Death Domain Granted Power

[Parasyn]

So I was browsing my players handbook the other day thinking about a new character and I stumbled across the death domain,
Granted Power: You may use a death touch once per day. Your death touch is a supernatural ability that produces a death effect. You must succeed on a melee touch attack against a living creature (using the rules for touch spells). When you touch, roll 1d6 per cleric level you possess. If the total at least equals the creature’s current hit points, it dies (no save).

wait no save? what? a level 10 cleric could touch a balor with average d6 rolls and kill it.... and if someone went straight cleric 20 they could kill anything with less than 60 HD most of the time, how is that balanced? i know it's just once a day, but still...... it seems too powerful to me when you compare other domain powers.

[Cog]

Total hit points, not hit dice. It'd take an 83rd level Cleric to have merely an even chance of bagging that Balor.

[grarrrg]

...roll 1d6 per cleric level you possess. If the total at least equals the creature’s current hit points, it dies (no save).

...cleric 20 they could kill anything with less than 60 HP most of the time

Bold for emphasis. Underline for correction.

Hit Points, not Hit Dice.

Edit: Suddenly...NINJAS!

[Parasyn]

wow.... i feel like the biggest idiot right now....:smalleek:

[Thurbane]

Would the Empower Supernatural Ability feat work with death touch? i.e. (1d6 per cleric level) + 50%?

[Cog]

Death touch doesn't have a variable numeric effect; it has a "you're dead" effect (or, more often, no effect). The d6s are merely used to determine whether that effect comes about, so Empower doesn't help.

[Thurbane]

Saving throws and opposed rolls (such as the one made when you cast dispel magic) and supernatural abilities without random variables are not affected.
...I would have thought the d6s you roll to see if the ability works or not would count as a random variable. I suppose it depends on your reading of the feat and the ability.

[Coidzor]

Deathbound is so much better. That way you have more undead to just wail on your enemies for you.

[Cog]

...I would have thought the d6s you roll to see if the ability works or not would count as a random variable.
They do. They're just not an effect. Note the Dispel Magic example; you roll to determine the effects of that as well, but the number is merely used to determine whether the outcome is "yes" or "no".