AC for guy in a backpack

[Vysirez]

This also somewhat resembles the various ideas involving a pixie cohort with mounted combat feats sitting on your PCs helmet.

 

[Lamoni]

I wouldn't let 'em make their own reflex saves - I'd rule that whatever the person who is carrying you as equipment gets on their save is what you've got.


How could a bag-cleric know when to heal? The injured person could holler at 'em I guess, but otherwise all they're seeing is bag.


Frankly, the Combat Buddy system gets really annoying for a DM. Don't expect it to fly for very long if at all.

The guy carrying the cleric could just yell OW! whenever he/she was injured. That would be the clue for the cleric and wouldn't give away the cleric's presence.

I agree with you that it would be very annoying for a DM. And I would never do it in a campaign. I would also never ride in a packpack and try to cast spells from it. That just seems like you are trying to abuse the system too much. It is still fun to think about though.

You need more than an eyehole to cast a spell through the bag. You need at least a one foot square opening

I still think that it is odd that a 1 ft square hole would be required to cast spells when you are only 5 lbs, 18" tall yourself. You could easily fit both hands and still see through a 5" square hole... then your hands would be exposed when you cast a spell, but it would be easy to withdraw them back inside the bag for more cover when you were done.

This also somewhat resembles the various ideas involving a pixie cohort with mounted combat feats sitting on your PCs helmet.

yet another fun idea to think about, but would never want to actually use in campaign. (even if you had a stupid DM that allowed it).

As far as the backpack goes, I would probably use it for stealth or to hide our party's strength, but when I wanted to attack I would jump out of the backpack first... or at least stand up on something inside the backpack with my head out so I was completely exposed. That still would require modifiers to the AC though. From what I gathered the following modifiers could apply

-You would take a -4 dex modifier to (-2 to AC) like you were entangled.
-You would use the saving throws of the person that was carrying you (while you were in the bag with complete cover). This would lead you to want to ride on the rogue's back.
-You would have total cover which would mean you could not be attacked (unless they target the backpack first to take away your cover)

Edit: the complete cover would only apply when the bag was closed. If you were standing on something in the backpack being completely exposed you would only have partial cover at most because the other person's head could be in the way. I guess the partial cover would allow for a hide check though so you could try sniping in that way.

 

[Steverooo]

Back in 1e, when Rangers had MU spells, Find Familiar was an MU spell, and a "special" roll could yield you a Pseudodragon or a brownie familiar, my Ranger had a Brownie...

Now due to the Familiar mind-link, the Brownie always knew what was going on, and sat in a large box (small room, to him) inside the magical backpack. When my Ranger got into a fight where "the little guy" was more use than endangered, he could open both lids (to the box and backpack), pop up, take a shot with a heavy crossbow, and pop back in to reload... Vampires DIED!

Of course, in 3.5e, a Brownie-sized crossbow would do, like, 1D2 HP, or something, but still, a mindlinked "little guy" in a box in an open Heward's Handy Haversack (so that he wasn't considered on another plane) could be useful, if captured, unconscious, etc.