Considering a new PFS character. I have a feeling with season 5's theme I will be seeing lots of paladin's so I don't want to do that. But was looking at kinda similar theme. Here's what I'm thinking. A channeling focused cleric. Not to do or heal damage but for the force and variant effects. Spell casting would primarily be buffs.
Opinions on the following:
Aasimar
Alternate racial traits: considering deathless spirit (resistance 5 vs negative energy and +2 save vs necromancy) or exalted resistance SR=5+level vs evil descriptor or cast by evil outsiders
Str: 8, Dex: 10, Con: 12, Int: 12, Wis: 16(14+2), Cha: 19(17+2)
Cleric (maybe the cloistered or theologian archtype)
Pharasma
Domains death and repose (although resurrection and thought seem kinda worthwhile)
Channel negative energy and either the death or fate variant channeling ability
PFS Faction Silver Crusade
Trait: Beneficent Touch (healing reroll 1’s) and Birthmark (DF and +2 save vs charm and compulsion)
1 feat: selective channel
2
3 feat: versatile channeler
4 charisma +1
5 feat: channel force (push/pull single target 5’ for each 2d6 of damage)
6
7 feat: improved channel force (30’ cone or 60 line)
8 charisma +1
9 improved channel (+2 DC) OR feat: quick channel
10
11 feat: greater channel force (30’ burst)
chirp
|
You are behind on damage with channel as it is. Taken variant channeling is just going to put you even father behind on damage. So I will recommend you stay way from doing that.
Other then that your build is good.
Personally my preference is to not do this build with a cleric but with life oracle. Just take alignment channel evil. That allows you to heal or harm outsides of that alignment. This allows you to do a few things. One it makes your casting stat, and your channel stat the same. Two it allows you to use the favored class bonus on channel. Increasing your channel revelation by +1/2 per level. The down side is you can not harm other things with your channel. You do how ever have a full divine casters spell list to pick from and high save DC.
You are behind on damage with channel as it is. Taken variant channeling is just going to put you even father behind on damage. So I will recommend you stay way from doing that.
Other then that your build is good.
Personally my preference is to not do this build with a cleric but with life oracle. Just take alignment channel evil. That allows you to heal or harm outsides of that alignment. This allows you to do a few things. One it makes your casting stat, and your channel stat the same. Two it allows you to use the favored class bonus on channel. Increasing your channel revelation by +1/2 per level. The down side is you can not harm other things with your channel. You do how ever have a full divine casters spell list to pick from and high save DC.
Not trying to do significant damage or healing with the channel. It is merely the vehicle to throw people around and apply an area debuff or area buff.
PFS seems to have lots of single opponent fights so the area part of the debuff isn't as good as it could be. But then again, until 7th level the forced movement will only effect a single opponent. Plus I will definitely be getting a phylactery of channeling (I'm not sure if positive or negative) as soon as I can afford it.
I really considered using the life oracle, but that ends up being very close to the undead blasting life oracle I'm currently playing in my home game. I think I need something different to really enjoy the character.
I have a player in my current campaign who is using a slightly similar build. He is doing it for healing/damage purposes though. He chose negative energy with the Undeath domain, and he walks around as a self-described "beacon of f*ck you." It's an irritatingly effective strategy, because he marks himself as undead and just heals himself constantly, while massacring everything around him. Selective channeling to deselect his friends. He also uses the Liberation domain with variant channeling for the slow/freedom of movement effect.
El Cubano: you can choose whether or not to use variant channeling with each use of your channel energy ability. So if you wanted to shunt people around, you could just turn off your variant for a moment, then put it back up when you want to buff/debuff.
I guess as a side note, how would the variant channeling interact with the channel force? I ask because channel force works in increments of 2d6, and the variant channeling reduces the amount by half. Would that affect the distance enemies would be pushed as well?
I don't think so. But I wouldn't argue it if the GM wanted to rule that way. My reasoning is from this:
When you create a cleric character, decide whether she uses the standard form of channel energy or a variant presented here based on one aspect of her deity's portfolio. Once this choice is made, it cannot be altered. Variant channeling has the same area of effect, save DCs, uses per day, and other rules relating to channeling energy. Feats and abilities that modify or present alternative uses for channeled energy (such as Command Undead and Turn Undead) work normally with these variant channeling abilities.
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; a successful saving throw negates the additional penalty or effect but does not reduce the damage any further. Creatures that would normally ignore the effect of a particular channel (such as undead with respect to a positive energy channel used to heal) ignore the variant effect of that channel.
Some variant channeling abilities are enhanced when used on particular creature types. Such channeling increases the normal healing or damage from channeled energy by 50% for that creature type, rather than the default half healing or damage for the alternative channeling. For example, a 7th-level cleric normally heals 4d6 points of damage with channeled positive energy; with the Nature alternative channeling, that cleric instead heals only half that amount (2d6) when channeling, but heals animals and fey an additional +50% over the unhalved value (4d6 + 50%).
To me the bolded sections imply that the cleric has the full channeling listed in the table (ie 4d6 for a 7th level cleric). So he would get the full force effect of the channel. But the target would only take half the damage.
But, like I said, I wouldn't fight it if the GM decides the other way. I would still get the buff/debuff and the force effect.
... El Cubano: you can choose whether or not to use variant channeling with each use of your channel energy ability. So if you wanted to shunt people around, you could just turn off your variant for a moment, then put it back up when you want to buff/debuff.
When you create a cleric character, decide whether she uses the standard form of channel energy or a variant presented here based on one aspect of her deity's portfolio. Once this choice is made, it cannot be altered.
I don't think you can switch it on and off like that.
Well f*ck.
My player has been messing with me then. That'll teach me for not re-reading it. I just kinda glanced at it when he told me about it, thought it was cool, and OK'd it. I feel bad going back and forcing him to stop now though.
Ah well, I'll figure something out.
|
|
PFS seems to have lots of single opponent fights so the area part of the debuff isn't as good as it could be. But then again, until 7th level the forced movement will only effect a single opponent. Plus I will definitely be getting a phylactery of channeling (I'm not sure if positive or negative) as soon as I can afford it.
The phylactery uses the same slot as a head band. So you can use the cha item to increases the number of times per day, and the save DC, or you can get the flat 2D6 extra. My gold is best spent on the extra times per day and the save DC.
PFS seems to have lots of single opponent fights so the area part of the debuff isn't as good as it could be. But then again, until 7th level the forced movement will only effect a single opponent. Plus I will definitely be getting a phylactery of channeling (I'm not sure if positive or negative) as soon as I can afford it.The phylactery uses the same slot as a head band. So you can use the cha item to increases the number of times per day, and the save DC, or you can get the flat 2D6 extra. My gold is best spent on the extra times per day and the save DC.
It will probably depend upon my experiences by the time I can afford it. If I keep running out of channels and/or they keep making their saves, then yeah I will go for the charisma. If I want to throw them further, do more damage, or have large buff/debuff effects I will take the channeling.