Turn undead ?

[Aloïsius]

How will it work ? We can be sure the old system will disappear, but what can replace it ? The UA optional system ? A special ability working like an attack against the will defense of the undead ?
Will the chanelling positive (or negative) energy thing remain a central feature of clerics, or will it be an option ? What are your thoughts ?

 

[Shadeydm]

I like the alternative mechanic where the turning does damage to undead but I am unsure how much of a "sacred cow" the current mechanic is to be honest.

 

[Shade]

I really hope they just implement a "channeling" mechanic, similar to a ki pool or whatnot, where divine characters can simply tap into their channeling uses to power various things.

I can't remember the last time the clerics or paladins in my 3x games even bothered turning undead, but they sure love those Divine feats.

 

[GreatLemur]

I'm really hoping that turning undead becomes an optional Cleric feature instead of a standard one, but I ain't holding out hope. At any rate, I'm sure the turning mechanic will get a nice overhaul. I expect it'll keep doing more or less the same thing (cause the affected undead to flee and/or cower) unless you take some feats or somesuch to modify it, but certainly we won't find ourselves consulting a freaking results table in 4E.

EDIT: I wouldn't mind if they just made "turn undead" into a spell. Never understood why Clerics have two separate "per day" resources to manage, even though all of their power is presumably coming from one source.

 

[KingCrab]

I'm hoping that when attacked or cornered, turned undead are automatically unturned in 4e.

 

[JRR_Talking]

id say whatever 1/round short range effect a 'diviner' gets is useable as a:

weak divine blast (say does d4 damage at 1st)
a decent divine heal (say heals d6 dam at 1st)
a strong undead burn (does d8 damage to undead at 1st)


and we do away with turn altogether....

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

I'm hopping clerics get a lot of new options that keep them from becoming clerics of Pelor with different shades of paint. Not all clerics should care about undead one way or the other, just as they should not focus on healing or harming.

Say you have a cleric that worships fire. What does he care about the undead? It's just something else to burn, or not.

Now water elementals? Death to the heretics!

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I think there needs to be some sort of "do damage or make undead retreat" mechanic ... it's enough of a sacred cow to keep the concept around.

But it better not even remotely resemble the current mechanic. This is 4E; I don't want to see any more tables.

A Cha-based attack roll would be the way I'd go, with damage based on cleric level (or something). And perhaps other flavors of cleric could get a similar "attack" capability, but against other critters.

Or here's a thought: cleric's turning channel's positive energy, right? Positive energy heals, right? So the turning mechanic and the healing mechanic become the same thing ... the cleric pulls out his holy symbol and busts out a positive aura, and heals his friends and hurts undead. The evil cleric, well, he'll heal undead and harm everyone else.

 

[Emirikol]

Turn undead should be abolished. It's a needless extra mechanic that should be replaced by a spell.

Jay

 

[F4NBOY]

Cleric makes a Turn Undead Check (1d20+cleric levels+cha modifier)
If the result is equal or more than the undead's Will Defense, the undead is turned.
If the result is 10 or more than the undead's Will Defense, the undead explodes.