4th newbie with some random questions

[klofft]

I wish I could have provided a more useful subject, but these questions aren't really related to one another.

1) Why is the Cleric power Healing Word a close burst 5 (rather than Ranged 5) since it only affects you or one ally?

2) Can a power requiring a minor action to Sustain be sustained through a short rest?

3) If an effect requiring a save is still existing after an encounter ends and the party takes a short rest, do they need to keep saving?

 

[shamsael]

I wish I could have provided a more useful subject, but these questions aren't really related to one another.

1) Why is the Cleric power Healing Word a close burst 5 (rather than Ranged 5) since it only affects you or one ally?

2) Can a power requiring a minor action to Sustain be sustained through a short rest?

3) If an effect requiring a save is still existing after an encounter ends and the party takes a short rest, do they need to keep saving?

1) Ranged powers provoke opportunity attacks, close bursts do not.

2) No

Edit: To elaborate answer #2, a character spending actions, even minor actions, is not resting.

3) In my campaigns, the short rest can not start until save ends effects end.

 

[Larrin]

for 3) unless the effect is dealing damage or some other resource (ie healing surge) consuming effect there is no point in worrying how many rounds it took you to save from being dazed/slowed/immobilized/etc, it is common to assume that when the fight ends, you save withing a few rounds, no need to waste time. This is DM discretion.

If a player is taking damage or dying, often you need to play it out to see if you die, or lose another surges worth of hitpoints. Some (but fewer) DM's still just assume once the fights over you've got a whole party bringing their heal checks granting saving throws to bear, its not worth the play time to play it out. This is the sort of thing a DM should figure out how he and the group feel on the subject and rule accordingly.

 

[Nullzone]

If someone is on the brink of death with their death saving throw failures I'll resolve that until stabilized (if they're not dangerously close then I assume "taking 10" on the part of the people with heal checks), and I make people w/ ongoing damage make one more save at the end of combat. If they fail they take one more hit of damage and then are considered to save automatically.

 

[the Jester]

1) Ranged powers provoke opportunity attacks, close bursts do not.

2) No

3) In my campaigns, the short rest can not start until save ends effects end.

This is my take on it exactly.

 

[MarkB]

3) If an effect requiring a save is still existing after an encounter ends and the party takes a short rest, do they need to keep saving?

The general consensus is that if somebody is still taking damage or in danger of dying from death-saves, then the encounter is not over, even if all opponents are defeated. In our group, we continue to play out such situations in initiative order until the effects are resolved.

 

[klofft]

Thanks everyone!

The Minor Sustain in question was Consecrate Ground, which I understand has been errata'ed to be immoveable, though we think it's pretty cool as is.

How about this: since Consecrate Ground provides a healing effect to those allies who are bloodied, if the enemies were defeated, could the "encounter" continue until bloodied allies are healed out of bloodied?

 

[kinjiru]

If you want the specific, literal rule on it, encounters end when all combatants on one side are captured, dead, fleeing or unconscious AND the opposing side has completed a short or extended rest. So technically you would take any ongoing damage, benefit from bonuses, suffer from penalties, act in rounds and so on even after everything is dead, until that short rest is done.

Most DM's choose to simplify this and either end an encounter as soon as the threat is gone (and thus so would consecrate ground end, too) or they require players to take ongoing damage and roll saves until that lesser danger is gone, too, and thus consecrate ground would remain useful for a while longer as well.

As a DM, I personally allow players to stop making saves and generally say an encounter is over when the enemies are gone and thus consecrate ground would be done, too. Since the encounter JUST ended, I would probably allow it to be useful for a final round if the players asked, because I just don't think it's too big of a deal. My goal is to make the combats themselves fun and exciting, and to keep the pace of the game moving so it doesn't bog down.

 

[the Jester]

In general, unless stated otherwise in the power, a power can be maintained for about five minutes. Which should prolly be plenty to heal the group up.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

In general, unless stated otherwise in the power, a power can be maintained for about five minutes. Which should prolly be plenty to heal the group up.

I think the general way this has been handled is that you would resolve all sorts of saves and whatnot before COMBAT ends. Technically you won't end the encounter itself until you rest. You can sustain a power for up to 5 minutes, thus if the party wants to benefit from sustaining effects they can do that for 5 minutes, but they are not at that point resting and would only have access to resources available during the encounter. Other powers etc don't recharge until the END of a short rest, at which point any sustained effects have expired.