Some advice on a negative energy cleric

[Bigdaddyjug]

So what I'm trying to do is create a negative energy channeling cleric, take the Channel Smite feat, and go around Channel Smiting every living thing I see. I'm having trouble choosing a deity and deciding if I should take an archetype, mainly because I don't know a damn thing about clerics.

This is for PFS and I've got a tiefling character grandfathered in to use for the character, unless a different race would be better. In which case, woohoo that means I can turn that tiefling into something else.

I was looking at worshipping Count Ranalc for the high crit range weapon and Travel domain. I could wear medium armor and a buckler and still have 30 ft movement speed and the ability to cast spells without needing to do hand-swapping shenanigans.

Anybody got an recommendations on this here kind of character? I'm open to switching to a different god, playing a different race, or whatever. I just thought this negative energy channel smite would be a lot of fun.

[deusvult]

I recently started a whip-wielding Calistrian to use channel smite.

A Zyphus cleric would be funny with a Scythe and the Destruction Domain.

However, a Gorumite would be my go-to for the general idea.

[Magda Luckbender]

I've seen Channel Smite used pretty well in PFS play. That said ...

Why Channel Smite, versus regular channeling? Is this because you don't intend to pump CHA up to the high requirements for Selective Channeling? If so, that's a good reason - but then you won't have very many channels with which to smite. If you have low CHA you'll use Channel Smite to increase damage for a handful of attacks each day. Nice, but not worth building a character around.

Pros of Channel Smite: Adds to melee damage vs. one target
Cons of Channel Smite: Requires a to-hit roll, only affects one target

Pros of Regular Negative Channel: Affects all nearby targets
Cons of Regular Negative Channel: Requires Selective Channel & high CHA to not hit allies

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If you choose to be a Neutral cleric of a Neutral deity you can take the feat Versatile Channeling, which allows you to channel both negative and positive. Not that this is a necessarily good idea, but you can ...

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What kind of cleric do you want to be? Different cleric builds are so different from each other they may as well be different classes. If you make a Battle Cleric, as seems likely, then you might want to review some of the cleric guides.

[Bigdaddyjug]

Yes, Magda, you don't have the build points on a cleric to get Str, Wis, and Cha up there and still have points left over for HP and Dex for AC.

I pretty much have a character of every class for PFS already, except the ACG classes, and I was looking for something to do with my last grandfathered tiefling.

[BloodyManticore]

If you have the ACG and want to channel try the "hex chaneller" who can get up to 24d6 channel

[Bigdaddyjug]

It's not legal for PFS.

[deusvult]

Magda Luckbender gave some solid advice.

Something I'll tack on, is the Ring of Protected Life from the Undead Slayer's Handbook.

For 9,000, you extend the reach of your channeling by 5' and can exclude one extra target (that stacks with Selective Channel). You also get a once/day ability to channel as a swift action.

All of this is great stuff for a negative channeller. (take quick channel too, for some triple channel fun in one round)

[Bigdaddyjug]

I'm probably not going to be channeling very often. Most of my uses of channel energy will go into channel smites.