PDA

View Full Version : 3.5 Gestalt Turn Undead



neoseph7
2009-08-29, 01:27 PM
I dusted off my Unearthed Arcana and decided to play a gestalt game here in the forums. Core only since Gestalt added a different challenge to the game to begin with, not to mention posting rates can turn an 8 player party to a 2 player party with no notice. Basically, I kept things simple to make up for troubles in determining CR.

The trouble I ran into was specifically with the Cleric's turn undead ability. Since the CR for encounters is supposed to be Level+2, that leaves a 1st level party fighting CR3 monsters. Thus far, the challenge has been just right. One spell per fight, 2-8 damage spread out to the party per encounter. No one seems to be complaining at the least. Then I throw out the zombie, which for CR3 has 8-10 hit dice. A cleric that rolls a natural 20 on their Turn Undead check just wasted a turn (since the max they can effect is 5 hit dice).

Before anyone asks, I didn't realize this issue before I made the dungeon (rolled randomly), and obviously I can simply include more undead of lower hit dice for a future encounter.

My question is this: Would it be fair to modify the Turn Undead Ability to make it more potent, or at least have a more direct effect?

Example: The turn undead ability would allow the cleric to use their check result as their caster level until the end of their next round for spells and abilities channeling or otherwise using positive energy (So cure spells would be more potent).

It seems like the ability would be far more useful at early levels than at higher ones. It means CLW is 1d8+5 rather than just 1d8+1 at first level for one round several times per day, which isn't so amazing. If the summon spells could bring something from the positive energy plane, this would be really broken, but I'm pretty sure core doesn't have anything like that.

So... comments?

drakir_nosslin
2009-08-29, 01:37 PM
I wouldn't do anything to give the cleric more power, it is one of the big 5 after all, instead of upping the power of the turn undead power, simply give undead negative turn resistance. It's simple and gives the cleric something to do with his ability. I realize that this gives the cleric the ability to control undead that are more powerful than normally, but in a gestalt game I'd rather see that than increasing the clerics casting power.

Or, you could just leave it as it is, there's lots of things that you can do with turning, destroying/controlling undead is just one of them.

Ashtagon
2009-08-29, 01:39 PM
Complete Divine has a variant that lets turn undead do damage to them instead of merely acting as a pseudo-fear effect. That might be what you are after. Pathfinder does something very similar.

Stycotl
2009-08-29, 04:39 PM
Complete Divine has a variant that lets turn undead do damage to them instead of merely acting as a pseudo-fear effect. That might be what you are after. Pathfinder does something very similar.

which variant thing are you referring to? i don't use complete divine much; in fact, i don't use divine casters much. but i would be interested in a variant, as i think that the current mechanic is kind of clumsy.

Godskook
2009-08-29, 05:09 PM
Its on page 87, if you have the book. Essentially, it gives clerics a d6/level 30' radius attack that has a DC 10+cleric level + cha mod. Its a will save for half, and turn resistance simply subtracts from the total damage.

Stycotl
2009-08-29, 07:21 PM
cool, thanks. that is smoother. reminds me of the spirit shaman's chastise spirits ability from the same book.