Book of Roguish Luck question

[Shadowdancer]

I bought the Book of Roguish Luck this weekend. I've been skimming through it, and it has some good stuff in it. But I have a question regarding one of the new feats.

On page 73 there is a general feat called Spinning Combat. The benefit of the feat is that you "cannot be flanked except by rogues and barbarians six or more levels higher than you."

Does this mean only rogues six or more levels higher and barbarians six or more levels higher, or does it mean all rogues, and barbarians six or more levels higher? (I hope I'm making the distinction I'm questioning clear.)

 

[delericho]

The former. You can be flanked by a rogue six or more levels higher than you, or a barbarian six or more levels higher than you, and by no-one else.

Essentially, it's an enhancement of the rogue's Improved Uncanny Dodge class feature.

 

[Gez]

I've always had a problem with that feature of Uncanny Dodge...

Let say you're a rogue 10. You can't be flanked, except by rogue 13 or barbarian 13. But what about a rogue 7/barbarian 7?

 

[delericho]

I've always had a problem with that feature of Uncanny Dodge...

Let say you're a rogue 10. You can't be flanked, except by rogue 13 or barbarian 13. But what about a rogue 7/barbarian 7?

Actually, having just checked Improved Uncanny Dodge, only a Rogue 14 could flank the character in your example above (so, not the barbarian). Therefore, the rogue 7/barbarian 7 couldn't flank the character either. (The appropriate passage is in the PHB, p.50)

 

[Shadowdancer]

The former. You can be flanked by a rogue six or more levels higher than you, or a barbarian six or more levels higher than you, and by no-one else.

Essentially, it's an enhancement of the rogue's Improved Uncanny Dodge class feature.

Thanks. That's what I thought, but then I started thinking it could be read the other way as well.

 

[delericho]

Actually, having thought about it some more, isn't this feat vastly over-powered?

It's a General feat with two pre-requisite feats (Dodge, Mobility), which means that a 2nd level Fighter (or 1st level Human Fighter!) can gain access to it. The effect of the feat is similar to the Rogue's Improved Uncanny Dodge (which Rogues get at 8th level, and Barbarians get at 5th), but better. Not only is the minimum level required to break it higher (+6 instead +4, although both Rogues and Barbarians can defeat this one), but the minimum level is also set by your character level, not your class level as in Improved Uncanny Dodge (since the feat is not tied to any particular class).

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Actually, having thought about it some more, isn't this feat vastly over-powered?

It's a General feat with two pre-requisite feats (Dodge, Mobility), which means that a 2nd level Fighter (or 1st level Human Fighter!) can gain access to it. The effect of the feat is similar to the Rogue's Improved Uncanny Dodge (which Rogues get at 8th level, and Barbarians get at 5th), but better. Not only is the minimum level required to break it higher (+6 instead +4, although both Rogues and Barbarians can defeat this one), but the minimum level is also set by your character level, not your class level as in Improved Uncanny Dodge (since the feat is not tied to any particular class).

You know, I looked at BoRL in my FLGS, and I put it down after this feat. Not only does it now allow a barbarian to flank me, when he couldn't before, but it doesn't even require uncanny dodge or improved uncanny dodge.

Brad