How well does turning work in your campaign?

[Ballard_Alvar]

In my campagns turning deals damage to all undead in the area, 1d6/level. this is as to not negate the effects of other party members. It can be irritating for the rest of the party. (ie. fighter hits litch with longsword, deals 15 damage; wizard casts fireball on litch, deals 35 damage, cleric turns litch . . . litch is destroyed. fighter complains: Litch still had 45 more hp left. Wizard and Fighter symotaniously speak "Man, I didn't do anything but absorb damage from litch")

 

[boredgremlin]

I use a turning rule where you can target a single undead for 1d6 damage per cleric level with a fort save for 1/2 damage. Or an area affect for 1 damage per cleric level with no save. This is a spread effect so it goes through walls and around corners. I like high level clerics to be the bane of undead. Its about all they are good at. Healing doesnt keep pace with damage and a single dispel magic cancels all thier combat buffs. Clerics are the walking band aid and undead killer. Let them be good at that least.

 

[Ballard_Alvar]

. . .I like high level clerics to be the bane of undead. Its about all they are good at. Healing doesnt keep pace with damage and a single dispel magic cancels all thier combat buffs. Clerics are the walking band aid and undead killer. Let them be good at that least.

Rant: All they are good at? sure a dispel magic can cxl all buffs, but it is kind of unlikely. besides, most BBEGs would rather outright kill most pcs rather than debuff them. IF there is a dispel magic then it is more likely to be an area dispel (which only potentially cxls 1).
I suppose you could also argue that good clerics(which, IMO, are allmost all) only need 1-2 buffs, So a targeted dispell might put a cleric down 1 rd, but that's pretty much it. After all there isn't much that a party of clerics can't deal with. in fact i realy can't think of anything a party of clerics can't deal with. Rightous Might, Divine Favor, Divine Power, are the greats but sometimes Sheild of Faith can be usefull. Not to mension Greater Magic Weapon and Flame Strike, for direct damage, and Windwalk are truely powerful magics, but they also get all the divine spells like Banishment, ect. that deal with anything they can't pound. Clerics are second in power, only to the Druid. IMHO. I mean no offence, I that statement just took me by surprise.

 

[Shin Okada]

Not almost... it *is* impossible. Just flat out. In fact, a CR6 zombie with 20 hitdice is impossible for the aforementioned 15th level cleric to turn.

-The Souljourner

Not entirely true. There are various magic items, which can raise the effective level of cleric for turning. For example, if that 15th-level cleric has Phylactery of Undead Turning (DMG) and his armor has Sacred ability (AEG), his effective level for Turning Undead is 21st. So with a lucky roll, he can turn HD 25 undead.

But anyway, CR 6 is not an appropriate challenge for a 15th-level character. And I already agree with the fact that simple brute type undeads are almost immune to turning.