Another Variant Channeling Question.

[El Cubano]

I've searched through the messageboards, but either the question I'm going to raise hasn't been answered yet or I just can't find it. According to the rules, enemies hit by the channel are forced to save or negate the additional effect of a variant channel. What about in instances where enemies aren't specifically targeted by it. For instance, the Earth domain makes all squares count as difficult terrain for one minute, do creatures get to save to negate this effect, or is it automatic and they just save against the damage?

Along with that, I assume the Destruction variant would allow objects a save? The other variants are Darkness and Air/Sky/Wind, same question as with Earth variant.

My final question relates to the Travel Domain's Agile Feet power. Would that power then allow someone freedom from the Earth Variant channel, assuming they made their save if one is indeed required?

Thanks for any responses!

[Jason Nelson]

El Cubano wrote:

I've searched through the messageboards, but either the question I'm going to raise hasn't been answered yet or I just can't find it. According to the rules, enemies hit by the channel are forced to save or negate the additional effect of a variant channel. What about in instances where enemies aren't specifically targeted by it. For instance, the Earth domain makes all squares count as difficult terrain for one minute, do creatures get to save to negate this effect, or is it automatic and they just save against the damage?

The ground is considered an unattended object and gets no save. Creatures within the area do. While the difficult terrain impedes their movement, the effect is not affecting them; it is affecting the ground.

El Cubano wrote:

Along with that, I assume the Destruction variant would allow objects a save? The other variants are Darkness and Air/Sky/Wind, same question as with Earth variant.

Objects carried by creatures are attended objects and get a save as the save of the creature carrying them. Magic items also get a save even if unattended. Unattended non-magical objects do not get a save.

El Cubano wrote:

My final question relates to the Travel Domain's Agile Feet power. Would that power then allow someone freedom from the Earth Variant channel, assuming they made their save if one is indeed required?

Thanks for any responses!

It would allow them to move normally in difficult terrain, whatever its source. It would not protect them from damage caused by variant channeling.

[El Cubano]

Thanks for the quick response. This is more or less what I figured, but I wanted an outside opinion before it happened in-game so I at least had something besides my own rules' judgement to present.

While I was browsing some other board posts, I came across some interesting discussion about the channel smite ability. Most variants mesh well with this as they affect creatures directly anyways, but how would these variants, listed in the first post, react to that. Would only the square the creature is standing in be considered difficult, would that creature have a minute a difficult terrain regardless of where it moved (possibly forcing a will save then), or would the variant not even come into play since I would purposely be targeting a creature instead of the area/ground?

My opinion would be the last of those options, but again, someone to bounce an idea off out-of-group would be helpful. Thanks again.

[Jason Nelson]

El Cubano wrote:

Thanks for the quick response. This is more or less what I figured, but I wanted an outside opinion before it happened in-game so I at least had something besides my own rules' judgement to present.

While I was browsing some other board posts, I came across some interesting discussion about the channel smite ability. Most variants mesh well with this as they affect creatures directly anyways, but how would these variants, listed in the first post, react to that. Would only the square the creature is standing in be considered difficult, would that creature have a minute a difficult terrain regardless of where it moved (possibly forcing a will save then), or would the variant not even come into play since I would purposely be targeting a creature instead of the area/ground?

My opinion would be the last of those options, but again, someone to bounce an idea off out-of-group would be helpful. Thanks again.

Yep, Channel Smite makes it ONLY affect the creature you hit. Any effects that would normally affect something other than that creature wouldn't do anything (unless your GM wanted to be very generous).

[mplindustries]

Hint: Channel Smite is terrible.

[El Cubano]

Normally, I would agree with you mplindustries, but in this instance, the entire party is playing are playing clerics. The reason the question came up was because the GM made the stipulation that we all had to pick different gods/channeling abilities/domains, therefore I think there will be enough channeling going on throughout each session that being able to burn a couple on a smiting could be useful for some of the group.

Before anyone mentions anything about party dynamics and not being able to complete certain things because of class restrictions in an all cleric group, I should state that it was exactly that reason, the challenge and "uniqueness" of the situation that origionally drew the group to playing a game where the party all plays a single class, archetypes allowed.

We rolled for it, after eliminating some classes that no one wanted to play, and it just happen to fall on cleric. If nothing else, it should an interesting challenge to say the least.

[blackbloodtroll]

Channel Smite is bad, but it opens up Guided Hand, which is very good for some builds.

Otherwise, the Consecrated Weapon Channel Foci will do it just fine, without wasting a feat.

[El Cubano]

Guided Hand is an interesting feat, and I honestly never knew that it existed. Too bad it doesn't do attack AND damage rolls. I guess it would be too much to ask to make STR too much of a dump stat.

[blackbloodtroll]

Guided Hand works well with ranged weapons.