Still Not Done With PF1: The Channeler Base Class (Patreon)

The free "Periodical PF1" entry this week is a new base class that ended up someplace very different than I was originally aiming at. The class is the Channeler, which is built almost entirely around the "channel energy" class feature of the cleric. Seen as core to many cleric builds, channel energy can also be accessed in various ways by the antipaladin and paladin, life mystery oracles, warpriests, and a few of archetypes. But channeling is always a secondary ability, taking back seat to spells and/or martial prowess.

When I BEGAN this design, I was thinking in terms of a healer class. But I realized I wanted an anti-healer as well, and then a channeler in general, and then I hit on how MANY channel energy feats there are, and how few ever see use in a single game group. Giving channelers unrestricted access to such feats both lets the class do things with their class feature others cannot, it also brings a huge swatch of existing game content into the spotlight.

I swung back and forth about whether the channeler should be locked in to just positive energy, or just negative energy. In the end I gave them access to positive and negative energy, but when granting access to the ability to remove or cause afflictions with their channels, I forced the class to pick between the two powers. This lets channelers use their core class feature to aid and harm, but still gives each channeler a focus toward healing or harming.

On spells, I did end up giving channelers 0-9th level spells, but locked them into the most restricted class spell list ever. Essentially a channeler's spells represent a new way to access their positive or negative energy, letting them add or remove conditions and damage, but not much else.

After some Xs vs Os head-to-head playtesting, I found the channeler at mid and higher levels was just a BIT underpowered. The fact the number of times they can channel is tied to Charisma mod rather than level, and that the channeler is likely to PRIMARILY be channeling (without the marital fallback common to clerics and oracles) caused the channeler to often expend more than half their channel energy uses in a single encounter. I added lesser channeling as a way to extend their staying power for multiple encounters (since they can often recharge it for each encounter) without giving them tons more power in a single encounter.

("Positive... Negative... I'm the guy with channeled energy." Art by Jacob Blackmon.)

THE CHANNELER

Role: A channeler has power over the raw energies of life and death. Unlike many who can channel this energy, a channeler is not restricted to only access the positive or negative energy of the universe. This allows them to heal with ease... but also gives them the power to harm every living (or unliving) creature around them. Most channelers act as healers for either the living or the undead, and as such always find their services in demand, but some instead take roles as battlefield agents, offering their ability to damage foes in a radius for hire and becoming living siege weapons.

Alignment: A channeler may be of any alignment. Many channelers do worship gods that match their alignment and ethics, but it is not the source of their abilities. Like druids and shamans, channelers are tied directly into a deeper, more primal power.

Hit Die: d8.

Starting Wealth: 4d6 x 10 gp (average 140 gp).

Class Skills

The channeler's class skills are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Channelers are proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).

Spells: A channeler casts divine spells which are drawn from the channeler spell list, presented at the end of this class. They can cast any spell from that spell list without preparing it ahead of time, assuming they have spell slots of the appropriate level remaining. To cast a spell, a channeler must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a channeler's spell is 10 + the spell level + the channeler's Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a channeler can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Their base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Channeler Spell Slots. In addition, they receive bonus spells per day if they have a high Charisma score.

Channel Energy (Su): Any channeler can release a wave of energy by channeling the power of their devotion through their body. This energy can be used to cause or heal damage, depending on the type of energy channeled and the creatures targeted.Each time a channeler channels energy, they can choose to channel positive energy or negative energy. Positive energy can deal damage to undead creatures or heal living creatures. Negative energy can deal damage to living creatures or heal the undead. The channeler decides if they are channeling positive or negative energy, and if they are channeling to heal or harm. Channelers qualify for feats and abilities that have “channel positive energy” or “channel negative energy” as a prerequisite. If a channeling feat refers to your cleric level, use your channeler class level.

Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the channeler. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every two channeler levels (2d6 at 2nd, 3d6 at 4th, and so on). Creatures that take damage from channeled energy receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the channeler's level + the channeler's Charisma modifier. Creatures healed by channeled energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost.

A channeler may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + their Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A channeler can choose whether or not to include themselves in this effect. Beginning at 4th level, a channeler also has the ability to do one lesser channel. A lesser channel does 2 fewer dice of healing or damage, but the ability to create a lesser channel is restored after 10 minutes of rest and meditation. At 11th level a channeler can create a lesser channel twice before restoring the ability, and at 18th level they can do it three times.

Weal or Woe: Although all channelers can channel both positive and negative energy to heal or harm, channelers' training, background, and personal preferences pushes them to either become more expert healers, or learn to better harm their foes. At first level a channeler must choose if they are a weal channeler, or a woe channeler. A weal channeler gains the class features combat medic, merciful healing, true healer, and greater merciful healing. A woe channeler gains the class features combat caster,

Weal

Combat Medic (Ex): At 1st level, a weal channeler does not provoke attacks of opportunity when using the Heal skill to stabilize another creature or casting spells of the 'healing' subschool of conjuration.

Merciful Healing (Su): At 3rd level, a weal channeler can channel positive energy to relieve one or more harmful conditions. The channeler chooses one of the following harmful conditions at 3rd level: fatigued, shaken, or sickened. When the channeler channels energy to heal, they can remove the chosen condition from one creature that she heals within their channel energy burst. At 6th level, they can choose another condition. It can be one of those they didn’t choose at 3rd level, or one of the following conditions: dazed, diseased, or staggered. The channeler can remove the selected condition or the one chosen at 3rd level from up to two creatures within their channel energy burst. The channeler gains another condition at 9th level, and can choose an above condition or one of the following conditions: cursed, exhausted, frightened, nauseated, or poisoned. The channeler can remove that condition, or a condition they previously chose, from one or two creatures within the burst. Finally, at 12th level, they can choose a lower-level condition or one of the following conditions: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or stunned. They can remove that condition or one she previously chose from one, two, or three creatures within her channel energy burst. Feats and effects that affect a paladin’s mercy also affect this ability, and the channeler is considered to have the lay on hands class feature and treats their channeler level as their paladin level when meeting prerequisites for such feats.

True Healer (Su): At 8th level, when a channeler uses channel energy to heal, they can choose to apply the benefits of merciful healing or to reroll any 1s when determining how much damage the channel energy heals. They must choose which benefit to take before rolling to see how much damage they heal.

Greater Merciful Healing (Su): At 15th level, the channeler can select two additional conditions from those not yet selected from merciful healing. When channeling, they can remove up to three conditions from one creature affected, or one condition from all creatures affected. At 18th level, the channeler can select yet another two conditions from merciful healer.

Woe

Combat Caster (Ex): At 1st level, a woe channeler does not provoke attack of opportunity when casting a channeler spell with a range of touch.

Cruel Infliction (Su): At 3rd level, a woe channeler can channel harmful energy to cause one or more harmful conditions. The channeler chooses one of the following harmful conditions at 3rd level: fatigued, shaken, or sickened. When the channeler channels energy to do damage, they target one creature damaged by their channel energy burst. That target must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1/2 channeler level + channeler Charisma bonus) or suffer the condition for 1 round per level of the channeler. At 6th level, they can choose another condition. It can be one of those they didn’t choose at 3rd level, or one of the following conditions: dazed (1 round), diseased (as the contagion spell), or staggered (1 round/channeler level). The channeler can remove the selected condition or the one chosen at 3rd level from up to two creatures within their channel energy burst (Fortitude negates). The channeler gains another condition at 9th level, and can choose an above condition or one of the following conditions: cursed (as bestow curse spell), frightened (1 round/2 channeler levels, must have previous selected the shaken condition), nauseated (1 round 3/channeler levels, must have previously selected the sickened condition), or poisoned (as the poison spell). The channeler can inflict that condition, or a condition they previously chose, on one target creatures within the burst. Finally, at 12th level, they can choose a lower-level condition or one of the following conditions: blinded (1 round/channeler level), deafened (1 round/channeler level), paralyzed (1 round), or stunned (1 round/4 channeler levels, must have previously selected the staggered condition). They can inflict that condition or one they previously chose from one target within the channel energy burst. No matter how many conditions the channeler has access to, they can only inflict a single condition on a single target each time they channel. Feats and effects that affect an antipaladin’s cruelty also affect this ability, and the channeler is considered to have the touch of corruption class feature and treats their channeler level as their antipaladin level when meeting prerequisites for such feats.

True Malefactor (Su): At 8th level, when a woe channeler uses channel energy to deal damage, they can choose to apply a cruel infliction or to reroll any 1s when determining how much damage the channel energy does. They must choose which option to use before rolling to see how much damage they deal.

Greater Cruel Infliction (Su): At 15th level, the woe channeler can select two additional conditions from those not yet selected from cruel infliction. When channeling, they can target two creatures within their channeling burst with their infliction. At 18th level, the woe channeler can select yet another two conditions from cruel infliction.

Spell Channel (Su): As a standard action the channeler can sacrifice a channeler spell slot to channel energy without it counting against your maximum uses per day of channel energy. Channeling energy in this way is limited to a number of dice equal to the spell slot's level, and its save DC is equal to 10 + spell slot level + the channeler's Charisma modifier.

Channeler's Eye (Ex): At 2nd level, a channeler's training with power that can heal or harm creatures of different types allows them to easily identify what type of entity creatures are, and sometimes to determine their strengths and weaknesses. A channeler can make a Heal check to identify a creature's type, as if using and trained in the appropriate Knowledge check. For every 5 points by which their check result exceeds the DC, the channeler can determine one strength or weakness of the creature. The strengths and weaknesses identified are normally connected to the creature's physical nature or movement (such as DR, energy resistance, movement rates, vulnerabilities, and so on), at determined by the GM.

Bonus Feats: At 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and every other level thereafter, a channeler gains a bonus feat. These bonus feats are in addition to the feats that a character of any class gets from advancing levels. The feat must be selected from the list below. The channeler must meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat except prerequisites that require the channeler to be of a specific species, be able to cast a certain type of spell, have a specific domain or blessing, or worship a specific deity.

It's extremely common, but not required, for a channeler to take Selective Channel as their 1st level bonus feat.

Align Equipment, Alignment Channel, Beacon of Hope, Bestow Hope, Blazing Channel, Bless Equipment, Bolster Undead, Channel Discord, Channel Endurance, Channel Force, Channel Hate, Channel Ray, Channel Smite, Channel Surge, Channel Viciousness, Channeled Shield Wall, Channeled Revival, Channeling Force, Clarifying Channel, Cleansing Burst, Command Animals, Command Plants, Command Undead, Contingent Channeling, Cry of Mercy, Divine Barrier, Elemental Channel, Energy Channel (select damage type each time you use this feat), Extra Channel, Fateful Channel, Forceful Channel, Greater Bless Equipment, Greater Channel Force, Greater Channel Smite, Greater Mercy, Hellish Shackles, Improved Bless Equipment, Improved Channel, Improved Channel Force, Ki Channel, Liberation Channel, Life Lure, Lingering Smite, Poisoner's Channel, Protective Channel, Purifying Channel, Quick Channel, Reactive Healing, Reviving Channel, Seductive Channel, Selfish Channel, Shatter Resolve, Siphon Channel, Steelskin Channel, Stone to Flesh Savant, Sycophant, Thicket Channel, Touch of Evil, Trailblazing Channel, Turn Undead, Ultimate Mercy, Wild Growth Channel

Variant Channeling (Su): At 5th level, the channeler gains access to a form of variant channeling. The channeler can select any variant channeling option, without having to worship the related deity or have access to the related domain. When the channeler uses channel energy, they can use the standard channel energy rules or instead use any one variant channel they have access to.

The channeler gain access to another variant channeling option at 7th, 11th, 13th, 17th, and 19th level.

Swift Channel (Su): At 20th level a channeler can channel energy as a swift action.

Channeler Spell List

0-Level—bleed, detect magic, detect poison, stabilize; 1st—cure light wounds, diagnose disease, inflict light wounds, ray of sickening; 2nd—cure moderate wounds, delay disease, inflict moderate wounds, lesser restoration; 3rd—contagion, cure serious wounds, inflict serious wounds, remove disease; 4th—cure critical wounds, inflict critical wounds, neutralize poison, restoration; 5th—break enchantment, breath of life, raise dead, slay living; 6th—greater neutralize poison, harm, heal, plague storm; 7th—destruction, greater restoration, regenerate, resurrection; 8th—mass cure critical wounds, mass inflict critical wounds, horrid wilting, soulreaver; 9th—energy drain, mass heal, suffocation (mass), true resurrection.