Merciful Healer Archetype and Mercy Feats

[james maissen]

The Cleric Archetype Merciful Healer gives mercy with channel energy, and expressly states that "Feats and effects that affect a paladin’s mercy also affect this ability."

However, since the Archetype doesn't have Lay on Hands, they cannot TAKE any of the Mercy feats.

Is this a mistake, or is this somehow only supposed to apply to multiclassed Paladins?

-James

[submit2me]

Since the mercy part is the same for both paladins and merciful healers, you could say that channeling replaces lay on hands for those feats and effects. However, after reading some of those feats and effects, they don't make as much sense with channeling. If it were me, I would have just left that text out of the merciful healer's ability. The thought makes sense since the abilities function similarly, but actually putting it into practice seems a bit confusing. (Just like with paladins and anti-paladins.)

On a side note, there is a merciful healer npc in my group, and there seem to be many other feats better suited for this archetype. Any of the channeling ones come to mind, as well as the reach metamagic feat. Also contingent channeling, which you must be a merciful healer in order to take anyway.

[Nefreet]

Pretty sure the intention is to allow the cleric to take those feats. There are only, what, three of them?

I was super stoked originally to build a Merciful Healer and take Greater Mercy at 3rd level, thinking my channel positive energy would become 3d6, but my hopes were shot down when someone else pointed out that it would only be 3d6 for ONE person in my burst =(.