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So I have a player using the Inquisitor archetype "Kinslayer" which gives him a brand ability
Slayer's Brand (Su): When using this judgment, the kinslayer gains the ability to brand undead creatures with positive energy. To do so, she must make a successful melee touch attack against the undead creature. This attack deals an amount of positive energy damage equal to 1d6 + the kinslayer's Charisma score, and burns her personal symbol into the undead creature's flesh, bone, or even its incorporeal form. From that point onward, the kinslayer can sense the existence of the branded creature as if it were the target of a locate creature spell (caster level equal to 1/2 the kinslayer's inquisitor level). A slayer's brand lasts until the undead creature is destroyed or until the kinslayer uses this ability on another creature.
and also for a Greater Brand he picked up Holy Brand
Holy Brand: The kinslayer can use her brand on creatures with the evil subtype as well as undead.
Now, he tried to use this on an evil-subtype creature and say that it dealt damage to the creature. No where do I see that the Holy Brand changes the damage type from Positive Energy, so I have to assume that even though he can "brand" evil creatures, the damage does not apply.
Am I reading that correctly or am I missing something?
Hmm, yes. Technically Holy Brand and Silver Brand both deal positive energy to living creatures making them much less useful by RAW (and making searing brand much less useful also).
I think however, that the intention for both of those abilities was to deal damage to those expanded groups of monsters, and a kind GM would perhaps find a way to make that to happen.
Edit: Second thought applied.
So I have a player using the Inquisitor archetype "Kinslayer" which gives him a brand ability
Slayer's Brand (Su): When using this judgment, the kinslayer gains the ability to brand undead creatures with positive energy. To do so, she must make a successful melee touch attack against the undead creature. This attack deals an amount of positive energy damage equal to 1d6 + the kinslayer's Charisma score, and burns her personal symbol into the undead creature's flesh, bone, or even its incorporeal form. From that point onward, the kinslayer can sense the existence of the branded creature as if it were the target of a locate creature spell (caster level equal to 1/2 the kinslayer's inquisitor level). A slayer's brand lasts until the undead creature is destroyed or until the kinslayer uses this ability on another creature.and also for a Greater Brand he picked up Holy Brand
Holy Brand: The kinslayer can use her brand on creatures with the evil subtype as well as undead.Now, he tried to use this on an evil-subtype creature and say that it dealt damage to the creature. No where do I see that the Holy Brand changes the damage type from Positive Energy, so I have to assume that even though he can "brand" evil creatures, the damage does not apply.
Am I reading that correctly or am I missing something?
But it says damage. Thus it is damage.
But it says damage. Thus it is damage.
All living creatures are by default immune to positive energy damage. Otherwise when a cleric channeled to harm all living creatures within the area would take damage like undead which is obviously wrong.
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All living creatures are by default immune to positive energy damage. Otherwise when a cleric channeled to harm all living creatures within the area would take damage like undead which is obviously wrong.
But it says damage. Thus it is damage.
This is not true. Living creatures are not immune to positive energy damage, they are simply not valid targets of positive energy channeled to harm.
Perhaps immune was the wrong word. However, positive energy used to harm only damages the non-living while negative energy used to harm only harms the living. At least that's the typical reaction. From what I understand the positive energy plane causes living creatures to become "overhealed" and once they reach a certain point they explode. That's not exactly the same thing as being damaged by positive energy.
I don't see anything in the rules that would prevent an undead creature from healing on the positive energy plane. It says it grants fast healing 5, not that it causes positive energy damage (and heals living creatures). And since the end result is a Fort save that doesn't affect objects, undead could stay there forever and get infinite HP.
And that was unrelated to what I was actually looking for, which was anywhere in the rules where it says that positive energy always heals humanoids, living creatures, anything. I can't find that line on the PRD, please let me know if you know where it says positive energy always heals.
As far as I'm aware no where says positive energy always heals but that was never my argument. My argument was that positive energy can't harm living just like negative can't harm undead.