Blade Cascade Unleashed!

[Kaffis]

This is incorrect. A level 9 solo monster is worth 2000 XP, which is equivalent to a level 18 standard monster. That should be a challenging fight for a level 15 character.

Of course, I want to know how a PC gets that close to a solo dragon before the encounter starts. This combo only works if you're within walking range when the encounter starts. Any further than that and the dragon just hovers and uses its dragon breath, safe from any melee attacks.

No, you're incorrect. Appropriate XP=challenge breaks down outside of 3 or so levels. That's why we use minions instead of just level-10 monsters. Page 56 of the DMG points this out in the sidebar. *Easy* encounters could go as low as 4 levels lower than the party for individual enemy levels. You've presented a level-6 situation, which, given that 4 is easy, easily eats up the extra xp over your level 15 person's budget.

 

[Mort_Q]

Not unless the free action says it can interrupt (in which case, most of the time it will be an immediate interrupt action, not a free one -- though I could see the design desire to have a free action that interrupts so that it may be used on your turn, as well, or without a specific trigger). Free actions, in general, cannot interrupt.

Just as I thought. So in that case, the dragon breath can come right after Blade Cascade, but not during, so cdrcjsn's point, while correct in that the OP is in error, is moot.

That's too bad--although my instinct said it could not interrupt (and we have indeed been playing this way) I didn't see any statements either way in the Free Action section of the PH, and the Dwarven Armour ability would be extremely powerful if it could interrupt.

The way I read it, the free action doesn't need to be an interrupt.

The power allows you to keep rolling attacks, alternating between main and off-hand, until you miss.

The free action kicks in between attack rolls. You don't need to worry about it interrupting an attack per se.

Regardless of how you interpret the RAW, I don't know many DMs that'd feel the slightest bit of guilt at having the dragon get off its breath attack when bloodied by a one-hit-wonder combo.

 

[Zurai]

This is incorrect. A level 9 solo monster is worth 2000 XP, which is equivalent to a level 18 standard monster. That should be a challenging fight for a level 15 character.

That is incorrect. The DMG doesn't recommend using ANY monster more than 4 levels lower than the PCs, and even then a monster that low level is only for "very easy" encounters. XP value doesn't tell the whole story.

 

[Sitara]

First to clarify, the draon was adult white dragon, which is a level 09. I made a small typo in the OP but clarified it near the end of the post.

Also, about free actions vs interrupts, I guess I am wrong in that free actions need to be taken on your (or in this case the dragon's) turn. However, as pointed out since its not an interrupt or an immediate reaction it would not interrupt blade crescendo. Though again, I am still not convinced the free aciton can be taken outside of your own turn.

 

[Kaffis]

Though again, I am still not convinced the free aciton can be taken outside of your own turn.

PHB, 267. Free actions can occur on another combatant's turn.

As for free actions occurring between attacks, Mort_Q, all of the attacks in Blade Cascade are a single standard action. It takes an immediate interrupt (or, I suppose, an explicitly interrupting free action) to happen before another action completely resolves.

That said, I agree about a DM not feeling sorry (nor should he) for fudging things a little in the middle of one-hit-wonder cheese.

 

[Sitara]

Ah I see, thanks Kaffis. As for the paladin, he might defeat the dragon but only with lots of lay on hands use, and it will still be chancy. The fighter certainly wont. (note we are assuming the same controls here, i.e. nomagic weapons/armor etc)

 

[Ipissimus]

I think this is one of those theoretically broken things that isn't really broken in gameplay.

I did too at first until I tried it out. Assuming the Ranger hits on anything but a 1 and with 4 re-rolls, I got 67 hits. And I generally rolled low: 12 natural 20's and more than half of those rolls below 10. My lowest number of hits before scoring natural one was 18, highest was 26.

My big concern is that, as it is, based purely on stats, why would you play a Rogue when the best they can do using the same buffs is 7W+str+2xSA with a 10% chance of max damage + high crit + magic weapon crit bonus? And by that time, the Ranger's had BC for 14 levels! Admittedly, he's only doing 17W+17xstr average for a long time (but then, the rogue's not using Assassin's Point either) but the power gets exponentially better when the power curve is supposed to be flatter. And the players don't even have to try very hard to do this with the plethora of abilities that give attack bonuses.

Yeah, WOTC needs to errata this, big time IMO.

 

[Old Gumphrey]

CHARACTER SELECTION (Press Start):

"BLAAAD'E-AH CASCAAAD'E-AH"

His scimitars erupte with crackling energy, and weird Japenese Symbols appear all around him, while a hard rock soundstrack starts playing.

Kenshi: "You must defeat Drizzt Do Urden to stand a chance!"

Now, are you just taking a jab at the folks who keep saying D&D is now an anime video game, or did this just naturally evolve from your character? Because if it's the latter, I believe I'm going to cry.

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

I hope the fix is a simple cumulative -1 to hit each time you roll - it keeps the possibility of conspiring a silly attack bonus for awesome fun, the joy of luckily keeping up the combo and might reduce the hit number quite a bit.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Now, are you just taking a jab at the folks who keep saying D&D is now an anime video game, or did this just naturally evolve from your character? Because if it's the latter, I believe I'm going to cry.

I'm pretty sure it's neither. It's just him dicking around.