Anyone want to explain this to me?

[apocalypstick]

Why is it that a flat-footed character loses their Dex bonus to AC but not to their Ref save?

Or am I just dumb?

 

[alsih2o]

*alsih2o sprinkles suspension-of-disbelief powder all around apocalypstick and tries to change the subject*

so, apoc, do you like pudding?

 

[apocalypstick]

*stares, enraptured, at the sparkling powder and begins to grin*

Oh, that's why! It all makes sense now....

mmm... pudding...

 

[alsih2o]

in all seriousness i think the dex bonus vs. flatfooted thing is an expression of not moving away from A blow, but all possible blows. it means you are moving, knees bent, arms akimbo, shuffling the feet to avoid being beat to death, like a soccer goalie waiting for a penalty kick.

the ref save reflects your reaction to something, even if standing still you duck behind the fighter when you hear/see the fireball pellet coming in or some such.

so- flat footed emans unprepared/ ref save shows reaction


as an added note, you have one of the coolest screennames ever

 

[Voadam]

Reflexes are instinctual, dodging is active.

Does that work for you?

 

[seankreynolds]

Because "flat-footed" does not mean "paralyzed."

After all, when you're FF you're not treated like a Dex 0 object, are you? No. You're still moving and able to react to things, just not react to specific threats. You may not me able to dodge, but you still have the instinct to "duck and cover."

 

[Darth Shoju]

Because "flat-footed" does not mean "paralyzed."

After all, when you're FF you're not treated like a Dex 0 object, are you? No. You're still moving and able to react to things, just not react to specific threats. You may not me able to dodge, but you still have the instinct to "duck and cover."

Yeah, I agree with that. Think about when someone hears some sudden loud noise but doesn' t know what it is or where it came from. The person basically just ducks down a bit and looks around for the source of the noise. But if someone they didn't see threw something at them, they likely won't be able to react in time (but may flinch just as it gets to them). In both those cases they are flat-footed, but in one they react in a general way and the other they don't really react at all. The first example would be the Ref save, and the second would be flat-footedness.

p.s. I also agree with alish20- you do have a really cool screen name.

 

[Wombat]

It all comes down to game rules.

Reality does not have rules.

If you want to alter the rules, go for it, as long as you are (more or less) consistent.

 

[apocalypstick]

Thanks for the input, all - yeah, it didn't make much sense to me, but those explanations work.

As for the screen name - stole it from Grant Morrison's run on The Invisibles, but if I ever meet him I'll be sure to pass along the message that you dig it.

 

[Xeriar]

It all comes down to game rules.

Reality does not have rules.

If you want to alter the rules, go for it, as long as you are (more or less) consistent.

Newtons Laws of Motion sure seem like rules.

Kepler's Laws of astronomy are pretty neat.

Same goes for the Laws of Thermodynamics...