I now everyone says channel energy is great upto about 5th level, ok for a few levels after that, then starts falling off pretty quickly.
We were talking about how many campaigns never seem to get much beyond about 10th level. So it seems like channel could be pretty viable for most of a low to medium level campaign. Then after that you are still a spell caster right?
So how good can you get at channel if you really build to max it?
Seems like you would want a neutral god and neutral cleric so you can get the versatile channeler.
Is there an oracle that can channel both positive and negative? Seems like that would be best so it will match your casting stat.
If not, it would have to be cleric.
Has anyone made a build like this?
I can't recall one, but I must make mention that negative energy clerics, or atleast the one's I play with, very rarely actually use their negative "Channel Energy" for some odd reason, despite the damage is much higher than what they can potentially do with their starting weapons.
I assume you are aiming to channel Positive Energy...
Selective Channel becomes a Must, so Cha 16 seems worthwhile. Don't forget that you aren't healing bad guys that haven't been hurt - for when the GM throws 2 dozen orcs at you.
Quick Channel means you can throw two Channels in one round, though you may want Extra Channel too because of the cost. Two Channels in one round make a big difference to the amount of healing done.
These three feats are all that I've come across as useful for a dedicated Channeler of Positive Energy. Versatile Channel seems okay... Feats like Aignment Channel don't seem worthwhile to me, but I don't play or GM with a lot of outsiders.
I'd also try to build the character to have high AC and a reach weapon (and spiked gauntlets/armour too). At higher levels I've found that using the Aid Another is more useful than making my own attacks, and it is good to be near the front line as a Healer, but preferably not ON the front line.
The various aasimar channel forces give you some real badass channel powers. As the names seem to imply, they allow you to use your divine powers like the force - pushing, pulling, and so forth. Super cool stuff.
I forgot about these two:
Channelled Shield Wall should be well appreciated too at level 5.
Channeled Revival is great from level 11.
I would do an alertnative channel. The complusion one is awesom. If they faul their save they must preform a steal action on an enemie their next turn. EVen at high levels that is awesome. They have to waste their attack trying to steal(which 99% of the time provokes). So you not only burn their next attack but cause them to needlessly provoke.
The less damage is worth doing that to every creature in 30 feet. With selective channeling you can make it hell for every enemy nearby.
I really like the Channel Energy feature but it is quite underwhelming.
I'm not sure how to make it much better, or even if it's worth it.
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Aasimar
Oracle
Mystery: Life
Curse: Blackened
Revelation:
1: Channel
3: Enhanced Cures
7: Spirit Boost
11: Safe Curing
Feet:
1: Selective Channel
3: Channel Focus
5: Alignment Channel
7: Improved Channel Focus
11: Greater Channel Focus
Favored Class: Oracle: Add +1/2 to the oracle’s level for the purpose
of determining the effects of one revelation. Channel
Channel healing as the main focus. Then can use it for damage on undead and outsiders. Saving spells for casting in combat effects, and damage.
If you don't mind homebrew, Epic Meepo's Channeler is pretty interesting, though looking at it I thought it was a bit underpowered as you lose all spells beyond 0s. Maybe try it except have it replace domains and maybe give you stunted casting? *shrug*
I really like the Channel Energy feature but it is quite underwhelming.
I'm not sure how to make it much better, or even if it's worth it.
You could house rule an addition to it, like +1/2 the cleric's level to the healing.
If you don't mind homebrew, Epic Meepo's Channeler is pretty interesting, though looking at it I thought it was a bit underpowered as you lose all spells beyond 0s. Maybe try it except have it replace domains and maybe give you stunted casting? *shrug*
I like it. I agree it might be a bit underpowered, give it diminished spellcasting wouldn't be a bad idea, no domains would balance it out I think.
I wonder why the Divine Conduit capstone doesn't allow for max damage when damaging enemies?
"From life oracle mystery
Channel (Su): You can channel positive energy like a cleric ..."
"Versatile Channeler
Prerequisites: Channel energy class feature, necromancer or neutrally aligned cleric (see below).
...
Note: This feat only applies to ... characters who have the channel energy class ability and have to make a choice to channel positive or negative energy at 1st level ..."
As I read this, the life oracle can not take versatile channeler since it only gets to channel psoitive energy as a class feature. Correct?
Is there another oracle that I am forgetting that gets channel energy, both positive and negative?
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thx, i hadn't seen that guide before.
AbSpal: Your guide is missing the Sword of Valor paladin. They can channel to provide temporary hit points that last 1 hour instead of 1 rd/level like the Life Oracle. It solves the problem of healing action economy and can provides protection against damage bursts, but you have to give up Divine Grace.
A good option for a strictly negative channeler is to grab the (Urgathoa worshippers only) Shatter Resolve feat from Faiths of corruption. Anyone who fails the save versus your channel is also Shaken for a number of rounds equal to the dice of damage they just took. A decent debuff I have found.
Be a neutral cleric of a neutral god.
For items try and get a phylactery of channeling (your choice)
Feats -
Versatile Channeler
Selective Channeling
Quick Channel
Improved Channel
Consider Turn/Command Undead as well
The build should hold up pretty well until level 10, and as you said you have your other spells and such to fall back on.
Why would it seem to be less powerful after 10th? Granted I have never gotten that far with a cleric, just a barbarian.
The dice don't keep up with hitpoints very well, and the healing and damage becomes very mediocre. While it can still can situationally be very good it doesn't become something you really want to use every encounter (As there are better things you can be doing).
First of all calagnar where is the channel focus feat chain from? Also what does it do?
Aaron how on earth does a variant channeler do 5d6 neg energy at lvl 5? You should be doing 4d6 max with a phylactery and a generous gm I call error.
Channel energy didn't really get a lot of love when it was made and now there have been a few options that have been thrown it's way for those of us who like using it. However this means that it is both very feat intensive and build sensitive.
There is one easy thing however you want to be an Aassimar no mater what you want to do you want to be an Aassimar.
Heal: Be an Oracle of life possibly dual cursed for extra revelations. put all your favored class bonus towards channel energy.
Feats 1 selective channel
3 extra channel
5 quick channel
7 alignment channel
9 craft wonderous
Harm: Be a Neg energy cleric and choose your domains wisely they will determine what you do apart from channel and cast spells, lots of good options, none have anything to do with channel energy. Remember you need to prepare your healing so you are more limited in useful spells you can prepare and you can't easily afford feats to help, at leat not for a while.
Start with 16 wis and 18 cha unless you have a really low point buy or something.
Feats: 1 selective channel
3 channel force
5 extra channel
7 improved channel force
9 craft wonderous
11 greater channel force
13 quick channel
15 quicken spell
Channel force makes you not only offence but control, and makes your offensive channl go from barely viable to quite good.
wis 16 cha 18 as before
Heal and harm: Neutral alignment, neutral deity pick your initial channel kind carefully if you go neg energy your channel damage will be greater but you won't be able to spontaneously cast cures. If you choose positive energy your already sub par damage will suffer further. Your choice, once you have chosen your poison
Feats: 1 selective channel
3 channel force
5 versitile channel
7 improved channel force
9 craft wonderous
11 greater channel force
13 extra channel
15 quicken spell
17 quick channel
You will have noticed that in each build I took craft wonderous at lvl 9, this is because the phylactery takes the same slot as your stat boosting item and you desperately want both, so you need to craft yourself a custom item. It is particularily important for the heal/harmer as he/she needs the equivalent of 2 phylactery's.
If your gm will go for it craft a custom phylacery that adds more dice for more money, very worthwhile at higher levels, though if the campaign only goes to lvl 10 irrelevant.
Have fun, there are no wrong choices in this list, it just depends on what you want to do.
Aasimar
Oracle
Life – Dual Cursed
FCB: +1/2 level for Channel
Feats:
Functional -
Fey Foundling - +2 Healed per die to self
Selective – High priority, you will channel in combat.
Quick Channel – Useful, 5th level+, allows channel as move but burns an extra use.
Extra Channel – Whenever you have an extra feat, not often
Utility –
Clarifying Channel – 1/day your channel gives save to remove charm/compulsions w/ +your cha bonus to affected
Fateful Channel – High priority, 4th level +, All healed get to reroll a d20 in your cha # of rounds once.
Liberation Channel – Freedom of movement for your cha rounds to all healed. 9th+
Protective Channel – Applies Protect from Evil to all healed. 9th+
Mysteries-
Channel – Must have at 1.
Misfortune – Highly useful
Life Link – Good for spreading damage to self for higher efficiency
Equipment: Phylactery of Positive or Cha headband, both good for reasons. Either more channels, or stronger channels. Leaning towards Cha, due to interaction with utility channel feats, more uses of them and better.
Example 20 point level 10 build:
Aasimar – Agathion – Deathless Spirit, Immortal Spark
Str 7
Dex 12
Con 20 (14+2+4)
Int 10
Wis 10
Cha 28 (18+2+2+6)
HP: 103
Mystery-Life
Curses: Tongues – Celestial (doesn’t advance), Legalistic
Revelations: Channel 8d6 10/day DC 26, Misfortune, Life Link, Safe Curing
Feats: Fey Foundling, Selective Channel, Quick Channel, Fateful Channel, Liberation Channel
Gear: Headband Cha +6, Belt Con +4, 10k
His channel heals 8d6, avg 28. It heals himself 8d6+16, avg 44. Can burn 2 usages to use as a move. May select out 9 targets. All healed may reroll a d20 in the next 9 rounds. All healed are affected by freedom of movement for 9 rounds. 10 uses per day.
Phylactery of Positive or Cha headband, both good for reasons. Either more channels, or stronger channels. Leaning towards Cha, due to interaction with utility channel feats, more uses of them and better.
For a little extra you can get both in one slot.
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For sheer channel dice wouldn't a hex channeler witch that took extra hex with all her feats and took the channel increase end up with 19d6?
For sheer channel dice wouldn't a hex channeler witch that took extra hex with all her feats and took the channel increase end up with 19d6?
I think a Gnome could get 22d6, 24d6 with the Phylactery of Positive Channeling.
I always liked negative channeling with quick channel for an extra damage boost per round. I also like that you don't need free hands; I've had clerics negative channel in grapple, since they couldn't cast spells. With quick channel blasting twice a round while grappled is enough to get many characters to reconsider trying to pin the caster.