled against this feat is it actually does more damage to AoE with channel. While this is true it also forgets where the real power of multiple enemies comes from. It comes from actions. If you make a character that full attacks or even vital strikes (and there is a domain power that lets you do that without even taking the feat) then channel smite is a legitimate way to increase single target damage. Why is that important? It doesn't matter that much if 4 characters/NPCs take 4d6 save for half, they will still be alive when its all said and done and get all of their actions still. If you instead focus the damage potential in the form of a 2d6 weapon with channel, full attacks/vital strike (with the domain power that lets you use a feat without actually taking it) + any crazy static bonus/weapon effect, you can drop a single target quite easily. 4d6+4d6channel+ static damage adds up to quite a bit. A single target will be dead quite often or close enough to dead that the target or his allies might have to take actions to prevent that target from dropping (in combat healing, withdrawing, or even going for less risky but less rewarding actions like fighting defensively). Single target damage actually puts preasure on the enemies action economy. Minor mass damage doesn't really put pressure except on out of combat resource depletion (using up wands).
As for wasting channels, if your are built for negative energy combat cleric, you aren't wasting anything. That resource is meant for dealing damage and this is an effective (if not efficient in terms of raw numbers) way of doing it. My PFS cleric is one built for using channel smite, combined with his destructive smite currently he drops nearly anybody he swings at, including some of the scenario bosses (season 4 bosses take 2 hits to down, but the other season tend to drop like chumps). Despite only having 6 smites a day (exalted of the society trait gets me 1 extra) I have yet to run out due to how the adventuring day is normally done. And if I do manage to run out of channels? I still have my spells and wands, and I still have a high strength while wielding a great-sword (which is enough to be better at dealing damage than most 3/4 BAB characters out there that don't do the same).
I will say this again look at my build. http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pn9e?Two-Weapon-Fighting-Undead-Destroyer
I will say this again look at my build. http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pn9e?Two-Weapon-Fighting-Undead-Destroyer
You can't take power attack at level 1 as a cleric.
It does not, not any more than the fire damage on a flaming blade.Anyone know if Channel Smite multiplies on a Critical hit?
Because if so, it might suddenly be very deadly.
Bonus points for using a Falcata.
It is just extra dice that do not get multiplied, flameblade works fine with crits.
Fairly sure he meant a blade with the flaming ability, not the spell flameblade.
I will say this again look at my build. http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pn9e?Two-Weapon-Fighting-Undead-DestroyerYou can't take power attack at level 1 as a cleric.
Crap you are correct. ill switch it out for some other channel abiity then
SO, I'd say if your an evil cleric who tanks, Channel Smite really stacks up nicely. Am I missing something here?
Yes, the last post was in 2013. Channel smite is kind of bleh because its a little small. If you can afford two feats, you can get selective channel + swift to burn two channels in a swift action to hit a whole field. Channel isn't that powerful to begin with, and channel smite doesn't benefit from some of those nice things you can do to make channel awesome, like debuffing or buffing. Also, if you miss you lose it and your foe still gets a save for half if you do hit.
Channel Smite (Combat)
** spoiler omitted **
SOOOO you can channel into one attack or you can good bomb a 30' radius. Why on earth would anyone ever take this feat OTHER than it's a requirement for Guided hand?
Its not that great a feat. Especially when you consider that this feat "replaced" the divine might feat and its like. Its honestly one of the few things I think is not an improvement in pathfinder over 3.5.
Also, why are so many old threads comming up?
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My two cents. Not that this is a normal thing but my GM (foolishly I think) started us off into mythic power. Now we are fighting mostly demons/evil things so I have found a nice little use for the channel smite feat. Combine this with Alignment Channel, and Mythic Improved vital strike you have a world ending power (vs demons/evil outsiders). Last I checked if you used mythic improved vital strike it multiplied all damage by the dice of the original attack. So with a long sword this would be: 3d8 + 3*Str + 3*(channel at level 11... (6d6)) + (any other magic enhancements) * 3. with a minimum damage of at least 21 you can wreck some face.
In this context it would work really well vs a very very small nitch of monsters. In any other setting I wouldn't go for it.
Also, Exploit Lore is more useless.
Well, Prone Shooter is even more useless than that.
Arcane Deed.
Post nerf all it does is allow you to write a swashbucker deed on your character sheet. You cannot actually use said deed as your swashbuckler level is zero and you don't count as having a panache pool, even if you obtain one from another source.
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Nova strike on a cleric with the Destruction domain, brace weapon, weapon of spell storing, consecrated weapon, channel smite, poison on it.
I've seen it used to good effect by a cleric in Wrath of the Righteous when paired with Alignment Channel, not even counting the Mythic abilities. It's mostly useful to get off more damage in a turn against a specific enemy whereas channeling is normally better against swarms and groups of mooks. It's a good trick to have when nearly every enemy is Evil.
Basically, if you can reliably hit and the campaign's enemies are usually valid targets then it's a pretty solid feat
As a huge fan of channel builds, I have to say that Channel smite certainly has its uses. Particularly when mixed with Alignment Channel (which expands channel positive energy to harm evil outsiders).
Aligned Channel Smites are a great way for a Paladin to do some extra damage to evil outsiders (and undead as normal) that aren't worthy of being a full smite target (ie dungeon filler).
If you're running a mythic game, then Mythic Channel Smite grants a bonus to hit as well, which helps negate the issue of missing.
Do all of my channel builds use it? No, of course not - some of them are area-effect focused. However, it's a great addition to a melee character.
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Ahh crap - I just realized that this was a necro thread.
Heh. Also something that goes well with Holy Vindicator once you get a few levels.
Smite
Channel Smite
Stigmata (Damage or hit)
Makes a nice sandwich of pain. Plus Lay on Hands to heal the bleed.
True strike and Channel Smite can do easily 20 damage in one round.
you mean in two rounds?
Am i missing something or clerics are casting true strike as free actions?
Quickened true strike is a 5th level spell.
Quickened true strike is a 5th level spell.
And uses a swift action.
Channel Smite also uses a swift action to activate. Thus true strike would need to be a move action or free action to pull off the same round you use channel smite.
Say, I had a thought to make Channel Smite a little bit better. It involves being a Good or Neutral character who channel positive energy and has selected the following domains
Death (Undead) and Sun.
With a conductive weapon, you can channel Death's Kiss through your weapon at the same time that you channel smite the opponent with Positive Energy. This would allow you to add .5x d6+X damage to your attacks.
I think this works, but I'm not certain. It all depends on when the Conductive weapon's ability triggers. If it triggers at the same time that you calculate damage, then it would allow Channel Smite (Positive) to damage any target. If it applies after, then it is considerably worse taking 2 rounds to activate.
Still, up to 10d6+20 vs any target is quite nice. Even if you need to wait until higher level, apply Death's kiss with your first hit, and then start smacking them around with Channel/Great Channel Smite