Envoy of Balance build

[Tindalen]

I am taking a full rebuild on a character in PFS and looking to do a cleric of Pharasma into Envoy of Balance. Was hoping to get any pointers or advice on things I might have missed.

Starting at level 4
Aasimar (Grandfathered legal)
Ability Scores: 7/12/12/10/17/19
Ability increases: 4-Cha, 8-Wis

Herald caller Cleric of Pharasma Psychopomp domain levels 1-5
Envoy of Balancer levels 6-11

1: Selective Channeling
3: Versatile Channeling
Augment Summoning(Cleric Bonus)
5: Channel Force
7: Improved Channel Force
Spiritual Equilibrium(EoB)
9: Fateful Channel
Twinned Channeling(EoB)
11: Quick Channel
Planar Parity(EoB)

Items would include:
Ring of Protected Life, Malleable Symbol, Headband of Alluring Charisma (+6)

This would give me the ability to summon monster, cure ***, and inflict *** spontaneously and allow me to twin channel for damage and healing. Tactics would be to focus on summoning for battlefield control, standard buff spells as appropriate, and channel energy in combat providing both healing and damage along with battle field control from the forceful channel and buffs from the fateful channel.

[Kaouse]

I always liked the Envoy of Balance Prestige class. Pharasma might not be the best option though, since her version of the Death domain doesn't allow you to heal yourself with negative energy I believe (I may be wrong).

If you had the space, may I suggest 1 level of Holy Vindicator to get Vindicator's Shield? Add your channel die to your AC...twice since you channel both positive and negative energy!

[Tindalen]

That's interesting, I was going for a full caster build, herald caller loses medium/heavy armor proficiency and shield proficiency so that would have to be dropped, was also only planning on 5 levels of cleric so I could get twin channeling by nine since this is Pathfinder Society. I might look at another build that looks at melee.

[Kaouse]

You don't even need to use a shield to get the benefit out of Vindicator's Shield. The bonus stays with you throughout the day as long as you don't get hit. You can totally put the shield away after using the ability and ignore it until you need to refresh it. No melee required, but greatly enhanced survivability.

Be warned though, some might call stacking sacred bonuses with profane bonuses cheesy and get incredibly butthurt at you.

[Tindalen]

I will be playing this in Pathfinder Society, so raw is more important, but I try to abide by the table/GM friendly rules as much as possible. I have also decided to stick with just the cleric/envoy of balance build as a dip would push back my channel dice and I would lose ethical paradox, though I appreciate your input.

Other than the holy vindicator dip, does everything else look fairly solid? I understand it won't by the most optimized build, but I am looking for unique and semi optimized.

[Tindalen]

Just played my first scenario, post rebuild, with this build. At level 4 I am still missing the bulk of its build but it was still fun being able to channel negative and positive energy. It was also particularly fun having a discussion why I should heal a dying npc, keeping it from its chance to meet my deity.

I am now level 5, any thoughts on the build? I have switched my cantrips to stabilize and bleed so I can stabilize, use smelling salts to get information needed by the pathfinder society, then put them back to the state they were. This was due to the conversation about why I would heal a dying pathfinder and not a dying enemy. The explanation was about my joint allegiance to the pathfinder society and to pharasma.

[T.A.U.]

Kaouse wrote:

I always liked the Envoy of Balance Prestige class. Pharasma might not be the best option though, since her version of the Death domain doesn't allow you to heal yourself with negative energy I believe (I may be wrong).

Pharasma-friendly Death Domain only replaces some spells, not the Domain's powers.

[Markov Spiked Chain]

I would move Fateful Channel up to 5, if you still can, it's a big party buff.

[Tindalen]

Markov Spiked Chain wrote:

I would move Fateful Channel up to 5, if you still can, it's a big party buff.

I have seriously concidered that, and am in fact still considering it. But I think it depends on what I want to do more, or rather sooner, attack or buff. I have played numerous buff support characters and I am thinking I want to channel for offense first, but this is something I will probably decide right before I play my first scenario at level five. I thank you for the input though, it helps having other people's opinions when I make this decision.

[Black Powder Chocobo]

I have something similar, although I went separatist cleric for the Defense domain.

I also went Fateful Channel at level 5 so there was benefit for me channeling even if the healing wasn't necessary.

Channel Force isn't bad for the alternate channel options, but it really negates the cool options you'll get with Twinned Channel. It may be worth it later, but Quick Channel will be more beneficial when you'll need to mass AoE heal/damage on top of casting a spell, which would arguably come up more often.

[Markov Spiked Chain]

I haven't played an offensive chaneler, but I assumed that even if you're channeling for damage mostly, Channel Force isn't a big upgrade. I think you'd need to be doing AE damage to make 3d6 save for half worth an action.

[Tindalen]

The build really turns on at 9 when I can channel positive and negative at the same time. Push or pull my enemies while giiving my allies a free rerolled, damaging enemies and healing allies all at the same time.

At 9 it will be healing for 5d6 and damaging for 5d6.

At 5 the question becomes, what is better in combat, giving my allies a reroll or repositioning my enemies while doing 3d6 healing or damage.

I suppose at that point it is going to be situational, so what is helpful more often? The buff or the battle field control.

[Tindalen]

Black Powder Chocobo wrote:

I have something similar, although I went separatist cleric for the Defense domain.

I originally wanted to go separatist for the void domain, the domain spell list is amazing, and you get PLANAR BINDING AT LEVEL SEVEN! in the end I decided the versatility of herald caller was better than the amazing ness of planar binding at level seven. Though I will be building a separatist cleric with the void domain int the future.

[plaidwandering]

don't you lose a die when you channel both at the same time?

[Tindalen]

Envoy of balance prestige class can eliminate that penalty. It has multiple ways of entering and multiple benefit choices.