Another round of probably unrelated questions..

[hyphz]

1 - When you sustain a conquration do you need just range to it, or do you also need line of sight/effect? (Ie, can a Cleric throw a Spiritual Weapon into a room, then have the rest of the party barricade the door?)

2 - When someone starts Dying, do they lose any status effects on them, in particular ongoing damage?

3 - A fighter can't make AOs when blind, but can they make Combat Challenge attacks?

4 - How is initiative managed when new people join the initiative order?

5 - Is active perception a standard or minor action? The rulebook says standard, but apparantly the WotC forums take it as minor..

6 - With "Unbalancing parry", a Ranger may "slide an enemy into a space adjacent to them" - can this be ANY space adjacent to them (with an open path leading there)? Even, say, opposite?

7 - Can Rain Of Steel hit an invisible enemy?

8 - If a power has both an Effect and a Hit line, which occurs first, or can the player choose?

 

[Oompa]

6 - With "Unbalancing parry", a Ranger may "slide an enemy into a space adjacent to them" - can this be ANY space adjacent to them (with an open path leading there)? Even, say, opposite?


8 - If a power has both an Effect and a Hit line, which occurs first, or can the player choose?

6. As far as i know, the shortest distance..

8. First the hit line, and from that effects..

 

[Dalzig]

1 - When you sustain a conquration do you need just range to it, or do you also need line of sight/effect? (Ie, can a Cleric throw a Spiritual Weapon into a room, then have the rest of the party barricade the door?)

According to the conjuration rules, if you move out of range or it moves out of range, then it disappears. Line of Sight/Effect is probably a DM call.

2 - When someone starts Dying, do they lose any status effects on them, in particular ongoing damage?

Nope. Keep making those Saving Throws.

3 - A fighter can't make AOs when blind, but can they make Combat Challenge attacks?

Nothing preventing it, except possibly a DM.

4 - How is initiative managed when new people join the initiative order?

Up to the DM. Either they roll and jump in when appropiate, or come in at the end/beginning of the round.

5 - Is active perception a standard or minor action? The rulebook says standard, but apparantly the WotC forums take it as minor..

Both. Standard for a lot of information. Minor when trying to find the space an enemy is in.

6 - With "Unbalancing parry", a Ranger may "slide an enemy into a space adjacent to them" - can this be ANY space adjacent to them (with an open path leading there)? Even, say, opposite?

Nothing preventing it.

7 - Can Rain Of Steel hit an invisible enemy?

Questionable. Rain of Steel works "as long as you are able to make opportunity attacks," but you can't make OAs against an invisible enemy.

8 - If a power has both an Effect and a Hit line, which occurs first, or can the player choose?

Usually Hit then Effect, unless the Effect specifies otherwise.

 

[Hypersmurf]

3 - A fighter can't make AOs when blind, but can they make Combat Challenge attacks?

This can be generalised to "Can you take a triggered action if you cannot perceive the trigger?" For example, can you use an Immediate Interrupt like Disruptive Strike if the enemy attacking your ally is invisible? Will your readied action trigger if the trigger occurs around a corner from you? Will your Heroic Surge trigger if you don't have Line of Sight to the ally within 5 squares who takes damage?

8 - If a power has both an Effect and a Hit line, which occurs first, or can the player choose?

My assumption is "They occur simultaneously" - can you give an example where there's a difference between "Hit first" and "Hit and Effect together"?

Effect first could have consequences - for example, Feinting Flurry (Rogue 19) has a Hit (5W + Dex) and an Effect (penalty to defenses until the end of your next turn). If the Effect is evaluated first, the penalty will apply to Feinting Flurry's Dex vs Will attack. If the Hit is evaluated first, or Hit and Effect together, then the penalty won't apply.

(On the other hand, support for "Hit first, Effect after" can be found in White Raven Strike (Warlord 9), where the Effect entry refers to the result of the Hit entry in the past tense ("If you dropped the target..."))

-Hyp.

 

[Jhaelen]

My take:

1 - Sustaining requires line of sight/effect.
2 - No.
3 - No.
4 - They have to roll initiative normally.
5 - It can be either, depending on what you're trying to perceive.
6 - Yes.
7 - No.
8 - First Hit then Effect - in case it really matters.

 

[hyphz]

My assumption is "They occur simultaneously" - can you give an example where there's a difference between "Hit first" and "Hit and Effect together"?

The Rogue power "King's Castle" is improved a fair bit if the Rogue can change places with an ally before attacking.

For Rain Of Steel - the general question was how the power was interpreted - the player tended to interpret as the fighter just routinely thrashing his sword around like a maniac, so he'd hit anything in range even if he couldn't see it. (It didn't strike me that "being able to make opportunity attacks" could be interpreted as "being able to make OAs _against the particular enemy_").

With "rolling initative normally" for joining combatants - this seems to be a bit problematic. What happened in our test battle was that a slower enemy called for help (on initative 15 or thereabouts) into another room where many enemies had high initiative scores. The enemies rolled their high initiatives and all ended up in the 20's, but since the counter was already on 15, they had to wait a whole round before they could act, meaning that the slower PCs could block the opening and butcher the new arrivals - that just seems bizarre and wrong, that having a high initative score became a penalty.

 

[Dalzig]

With "rolling initative normally" for joining combatants - this seems to be a bit problematic. What happened in our test battle was that a slower enemy called for help (on initative 15 or thereabouts) into another room where many enemies had high initiative scores. The enemies rolled their high initiatives and all ended up in the 20's, but since the counter was already on 15, they had to wait a whole round before they could act, meaning that the slower PCs could block the opening and butcher the new arrivals - that just seems bizarre and wrong, that having a high initative score became a penalty.

That's why the DM has control over initiative. You can place creatures in the initiative order at any point you want.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The Rogue power "King's Castle" is improved a fair bit if the Rogue can change places with an ally before attacking.

Right, but that's an "Effect First" reading, not a "Hit First" or "Hit and Effect Together" reading.

I already noted that "Effect First" can cause differences.

-Hyp.