Dragon Breath Recharge Question

[0-hr]

Maybe it would help if you kept in mind that your action for the round takes up pretty much the whole round (especially when coupled with a move).

If combat is like this:

- - -

- combat starts
- dragon breaths taking 0.01 second
- next round starts
- Then 5.99 seconds of inaction go by, while the dragon waits
- Now it's the dragon's next turn, giving him another 0.01 second to act.

Then I think it could breath in consecutive rounds if it rolled a 1.

- - -

But if combat is like this:

- combat starts
- dragon breaths, taking pretty much his round to do so
- next round starts more-or-less as he finishes his breath
- it hasn't been anywhere near 6 seconds since he stopped his last breath so he can't breath this time around (he'll just have to claw claw, wing, wing, bite, tail slap while he waits)

Then I think a roll of 1 on the d4 means he has to spend one round "not breathing".


- - -

IMC, we play by the latter.

 

[kreynolds]

Don't see a 3.5 tag, and we're discussing the wording in 3E books...

...and you need to relax, dude. It was a joke. Please don't make it ugly when that obviously was not the intention.

 

[kreynolds]

A key point here, I think, is the wording of the feat in Savage Species that takes one round off the recharge time.

That's just the thing. I think a key point is also the wording in MMII. It's kinda like the whole elemental subtype disparity in the books. Now there are three different kinds.

 

[demiurgeastaroth]

That's just the thing. I think a key point is also the wording in MMII. It's kinda like the whole elemental subtype disparity in the books. Now there are three different kinds.

Three types? I'm familiar with the "take double damage if save fails, half if succeeds," and "suffer -10 to save, or double damage if no save applies" methods. What's the third?

Darren

 

[kreynolds]

Three types? I'm familiar with the "take double damage if save fails, half if succeeds," and "suffer -10 to save, or double damage if no save applies" methods. What's the third?

The Living Holocaust from FF is an example...

Fire Subtype (Ex): A living holocaust is immune to fire damage. It takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from cold, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.

The Flame Snake and Haraknin Canomorph are also the same.

 

[Darklone]

How often can a dragon breathe if he uses Time Stop ?

 

[havoclad]

IMC, on a roll of 1, the dragon may breath again on the very next round.

I never considered it could be interpreted a different way, but then again I'm the DM, so frequent breath weapons == more fun!

The argument that "wait 1 round" != "wait until next round" isn't very persuasive to me.

The SRD has: "Using a breath weapon is a standard action. Once a dragon breathes, it can’t breathe again until 1d4 rounds later. If the dragon has more than one type of breath weapon, it still can breathe only once every 1d4 rounds"

If the last section said "once every 1d4+1 rounds", then I'd change my mind, otherwise for good dragon's you'd have to track three different intervals (one for each breath weapon, and one overall).

 

[kreynolds]

The argument that "wait 1 round" != "wait until next round" isn't very persuasive to me.

So you do indeed think that you can wait 1 round without waiting 1 round? Can you explain?

The SRD has...

We all know what the SRD says (3rd post of the thread). We all know what the MMII says (4th post of the thread). Ignoring the text of the MMII is a one-sided argument.

 

[demiurgeastaroth]

So you do indeed think that you can wait 1 round without waiting 1 round? Can you explain?

You take you action. You wait till your next action, one round later, and act again. Simple, is it not?


The word "wait" can be used in two ways in this context: either it's a metagame reference to the person controlling the creature (the player or GM acts, then waits until he is allowed to act again - next turn), or it's referring to the creature.
If it's referring to the creature, then 'wait' means 'wait' - you don't act, at all. If you do something else, like attack with claws, you aren't waiting. You're acting.

Darren

 

[Quidam]

If "Wait" were a defined action, then I'd be more inclined to agree that "must wait 1 round" meant that no breath action could be taken- or any other action, really- while the dragon was "waiting".

I'm with those who think a roll of 1 means consecutive breath attacks. Simply saying "simple logic" to me won't be enough to change my mind.