One of the GM's in my Lodge had a particularly nasty Cleric build - a Neutral Cleric of Dispater. He used variant negative Channeling, as Dispater has the Rulership sphere of influence, which Dazes enemies that fail their Channel DC save. This guy shut down entire combats and saved the whole party a couple times. I've always loved Crowd Control builds that don't do direct damage, necessarily, but looked around for a way to create a cleric that isn't a worshiper of an evil deity.
After a little searching, I found the Osirion (i.e. Ancient Egyptian) Pantheon. Here are Neutral Deities with the Rulership S.O.I., cool favored weapons, and great domains, to boot!
I'm curious to see what people think of this build, and what I might do to improve it in terms of effectiveness as a channeler, and in terms of overall party usefulness, and where I should go after level 1.
Aasimar (Vanilla) Cleric of Horus
Domains: Day Subdomain, Feather Subdomain
Traits: Sacred Conduit (+1 To Channel DC), Observant (Grand Lodge)
Str:10
Dex:10
Con:14
Int:14
Wis:15
Cha:17
Channels NEGATIVE, Variant Channeling (Rulership): Harm - Creatures are dazed for 1 round.
Feat: Selective Channeling
Diplomacy: 9
Perception: 9
Sense Motive: 6
Spellcraft: 6
SPECIAL QUALITIES (selected):
Eyes of the Hawk (Ex)
You gain a racial bonus equal to 1/2 your cleric level on Perception checks. In addition, if you can act during a surprise round, you receive a +2 racial bonus on your Initiative check.
Sun's Blessing (Su)
Whenever you channel positive energy to harm undead creatures, add a +1 bonus to the damage dealt. Undead do not add their channel resistance to their saves when you channel positive energy.
He'll pick up Versatile Channeling at level 3, and then, besides Channeling-related feats, utility feats like Improved Initiative. I've considered Extra Traits to get Magical Knack, for dipping into Holy Vindicator without losing casting progression. Other than that and a very thematically-inappropriate level dip into Hellknight Signifier (I picture reskinning it as a Hawk helmet), I'm pretty vague on what would work best.
Here is the big question about the build: how Variant Channeling interacts with Versatile Channeling.
Variant channeling has the same area of effect, save DCs, uses per day, and other rules relating to channeling energy. Feats and abilities that modify or present alternative uses for channeled energy (such as Command Undead and Turn Undead) work normally with these variant channeling abilities.
By my reading, Positive Channeling to heal (or harm undead) would work normally, i.e. at his Cleric Level -2, but NOT with the Variant Channeling Effect for Rulership.
Does this seem correct, or am I projecting?
I actually was building a very similar cleric for my next PFS character.
The only big change I have is that my cleric has a higher wisdom and the inevitable domain for the free command spells every day.
He is Here.
I think anything positive would work at cleric -2. The only thing that line lets you do is to let you take feats associated with that type of channel energy. Covent, that link of yours doesn't work.
Just made it public, thanks.
One thing to note is that with a decent wisdom, spells like Archon's Aura and Aura of Doom can smooth the way for your channel DC very nicely.
I wonder how easily a Warpriest of Horus could use Greater Channel Smite to throw daze around with every weapon strike in a full attack... hmm.
Envoy of Balance at 5th is worth thinking about. By 9th, you'll be able to full channel positive energy, or channel to heal and daze at the same time.
Wow. I was unaware of this PrC. Seems like a good fit!
One thing to note is that with a decent wisdom, spells like Archon's Aura and Aura of Doom can smooth the way for your channel DC very nicely.
I wonder how easily a Warpriest of Horus could use Greater Channel Smite to throw daze around with every weapon strike in a full attack... hmm.
Thanks - I should think about making him more of a caster. I think I was partially assuming you either cast or channel well, and generally not both, but as the other sample character demonstrates, you can have your cake and make someone else eat it, too.
I actually was building a very similar cleric for my next PFS character.
The only big change I have is that my cleric has a higher wisdom and the inevitable domain for the free command spells every day.
He is Here.
I've been tinkering with a few Cleric builds lately that have either good touch or bad touch domain abilities. I'm fascinated by the possibilities of a conductive weapon - that Command ability seems perfect for it. >:)
I'm making one, and I like to VMC Order of the Star Cavalier. This effectively lets your channel progress at 1.5 times your level. You could take Believer's Boon/Hands too to gain a Paladin channel which is increased by the VMC.
VMC isn't allowed in PFS I guess, but it's definitely worth a mention because of how powerful it is.
I'm not sure as I understand this. Believer's Boon grants a domain ability. Channel Energy is a separate class feature unrelated to domain abilities. Also, BB states that it is only Cleric domain abilities, not Paladins or other Divine classes?