Recent content by abeattie

Well, let me try one last stab at this . . . There are four types of actions that can take place on another's turn -- each plays a unique role in limiting the economy of actions. (bear in mind that there are a few articles still kicking around from before 4e went live discussing how much...

On page 268, under triggered actions, the PH clearly states that while OAs and Immediates REQUIRE a trigger, free and non actions can also be triggered actions. So, no, I don't think you can RAW in a rule that all triggered actions must be OAs or Immediates. To put it another way, If OAs and...

That's where it actually DOES matter that maintain is in a wholly different paragraph than the sentence describing whether the bonus is +1 or +3. "While you are conscious and wielding either a light blade or a heavy blade, you maintain a field of magical force around you. This field...

Now, to be fair, a rules lawyer wouldn't skip a term -- that would be a cheater. A rules lawyer would empty the term of meaning, as in "where is the definition of maintain," or, "yes, I am maintaining that field whether I use one hand or two -- it's the bonus that is in question, and that is...

Look into a mnemonic staff -- if only as an off-hand implement. That will let you swap out a daily once per day. Works for utilities or daily spells. Mid-combat even.

So here is a bit of hair-splitting (for great justice I assure you). An invisible character gains the following advantages: • You can’t be seen by normal forms of vision. • You have combat advantage against any enemy that can’t see you. • You don’t provoke opportunity attacks from enemies that...

True, but if they made it an immediate reaction then you'd only get one per round. I think you can fall back on the more general rule that only immediate interrupts allow you to act during another action (i.e. after an enemy declares an attack but before rolling to hit). Thus it would...

That would only work if you took the expertise feats out as well -- since I can't think of too many players who wouldn't gladly break the math in their favor (and then complain about easy encounters).

Could just wind up being something hokey like a staff with an orb in it, a rod covered in runes that acts like a tome, orbs on the ends of daggers, silliness like that which would stack up well with the paragon feat for a second class feature. Tack on bigger damage dice on crit, and a spell...

Well -- stealth grants invisibility and silence. In order for a monster to avoid surprise at the beginning of combat, the monster must either passively perceive (if not alert) or actively perceive (if watching carefully, spending an action every...

Here's my problem with this thread. People said -- well, if you drop out the +5 it works better .. NO! We can't do that. People said -- well, if you aid another to cover the +5 it works better... NO! That's boring! People said -- we need to run skill challenges with easy and hard skill...

I disagree with that interpretation. I don't think it jives with the surrounding text either. I'm hesitant to quote too much text out fo the book -- but page 72, directly following the second quote you gave suggests that, indeed, complexity is about how many rolls you make -- and a specific...

Yes. Like if I throw a single at-level mob at you vs. 5 at-level mobs. The DMG makes this explicit on page 72 under Level and Complexity. Low complexity challenges take the place of a single mob, high-complexity challenges replace a whole enocounter. The difference is the significance --...

Complexitiy isn't difficulty, it's length. There are rules in the system for increasing difficulty. The text suggests that the use of complexity is to guide length of the encounter, not challenge. If you want to ramp up the challenge the text suggests a few ways to do that. (decreasing failure...

Sure -- however it is the same assumption that was put out in the first post of this thread (that every character will get to use their best skill), which is why I carried it over. Racial bonuses are not conditional -- if you have a bonus to that skill you have a bonus to that skill. I've...