Rebuke Undead

[Mitth'raw'nuruo]

We had a debate in our group today about what happens when undead are Rebuke.

Turning Checks

Effect and Duration of Turning
Turned undead flee from you by the best and fastest means available to them. They flee for 10 rounds (1 minute). If they cannot flee, they cower (giving any attack rolls against them a +2 bonus). If you approach within 10 feet of them, however, they overcome being turned and act normally. (You can stand within 10 feet without breaking the turning effect—you just can’t approach them.) You can attack them with ranged attacks (from at least 10 feet away), and others can attack them in any fashion, without breaking the turning effect.

Evil Clerics and Undead
Evil clerics channel negative energy to rebuke (awe) or command (control) undead rather than channeling positive energy to turn or destroy them. An evil cleric makes the equivalent of a turning check. Undead that would be turned are rebuked instead, and those that would be destroyed are commanded.

Rebuked
A rebuked undead creature cowers as if in awe (attack rolls against the creature get a +2 bonus). The effect lasts 10 rounds.


Do the question is, would a a cleric channeling negative energy, would approaching them break their cowering? Would anything break it? Such as attacking them?

[Greenish]

As written, they will just cower for 10 rounds, no matter what, it seems.

[Coidzor]

Attacking turned undead doesn't cause them to cease being turned so why would rebuked undead cease being rebuked if they got attacked without it being specified?

Basically it just means that they're cowering but won't flee from the cleric first, so that the cleric and his friends can just beat on 'em. Which is a bit more useful in certain situations where you don't want the undead to have any of them run away or have to be fought later as opposed to now.

Most effects that would cause a turned undead to cease being turned would probably also make a rebuked undead cease to be rebuked though. I'd probably rule that a cleric could use a use of rebuke undead to dispel another cleric's rebuking, for instance even though the RAW is silent on whether a rebuked undead can have its rebuking dispelled in such a way...

[PlzBreakMyCmpAn]

Wait, people rebuke undead with the goal of making them cower? I prefer commanding any undead not turning immune, perso

[Coidzor]

Wait, people rebuke undead with the goal of making them cower? I prefer commanding any undead not turning immune, perso

Well, sometimes you encounter undead while you're level 1 and can't afford level enhancers... or at least not enough to be able to command more than 1 HD undead. Seems like one might as well Rebuke in those situations, especially if they've run down on spells as low level characters are wont to do.