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Hi everyone,
I need your help to clarify Negative Energy Channel Abilities for following Oracle/Cleric/Antipaladin/Holy Vindicator multi-classed character :
- Level 1 Bones Oracle with Undead Servitude Revelation
- Level 1 Cleric (of an Evil Deity)
- Level 5 Antipaladin
- Level 4 Holy Vindicator
- 18 Charisma
Can you please help answer those questions :
(1) How many times can the character channel per day to Harm and with what damage and what DC ?
(2) How many times can the character channel per day to Command Undead and with what DC and what is the undead Hit Dice limit per channel and maximum undead Hit Dice cumulative cap ?
For your reference, I have extracted the relevant sections applicable to this build.
You gain Command Undead as a bonus feat. You can channel negative energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier, but only to use Command Undead. You can take other feats to add to this ability, such as Improved Channeling, but not feats that alter this ability, such as Alignment Channel.
Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every two cleric levels beyond 1st (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th, and so on). Creatures that take damage from channeled energy receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the cleric’s level + the cleric’s Charisma modifier. Creatures healed by channel energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost. A cleric may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier.
Beginning at 2nd level, an antipaladin surrounds his hand with a fiendish flame, causing terrible wounds to open on those he touches. Each day he can use this ability a number of times equal to 1/2 his antipaladin level + his Charisma modifier.When an antipaladin reaches 4th level, he gains the supernatural ability to channel negative energy like a cleric. Using this ability consumes two uses of his touch of corruption ability. An antipaladin uses his level as his effective cleric level when channeling negative energy. This is a Charisma-based ability.
The vindicator’s class level stacks with levels in any other class that grants the channel energy ability.
Many Thanks !
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You would have three separate pools of channeling
Oracle = as an oracle of a level equal to your oracle levels + your holy vindicator levels.
Cleric = as a cleric of a level equal to your cleric levels + your holy vindicator levels.
Antipaladin = as an antipaladin of a level equal to your antipaladin levels + your holy vindicator levels.
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You would have three separate pools of channeling
Oracle = as an oracle of a level equal to your oracle levels + your holy vindicator levels.
Cleric = as a cleric of a level equal to your cleric levels + your holy vindicator levels.
Antipaladin = as an antipaladin of a level equal to your antipaladin levels + your holy vindicator levels.
Thanks ! So based on your answer, am I right to understand that each of these channel abilities have to be treated independently for each of the 3 classes ? The only common point is the Holy Vindicator prestige class levels which can be added to each of the 3 classes for the purposes of determining DC, damage, undead HD.
With this is mind, I am now able to determine the numerical responses to my questions.
(1) How many times can the character channel per day to Harm and with what damage and what DC ?
- Oracle of Bones : 0x/day (ability can only be used to Command Undead)
- Cleric (effective level for Channel Energy is 5) : 7x/day, 3d6, DC16
- Antipaladin (effective level for Channel Energy is 9): 3x/day (by converting 6 touches of corruption), 5d6, DC18
(2) How many times can the character channel per day to Command Undead and with what DC and what is the undead Hit Dice limit per channel and maximum undead Hit Dice cumulative cap ?
- Oracle of Bones (effective level for Channel Energy is 5) : 7x/day, DC16, max 5HD/channel, 5HD cumulative cap
- Cleric (effective level for Channel Energy is 5) : 7x/day, DC16, max 5HD/channel, 5HD cumulative cap
- Antipaladin (effective level for Channel Energy is 9) : 3x/day (by converting 6 touches of corruption), DC18, max 9HD/channel, 9HD cumulative cap
So this Level 11 character could use the Command Undead feat to control up to 19HD of undead (with relevant caps per class).
All further comments are welcome !
You seem to have the right of it.
For a bit of added craziness, if you use the VMC rules to take Cavalier and the Order of the Star, at 7th level you get the ability to add half your character level to any channeling ability (or lay on hands) you already have.
Order of the Star would only effect cleric or paladin channel abilites, not Oracle or Anti-Paladin. In addition, using VMC and regular multiclassing can be problematic.
When you look at those abilities, you can see why, even with the bonus of Holy Vindicator stacking with multiple classes, multi-classing is problematic.
Yes, you have a lot of channel uses but each of them are relatively weak and they still cost a standard action. You are a level 11 character, when are you going to want to spend a standard action to do about 10 points of damage to each of your enemies, half if they save which they probably will? Even your more powerful harm is only going to average 17 points of damage. Similar problems occur with your control undead. At level 11, you probably won't even run into a 5HD undead (and it certainly wouldn't be more then a pest anyway) and a 5 HD undead is probably not going to be a useful ally or around very long. Even 9HD is significantly weaker than you in most cases and probably not much use. While you might be able to find a 9HD undead with special abilities that are useful, they are likely to be intelligent and have a good enough save that controlling them, let alone maintaining control over time is unlikely.
Order of the Star would only effect cleric or paladin channel abilites, not Oracle or Anti-Paladin. In addition, using VMC and regular multiclassing can be problematic.
Any class that has the Channel ability has an effective cleric level equal to (or some variation of) their class level. If you want to get into a semantic debate over the meaning of those words, you can do so but my mind won't be changed on how it interacts with classes (or abilities) that stack with cleric levels. VMC isn't allowed in PFS, so how they treat it doesn't matter either. This is home game territory.