Divine

Divine feats in my campaign are generally either driven using channeling (granted by the Godsworn feat — Cleric or Paladin classes in core rules) or have domain powers as prerequisites.

Channelers no longer Turn Undead by default, they channel divine power. The specific applications of divine channeling depends on the feats they take; one such actually does allow them to Turn Undead.

Channeling does not have a particular alignment component, regardless of the character’s or god’s alignment, unless the god offers and the character gains the domain power of an alignment domain. Thus, even the noblest of paladins would not ‘channel good’ or ‘channel law’ unless he has the domain powers of these domains (of course, two prerequisites of the Paladin prestige class are that he has these domain powers, so this was actually a lousy example).

Similarly, I don’t differentiate between good and evil divine energy. It is not possible to gain both a sacred and a profane bonus, or suffer both sacred and profane damage.

All abilities that use channeling work from the same store of divine energy. If you can Turn Undead and Rebuke Elemental, use of either ability uses one channeling use for the day. Extra Channeling is recommended.

I view divine channelers to very much rely on their force of will and personality. Any ability that refers to the character’s Charisma bonus does not have a ‘+1 minimum’. If a power lasts for a number of rounds equal to his Charisma bonus and his Charisma is less than 12, he gains no benefit from the feat. On the other hand, if the duration were ‘5 + Charisma bonus rounds’, he would still the benefit for five rounds.

The feats still somewhat reflect the way I was handling divine spellcasting. A cleric could prepare spells from a greatly-reduced set of ‘cleric spells’ and from all domains of his god. He also had the domain powers of two of his god’s domains and could spontaneously cast from those two domains. By taking the Extra Domain Power and Extra Spontaneous Domain he could expand these abilities. Since all spellcasting in my campaign is now spontaneous the Extra Spontaneous Domain feat was no longer relevant. Since access to all domain powers is gained through divine feats (Domain Power specifically), Extra Domain Power was changed to Domain Power.

Feat Descriptions

Align Weapon [Divine]

Prereqs Godsworn, at least one alignment Domain Power

Benefit You may channel to align your weapon with any alignment for which you have the domain power. Your weapon does no more damage than normal, but is treated as aligned for the purpose of defeating Damage Reduction. Your weapon is aligned for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma bonus. You may not align a weapon to only one alignment, if you have the powers of two alignment domains.

For example, if a character with the domain.law and domain.evil domain powers and a Charisma of 16 uses this ability, his weapon will be considered (for the purpose of defeating Damage Reduction) to be both lawful and evil, for three rounds after he uses this ability.

Divine Competence [Divine]

You can call on your god’s grace for help in a task.

Prereqs Godsworn

Benefit Channel when using a skill associated with your god. You gain a +5 competence bonus to this skill check. You may not take 20 on this check but may take 10 if normally allowed.

Note Skill Focus gives +3 bonus to all checks with a single skill, this feat gives a +5 typed bonus to a number of skills, at the cost of a channeling use for the day.

Divine Flame [Divine]

Prereqs Align Weapon, Godsworn, at least one alignment Domain Power

Benefit You may channel to align your weapon (per Align Weapon) and sheathe it in divine energy for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma bonus. This energy does increased damage to creatures of opposing alignments.

For each opposing alignment type, +1d6 points of divine damage is taken on a successful attack. If not of an opposing alignment type, but of the opposing alignment, one half this amount of damage is taken.

For example, if a character with the Law and Evil domain powers and a Charisma of 16 uses this ability, his weapon will be considered (for the purpose of defeating Damage Reduction) to be both lawful and evil, for three rounds after he uses this ability. If he strikes a creature of the [Good] or [Chaotic] subtype, it takes an additional +1d6 points of divine damage. If he strikes a creature of [Good] and [Chaotic] subtypes, it takes +2d6 points of divine damage. If he strikes a creature of good or chaotic alignment (but not alignment subtypes) it takes an additional 2d3 points of damage. If he strikes a chaotic creature of the [Good] subtype, it takes an additional +1d6+1d3 points of divine damage.

Domain Power [Divine]

You can call on more powers of your god.

Prereqs Godsworn

Benefit Choose an additional domain of your god. You can use the domain power of that domain.

Normal You can use the domain powers of two of your god’s domains.

Note This feat may be selected multiple times. A different domain must be chosen each time.

Extend Channeling [Divine]

The benefits of your channelings last longer.

Benefit Any time you channel and the duration of the results of your channeling is a number of rounds based on your Charisma bonus, the duration is extended by two rounds.

Special You may take this feat more than once. Its effects stack.

Extra Channeling [Divine]

You can channel your god’s power more frequently.

Prereqs Godsworn

Benefit Each time you take this feat, you can use your ability to channel divine power four more times per day than normal.

Normal Without this feat, you can channel divine power a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

Special You can take this feat more than once and its effects stack.

Extra Spontaneous Domain [Divine]

You can spontaneously cast from more domains.

Prereqs Godsworn, Domain Power

Benefit Choose an additional domain of your god, that you can use the domain power of. You can spontaneously cast spells from that domain.

Normal You can spontaneously cast spells from your two chosen domains.

Note This feat may be selected multiple times. A different domain must be chosen each time.

Godsworn [Divine]

You are sworn to a god’s service and receive power from your god.

Benefit Choose a god. You are sworn to his service (and must follow his rules). You can channel this god’s power — you gain the ability to channel divine power a number of times equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

Also, you may add all [Divine] feats to your list of class feats for all classes.

Improved Domain Casting [Divine]

Prereqs Godsworn

Benefit Choose a domain you can cast spells from. When casting a spell from this domain you may channel for a bonus to your caster level equal to your Charisma bonus.

Special You may choose this feat more than once. You must choose a different domain each time and the effects do not stack.

Note I considered ‘make a turn check and use the check result as the caster level’ but decided using the Charisma bonus was simpler and quicker in play.

Lay on Hands [Divine]

Prereqs Godsworn, Non-evil alignment

Benefit You can channel to restore lost hit points equal to one day’s healing (1 per hit die of the recipient) per point of Charisma bonus. One person must receive all the healing, it cannot be shared between recipients.

Rebuke Undead [Divine]

Prereqs Godsworn, non-good alignment, cannot turn undead

Benefit You can rebuke undead, as described in the RSRD.

Spirit Burn [Divine]

You can sacrifice a creature to fuel your magic.

Prereqs Godsworn, Domain Power (Evil) , Will +5

Benefit In the round immediately after you kill a helpless creature (using the coup de gras maneuver) you may channel while casting a spell. You make a contested Will check against the soul and if successful you capture it long enough to extract the energy needed to cast the spell; you do not expend one of your daily spell slots for this casting of the spell. If you lose the contested will check, the spell fails and you lose the spell slot.

You may use this ability to fuel a spell of a level no higher than one-half the victim’s Hit Dice. If you try to fuel too powerful a spell, the attempt fails, with results as described above.

Unliving creatures and those without souls (constructs, plants, and undead) are immune to this power. Souls that are used to fuel magic are harder to revivify; raise dead will no longer work, the effects of resurrection are reduced to those of raise dead, and the effects of true resurrection are reduced to those of resurrection.

Turn Undead [Divine]

Prereqs Godsworn, non-evil alignment, cannot rebuke undead

Benefit You can turn undead, as described in the RSRD.

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