Clerics without Turning ?

[gpetruc]

I was considering the option of clerics that don't have turning/rebuking abilities in any of these circumstances:
- world without undeads
- clerics with no god and without a strong good vs evil philosophical ideas
- neutral clerics of gods who really don't care about undeads (such as Boccob)

Now, what can be a suitable replacing for removing this feature ?

Some ideas where:
- give 4 skill points instead of 2 (clerics already have low int, usually, and so nearly no skills)

- give some of the Divine feats (those from DoF) for free (maybe at lvl 1, 5, 10, 15, 20) so that they will have something to replace their turning with.

- give some other sort of unique ability (suggestions are welcome)

What do you think ?

 

[DreamChaser]

are you talking no channeling or no using channeling for turning undead?

 

[gpetruc]

If I replace it with the skill points or some unique ability I'd remove completely the channelling (for example in a campaign without undead)

If I replace them with divine feats I'd allow channelling, but not to turn undeads (again expecially in the case no undeads existed in the world)

Actually from straight PHB rules channelling has no effects except turning undeads (and possibly opening some seals, but that could be simply ruled as a level check with cha bonus, does not need the whole channelling mechanics)
(maybe I'm not right about this)

 

[Morgenstern]

I set up a campaign in which their were several very clearly defined orders of paladins (associated with each of the setting's good dieties), and only one type of paladin could turn undead. The other three could still channel positive energy, but were banned from turining. Instead, at the same level as they gained the ability to channel energy, the recieved one of the feats from Defenders of the Faithful for various alternative uses for channeled energy (the PC didn't pick- the feat was specified by ythe order he was part of). You could easily adapt that to clerics.

 

[SylverFlame]

I like the bonus feat. Giving a lot of feats seems a little extreme, and I'd cap the feat bonus at 2. The skill point increase is equally nifty as it isn't a lot but adds up over time.