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Hey everyone,
For my next and probably last pfs character in pathfinder 1, i'm trying to build a reach cleric with variant channeling: earth. Ideally, i'm looking for an earth patron diety that grants access to the plant and feather domains who also isn't evil. If i understand the rules correctly, this would allow versatile channeler to grant access to the harm variant when needed while still able to heal at full channel value normally. I'm also trying to avoid losing levels on the animal companion if possible.
I seem to recall that all empyrial lords are considered to have all subdomains of their domains, though i can't find that rule atm. Also, i'm aware that a more powerful version of the build is acessable to horus by the seperatist cleric archetype (Exchange out one domain for any one of choice at -2 wis/cha, slotting in plant and taking feather) since his variant channel rulership is better than earth. I am however not looking to stunlock encounters.
I'm having some trouble piecing this together with the incomplete domain reference charts. Can anyone help out?
Earth, plant and feather don't seem to be together on the same deity, evil or not. And no, empyrial lords don't get all subdomains, they have precise subdomains listed. Not that it matters in this case.
Earth/Animal and so feather is the problem. Aside from the Green Faith it's an unknown combo, and they don't have clerics per se.
If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, she still selects two domains to represent her spiritual inclinations and abilities (subject to GM approval).
This is basically all you need. If you don't serve a particular deity, you can choose your domains, which ever 2 you'd want (albeit at the approval of your GM).
Is there some reason you don't want to do this as a separatist cleric?
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Is there some reason you don't want to do this as a separatist cleric?
I'm fine with seperatist cleric. However, to make this work the best possible way, I still need a diety with both earth and feather. Earth for the channel and feather for the domain. Taking seperatist cleric for feather delays the animal companion by 1 level even after boon companion, which i want to avoid. I need the plant domain for the enlarge ability, which doesnt suffer much from seperatist cleric. But for some reason, finding a diety with earth and feather is hard.
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Just a heads up trevor; when variant channeling, the Heal version only works when channeling positive to heal and the Harm version only when channeling negative to harm.
Variant Channeling: A variant channeling either modifies positive channeled energy when used to heal or modifies negative energy when used to harm. When using positive energy to heal, affected creatures gain only half the normal amount of healing but also receive a specific beneficial effect. When channeling negative energy to harm, affected creatures take only half the normal damage but take an additional penalty or harmful effect; a successful saving throw negates the additional penalty or effect but does not reduce the damage any further. Creatures that would normally ignore the effect of a particular channel (such as undead with respect to a positive energy channel used to heal) ignore the variant effect of that channel.
So you need either a Neutral or Evil Deity with Earth in its Area's of Concern or with Earth as a domain combined with the feat that allows limeted variant channeling. But no matter what, you need to be able to channel negative energy to make use of the Harm version.
EDIT: after checking the PFS legal deities, there is none that grants both the Earth Domain/Earth Area of Concern and the Feather Subdomain. There is only one PFS legal Deity that has the Earth area of concern and access to the Growth Subdomain (which is apparently the one you want), which is Fandarra. So to gain the combination you want can only be done on a Seperatist of Fandarra, and then pick negative channeling to gain access to the Earth Variant Channel to harm.
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@OP: You're looking for the deity Fandarra. Her Area of Concern is Earth, which gets you Cleric (Variant Channeling [Earth]). She grants the Plant(Growth) domain. You'll have to take the Cleric(Seperatist) Archetype for access to domains not on her lst, such as Animal(Feather). While most archetypes are NOT compatible, Variant Channeling and Separatist ARE compatible. Here's a brief post that describes this sort of battlefield control.
Some advice: Highly suggest your cleric gets access to either Movement Domain or Featherstep Slippers, for no-delay movement in Difficult Terrain. Also, highly suggest your cleric passes out potions of Featherstep to allies at start, so they can also operate in your Difficult Terrain.
More advice: while Variant Channel [Earth] can de replicated by 2nd level arcane Stone Call spell, very few PFS arcane casters seem to learn that spell. Better to do it yourself. Moving freely in difficult terrain works really well. Particularly in combination with Plant(Growth) swift action enlarge-reduce. Oddly, it's the REDUCE effect the round AFTER you enlarge that mitigates the most damage, because of the free virtual 5' step.
I'm currently playing a very similar build. It's a very teamwork-oriented style. Once your allies understand how your build works, and collaborate, it works extremely well and everyone is happy. I've found it sometimes takes a few fights before some allies understand how you work, and there can be confusion and problems while they are still learning. I highly suggest you provide some sort of simplistic explanation or tutorial to help allies up the learning curve. A quick friendly sparring match before the adventure starts seems to be the most effective approach, but not everyone is willing to do that.
I presume you plan on an Axe Beak animal companion, appropriate to Animal (Feather). Be warned that the Paizo people who wrote the Animal Companion statistics failed to properly transcribe which animals do and do not have reach - they left that field blank for all animal companions. I've never had it be a problem, as any GM can visualize two identical Axe Beaks next to each other, one your AC (reach not specified) and the other a regular axe beak (specified to have reach).
Another Note: Fandarra is Neutral. If your cleric is also Neutral then you can access the Versatile Channel feat. Choose Positive Energy as Primary and Negative (also your Variant Channel) as secondary. My PC has just 12 CHA and later picked up Extra Channel feat, which has been invaluable. This works without high CHA or Selective Channel, as both your offensive and healing powers work fine without Selective Channel. You will sometimes inflict a little friendly fire damage. In PFS play other players have the option to VETO an action that inflicts PVP damage on their PC, but in practice everyone has been fine with it because it's just a little damage and obviously (once they understand!) tactically beneficial.
P.s. I encourage you to have RP fun sacrificing the occasional dying foe to Fandarra. Whenever possible my cleric coup de graces foes with Fandarra's sacrificial obsidian knife. Feel free to send me a private message if you want more info.
Can you take a subdomain with Seperatist cleric? The archetype doesn't mention them.
Can you take a subdomain with Seperatist cleric? The archetype doesn't mention them.
It is an oversight that the archetype doesn't mention them. I'd rule yes, but a GM could just as easily rule restrictively and say no. Do note that if you make such a restrictive ruling, it means Separatists can't use subdomains at all, for exactly the same reason: it says that one of your domains must be chosen from your deity's domain list and doesn't explicitly say you can choose a subdomain. If that is implicitly good enough to pick a subdomain, then that also applies to the one that isn't coming from your deity's list.
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@everyone, thanks for suggesting speratist Fandarra.
@avr, would you say having the travel domain is better than the animal companion at charlevel -5? I was considering savage technologist barbarian 1/ growth/travel cleric x as an alternative which starts off with rage and the free movement. The character will.probably be a tiefling with prehensile tail, so it might also be able to use drunken brute's barbarian achetype drink potion from the tail as a move action.
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That savage tech multiclass sounds like fun. I have heard that there's seldom a shortage of melee grunts in PFS games, which suggests that one potential melee character (with a great deal of mobility) might work better there than one plus a pet. If your experience contradicts this, you're the expert on PFS not me.
An animal companion which is character level -1 after getting boon companion should be OK to work with if not amazing, but if you're not going to get that feat then definitely forget the idea of an animal companion.
Feather is not the only (sub)domain that grants a pet.
/cevah