Questions Regarding Bo9S Maneuvers

[HoboGod]

Okay, I'm not sure if this is because it's nearly 6am or because I've been looking for a straight answer since 2am, but I'm needing clarification, here. The vocabulary is really screwing me up.

First question. This question regards Crusader. It says, "You can ready all five maneuvers you know...." Wait, what? This works like a spell, so does "ready"="prepare" and I can ready one move five times, thusly eliminating Crusader randomness? If not, okay. What about the second word? I CAN ready all five? Does that mean I can choose not to and only ready two maneuvers? Again, doesn't this eliminate Crusader randomness?

Second Question. This question regards initiation time. Now, I'm assuming that initiation time means that's the time it takes for me to focus long enough to use this ability. If the initiation time is a full-round action, I spend a full-round action doing nothing and next turn I get to use what I initiated, is that right?

Third Question. This question regards conflicting vocabulary. Crusader's Strike says, "As part of initiating this strike, you must..." and Divine Surge says, "As part of this maneuver, you make...." Same page, nearly identical requirements, different vocabulary, it seems to switch off between these two ways of starting a description. What's happening here? Does one suggest you get an attack action during the initiation, OR that the initiation action is a melee attack which deals no damage but the bonus itself, OR that it's just two writers conflicting flavor text, OR something else entirely?

If any of these questions can't be answered with quotes and paraphrases, I'll gladly take opinions and houserules. I'm trying to play a Crusader, but I'm not trying to powergame. I want to introduce this book for general use when I DM, but I can't if I can't prove picking a something out of this book is an irrelevant RPing decision, not a competitive advantage. To anyone willing to help, thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[Runestar]

First question. This question regards Crusader. It says, "You can ready all five maneuvers you know...." Wait, what? This works like a spell, so does "ready"="prepare" and I can ready one move five times, thusly eliminating Crusader randomness? If not, okay. What about the second word? I CAN ready all five? Does that mean I can choose not to and only ready two maneuvers? Again, doesn't this eliminate Crusader randomness?

This is easier to explain if you have printed out the maneuver cards on the wotc website.

Choose any 5 different maneuvers your crusader has access to. You cannot choose the same maneuver more than once, nor can you opt to ready/choose fewer than 5. It has to be 5, no more, no less.

Stack the 5 cards (representing your 5 readied maneuvers) together and shuffle them, face down. At the start of your turn, deal yourself 2 cards, face up, representing the 2 maneuvers you have access to. At the end of every turn, deal yourself 1 more card. When you cannot do this, shuffle all the cards together and repeat the process.

Second Question. This question regards initiation time. Now, I'm assuming that initiation time means that's the time it takes for me to focus long enough to use this ability. If the initiation time is a full-round action, I spend a full-round action doing nothing and next turn I get to use what I initiated, is that right?

No, initiation time refers to the time needed to execute said maneuver. So if it states a full-round action (as in the case of say, time stands still), you spend a full-round action to initiate time stands still and make 2 full attacks in the span of that full-round action. You do not have to wait any longer for it to take effect.

What's happening here? Does one suggest you get an attack action during the initiation, OR that the initiation action is a melee attack which deals no damage but the bonus itself, OR that it's just two writers conflicting flavor text, OR something else entirely?

Both pretty much mean the same thing, I think you are simply reading too much into it.

Crusader's strike - you make a melee attack, and if it hits, you regain some hp.

Divine surge - you make a melee attack with an added damage boost.

 

[HoboGod]

Thank you for the speedy reply.

In some ways that makes it weaker than I thought, in some ways that makes it stronger than I thought. I don't know, I suppose I need to do some heavy testing.

 

[Runestar]

If you could ready the same maneuver more than once, or ready fewer maneuvers than necessary, you would get to ignore the drawback of your maneuvers being granted to you randomly, which kinda defeats the purpose of having it in the first place.

 

[HoboGod]

Wait, didn't you just say one cannot ready maneuvers like that? When you say CAN, do you mean if I COULD? Oh, curse it all! Why does colloquial English allow the interchangeable substitution of common verbs and prepositions? WHY?! (Ironically, that's what's gotten me into this problem in the first place.)

 

[Empirate]

You seem to think too much, and apply common sense too little. Don't think literal semantics, rather think about what you know to be true and go from there, deducing what other statements in the rules must mean.

For example:

If you can ready the same maneuver more than once, or ready fewer maneuvers than necessary, you get to ignore the drawback of your maneuvers being granted to you randomly.

Runestar obviously meant 'could', not 'can'. How do I know that? Because of course nobody 'gets to ignore the drawback of your maneuvers being granted randomly'. You know that, right? So Runestar's statement was obviously meant to refer to a purely hypothetical ability to 'ready the same maneuver more than once, or ready fewer maneuvers than necessary'. Such an ability does not exist.

Get some sleep , it will all become clear in the morning...

 

[Runestar]

I don't know what you people are talking about (runs off to edit post).

 

[HoboGod]

Of course I think too much, I'm a writer and a programmer. If I'm not spending my time rewording my spoken thoughts, I'm translating the algorithms in my head into computer code.

Another question, please! I can't seem to find the section on this, but can multiple martial maneuvers be used per round such as when the target provokes an attack of opportunity. Basically, what I'm asking is if I should be treating martial maneuvers like a spell or like a feat which grants special attacks?

 

[Empirate]

How many maneuvers can be used per round depends on what the initiation method is. You'll find this described in the maneuver description as either a Strike, Boost, Counter or Stance. Read up on initiation actions for each type and all should become clear.

 

[Nifft]

Of course I think too much, I'm a writer and a programmer. If I'm not spending my time rewording my spoken thoughts, I'm translating the algorithms in my head into computer code.

Each maneuver you know is an object with three states: Readied, Expended, and Not-Readied.

You cannot have one maneuver in two states, so you can't "ready" one maneuver twice.

Another question, please! I can't seem to find the section on this, but can multiple martial maneuvers be used per round such as when the target provokes an attack of opportunity. Basically, what I'm asking is if I should be treating martial maneuvers like a spell or like a feat which grants special attacks?

Neither. It's its own thing.

If a maneuver has a Trigger condition, and you meet that condition, and you have the actions available to use the maneuver (i.e. if it's an Opportunity Attack and you are still able to make an Opportunity Attack this round) -> then you may use that maneuver.

Cheers, -- N