So a PC in one of my games is playing a Shaman with a Positive Energy Elemental familiar (via improved Familiar), and has dipped in Cleric and Life Oracle for even more channels per day. He also took a 1-level dip in DSP's Vitalist, so he can distribute this massive amount of healing around the party as he wishes. He's got something close to 20 channels per day.
When he drops a channel, his familiar makes it heal an extra d6, and maximizes it. Which he then spreads amongst the party. Basically, he can take us from 2-3 near-PK's to full in a single turn, by using Quick Channel.
Now, healing is perhaps the most innocent thing to break, but I just want to make sure that this is all legitimate (its the Vitalist dip that REALLY breaks the build). The DM laughs, and just throws things that are FAR harder at us, which is fine, I just want to confirm the build
For example, at level 5, we managed to successfully defeat an Adult White Dragon and Sorceror Ooze Gelatinous Cube. The party consists of the healbot, a Strix Order of the Flame Samurai X/Thug 1 (Optimized for Intimidate via Dazzling Display), a Magus, and a poorly played Alchemist.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Well, the elemental is a 3rd party creature, so your GM has to allow it. Secondly, channeling is a Supernatural Ability, not a spell or spell-like ability, so the elemental cannot maximize the channeling (only cure spells).
Lastly, the channeling sources do not stack (see this FAQ). So he doesn't have 20 channels, he has three buckets of channels each at a different level. None of the classes indicate their channeling stacks, just that the level in that class are used to determine the strength of the channeling.
For example, a Shaman (life) 2/Oracle (life) 1/Cleric 1/Vitalist 1 with a charisma score of 16 will have a channel pool of 4/4/6 doing 2d6/2d6/2d6 healing (that includes the elemental's bonus). He does NOT have an effective cleric level of 4 with 14 channels and doing 3d6 each use. When he takes feats that allow for extra channeling or stronger channeling, he has to pick which class' channel energy to apply the feat. If he levels up and picks Shaman (life) 3 and boosts his CHA to 18, his numbers would become 5/5/7 doing 3d6/2d6/2d6 (including elemental's bonus).
Vitalist is pretty broken in this case. The only gotcha there is a requirement to be in line-of-sight to all members of the collective. That can be manipulated by the GM through things like darkness, cause blindness/deafness, or mundane walls getting in the way.
So yeah, it sounds like a few bits of information were missed by the player and GM.
Ok. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say... you are both missing the important part here.
He dipped three levels in other classes that do nothing to increase his primary shaman spell casting. That is pretty bad. No, scratch that. Very bad decision making.
The fact that vitalist is a healing class that can make healing in combat a VIABLE choice instead of KILL IT QUICKER does not make it broken. It makes combat healing work... in this one case (and that case is, somebody who actually plays a vitalist, rather than a spellcaster who single dipped three other classes).
Out of combat, it just makes your channels and wand of cure light wounds a little more efficient.
I think that Murphy has the part of three separate pools of channeling correct, but the fact that they all add to your "effective cleric level" for channeling, and I can see why some might think otherwise.
Positive Energy Aura (Su)
A positive energy elemental radiates an aura of pure positive energy around it. (See the table for the area each elemental affects.)
Within a positive energy elemental's aura, class abilities that use positive energy, such as positive energy channeling or the Turn Undead feat, function as if the user were 2 levels higher. Additionally, spells and spell-like abilities that use positive energy are maximized (as if the Maximize Spell metamagic feat had been used on them, but the spells don't require higher-level slots). Spells and spell-like abilities that are already maximized are unaffected by this benefit. This aura does not affect the positive energy channeling ability of the positive energy elemental using it, and its effects do not stack with those of other positive energy elementals. . . .
I'd say an additional 1d6 to channeling and maximized cure spells is pretty cool, but again, Murphy's right in that maximizing does not apply to the Channeling (SU) ability.
Edit: Let me add to my "out on a limb here" stance and say Totally Broken Healbot is a contradiction in terms.