I'm playing a Inquisitor and I've chosen the 4th level judgment light spell. I got one fellow player who is a undead goblin who can't be healed by sacred means. If I have the healing judgment up and I use the judgment light spell would I heal him or hurt him?
The GM can decide the particulars if he decides to rule another way, but as far as I'm aware, any effect that directly heals and does not say it heals undead is positive energy based, and therefore harms undead.
There should be some magic items your goblin ally can invest in that can temporarily turn off or get around his negative energy affinity, however.
Saethori, from my understanding the reverse is true. Unless it states it does not heal undead then it is general healing and not positive energy based.
Do you have a citation that shows all healing is positive energy based unless it states it heals undead?
The recent FAQ on positive and negative energy define the the terms positive energy and negative energy but does not make the blanket statement that all healing is positive energy unless stated otherwise.
Glomgnar, I think when you said 'sacred means' you actually meant 'positive energy means' due to being an undead.
In the case of the Judgment Light spell it is not listed as a positive energy or negative energy effect and it is not stated to have different effects on living or undead. Thus, it should work just fine (unless there is a FAQ somewhere that I am missing).
One question: Is your inquisitor good, evil, or neutral (ie is your judgment profane or sacred)?
Saethori, from my understanding the reverse is true. Unless it states it does not heal undead then it is general healing and not positive energy based.
Do you have a citation that shows all healing is positive energy based unless it states it heals undead?
I do not, which is why I stated it was only as far as I was aware, rather than making a definitive statement.
That said, this post from Sean Reynolds, as well as many others in the whole question over whether Lay On Hands was positive energy or could heal Dhampir, helped shape my conclusion.
Lay on Hands is an ability that damages undead. Ergo it has been stated by the SKR post and then subsequently by this FAQ that it is positive energy.
The spell Judgment Light does not have any wording that it is positive energy nor that it damages undead so the same logic cannot be applied there. It does not state that it does not heal undead.
Finally, not all healing in Pathfinder is positive energy although it usually is.
Simply put, Judgment Light is a non-typed form of healing.
Gauss is probably strictly correct, but I would not be surprised if many GMs ruled otherwise. I would certainly GM it as per Saethori's interpretation. Definitely one I would advise checking with your GM.