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Surprise round and pounce
- Thread starter Willtell
- Start date
Moonglum
First Post
If you are using the Pounce ability, the surprise round does not count as the first round of combat. At least that is the way that we have been playing it. A surprise is not a full round, as you can only take a partial action.
If this were a regular combat with a normal first round then yes...
If this were a regular combat with a normal first round then yes...
Dreaddisease
First Post
That seems like a waste of a feat. The whole reason behind pounce is so that it can be used to 'start' a combat and hopefully end it in the same instant.
I can see the part of only taking partial actions but waiting till everyone is aware of something before being able to pounce is a waste.
DM - The sphinx who saw you from a mile away does nothing on this surprise round because he has to wait for everyone to be aware before he makes his precision pounce attack.
Characters - We huddle together and hold our attack.
Sphinx sushi served fresh.
I think a pounce should take a partial action since it is only used once a combat but is unable to make any other action or movement during that round.
I can see the part of only taking partial actions but waiting till everyone is aware of something before being able to pounce is a waste.
DM - The sphinx who saw you from a mile away does nothing on this surprise round because he has to wait for everyone to be aware before he makes his precision pounce attack.
Characters - We huddle together and hold our attack.
Sphinx sushi served fresh.
I think a pounce should take a partial action since it is only used once a combat but is unable to make any other action or movement during that round.
You're not talking about the Sphinx from the latest Dragon Magazine, are you? That thing's so damn big, it'll never surprise anybody!
(They gave stats for the Egyptian Sphinx as an epic golem. Its creator must be 100th level, work for 12 years, and expend 10,000,000 experience points. I don't even want to talk about its combat modifiers. ::shudder:: )
(They gave stats for the Egyptian Sphinx as an epic golem. Its creator must be 100th level, work for 12 years, and expend 10,000,000 experience points. I don't even want to talk about its combat modifiers. ::shudder:: )
Pielorinho
Iron Fist of Pelor
Pounce isn't worded very well, or else it's not a very rational ability, for reasons like what you described. We've been having trouble with my tiger companion for just this reason. However, we've not been able to tweak it into a form that makes sense and is still balanced. The closest we've come is this:
-Pounce: the creature can make a full attack, even if it moves this round, against any creature that is denied its Dexterity bonus.
This makes pounce useful in more situations (e.g., in the middle of a battle, if the tiger is sneaking up on one combatant) but less useful in other situations (e.g., if the opponent wins initiative). And it makes a fair amount of sense (pounce only works if an opponent hasn't had time to get her guard up).
As for your sphinx, if it wants to pounce, it should consider readjusting its initiative score during the partial round (or whatever you call it when you move your initiative up to 20). This represents the sphinx crouching down, wiggling its butt, and lashing its tail back and forth, in preparation for its spring onto its opponents. That way, it'll go first during the first round of battle.
Daniel
-Pounce: the creature can make a full attack, even if it moves this round, against any creature that is denied its Dexterity bonus.
This makes pounce useful in more situations (e.g., in the middle of a battle, if the tiger is sneaking up on one combatant) but less useful in other situations (e.g., if the opponent wins initiative). And it makes a fair amount of sense (pounce only works if an opponent hasn't had time to get her guard up).
As for your sphinx, if it wants to pounce, it should consider readjusting its initiative score during the partial round (or whatever you call it when you move your initiative up to 20). This represents the sphinx crouching down, wiggling its butt, and lashing its tail back and forth, in preparation for its spring onto its opponents. That way, it'll go first during the first round of battle.
Daniel
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