Can I combine the feats Channel Smite and Alignment Channel?

[Silverhand]

Could a Cleric with the Channel Smite feat use the Alignment Channel feat to harm outsiders of the chosen alignment subtype rather than the "normal" effect of using positive energy to harm undead?

Please advise.

Thanks.

[Nefreet]

Looking them over, I don't see why not.

What arguments against their combination have you encountered?

[Silverhand]

Nefreet wrote:

Looking them over, I don't see why not.

What arguments against their combination have you encountered?

The wording for Channel Smite is highly specific: "channel positive energy and you hit an undead creature".

So that's one argument against using the two feats together. BUT the wording for Alignment Channel is very interesting: "Instead of its normal effect, you can choose to have your ability to channel energy heal or harm outsiders of the chosen alignment subtype."

Since channelling positive energy to harm undead is the "normal" effect, it seems logical that Alignment Channel would be able to replace it.

In short: it's the highly specific wording of Channel Smite that is the barrier. I've brought it up with friends and they've told me that RAW, combining the two feats can't be done. So that's the issue. :)

[Cuttler]

Well, first of all let's consider what channel energy is saying:

extract from CRB page 40
"...A good cleric (or one who worships a good deity) channels
positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead
creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil cleric (or one
who worships an evil deity) channels negative energy and can
choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead
creatures.

Now, lets look at alignement channel:

extract from Alignment Smite : CRB page 117
Choose chaos, evil, good, or law. You can channel divine energy to affect outsiders that possess this subtype.

Prerequisites: Ability to channel energy.

Benefit: Instead of its normal effect, you can choose to have your ability to channel energy heal or harm outsiders of the chosen alignment subtype. You must make this choice each time you channel energy.

So, channel energy is already affecting outsiders. Healing them for positive channeler, and damaging them for negative channeler. So basically, Alignment Channel allows the positive channeller to damage Let's look at Channel smite (CRB page 119):

Channel Smite (Combat)
You can channel your divine energy through a melee
weapon you wield.

Prerequisite: Channel energy class feature.

Benefit: Before you make a melee attack roll, you can
choose to spend one use of your channel energy ability
as a swift action. If you channel positive energy and you
hit an undead creature, that creature takes an amount
of additional damage equal to the damage dealt by your
channel positive energy ability. If you channel negative
energy and you hit a living creature, that creature takes an
amount of additional damage equal to the damage dealt by
your channel negative energy ability. Your target can make
a Will save, as normal, to halve this additional damage.
If your attack misses, the channel energy ability is still
expended with no effect.

Channel Smite is described with the basic Channel Energy in mind , thus assuming it can only affect undead for the positive channeler and affecting living creature for the negative channeler. Now, the first description of Channel smite indicates that you can channel energy through a melee wepon. If that energy can now affect both undead and outsiders for positive channeler when using channel energy (because of alignment channel), it appears reasonable that it would also affect both undead and outsiders when used through a Channel Smite.

It's semantic here, so I can see both arguments, but based on my explanation, i think it should work

[fretgod99]

I honestly don't see a reason why it should not work.

[Mojorat]

I don't think they combine. Alignment channel changes how you can specifically harm or heal certain outsiders. But channel smite has its own specific mechanics. It seems to have pre determined based on positive or negative channelling what it can effect.

That said if I were sling I'd have no issue with it.