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I'm working on an undead-slaying caster character headed for the Soul Warden prestige class. I just hit level 4 in PFS, so I'm almost ready to take my first level of Soul Warden. One more rank of Knowledge (Religion) will qualify me.
My question is how the different forms of Channeling that I'll have will stack and combine.
From being a Bones Oracle with the Undead Servitude Revelation, I get the ability to Channel Negative Energy (Charisma Mod +3) times per day. This ability is only to use the Command Undead feat, but it does count as a Channel and can be modified with Feats that improve the Channel ability.
From being a Soul Warden, I'll get the ability to Channel Positive Energy (Charisma Mod +3) times per day. I can only use that to damage undead, but again, it counts as a regular Channel and can be improved or modified by Feats.
The big questions are:
1) Do I now have two different abilities? I can Channel Negative X times per day, and also Channel Positive X times per day? Or do I only get X Channels and have to decide if it's negative or positive each time I use it?
2) When using the Soul Warden Positive Channel, do my levels in Bone Oracle (4 of them) add to my damage? The Soul Warden text says that "Soul warden levels stack with levels in any class that grants channel energy for the purpose of determining the number of damage dice his channel energy ability deals to undead (if any)." And I DO get Channel Energy from being a Bone Oracle, it's just a different type and for a specific reason. I still have it. So I should be able to count those 4 levels of Oracle towards my damage dice for Channel Positive?
Man, I love me some Pathfinder but there's just so many rules questions! Especially when I'm playing PFS and I can't always rely on what I think is the "intent" of the rules. Each DM is different. Darn individuality.
I don't think they stack. First the bones revelation never calls itself channel energy. Unceasing servitude gives you command undead and lets you channel negative energy ro controlls unread. The nature of the feats it qualifies for give an idea of the very limited nature of the power.
Second the two abilities have nothing in common which I think mostly cements they don't stack.
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The Undead Servitude Revelation is specifically called a Channel Energy power.
"Undead Servitude (Su): You gain Command Undead as a bonus feat. You can channel negative energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier, but only to use Command Undead. You can take other feats to add to this ability, such as Improved Channeling, but not feats that alter this ability, such as Alignment Channel."
It's a limited, specific form of Channelling, but so is the Soul Warden ability to Channel Positive for damage. The Command Undead power specifically requires a "Channel Negative Energy class feature" too.
They are separate abilities that do not stack.
There is a FAQ to that effect.
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Wouldn't Soul Warden Channeling fall under the "unless an ability specifically says it stacks with similar abilities" clause? Since it says that.
"Soul warden levels stack with levels in any class that grants channel energy for the purpose of determining the number of damage dice his channel energy ability deals to undead (if any)."
My issue is that it can be read as either saying that *any* form of Channel Energy counts, or it can be read as saying only forms of Channel Energy that deal damage dice to undead count.
As a side question, somewhat related, it seems that the Soul Warden is designed to simply add abilities onto your existing casting class. Your spell progression is listed as "+1 level of spellcasting class" instead of anything unique. Would that mean that Soul Wardens continue to raise their concentration checks, casting DCs and other features as if they were improving their base casting class?
Which leads to asking: do Soul Warden levels help increase the total hit dice of undead that can be controlled with a Bone Oracle's Undead Servitude? It's capped by "Caster Level", after all.
Try this. If I did oracle of bones 1 undead servitude and 1 level of cleric channeling negative energy would they stack? Only if I am trying to control undead. Undead servitude is clear it only works with things that enhance what it already does.
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Honestly, if I was GMing, I'd let those abilities stack. You're channeling negative energy for both. It seems weird for one PC to be able to channel a dozen different ways and have none of them work together. Most of my RPG experience is from more cinematic systems, so I'm inclined to say that if something sounds reasonable, it should probably work unless it causes significant balance issues.
The Soul Warden question is odder, because Undead Servitude is a negative channel and Channel Damage is a positive channel. It's disappointing, but going from a negative energy necromancer to a positive energy undead-smiter does seem like it should be less effective than going from positive to positive.
Actually they cancel each other out. So you are only left with a reduced version of your highest level channel.
Joking of course, but I really can't see how they would stack. Channel negative energy and channel positive energy are effectively 2 different abilities that function in completely different ways.