D&D 3E/3.5 Meshing Channel Energy Ability with 3.5E D&D Rules

[Olaf the Stout]

I run a 3.5E D&D campaign, but I really don't like the 3.5E Turn Undead rules. So what I am doing is using the Channel Energy rules from Pathfinder RPG.

The slight problem I run into is dealing with things like the +2 synergy bonus having 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) gives to Turn Undead checks or creatures with Turn Resistance.

I was thinking of perhaps having a +2 bonus equate to a +1 bonus to the Will save for half damage. So the +2 synergy bonus from Knowledge (Religion) would increase the save DC by 1. A creature with +4 Turn Resistance would get a +2 bonus to their Will save vs Channel Energy.

Has anyone else tried using the Channel Energy rules with 3.5E? How did you mesh it in with the 3.5E rules?

Olaf the Stout

 

[blargney the second]

PF undead have Channel Resistance:
Creatures with channel resistance gain a bonus on Will saves made against channeled energy. They add their bonus to any Will saves made to halve the damage and resist the effect.

Just overwrite turn resistance with that puppy, and drop the synergy bonus thing altogether.


If you want to stick to 3.5, Complete Divine had rules for an alternate turn undead ability that works very much like PF channeling.
-blarg

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I was wary about the +X Turn Resistance = +X to the Will save vs Channel Energy being too good for the bad guys. That was why I made +X TR = +1/2 to the Will save.

Maybe not halving the value helps to offset the fact that Channel Energy is a much better ability than Turn Undead though?

Thoughts?

Olaf the Stout

 

[blargney the second]

A quick comparison of four different undead found that they have the same turn/channel resistance bonus in PF and 3.5.

Fire at will!

 

[Voadam]

I was wary about the +X Turn Resistance = +X to the Will save vs Channel Energy being too good for the bad guys. That was why I made +X TR = +1/2 to the Will save.

Maybe not halving the value helps to offset the fact that Channel Energy is a much better ability than Turn Undead though?

Thoughts?

Olaf the Stout

I agree that channeling is a more useful and powerful ability than turning. Having it nerfed a bit by resistance is not a big deal.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Yeah, that's what I'm seeing. I think I'll ignore the +2 synergy bonus (Pathfinder doesn't have it) and keep Turn Resistance bonus = bonus to Will save. Even if the creature does make the save they still take half damage, so it will have some effect still (unlike Turn Undead).

The 30ft healing has already helped save the life of the Ranger after just 1 session, so I agree that it is a more powerful ability than Turn Undead (and I would have agreed anyway without even seeing it in action, that just confirmed it).

Olaf the Stout