What are the top 3 classes for making a build focused on channeling both negative and positive energy?
Cleric.
I'd do it by taking Versatile Channeler (feat) which I think requires you to be a cleric that worships a neutral deity.
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.
The Holy Vindicator prestige class also gets some abilities to use with channel energy which might be cool.
Bloodfire (Su)
At 5th level, while a vindicator’s stigmata are bleeding, his blood runs down his weapons like sacred or profane liquid energy; when he uses Channel Smite, the damage increases by 1d6, and if the target fails its save, it is sickened and takes 1d6 points of bleed damage each round on its turn. The target can attempt a new save every round to end the sickened and bleed effects.
Channel Smite
At 5th level, a vindicator gains Channel Smite as a bonus feat.
Versatile Channel (Su)At 6th level, a vindicator’s channel energy can instead affect a 30-foot cone or a 120-foot line.
Bloodrain (Su)
At 9th level, while his stigmata are bleeding, the vindicator’s harmful channeled energy is accompanied by a burst of sacred or profane liquid energy, increasing the damage by 1d6. Creatures failing their saves against the channeled energy become sickened and take 1d6 points of bleed damage each round. Affected creatures can attempt a new save every round to end the sickened and bleed effects.
Other than this, some sort of multiclass or Variant Multiclass (unchained) using life oracle, Hex Channeler Witch, or just cleric could work as well. Cleric with Holy Vindicator would probably be the strongest and most versatile though.
What qualifies a character as being a necromancer? Is a Gravewalker witch a necromancer? or does necromancer just mean someone with access to necromancy arcane school?
Its referring to a wizard who sets necromancy as his arcane school.
Its referring to the necromancer wizard only.
Ah ok, searching "necromancer" doesnt come up with any archetypes or anything, so i didnt know!
Yeah, I should have posted a link to the feat's pfsrd page somewhere in my post.
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Look into the Bless Equipment feat line. Doesn't require a specific kind of channel energy, and it makes you more flexible.
I'm a big fan of a kitsune life oracle with the spirit guide archetype.
Spirit guide lets you get a shaman wandering spirit. Pick the life spirit. Your curse will be wrecking mysticism.
The curse lets you trade out mystery spells for Magical Tail feats.
The archetype lets you add spells to you spells known based on your spirit. Turns out, the life spirit and the life mystery get the same spells, so you don't end up losing out on restoration and whatnot.
At level 7 the life wandering spirit gets you channel energy at your level= your cleric level for 1+wis times per day.
Life oracles can get 1+wis channels per day as a revelation.
At 7th level you have tons and tons of channels that you can use to give your allies bane on their weapons.
Pick a good god and pick up their channeling feat for even more fun.
Pharasma is my personal bae here. Fateful channel gives allies free rereolls.
Profit.
I think i shall roll up a gravewalker/hex channeler, that way i'll have chanel negative energy to deal with the living, and the undead will be my b-itches anyway, I know it's not what i asked for, but the flavor is dripping of the archetype combination. Besides the gravewalker aura increases the DC of channeling negative, so that's pretty cool.
Thanks for the advice everyone :)
If you want positive channeling only then the shaman deserves special mention since its witch doctor archetype gives a channel pool and then you can take the life spirit to get a second pool without any shenanigans.
Rulership variant channeling shuts many things down.
I have an envy varient channel that causes the bad guys to steal from my front liners that provokes. This takes the bad guy's turns and gives my buddies the glory of killing them. Plus it is funny.
If you want positive channeling only then the shaman deserves special mention since its witch doctor archetype gives a channel pool and then you can take the life spirit to get a second pool without any shenanigans.
if you do variant multiclassing attaching cleric would be a good channel boost.
good lord, im surprised this thread randomly popped up again, sunday to friday in the blink of an eye
Envoy of balance
Rulership variant cleric
Madness variant clericIn other words there is nothing but cleric. It's only a matter of how you want to screw with your foes. No matter what anyone says the cleric is the KING of channeling just because it has access to every kind of channeling option and often multiples at the same time. Oracles, paladins, and such can RARELY even channel positive or negative; much less well. Still more is there are a number of domain powers that can make the channeling better in a number of ways.
Life Oracle then Envoy of Balance. Variant Channeling is a waste of a channel, period. Clerics again two stats, Oracle one stat.When your variant channel shuts down all bad guys in 30 feet it deserve a closer look. My level 6 PFS variant envy channeling regularly causes 50+ damage per channel, and prevents the bad guys from attacking.
Can your oracle do that?
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1: Rulership Variant Channeler AoE Daze Build (Hangover Cleric)
2: Life Oracle/Hospitaler Paladin with VMC Cavalier Order of the Stars ((Bonus if you can use 3rd party material and Grab a Familiar for Improved Familiar Small elemental-Positive energy elemental for MAXIMIZED Channels and Cure spells.))
3: This is highly up for debate...but most channeling builds are not worth it as reactive healing is not considered optimal play. Even the Oradin is still considered not optimal play style. But it is one of the stronger builds for channeling.
This must be a cleric thread, it keeps resurrecting itself! :)
I think people arguing over which class makes the best channeler is a bit like a group of people arguing over who has the best VHS collection !