Mike Mearls talking on his view of Clerics and Turning.
Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Turning and Churning)
I'm not opposed to the PF cleric 'nuke' (though it did eliminate 18 of my ratling horde on Saturday night in one swoop though it did blast the players in the same go which is a trade off) though I don't find it really captures what I want out of an undead turning mechanic.
I always think of turning as being the holy channel of a deity and being like a beacon of divine providence.
I'd much rather have it either of two ways;
Way 1 > It is like a bless effect for your companions and a curse effect for your opponents. Each round that it is in effect and used gathers power to improve the combat for your companions and hinders the opponents (if you are against undead then they are the 'cursed' but if your deity was a Lord of Water then it might be Fire or what ever is opposite of your deity's spheres).
Way 2 > It is more integrated with the spheres of the deities. A cleric/priest of Storms 'turning' would summon a storm effect that causes effects in a radius around the cleric. A priest of death or plague causes damage to people in the area (spontaneous bleeding for death maybe and boils to appear and burst for plague). You could still have the 'classic' priest that affects undead with a barrier that each round causes an undead to make some sort of will test or retreat from the area (with additional rounds spent in the aura building escalating damage like being dipped in acid).
Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Turning and Churning)
I'm not opposed to the PF cleric 'nuke' (though it did eliminate 18 of my ratling horde on Saturday night in one swoop though it did blast the players in the same go which is a trade off) though I don't find it really captures what I want out of an undead turning mechanic.
I always think of turning as being the holy channel of a deity and being like a beacon of divine providence.
I'd much rather have it either of two ways;
Way 1 > It is like a bless effect for your companions and a curse effect for your opponents. Each round that it is in effect and used gathers power to improve the combat for your companions and hinders the opponents (if you are against undead then they are the 'cursed' but if your deity was a Lord of Water then it might be Fire or what ever is opposite of your deity's spheres).
Way 2 > It is more integrated with the spheres of the deities. A cleric/priest of Storms 'turning' would summon a storm effect that causes effects in a radius around the cleric. A priest of death or plague causes damage to people in the area (spontaneous bleeding for death maybe and boils to appear and burst for plague). You could still have the 'classic' priest that affects undead with a barrier that each round causes an undead to make some sort of will test or retreat from the area (with additional rounds spent in the aura building escalating damage like being dipped in acid).