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I had a conversation on the weekend that had me challenging some assumptions, and I can't find anything conclusive, either in the rules, or in the forums. I managed to find a 2010 thread, but it didn't really have anything conclusive. So, let's try again.
Channel Energy, the Cleric Class Feature, says -
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.
The rules for Area, in the Magic chapter, say -
The point of origin of a spell is always a grid intersection.When determining whether a given creature is within the area of a spell, count out the distance from the point of origin in squares just as you do when moving a character or when determining the range for a ranged attack. The only difference is that instead of counting from the center of one square to the center of the next, you count from intersection to intersection.
and
If the far edge of a square is within the spell's area, anything within that square is within the spell's area. If the spell's area only touches the near edge of a square, however, anything within that square is unaffected by the spell.
Channel Energy is not a spell, nor is it a spell-like ability. It is a Supernatural ability. So, does Channel follow the rules for a Burst, from the Magic chapter, or not? Does it have to be centered on a grid intersection, despite the description saying it is centered on the caster? Is it in actual fact still centered on the cleric, meaning that a potential target at exactly 6 squares straight out from the cleric is NOT in the area of effect?
If you would like to answer me, please back up your answer with page references or quotes. I'm not really interested in unsubstantiated opinions. I have plenty of those already.
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.
This is how we do it. The cleric selects to effect either undead or the living, and the channel energy affects all of those individuals within 30 feet. Count 30 feet, from center of the square to the center of the next square, and so on.
In other words, specific trumps general.
Why is that not specific enough for you? Distance is measured in squares in pathfinder. 30 foot radius. They're both affected.
In my experience the issue comes from being too specific. In your head, you're probably worried about the fact that if you remove the grid lines, if those two people were both standing "toward the back" of their square, they're more than 30 feet from the "middle" of the cleric's square. However, in the abstraction of the game, squares are discrete measurements, so there's really no such thing as "position in the square."