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Playtest: Channel Energy (Pathfinder RPG)
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<blockquote data-quote="Roman" data-source="post: 4208808" data-attributes="member: 1845"><p>Perhaps the way to balance the Channel Energy ability would be to look at spells for inspiration. </p><p></p><p>Suppose that instead of the current healing/damage mechanic, we would instead take cue from cure ... wounds and cause ... wounds spells, which after all, are supposed to rely on positive and negative energy respectively. </p><p></p><p>Channel energy would be a touch effect to begin with. In its positive energy version, it would cure hit points to the tune of 1d8, plus an additional 1d8 hit points every two levels thereafter (hence 2d8 at third level, 3d8 at fourth level, etcetera). Of course, the ability would also do equivalent damage to the undead upon a succesful touch attack. The Channel Negative Energy ability would, naturaly, work in the opposite manner. </p><p></p><p>The actual turning and commanding mechanics would remain the same as they are in the current Channel Energy desciptions, with the will save determining whether the undead in question flee/are commanded. </p><p></p><p>It is possible to have this work only on the undead creature targeted by the damaging effect of this ability, but to better evoke the origin of this ability in the turn undead mechanic, it is also feasible to say that all undead within 30 feet of the cleric have to make the saving throw, as the proximity of the negative/positive energy is enough to turn/command them even when they are not damaged/healed. This would also retain the probable design aim of enabling the cleric to heal while doing other actions - he is healing (or damaging) only one individual (or undead creature), but still turning/commanding surrounding undead. </p><p></p><p>At 9th level, clerics gain 5th level spells and Cure Light Wounds, Mass (or Cause Light Wounds, Mass) is among them. At this stage, it is therefore feasible and balanced to give the cleric the option to also use an area of effect (30' burst centered around the cleric) use of the Channel Energy ability, but using the area of effect ability would only cure/cause damage per creature that uses 4 less d8 dice than the targeted single-creature ability. Hence, it would cure 1d8 hit points at level 9, 2d8 hit points at level 11 and so on. The turning/commanding effects would remain the same for both the targeted and the area of effect versions of Channel Energy. </p><p></p><p>Note 1: This mechanic is based on the cure/cause ... wounds spells. Because it combines healing/wounding with the turning/comanding mechanic, I thought it prudent to eliminate the +1hp per level cured/caused, which if kept would have made the ability even more overpowered at higher levels than it was before. It may also be desirable to tone down the dice to d6s, but the latter may not be necessary at all given the area of effect nerf it receives compared to the previous Channel Energy mechanic. I have not playtested this version, so that is as of yet unclear. </p><p></p><p>Note 2: Given this kind of transparency between cure/cause spells and the Channel Energy ability, it could be an interesting experiment to permit Clerics to drop their spells of the appropriate level to fuel additional Channel Energy uses instead of spontaneously casting cure/cause spells.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Roman, post: 4208808, member: 1845"] Perhaps the way to balance the Channel Energy ability would be to look at spells for inspiration. Suppose that instead of the current healing/damage mechanic, we would instead take cue from cure ... wounds and cause ... wounds spells, which after all, are supposed to rely on positive and negative energy respectively. Channel energy would be a touch effect to begin with. In its positive energy version, it would cure hit points to the tune of 1d8, plus an additional 1d8 hit points every two levels thereafter (hence 2d8 at third level, 3d8 at fourth level, etcetera). Of course, the ability would also do equivalent damage to the undead upon a succesful touch attack. The Channel Negative Energy ability would, naturaly, work in the opposite manner. The actual turning and commanding mechanics would remain the same as they are in the current Channel Energy desciptions, with the will save determining whether the undead in question flee/are commanded. It is possible to have this work only on the undead creature targeted by the damaging effect of this ability, but to better evoke the origin of this ability in the turn undead mechanic, it is also feasible to say that all undead within 30 feet of the cleric have to make the saving throw, as the proximity of the negative/positive energy is enough to turn/command them even when they are not damaged/healed. This would also retain the probable design aim of enabling the cleric to heal while doing other actions - he is healing (or damaging) only one individual (or undead creature), but still turning/commanding surrounding undead. At 9th level, clerics gain 5th level spells and Cure Light Wounds, Mass (or Cause Light Wounds, Mass) is among them. At this stage, it is therefore feasible and balanced to give the cleric the option to also use an area of effect (30' burst centered around the cleric) use of the Channel Energy ability, but using the area of effect ability would only cure/cause damage per creature that uses 4 less d8 dice than the targeted single-creature ability. Hence, it would cure 1d8 hit points at level 9, 2d8 hit points at level 11 and so on. The turning/commanding effects would remain the same for both the targeted and the area of effect versions of Channel Energy. Note 1: This mechanic is based on the cure/cause ... wounds spells. Because it combines healing/wounding with the turning/comanding mechanic, I thought it prudent to eliminate the +1hp per level cured/caused, which if kept would have made the ability even more overpowered at higher levels than it was before. It may also be desirable to tone down the dice to d6s, but the latter may not be necessary at all given the area of effect nerf it receives compared to the previous Channel Energy mechanic. I have not playtested this version, so that is as of yet unclear. Note 2: Given this kind of transparency between cure/cause spells and the Channel Energy ability, it could be an interesting experiment to permit Clerics to drop their spells of the appropriate level to fuel additional Channel Energy uses instead of spontaneously casting cure/cause spells. [/QUOTE]
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Playtest: Channel Energy (Pathfinder RPG)
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