So I made a True Neutral Wizard who is specializing in the Necromancy School. As part of that, you gain some Channel Energy shots per day to use the Command Undead feat.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard/arcane-schools/paizo--- arcane-schools/classic-arcane-schools/necromancy
Although it doesn't say so in the "Power Over Undead" description, we are assuming this is a negative energy channel of some kind. No where does it say that you have to be evil to be a Necromancer (which is a prejudice I, as a player am always fighting against), but the bonus feat says you have to channel negative energy...
After a few levels of the party getting our butts kicked, I decided to multi-class into Cleric to help heal. As I am a Neutral character and worship a Neutral deity, I get to pick. As my goal was to heal the party, I selected to channel positive energy.
So now I have both Positive Energy Channels AND Negative Energy Channels?
I didn't realize the conundrum until after we were already well into our next adventure, so I didn't do it on purpose or trying to game-break.
Basically I am using the Power Over Undead to take control of any undead we are fighting and forcing them to fight the other undead. Once the fight is over, we kill it too. Similar, I would think to how an Enchanter would using Charms and such. So, the GM is pretty cool with it, so it isn't causing a conflict, but what does everyone think?
yes you're good
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You can do this without even multiclassing by taking the Versatile Channeler feat.
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They would be separate class features. You would have a different pool of uses, as one is charisma based and one is intelligence based. The channeling for the wizard is very specific and only uses it for command undead. Just remember that the wizard side cannot channel to heal undead or harm living, just command.
First, you don't need to be evil to be a necromancer; necromancy also has several debuffs, curses, and negative energy attacks that aren't evil, so it's absolutely possible. Creating undead, though, is evil.
The bonus feat gives you a specific application of negative channelling - an application that is not evil on its own (it's Control Undead, which isn't an [Evil] spell.) I don't see that as game-breaking when combined with a cleric's positive channels - especially since they explicitly don't combine.
Just make sure your neutral god isn't Pharasma, because while you can labour against mortal prejudice against necromancy, it's not so easy when the source of your divine magic has that prejudice herself.
Yep u can use both. If u chose the good channels u can heal and harm undead, and the wizard gives u the negative energy channels ONLY for turning or commanding undead. So as long as that's it, and ur not channeling to harm living and heal undead, then yes u are exactly right.
OP didn't say which god his character worships, but many necromancers do worship Pharasma. These necromancers choose not to create undead. I read somewhere that Pharasma allows the control of existing undead if the purpose of that control is to destroy them, which is what OP is doing with his ability (and destroying other undead while he's at it). I don't have my books with me, so I can't quote the source at the moment, and I'm not sure where I read it now and would have to dig for it. I read rather extensively over a year ago on Pharasma when working up my witch for Carrion Crown.
Pharasma forbids creating undead or allowing them to exist, and her divine followers are not granted the ability to create undead. However, if you are her divine follower and in combat, and use your abilities to control an undead to prevent it from harming the living, use it to help you destroy other undead, and then destroy the controlled undead at the end of the battle, I think she would be pleased. Just don't start keeping that controlled undead as a pet valet, or something. You might find a dead whippoorwill in your path.
It's fine.
However, casting a spell with the [Evil] descriptor is an evil act. Evil acts do not instantly make evil characters. For more on this, see every thread ever.
A novice GM might try to bludgeon you with an alignment change, or other shenanigans. This should be responded to with patience and pity, since GMing is a lot of work. Definitely do not bait him. Make a good faith effort to portray a person who flirts with evil for power but strikes a balance!
A more experienced GM will get out in front of this, and have a conversation about alignment, alignment changes, and evil spells. The two of you will need to agree on what it all means, so you can play out your character to both of your satisfaction. Be prepared to compromise -- this kind of concept works SO MUCH BETTER when the GM buys in.
For what it's worth, if I were your GM, we would have that talk, and I think a neutral necromancer/cleric who walks the line with evil but is more interested in mastery over death itself is an awesome concept. I wouldn't let you get away with acting evil without consequences, and I would constantly remind you that you walk the line -- but the goal is to portray that character, not avoid it, and not to consummate it (unless the story demands). If I felt you were just trying to get the power set without any corresponding role-play, I would veto it.
Take these issues up with your GM preemptively, the game will only benefit if you do so.
...I read somewhere that Pharasma allows the control of existing undead if the purpose of that control is to destroy them, which is what OP is doing with his ability (and destroying other undead while he's at it). I don't have my books with me, so I can't quote the source at the moment...
Okay, so I know OP didn't say which deity his character follows, and I'm straying from the rules question asked, but it was bugging me so I looked this up when I had a moment at home this evening. In Faiths of Balance, page 17, under Taboos for Pharasma: "While necromancy has many beneficial spells that allow you to care for both the dead and the living, you may not create undead, nor control them unless you do so specifically for the purpose of destroying them."
So, there you go. If you worship Pharasma, I think you're following her directives quite effectively. I really like the flavor of the character you've created, Windquake.
To be fair, you could have just taken this feat:
Versatile Channeler
You can choose to channel positive and negative energy.
Prerequisites: Channel energy class feature, necromancer or neutrally aligned cleric (see below).
Benefit: You may make a choice whenever you use your channel energy class feature.
If you normally channel positive energy, you may choose to channel negative energy as if your effective cleric level were 2 levels lower than normal.
If you normally channel negative energy, you may choose to channel positive energy as if your effective cleric level were 2 levels lower than normal.
Having this feat means you qualify for feats and abilities that have "channel positive energy" or "channel negative energy" as a prerequisite (for example, you qualify for the Command Undead feat and the Turn Undead feat).
Note: This feat only applies to necromancers, neutral clerics who worship neutral deities, or neutral clerics who do not worship a deity -- characters who have the channel energy class ability and have to make a choice to channel positive or negative energy at 1st level. Clerics whose alignment or deity makes this choice for them cannot select this feat.
And gotten much of the same effect.
Okay, so I know OP didn't say which deity his character follows...
I didn't say which one, but I did say it was a Neutral deity. But in specific, it is "Nethys".
I really like the flavor of the character you've created, Windquake.
Thanks.
I mean, it seemed legal to me, I was just making sure I wasn't missing something.
You can do this without even multiclassing by taking the Versatile Channeler feat.
Well, actually I couldn't. I started as a wizard. :)
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You can totally be a cleric necromancer that worships Pharasma....
Turns out that nonevil goddesses of death sort of wreak havoc on the domain system—especially if they're as stringently anti-undead as Pharasma is. Because pro-undead spells always seem to sneak onto domain spell lists when you start talking about death and souls and stuff. It's easy enough to simply not prepare domain spells that create undead, but it still feels kind of disappointing to me that Pharasmins "miss out" on some domain spell options. For those of you who want a more Pharasma-friendly version of the Death domain and the Souls subdomain... behold!
Pharasma-Friendly Death Domain 3rd-level domain spell: Replace animate dead with speak with dead. 6th-level domain spell: Replace create undead with antilife shell. 8th-level domain spell: Replace create greater undead with symbol of death.
Pharasma-Friendly Souls Subdomain 3rd-level domain spell: Replace animate dead with speak with dead.
You can do this without even multiclassing by taking the Versatile Channeler feat.Well, actually I couldn't. I started as a wizard. :)
The feat doesn't require you to start as a cleric or wizard necromancer.
Once you multiclass into cleric, you had channel energy. You worship a neutral deity so you qualify to take the feat.
Unless there is something I'm missing you can do this.
You can do this without even multiclassing by taking the Versatile Channeler feat.Well, actually I couldn't. I started as a wizard. :)
Power over Undead (the necromancer ability) grants you channelling as part of granting you the feat that uses it; this counts for Versatile Channeller explicitly, per that feat's description.