Divine Energy Focus [Archive] - Wizards Community

Divine Energy Focus [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Morray
05-16-07, 09:59 AM Help!

I recently took over a high level game where the original DM said to the players 'Any WOTC book' could be used for creation.

This has caused great headaches in that 1, I don't have every book and 2, not all information is meant to be used in 3.5 games.

The current headache is over the divine energy focus feat in Ghostwalk. Prerequisite: Ability to turn or rebuke undead, Cha 13.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on turning checks and turning damage rolls. Treat your cleric level as two higher than normal for the purpose of determining if you destroy or command undead rather than just turning or rebuking them.

The player feels he should be getting the +2 to the turn check roll and damage of course, but also that +2 should be added to his cleric level for determining the Max HD and again in damage.

Right away this interpertation is so broken that if I could slap someone through IM I would have the DM I took over for. However as I looked at the second sentance I believe the intent isn't to add another +2 to cleric level, but as an explaination to the +2 for turn and damage rolls. My main reasoning for this interputation is that the Improved Turning feat only gives +1 class level for determing the turn HD.

Does anyone know if there is some kind of errata out there that does explain this?
Morwen
05-16-07, 10:18 AM Normally, you can only destroy undead (instead of turning them) if your cleric level is double the amount of HD that undead has. The second sentence lets you treat your cleric level as two higher for the purpose of determining if you destroy an undead that you have successfully turned. So, if you are a Cleric 10, you would normally only be able to destroy undead with 5 or less HD. With this feat, you can destroy undead with 6 or less HD (if you successfully turn them).

The sentence doesn't improve your turning in any other way. The first sentence still applies as normal though.
goawayugh
05-16-07, 11:01 AM What he said.

Alternatively, you could say that since Ghostwalk is a 3.0 book, he must pick a different feat that is 3.5.

Here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20031225a) is the 3.5 update for Ghostwalk.
tos_shai_hulud
05-16-07, 03:39 PM The current headache is over the divine energy focus feat in Ghostwalk. Prerequisite: Ability to turn or rebuke undead, Cha 13.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on turning checks and turning damage rolls. Treat your cleric level as two higher than normal for the purpose of determining if you destroy or command undead rather than just turning or rebuking them.

It states explicitly when it treats the cleric level as two higher than normal. For the purpose of determining if you destroy or command undead rather than just turning or rebuking them. This means that you can destroy or command undead that are one HD more than normal. This does not increase your cleric level for any other purpose. He is not 'interpreting' it wrong. He is simply adding abilities that it does not grant. His +2 on turning checks does not increase his level for the purpose of determining max HD of undead nor does it increase his level for the purpose of determining the total HD of undead affected. It does add a +2 to whatever die roll he makes.

(I am going based solely on the feat description that you provided. My Ghostwalk is in the basement and I don't feel like getting it.)

Long and short, you are right; he is wrong. In the end, it is up to the DM.
Morray
05-17-07, 10:02 AM Thanks everyone for the input. In a way we were both wrong, since I completely missed the part about destroying anything you have twice the HD for.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Morray 05-16-07, 09:59 AM	Help! I recently took over a high level game where the original DM said to the players 'Any WOTC book' could be used for creation. This has caused great headaches in that 1, I don't have every book and 2, not all information is meant to be used in 3.5 games. The current headache is over the divine energy focus feat in Ghostwalk. Prerequisite: Ability to turn or rebuke undead, Cha 13. Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on turning checks and turning damage rolls. Treat your cleric level as two higher than normal for the purpose of determining if you destroy or command undead rather than just turning or rebuking them. The player feels he should be getting the +2 to the turn check roll and damage of course, but also that +2 should be added to his cleric level for determining the Max HD and again in damage. Right away this interpertation is so broken that if I could slap someone through IM I would have the DM I took over for. However as I looked at the second sentance I believe the intent isn't to add another +2 to cleric level, but as an explaination to the +2 for turn and damage rolls. My main reasoning for this interputation is that the Improved Turning feat only gives +1 class level for determing the turn HD. Does anyone know if there is some kind of errata out there that does explain this?
Morwen 05-16-07, 10:18 AM	Normally, you can only destroy undead (instead of turning them) if your cleric level is double the amount of HD that undead has. The second sentence lets you treat your cleric level as two higher for the purpose of determining if you destroy an undead that you have successfully turned. So, if you are a Cleric 10, you would normally only be able to destroy undead with 5 or less HD. With this feat, you can destroy undead with 6 or less HD (if you successfully turn them). The sentence doesn't improve your turning in any other way. The first sentence still applies as normal though.
goawayugh 05-16-07, 11:01 AM	What he said. Alternatively, you could say that since Ghostwalk is a 3.0 book, he must pick a different feat that is 3.5. Here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20031225a) is the 3.5 update for Ghostwalk.
tos_shai_hulud 05-16-07, 03:39 PM	The current headache is over the divine energy focus feat in Ghostwalk. Prerequisite: Ability to turn or rebuke undead, Cha 13. Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on turning checks and turning damage rolls. Treat your cleric level as two higher than normal for the purpose of determining if you destroy or command undead rather than just turning or rebuking them. It states explicitly when it treats the cleric level as two higher than normal. For the purpose of determining if you destroy or command undead rather than just turning or rebuking them. This means that you can destroy or command undead that are one HD more than normal. This does not increase your cleric level for any other purpose. He is not 'interpreting' it wrong. He is simply adding abilities that it does not grant. His +2 on turning checks does not increase his level for the purpose of determining max HD of undead nor does it increase his level for the purpose of determining the total HD of undead affected. It does add a +2 to whatever die roll he makes. (I am going based solely on the feat description that you provided. My Ghostwalk is in the basement and I don't feel like getting it.) Long and short, you are right; he is wrong. In the end, it is up to the DM.
Morray 05-17-07, 10:02 AM	Thanks everyone for the input. In a way we were both wrong, since I completely missed the part about destroying anything you have twice the HD for.