Channel energy for a vampire turned cleric

[Ardish]

If a LN cleric of Abadar who channels positive is turned into a vampire. Does the cleric still channel positive energy or does it change to negative energy due to being undead?

[Diego Rossi]

He become evil AFAIK, and:

"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."

So he would channel negative energy.

Vampire template:

Creating a Vampire

“Vampire” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature with 5 or more Hit Dice (referred to hereafter as the base creature). Most vampires were once humanoids, fey, or monstrous humanoids. A vampire uses the base creature's stats and abilities except as noted here.

CR: Same as the base creature + 2.

AL: Any evil.

[Sekret_One]

Um... pretty sure he's probably becoming an ex-cleric. Unless you were fortuitous enough to worship a neutral deity that has no beef with vampires.

[Ardish]

Abadar is a LN god so a cleric can be LE. Just have to be one step away from deity's alignment. Just wasn't sure if the channel energy would switch after the change.

[Xyllen]

Ok, from the way it is written, once your channel type is chosen it can not be changed. The book says good cleric (good deity) and evil cleric (evil deity) and neutral cleric (neutral deity). Since your god is neutral they will treat you as a neutral cleric for purposes of futhering your advancement as a cleric. Since you have to choose to effect living or undead when you start your channel. That being said, when you chose to effect living you heal your living allies and not yourself; aslo when you chose to effect undead you damage yourself as well as the other undead (unless you take the feat selective channeling and chose yourself as one of your non-effected targets).
Hope this helps.
If your into pain you can allways roleplay out hurting yourself as penance for becoming a vampire and put in you LE code of honnor that you must destroy or control all undead because they are tools and not a race.... this also means that you would have to bow to a higher power... your god. :)(the last part is just roleplay and plot builder)

[Michael Sayre]

Channel Energy goes off the cleric's alignment. Only Neutral cleric's have the option of choosing. As long as his god was still answering his prayers, your vampire would channel negative energy, not because he's undead, but because the template shifts his alingment to evil. For reference:

Channel Energy:

Channel Energy (Su): Regardless of alignment, any cleric can release a wave of energy by channeling the power of her faith through her holy (or unholy) symbol. This energy can be used to cause or heal damage, depending on the type of energy channeled and the creatures targeted.

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. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed. This decision also determines whether the cleric casts spontaneous cure or inflict spells (see spontaneous casting).

Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every two cleric levels beyond 1st (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th, and so on). Creatures that take damage from channeled energy receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the cleric's level + the cleric's Charisma modifier. Creatures healed by channeled energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost. A cleric may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A cleric can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect. A cleric must be able to present her holy symbol to use this ability.

[Xyllen]

You said it here "Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed." and here "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.
But it is upto his dm as all things are.
I do admit the huge gape of what about good/evil clerics that worship neutral deities or neutral clerics that worship good/evil deities exists. Hence the once step rulling.

[Starglim]

Xyllen wrote:

I do admit the huge gape of what about good/evil clerics that worship neutral deities or neutral clerics that worship good/evil deities exists. Hence the once step rulling.

There's no gap. In each of these cases, the cleric's choice of positive or negative channelling is fixed.

Being a vampire is not a violation of Abadar's edicts. If the character changes to the typical alignment of vampires as an earlier poster suggested, he cannot be a cleric of Abadar as he becomes chaotic, but otherwise he continues to enjoy his clerical powers.

He has chosen to channel positive energy and may not change. If he becomes evil, he may not be able to channel positive energy, depending on the GM's reading.

He might change his allegiance to another deity, requiring a full atonement. This gives him a much stronger case (though it's still not supported by RAW) for him to change to negative channelling, especially if his new deity is evil.

[Rocky Williams 530]

He channels negative energy. If he is neutral, he gets a choice. He cannot change his choice. No longer being neutral, he no longer has a choice, and it is changed for him.

[Xyllen]

oo i like that changed for him, because he is no longer neutral himself.
That is a very interesting way to read it. I like it. But it is still up to his gm.

[Vellas]

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.

Ok, so if a cleric is neutral, and worships a neutral god, he gets to choose how he channels(and then the choice is locked in) but if a cleric is evil, or worships and evil god, they channel negative energy.

Neutral Cleric+Evil God=negative
Evil Cleric+Neutral God=negative