Greetings prestigious board members.
I have a conundrum for you. A riddle if you will.
First, the basis:
Channel (Su): The shaman can channel positive energy like a cleric, using her shaman level as her effective cleric level when determining the amount of damage healed (or dealt to undead) and the DC. The shaman can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1 + her Charisma modifier.
At 4th level, the witch doctor can draw transcendental energies to her location, flooding it with positive energy as the cleric class feature. The witch doctor uses her shaman level – 3 as her effective cleric level, and can channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This is a separate pool of channel energy that does not stack with the life spirit’s channel spirit ability.
This ability replaces the hexes gained at 4th and 12th levels.
Benefit: You may channel energy as a move action by spending 2 daily uses of that ability.
Assume Level 5 and 18 Charisma.
I have 2 pools
Life spirit pool (or pool A) has 5 uses
Witch doctor pool (or pool B) has 8 uses, albeit at -3 ECL (Effective Cleric Level)
QUESTION 1:
I use quick channel to channel as a move action.
I use 1 use from pool A, and one use from pool B, in order to mitigate costs to my main pool.
Is this legal?
QUESTION 2:
Would it be possible for me to take variant channeling for the witch doctor pool and not the life spirit pool? In order to have variety in my pools, and since it's not as useful due to reduced effectiveness.
BONUS QUESTION:
What freaking god aside torag can give the strategy variant channeling??
That is all.
Thanks a lot for the answers.
QUESTION 1:
I use quick channel to channel as a move action.
I use 1 use from pool A, and one use from pool B, in order to mitigate costs to my main pool.Is this legal?
I don't think so. You have two separate channeling abilities. Quick Channel feat mentions an ability in singluar form, which means you need to choose which of two channeling abilities you use with it. None of your abilities lets you use both pools at the same time.
QUESTION 2:
Would it be possible for me to take variant channeling for the witch doctor pool and not the life spirit pool? In order to have variety in my pools, and since it's not as useful due to reduced effectiveness.
I see no problems with that. As I mentioned, those are two separate abilities and they don't have to work the same way.
BONUS QUESTION:
What freaking god aside torag can give the strategy variant channeling??
Whoever makes sense to your GM, I don't think it's anywhere said directly who can and can't. I'd say that from the main pantheon Iomedae and Gorum could.
Technically speaking, variant channeling is an option for Clerics. Unless something else I'm not aware of exists, it isn't an option for a shaman.
Technically speaking, variant channeling is an option for Clerics. Unless something else I'm not aware of exists, it isn't an option for a shaman.
From the PFSRD:
A character who has the channel energy ability from a class other than cleric may use these variant channeling rules if the class’s abilities are tied to serving a deity. For example, paladins can select alternative channeling abilities if they serve a deity, as can oracles with the Life mystery (as they serve many deities), but necromancer wizards cannot.
I missed that line, although it doesn't make sense to me, since an Oracle is not any more or less tied to a deity than a Necromancer, and certainly neither have class abilities that are tied to serving a deity.
I believe the book says an oracle's power are granted from a deity, they just don't need to know which or have any interaction with them. Thus their powers are divinely granted, unlike nature/patron granted, learned or coming from themselves
@Adjoint
Your argument does make sense from a RAW standpoint, my reading would however be :
You may channel energy as a move action by spending 2 daily uses of that ability.
The key words here being "that ability"
To me, that ability would refer to channel energy. Since there are two pools of the same ability taking from the lesser pool would be legal.
Anyone else care to weigh in, I'd love a counter argument here or more opinions
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I was initially going to disagree with Adjoint, but after re-reading the question and the feat, I can't. The description for the witch doctor archetype even specifies that it doesn't stack with the life spirit ability. That essentially makes them two separate abilities. You can use Quick Channel with either, but you can't burn a use of the weaker witch doctor's channel energy to quick channel the more powerful life spirit channel. The feat specifies THAT ability, meaning you select the channel energy source you want to use, and you burn two uses of IT to channel as a move action. If the two "pools" stacked, you could do what you're asking. Since they don't, and they are specifically treated as two abilities, you can't.
Honestly, having reviewed the pertinent data, the question seems like an attempt to game the system, using a lesser ability to overpower another.
They are completely separate abilities and each pretends teh others don't exists, so since you're trying to quick channel and "it's the only channel you have" it must be from the same pool as that's "the only pool you have"
Hmmmm all compelling arguments indeed.
I believe we have reached a consensus, separate pools can't mix and match.
Thanks to everyone who answered