Violet Octopus
2010-10-12, 12:54 AM
Two things were annoying me:
* Turning is not very good, and quickly becomes obsolete.
* Pretty much PrC or feat that builds on turning (other than a couple of token feats like Elemental Smite) is specifically keyed to turn/rebuke undead only. Even though element and plant turning are in core.
This is my stab at fixing the first problem without adding to the second. Any feedback is appreciated.
edit: New divine feats a few posts down (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9542647&postcount=5).
Hallowed Channeler
Many clerics have lost their way. They see their ability to turn undead, which Providence granted to them, as weak. The properly pious would learn to develop and refine this power, but instead they find ways to redirect its energy into more "useful" areas, such as fuelling their metamagic. Often they never use it for its intended purpose: banishing the scourge of the undead. The hallowed channelers have more faith in their gods. They understand that with discipline, they may fully realise the divine power they wield.
The hallowed channelers are a loose, multifaith network of priests and holy warriors that have mastered their ability to turn undead. While not opposed to the occasional creative use of divine energy, they worry that it represents a growing trend of clerics questioning the judgement of the gods they are supposedly devoted to. They are an open group, and will teach what they know to any willing good or neutral-aligned servant of the gods. However, because of this openness, the techniques they have developed have spread to those who seek to control rather than destroy undead, and to others with more esoteric powers over elementals or plants.
BECOMING A HALLOWED CHANNELER
While most hallowed channelers are clerics, it is possible for other classes to enter if they gain the ability to turn or rebuke. Some paladins, willing to sacrifice some martial prowess to match their cleric brethren in turning undead, join the class, as do wizards and bards who have already become sacred exorcists. Druids and favored souls may have trouble meeting the skill requirements, but still occasionally join. While not members of the organisation, evil clerics and dread necromancers have corrupted their teachings, and are also a significant minority. The rarest members are those who have a more unusual turning or rebuking ability, such as that granted by the Air, Earth, Fire, Water or Plant domains. However, they find the lore of the hallowed channelers is just as applicable to their abilities.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Skills: Knowledge (religion) 8 ranks
Special: Ability to turn or rebuke. Any such ability qualifies - turn undead is the most common, but a sorcerer that somehow gained the Fire domain's granted power would also meet this requirement.
Class Skills
The hallowed channeler's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), (Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis) and Spellcraft (Int). If they are able to turn or rebuke a creature type or subtype other than undead, they gain additional Knowledge skills as class skills. This applies whether the turning or rebuking ability was possessed before entering the hallowed channeler prestige class, or was acquired after taking the first level.
{table=head]Affected Creature Type|Class Skill Gained
constructs, dragons, magical beasts|Knowledge (arcana)
aberrations, oozes|Knowledge (dungeoneering)
humanoids|Knowledge (local)
animals, fey, giants, monstrous humanoids, plants, vermin|Knowledge (nature)
elementals, outsiders, alignment- or element-subtyped creatures|Knowledge (the planes)[/table]
Note that if a hallowed channeler can, for example, rebuke creatures with the [Earth] subtype, they gain do not gain the Knowledge skills pertaining to every creature printed with the [Earth] subtype, they gain Knowledge (the planes) as a class skill.
Skills Points at Each Level: 2 + Int
Hit Dice: d8
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Improved Turning, sense the turnable|-
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Divine Repulsion, Empower Turning|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3|Controlled Turning|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Improved Divine Repulsion, Quicken Turning|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Turning Mastery|+1 level of existing spellcasting class[/table]
Weapon Proficiencies: A hallowed channeler gains no proficiencies with any weapons or armor.
Spellcasting: At each level beyond the first, you gain new spells per day/spells known as if you had also gained a level in whatever spellcasting class you belonged to before entering this prestige class. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you have more than one spellcasting class, you must decide to which class to add each level of hallowed channeler for the purpose of determining spells per day/spells known.
Improved Turning: As a hallowed channeler, you have refined your technique when channeling divine energy and are guaranteed to have at least some effect on your foes (or minions). Whenever you make a turn or rebuke attempt, any creatures that are legitimate targets of your turning or rebuking ability but are unaffected by it, are instead affected as if shaken. That is, they receive a -2 penalty to attack rolls, saving throws, skill and ability checks, but this condition does not stack with being actually shaken.
Further, you add your hallowed channeler class level to your effective cleric level for the purpose of making turn or rebuke attempts.
Sense the Turnable (Sp): At will and as a standard action, you may create an effect similar to detect undead, except that you detect creatures vulnerable to your turning or rebuking. If you have multiple kinds of turning or rebuking, every time you use this spell-like ability you must choose to which kind it applies. Full details are under the spoiler.
Sense the Turnable
Divination
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 60 ft.
Area: Cone-shaped emanation
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute/ level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Select a type of turning or rebuking ability you possess (e.g. turn undead, turn air creatures/rebuke earth creatures, rebuke plants). You can detect the aura that surrounds creatures of that type/subtype. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area.
1st Round
Presence or absence of auras of the appropriate type or subtype. If your chosen ability has different targets for turning and rebuking (e.g. the Earth domain's granted power of either turning air creatures or rebuking earth creatures), you sense the presence or absence of each aura type/subtype independently.
2nd Round
Number of auras in the area (of each type/subtype, if applicable) and the type/subtype and strength of the strongest aura present. If the strongest aura’s strength is overwhelming (see below), and the creature has HD of at least twice your character level, you are stunned for 1 round and the spell-like ability ends.
3rd Round
The strength, location and type/subtype of each aura. If an aura is outside your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its exact location.
Aura Strength
The strength of an aura is determined by the HD of the creature, as given on the following table:
{table=head]HD|Strength
1 or lower|Faint
2-4|Moderate
5-10|Strong
11 or higher|Overwhelming[/table]
Lingering Aura
An aura lingers after its original source is destroyed. If sense the turnable is cast and directed at such a location, the spell-like ability indicates an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power:
{table=head]Original Strength|Duration of Lingering Aura
Faint|1d6 rounds
Moderate|1d6 minutes
Strong|1d6x10 minutes
Overwhelming|1d6 days[/table]
Each round, you can turn to detect creatures in a new area. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
Divine Repulsion (Su): At second level, you can channel divine power to form a protective halo of energy against the creatures you can turn or rebuke. You can spend a turn or rebuke attempt as a swift action to impart this halo to a single willing creature you touch. The halo has a duration in rounds equal to your effective cleric level when turning. If the halo's recipient is the subject of an attempted melee attack or melee touch attack from a creature vulnerable to the type of turning/rebuking used, that creature must make a Will save (10 + your class level + your Charisma modifier) or be unable to make the attack. They do not, however, lose their action, and may attempt to do something else. On subsequent rounds, they may attempt to attack the recipient again, incurring additional Will saves. Once they succeed on a Will save, that creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours (even if attacking a different creature with a halo).
Empower Turning: At second level, you gain Empower Turning as a bonus feat, even if you don't meet the prerequisites. You may apply the feat to any turning or rebuking attempts you make, even they affect a creature type or subtype other than undead. If you already have this feat, you instead gain a bonus [Divine] feat for which you meet the prerequisites.
Controlled Turning (Su): At third level, when you make a turn or rebuke attempt, you are no longer restricted to applying turning damage to targets by order of proximity. You choose the order in which you apply turning damage to targets, however they must still meet other requirements, such as maximum range and line of effect.
Improved Divine Repulsion (Su): At fourth level, the haloes you create with your Divine Repulsion ability are strong enough to make affected creatures lose their edge in combat. Whenever a creature of the appropriate type or subtype makes a successful melee attack or melee touch attack against a creature with a halo, it incurs an attack of opportunity from that creature.
Quicken Turning: At fourth level, you gain Quicken Turning as a bonus feat, even if you don't meet the prerequisites. You may apply the feat to any turning or rebuking attempts you make, even they affect a creature type/subtype other than undead. If you already have this feat, you may instead gain a bonus [Divine] feat that you meet the prerequisites for.
Turning Mastery (Su): At fifth level, you perfect the fundamental technique of turning. Where the average cleric's form is too sloppy to be likely to affect the most powerful undead, your mastery of the basics leaves you prepared for the entirety of your adventuring career. You add one third of your character level as a bonus to your turning check and turning damage rolls.
Multiclassing Note: A paladin who becomes a hallowed channeler may continue advancing as a paladin.
HALLOWED CHANNELERS IN THE GAME
The design intent behind the hallowed channeler's abilities is that while they should make turning more flexible and powerful, they should have zero synergy with easily abusable feats like Divine Metamagic. Thus, they get no extra turning attempts, and the bonus divine feats don't make it any easier to pick up DMM. The idea behind the capstone was to make turning scale properly with the relationship between HD and CR of undead in the Monster Manual (not counting templates or advancing monster HD). Hopefully, a level 15 cleric/hallowed channeler will be about as good at turning a CR 15 undead as a level 3 cleric is against a CR 3 undead.
The goal is not to let clerics one-shot encounters with boss-level undead. If you think your lich BBEG is too vulnerable to a hallowed channeler in your game, giving it a few extra undead hit dice will make it harder to turn without putting its CR through the roof. Other options include: Improved Turn Resistance (from Libris Mortis), adding a Quell or two to the encounter (also Libris Mortis), Divine Interdiction (Spell Compendium), or simply an evil cleric who can bolster undead. Remember that turning also has a maximum range of 60 feet and requires line of effect - intelligent undead are quite capable of ranged skirmishing tactics. Be wary about allowing this class to a character that can turn really unusual creature types, particularly types like fey which tend to have low HD for their CR.
Adaptation: This was written to be as accommodating as possible for different characters, even secondary spellcasters like paladin or bard. However, you may wish to restrict it to heavily favour one class or a particular type of turning or rebuking. Giving it full BAB and a d10 hit die, then requiring Divine Grace and a BAB of +5 to enter would make for an excellent paladin order. Changes to class abilities could include letting class levels stack with paladin for Smite Evil, and the ability to let it affect evil or chaotic outsiders with its turning. Another option is to make it into an explicit plant controlling class for a druid, spirit shaman or ranger. In this case, it would be best to grant Rebuke Plants at 1st level instead of requiring a dumpster dive through the books to add the Plant domain to a noncleric.
Adapting this class to the Pathfinder RPG requires some work. The turning mechanics are simplified - all undead within range must make a Will save or flee as if panicked. Improved Turning still works as a class feature, simply on a failed save, but Empower Turning, Controlled Turning and Turning Mastery have no meaningful effect. They could be replaced with increases to save DCs and to the range of a character's turning, which Pathfinder lowered from 60 feet to 30 feet.
* Turning is not very good, and quickly becomes obsolete.
* Pretty much PrC or feat that builds on turning (other than a couple of token feats like Elemental Smite) is specifically keyed to turn/rebuke undead only. Even though element and plant turning are in core.
This is my stab at fixing the first problem without adding to the second. Any feedback is appreciated.
edit: New divine feats a few posts down (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9542647&postcount=5).
Hallowed Channeler
Many clerics have lost their way. They see their ability to turn undead, which Providence granted to them, as weak. The properly pious would learn to develop and refine this power, but instead they find ways to redirect its energy into more "useful" areas, such as fuelling their metamagic. Often they never use it for its intended purpose: banishing the scourge of the undead. The hallowed channelers have more faith in their gods. They understand that with discipline, they may fully realise the divine power they wield.
The hallowed channelers are a loose, multifaith network of priests and holy warriors that have mastered their ability to turn undead. While not opposed to the occasional creative use of divine energy, they worry that it represents a growing trend of clerics questioning the judgement of the gods they are supposedly devoted to. They are an open group, and will teach what they know to any willing good or neutral-aligned servant of the gods. However, because of this openness, the techniques they have developed have spread to those who seek to control rather than destroy undead, and to others with more esoteric powers over elementals or plants.
BECOMING A HALLOWED CHANNELER
While most hallowed channelers are clerics, it is possible for other classes to enter if they gain the ability to turn or rebuke. Some paladins, willing to sacrifice some martial prowess to match their cleric brethren in turning undead, join the class, as do wizards and bards who have already become sacred exorcists. Druids and favored souls may have trouble meeting the skill requirements, but still occasionally join. While not members of the organisation, evil clerics and dread necromancers have corrupted their teachings, and are also a significant minority. The rarest members are those who have a more unusual turning or rebuking ability, such as that granted by the Air, Earth, Fire, Water or Plant domains. However, they find the lore of the hallowed channelers is just as applicable to their abilities.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Skills: Knowledge (religion) 8 ranks
Special: Ability to turn or rebuke. Any such ability qualifies - turn undead is the most common, but a sorcerer that somehow gained the Fire domain's granted power would also meet this requirement.
Class Skills
The hallowed channeler's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), (Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis) and Spellcraft (Int). If they are able to turn or rebuke a creature type or subtype other than undead, they gain additional Knowledge skills as class skills. This applies whether the turning or rebuking ability was possessed before entering the hallowed channeler prestige class, or was acquired after taking the first level.
{table=head]Affected Creature Type|Class Skill Gained
constructs, dragons, magical beasts|Knowledge (arcana)
aberrations, oozes|Knowledge (dungeoneering)
humanoids|Knowledge (local)
animals, fey, giants, monstrous humanoids, plants, vermin|Knowledge (nature)
elementals, outsiders, alignment- or element-subtyped creatures|Knowledge (the planes)[/table]
Note that if a hallowed channeler can, for example, rebuke creatures with the [Earth] subtype, they gain do not gain the Knowledge skills pertaining to every creature printed with the [Earth] subtype, they gain Knowledge (the planes) as a class skill.
Skills Points at Each Level: 2 + Int
Hit Dice: d8
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Improved Turning, sense the turnable|-
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Divine Repulsion, Empower Turning|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3|Controlled Turning|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Improved Divine Repulsion, Quicken Turning|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Turning Mastery|+1 level of existing spellcasting class[/table]
Weapon Proficiencies: A hallowed channeler gains no proficiencies with any weapons or armor.
Spellcasting: At each level beyond the first, you gain new spells per day/spells known as if you had also gained a level in whatever spellcasting class you belonged to before entering this prestige class. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you have more than one spellcasting class, you must decide to which class to add each level of hallowed channeler for the purpose of determining spells per day/spells known.
Improved Turning: As a hallowed channeler, you have refined your technique when channeling divine energy and are guaranteed to have at least some effect on your foes (or minions). Whenever you make a turn or rebuke attempt, any creatures that are legitimate targets of your turning or rebuking ability but are unaffected by it, are instead affected as if shaken. That is, they receive a -2 penalty to attack rolls, saving throws, skill and ability checks, but this condition does not stack with being actually shaken.
Further, you add your hallowed channeler class level to your effective cleric level for the purpose of making turn or rebuke attempts.
Sense the Turnable (Sp): At will and as a standard action, you may create an effect similar to detect undead, except that you detect creatures vulnerable to your turning or rebuking. If you have multiple kinds of turning or rebuking, every time you use this spell-like ability you must choose to which kind it applies. Full details are under the spoiler.
Sense the Turnable
Divination
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 60 ft.
Area: Cone-shaped emanation
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute/ level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Select a type of turning or rebuking ability you possess (e.g. turn undead, turn air creatures/rebuke earth creatures, rebuke plants). You can detect the aura that surrounds creatures of that type/subtype. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area.
1st Round
Presence or absence of auras of the appropriate type or subtype. If your chosen ability has different targets for turning and rebuking (e.g. the Earth domain's granted power of either turning air creatures or rebuking earth creatures), you sense the presence or absence of each aura type/subtype independently.
2nd Round
Number of auras in the area (of each type/subtype, if applicable) and the type/subtype and strength of the strongest aura present. If the strongest aura’s strength is overwhelming (see below), and the creature has HD of at least twice your character level, you are stunned for 1 round and the spell-like ability ends.
3rd Round
The strength, location and type/subtype of each aura. If an aura is outside your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its exact location.
Aura Strength
The strength of an aura is determined by the HD of the creature, as given on the following table:
{table=head]HD|Strength
1 or lower|Faint
2-4|Moderate
5-10|Strong
11 or higher|Overwhelming[/table]
Lingering Aura
An aura lingers after its original source is destroyed. If sense the turnable is cast and directed at such a location, the spell-like ability indicates an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power:
{table=head]Original Strength|Duration of Lingering Aura
Faint|1d6 rounds
Moderate|1d6 minutes
Strong|1d6x10 minutes
Overwhelming|1d6 days[/table]
Each round, you can turn to detect creatures in a new area. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
Divine Repulsion (Su): At second level, you can channel divine power to form a protective halo of energy against the creatures you can turn or rebuke. You can spend a turn or rebuke attempt as a swift action to impart this halo to a single willing creature you touch. The halo has a duration in rounds equal to your effective cleric level when turning. If the halo's recipient is the subject of an attempted melee attack or melee touch attack from a creature vulnerable to the type of turning/rebuking used, that creature must make a Will save (10 + your class level + your Charisma modifier) or be unable to make the attack. They do not, however, lose their action, and may attempt to do something else. On subsequent rounds, they may attempt to attack the recipient again, incurring additional Will saves. Once they succeed on a Will save, that creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours (even if attacking a different creature with a halo).
Empower Turning: At second level, you gain Empower Turning as a bonus feat, even if you don't meet the prerequisites. You may apply the feat to any turning or rebuking attempts you make, even they affect a creature type or subtype other than undead. If you already have this feat, you instead gain a bonus [Divine] feat for which you meet the prerequisites.
Controlled Turning (Su): At third level, when you make a turn or rebuke attempt, you are no longer restricted to applying turning damage to targets by order of proximity. You choose the order in which you apply turning damage to targets, however they must still meet other requirements, such as maximum range and line of effect.
Improved Divine Repulsion (Su): At fourth level, the haloes you create with your Divine Repulsion ability are strong enough to make affected creatures lose their edge in combat. Whenever a creature of the appropriate type or subtype makes a successful melee attack or melee touch attack against a creature with a halo, it incurs an attack of opportunity from that creature.
Quicken Turning: At fourth level, you gain Quicken Turning as a bonus feat, even if you don't meet the prerequisites. You may apply the feat to any turning or rebuking attempts you make, even they affect a creature type/subtype other than undead. If you already have this feat, you may instead gain a bonus [Divine] feat that you meet the prerequisites for.
Turning Mastery (Su): At fifth level, you perfect the fundamental technique of turning. Where the average cleric's form is too sloppy to be likely to affect the most powerful undead, your mastery of the basics leaves you prepared for the entirety of your adventuring career. You add one third of your character level as a bonus to your turning check and turning damage rolls.
Multiclassing Note: A paladin who becomes a hallowed channeler may continue advancing as a paladin.
HALLOWED CHANNELERS IN THE GAME
The design intent behind the hallowed channeler's abilities is that while they should make turning more flexible and powerful, they should have zero synergy with easily abusable feats like Divine Metamagic. Thus, they get no extra turning attempts, and the bonus divine feats don't make it any easier to pick up DMM. The idea behind the capstone was to make turning scale properly with the relationship between HD and CR of undead in the Monster Manual (not counting templates or advancing monster HD). Hopefully, a level 15 cleric/hallowed channeler will be about as good at turning a CR 15 undead as a level 3 cleric is against a CR 3 undead.
The goal is not to let clerics one-shot encounters with boss-level undead. If you think your lich BBEG is too vulnerable to a hallowed channeler in your game, giving it a few extra undead hit dice will make it harder to turn without putting its CR through the roof. Other options include: Improved Turn Resistance (from Libris Mortis), adding a Quell or two to the encounter (also Libris Mortis), Divine Interdiction (Spell Compendium), or simply an evil cleric who can bolster undead. Remember that turning also has a maximum range of 60 feet and requires line of effect - intelligent undead are quite capable of ranged skirmishing tactics. Be wary about allowing this class to a character that can turn really unusual creature types, particularly types like fey which tend to have low HD for their CR.
Adaptation: This was written to be as accommodating as possible for different characters, even secondary spellcasters like paladin or bard. However, you may wish to restrict it to heavily favour one class or a particular type of turning or rebuking. Giving it full BAB and a d10 hit die, then requiring Divine Grace and a BAB of +5 to enter would make for an excellent paladin order. Changes to class abilities could include letting class levels stack with paladin for Smite Evil, and the ability to let it affect evil or chaotic outsiders with its turning. Another option is to make it into an explicit plant controlling class for a druid, spirit shaman or ranger. In this case, it would be best to grant Rebuke Plants at 1st level instead of requiring a dumpster dive through the books to add the Plant domain to a noncleric.
Adapting this class to the Pathfinder RPG requires some work. The turning mechanics are simplified - all undead within range must make a Will save or flee as if panicked. Improved Turning still works as a class feature, simply on a failed save, but Empower Turning, Controlled Turning and Turning Mastery have no meaningful effect. They could be replaced with increases to save DCs and to the range of a character's turning, which Pathfinder lowered from 60 feet to 30 feet.