SnowDog
First Post
My gaming group is using "mid-level" magic for the first time (i.e. above character level 6). I've got a couple weeks off from the game and I'm trying to solidify our rules on a few tricky points. Tonight I've been working on Invisibility, and I'd like to get some aid from the community at large.
I've already read and understood (I hope) the official rules. But it seems like there are some areas open to interpretation. I didn't put this in house rules because first and foremost I want to know the intent of the rules of the game. Anything I disagree with I can then work on house rules for.
Invisibility and Attacks of Opportunity:
I'm considering ruling that you do not provoke AoOs while invisible due to the wording on this WOTC sample combat description (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/gs/gs20020118a):
"DM: Since you're still invisible, you can get up to the wall without drawing an attack of opportunity from the barbarian."
This specifically talks about moving past an opponent, however, and not necessarily any other situations that may cause an AoO. For example, moving through someone's square or casting a spell while adjacent to someone.
This seems to fit with my painting of AoOs as deliberate actions taken by characters who are aware of a weakness and capitalize on it. After all, you may choose not to take an AoO, which suggests you are aware of an opening and take it. So, while you may be able to use spot or listen to pinpoint your enemy's location, you cannot see the opening to capitalize on it. You are better off readying an action that if you detect an invisible person within range you will attack it.
Does this seem to fit the intent of the rules? I know many people disagree with this.
Attacking a Line of Squares
In a recent session, a flying invisible Ogre Mage fled down a long 20' wide hallway. The party's rogue wanted to fire blindly down the hall in hopes of hitting him. On the spot, I ruled that you must always specify a target square for your attack, and he did, and missed (I mean, come on, fat chance of that working). Having some time to think about it, I wonder if there isn't a better way. I cannot find anything in the rules that suggest you can do anything but attack a single square, however. Is this strictly house-rule area?
Finding an Invisible Person
The rules state that you can make touch attacks into two adjacent squares each turn in an attempt to uncover an invisible person in them. However, I've had to make spot judgments on things like this:
An invisible enemy is moving (at half speed) down a 10' wide hallway towards a doorway at the end of it. A flying wizard wants to fly down the hallway and block the doorway. His move rate while flying is sufficiently faster than the invisible enemy's foot speed that this will work.
First off, is there any chance the flying wizard will accidentally "bump" the enemy? He's trying (flying while waving his staff in front of him like a blind man's cane). I rolled a flat percentage chance and it came up bad -- but this seems like something there should be a rule for. What if it isn't a flying wizard but a bull-rushing/running barbarian? Picture a big guy with his arms wide open running at full speed hoping to catch the sneaky invisible person in his arms. Is there any way to turn that intuitive image into something that fits the actual rules?
Second, once he blocks the doorway, how best should we handle the mechanics of the invisible enemy trying to sneak by the wizard? He's going to have to move through the wizard's square, something that normally would imply an attack of opportunity ... but he's invisible (heh). The wizard is actively moving around trying to "catch" the invisible enemy. In hindsight, it's probably best to have this as a readied action: if I detect anything trying to get past me, I attack it. But is that the only option allowed under the rules (again, AoO while invisible plays a huge part here).
Thanks for any feedback. Sorry if I'm covering ground already covered!
I've already read and understood (I hope) the official rules. But it seems like there are some areas open to interpretation. I didn't put this in house rules because first and foremost I want to know the intent of the rules of the game. Anything I disagree with I can then work on house rules for.
Invisibility and Attacks of Opportunity:
I'm considering ruling that you do not provoke AoOs while invisible due to the wording on this WOTC sample combat description (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/gs/gs20020118a):
"DM: Since you're still invisible, you can get up to the wall without drawing an attack of opportunity from the barbarian."
This specifically talks about moving past an opponent, however, and not necessarily any other situations that may cause an AoO. For example, moving through someone's square or casting a spell while adjacent to someone.
This seems to fit with my painting of AoOs as deliberate actions taken by characters who are aware of a weakness and capitalize on it. After all, you may choose not to take an AoO, which suggests you are aware of an opening and take it. So, while you may be able to use spot or listen to pinpoint your enemy's location, you cannot see the opening to capitalize on it. You are better off readying an action that if you detect an invisible person within range you will attack it.
Does this seem to fit the intent of the rules? I know many people disagree with this.
Attacking a Line of Squares
In a recent session, a flying invisible Ogre Mage fled down a long 20' wide hallway. The party's rogue wanted to fire blindly down the hall in hopes of hitting him. On the spot, I ruled that you must always specify a target square for your attack, and he did, and missed (I mean, come on, fat chance of that working). Having some time to think about it, I wonder if there isn't a better way. I cannot find anything in the rules that suggest you can do anything but attack a single square, however. Is this strictly house-rule area?
Finding an Invisible Person
The rules state that you can make touch attacks into two adjacent squares each turn in an attempt to uncover an invisible person in them. However, I've had to make spot judgments on things like this:
An invisible enemy is moving (at half speed) down a 10' wide hallway towards a doorway at the end of it. A flying wizard wants to fly down the hallway and block the doorway. His move rate while flying is sufficiently faster than the invisible enemy's foot speed that this will work.
First off, is there any chance the flying wizard will accidentally "bump" the enemy? He's trying (flying while waving his staff in front of him like a blind man's cane). I rolled a flat percentage chance and it came up bad -- but this seems like something there should be a rule for. What if it isn't a flying wizard but a bull-rushing/running barbarian? Picture a big guy with his arms wide open running at full speed hoping to catch the sneaky invisible person in his arms. Is there any way to turn that intuitive image into something that fits the actual rules?
Second, once he blocks the doorway, how best should we handle the mechanics of the invisible enemy trying to sneak by the wizard? He's going to have to move through the wizard's square, something that normally would imply an attack of opportunity ... but he's invisible (heh). The wizard is actively moving around trying to "catch" the invisible enemy. In hindsight, it's probably best to have this as a readied action: if I detect anything trying to get past me, I attack it. But is that the only option allowed under the rules (again, AoO while invisible plays a huge part here).
Thanks for any feedback. Sorry if I'm covering ground already covered!