Hey everyone, I spent the last few days looking for a damage channeling build and I could use some advice or help with that. I'm only looking for Paizo stuff, no 3pp.
I'm mostly looking for :
-increasing the number of d6
-getting raw added damage (damage per die, or just final damage)
-more channeling
-higher DC;
The best would be channeling both positive and negative energy.
After some research, here is what I get:
Starting with a neutral cleric (to be able to channel both positive and negative energy) the number of d6 for channeling goes from 1 to 10 at level 19.
More d6:
-Ritual of possession (+2d6 and DC+4)
-phylactery of positive/negative channeling (+2d6)
-channeling on armor or shield (1d6, 3/day)
-greater channeling (feat)(+2d6, but costs one more use of channeling)
-channel surge (feat)(channeling bonus +50%, full-round action and costs one more use of channeling)
-channeler's aspergillum(wondrous item) (1d6 but needs holy/cursed water reload as move action)
-soul channel (alternative capstone)(1d6, 6 more use of channeling a day)
-holy vindicator (prestige class)(at 9th level gets d6 + d6 bleeding damage on channeling)
Flat damage:
-favored class bonus (fcb) half-elf (1/3), wayang (1/2), kobold(1 on ennemies whose AC is denied), aasimar and an other one only on good channeling.
-sun domain : adds cleric level against undead while channeling (1 to 20 damages)
-death warden bandolier (wondrous item) (3/day, adds 2 damage per die of channeling against undead).
-cleansing light (trait) re-roll 1's for damage on channeling positive against undead.
-there's a mythic object that adds mythic tier to damage too but I can't find its name!
The dcs and use per day are somehow slightly les important here.
There are, as far as I know, 3 prestige classes which are interesting:
-holy vindicator for the damage increase at lvl.9 and some side buffs; (9 levels)
-soul warden for channel damage and harvest (re-gain uses of channel when killing undeads) (4 levels)
-envoy of balance for channeling good and bad energy without maluses; (2 levels)
I've read about VMC cavalier with order of the star but my GM and I disagree with what we read online. If there is an errata on that, saying that it works, I'd be very happy, otherwise, can't use it!
To do a recap: at level 20, it would be 14d6 (or 16 for 2 uses with greater channel) and some daily bonuses with up to 10 flat damage (fcb) and some more damage against undead (20 to 2*number of d6 with the bandolier).
Even though it can be cast 2 times (or 3 with the ring of protected life 1/day ability) for 3 times the amount above, it still consumes a lot of uses per day and doesn't seem like good damage output for a level 20. I know it's unlikely the campaign goes that far but I'd like my character to do something in battle before reaching that point.
Thanks for your help!
The effectiveness of channeling is not in how much damage it does as a base, but how many people/creatures you can effect with it (thus the total damage/healing). Getting your damage higher than 14d6 is going to be difficult, especially if you GM doesn't let the VMC Cavalier Eastern Star order work for you. Instead, focus on maximizing the effects of your channel on your allies/enemies.
The feat "Purifying Channel" (must worship a fire deity, or Saranrae if you play in Golarion) allows you to burn an enemy (and dazzle them) when you selectively channel to heal your allies. The spell "Healing Token" allows you to use your healing abilities on your ally's turns if they spend the action to call for your aid. Most of all, the "Shield Other" spell, and similar effects like Life Link, help to spread out the damage among the party so that each channel has the best effect.
My suggestion: Make your channel energy something that you do outside of your normal turn. Specialize, certainly, but treat it as a secondary feature. That is because it is.
Hey! Thanks for your suggestions. I really like the purifying channel feat. I was thinking that maybe if there's a way of denying ennemies their AC, taking kobold for the fbc but I'm gonna look into channel outside of my own turn.
Thanks :)
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1) Worship Irori.
2) Get a ki pool. You can do it by:
-2a) going Dwarf with the Iron Within alternate racial trait;
-2b) picking the Perfect Style feat;
-2c) going Tengu + Shigenjo Oracle archetype with a channeling Myestery (eg Life)
-2d) ...?
3) Pick the Ki Channel feat.
4) Buy a bunch of Tea of Transference. Alternatively, if you can cast Minor Creation, buy one and conjure yourself a pretty much infinite supply every day for free.
5) Congrats, you now have infinite channels, ki-pool and spells up to 2 levels below your maximum.
That being said, Quicken Channel is a way to indirectly double your channeling damage, by simply channeling twice per round.
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I'll save you some trouble....
Channeling is a innately sub-par ability and thus a complete waste to focus on.
Ignore Doc Roc. Still bitter about not understanding channels can be awesome despite multiple examples shown.
I'll PM you and help you craft something if you can give me some basics of what you want out of it.
doc roc wrote: I'll save you some trouble....
Channeling is a innately sub-par ability and thus a complete waste to focus on.
Disagreed, thoroughly.
Situationally, it can be one of the best. In an undead heavy campaign, few abilities even come close. When you need to heal a whole large party quickly, it's Mass Heal or channeling. If you're a necromancer, it's pure gold, and variant channeling to heal your minions will keep them topped off easily.
Channeling is merely a part of a greater whole. At the least, it needs the shield other spell to distribute damage. At the best, you also have quick channel, life links and fey foundling to maximize your throughput.
Hey people!
Thanks Gray Warden for the tip ahah, the number of channeling per day is now solved :)
Doc Roc, I know channeling is hard to make a whole operative thing but I'm willing to look into it as much for theorycrafting as for my next character!
The goal is to have an operational healer/damage dealer against both living and undead ennemies, so as Melkiador put it, fey founding and other shield other are on the list :)
I found alternative capstones such as "Soul channel" which gives 6 more daily channel use and increase the channel by one step.
So it's 15d6 base at level 20 now!
It's possibly not what you're thinking about, but I might suggest going Envoy of Balance. Irori has been suggested earlier as a deity, it isn't bad due to the LN alignment. You would need Versatile Channeler, so while early the healing would be lower, the positive channel will still help the party. Having 5 ranks on Knowledge planes and spellcraft sounds easy enough too.
With the 2nd level of the PrC, that's when you can start healing and doing damage at the same time, the problem will though be the channel potency being reduced by 2 cleric effective level. At level 4, you get another ability, to remove that penalty.
Here's the link to the PrC if you want the whole picture : https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/e-h/envoy-of- balance/
If there's a big weakness to the idea, it is that can push characters to be more single-minded in their main domain (either channeling, summoning, bad touching, etc.)
Those saying/thinking that channel is a total waste, well but I'm just smiling at the idea. It's good to have even as an opportunity ability, and if I can pull it off, I'm not against trying to give an evoker a run for a nuke contest.
Hey Philippe Lam!
The envoy of balance is already in the list of prestige classes used/ to use ahah
But thanks anyway. :)
Narcage wrote: Hey Philippe Lam!
The envoy of balance is already in the list of prestige classes used/ to use ahah
But thanks anyway. :)
Ah good point, I missed that ! That said I saw your post and didn't catch it (a single sentence can easily be missed).
Now that I'm re-reading the other smaller sentences, I'd say there's no real bad choice, but saying it can be a riskier choice than a healing-focused version. There you just wait for when services are needed. Being damage-driven entails doing the opposite, and there's trying to maximizing the number of channels, or minimizing their use. Having higher DC is fine if you can afford it, but I'd say it's less of a priority. Others already have given other ideas, that I can just give my own opinion.
Ultimately it's your call though !
Hey again! I've been directed by Cavall to the blossoming light cleric archetype which solves so many problems in this build. Also, you're right, it's my call ahah. And now I'm looking forward playing this channeling cleric!
Thanks to all to your time and ideas! :)
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