so, for the description of channeling energy it describes the ability to harm as
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.
which seems to imply that unless you are a living or undead creature, it doesn't do anything to you.
BUT
then there is the variant channeling ability called 'destruction' which says:
Destruction: Heal—Creatures gain a channel bonus on attack and damage rolls against objects, CMB for sunder attempts, and Strength checks to break objects until the end of your next turn. Harm—Unattended objects take full channel damage (not half).
which implies that under normal circumstances, unattended objects are harmed by the energy like normal spell energy damage, regardless of whether or not it is positive or negative energy. half damage then apply hardness.
doesn't this seem to contradict itself, or am i missing something?
I'm not sure I see the contradiction.
Normally Channel Energy affects only living creatures or undead, it has zero effect on objects.
If you choose to use the variant channel option, the Harm choice does energy damage to objects (and has no effect on living creatures or undead), and unlike most types of energy damage it does full damage, not half.
I'm not sure I see the contradiction.
Normally Channel Energy affects only living creatures or undead, it has zero effect on objects.
If you choose to use the variant channel option, the Harm choice does energy damage to objects (and has no effect on living creatures or undead), and unlike most types of energy damage it does full damage, not half.
but by putting the comment (not half) in the description it implies that without the variant channeling - destruction ability, your channeling to harm still does half damage to objects.
I see what you mean. The "not half" is because normally when you use the variant channeling you the amount of damage done by channel energy is cut by half. For the destructive variant you still roll the damage normally.
Here are the normal rules for variant channeling
A variant channeling either modifies positive channeled energy when used to heal or modifies negative energy when used to harm. When using positive energy to heal, affected creatures gain only half the normal amount of healing but also receive a specific beneficial effect. When channeling negative energy to harm, affected creatures take only half the normal damage but take an additional penalty or harmful effect;
To use this in an example if a cleric normally does roll 5d6 and gets 20 points of damage/healing from this specific roll the variant channelings would only heal or harm for 10 hit points.
With the destructive variant the 20 hit points that is rolled is what the object would take, even though it is a variant channeling which would normally only do half.
I think the (not half) is added because energy attacks against objects deals half damage. Channeling deals a kind of energy damage, so without that clarification it would have dealt half damage not full damage.
that part was never in question, that is why i put links to the various abilities. but according to the channel energy ability, you never do damage to objects in the first place, so why is it implying you do half damage to objects if you do not have this ability?
I see what you mean. The "not half" is because normally when you use the variant channeling you the amount of damage done by channel energy is cut by half. For the destructive variant you still roll the damage normally.
Here are the normal rules for variant channeling
A variant channeling either modifies positive channeled energy when used to heal or modifies negative energy when used to harm. When using positive energy to heal, affected creatures gain only half the normal amount of healing but also receive a specific beneficial effect. When channeling negative energy to harm, affected creatures take only half the normal damage but take an additional penalty or harmful effect;To use this in an example if a cleric normally does roll 5d6 and gets 20 points of damage/healing from this specific roll the variant channelings would only heal or harm for 10 hit points.
With the destructive variant the 20 hit points that is rolled is what the object would take, even though it is a variant channeling which would normally only do half.
ah, i see what you mean. that without this ability it never does damage to objects, but with this ability it does, and not only does it do damage it is not halved like other energy types. i think that would make sense.
but i also think it could have been worded better to avoid misunderstandings.
I think this is the first time I've seen it become misunderstood.
well it confused the people at my pfs table yesterday, anyway.
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I see what you mean. The "not half" is because normally when you use the variant channeling you the amount of damage done by channel energy is cut by half. For the destructive variant you still roll the damage normally.
Here are the normal rules for variant channeling
A variant channeling either modifies positive channeled energy when used to heal or modifies negative energy when used to harm. When using positive energy to heal, affected creatures gain only half the normal amount of healing but also receive a specific beneficial effect. When channeling negative energy to harm, affected creatures take only half the normal damage but take an additional penalty or harmful effect;To use this in an example if a cleric normally does roll 5d6 and gets 20 points of damage/healing from this specific roll the variant channelings would only heal or harm for 10 hit points.
With the destructive variant the 20 hit points that is rolled is what the object would take, even though it is a variant channeling which would normally only do half.
ah, i see what you mean. that without this ability it never does damage to objects, but with this ability it does, and not only does it do damage it is not halved like other energy types. i think that would make sense.
but i also think it could have been worded better to avoid misunderstandings.
I think that the channeling will not be halved for being a variant channeling but it will still follow the normal rules of energy damage, so it is halved by most materials and subject to the item hardness.
Without that note the variant channel effects would be actually quartered against most materials (halved a first time for being a variant channeling and halved again for being a energy attack against items).
