Deflect Arrows

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Well, yeah. They're locked inside a Time Stop or something.

It's myffic. It doesn't have to make sense.

 

[Shape D.]

I would belive the proper ruling would be after 20 volleys the arrow shatters in two and ignites due to the great speed its moving at. one piece hits the current Deflector in the eye killing him instantly, and the other peice is mystically deflected back at the other deflector hitting him in the eye killing him instantly. I would allow them both reflex save however to dodge the burning shards. DC 249.



[/sarcasm]

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I can't agree with you more, there. I sure as heck wouldn't want to try deflecting an arrow from a composite longbow.

A static DC doesn't work IMO and I'm sure a dynamic value perhaps based on the attack roll would be better. It couldn't be equal to the attack roll, though, because attack rolls and saving throws are not based on the same 'units' so to speak (attack rolls will always be much higher). Maybe something like 10+attack roll-AC, but then you have to figure out what to do about natural 20 attack rolls vs. natural 20 saves. In the end, IMO, all the extra hassle is not worth it for the minor 'realistic' gain.

Maybe roll to hit the arrow, with a static penalty for it being a moving arrow rather than a stationary one. That way you'd get better at it, it would be based on BAB rather than saves, and it would work with the idea of the feat, which is that you knock the arrow away.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

An eternal battle that all fits into the span of six seconds?

-Hyp.

Yeah, but those six seconds aren't allowed to end until someone succeeds. That's gonna be a loooong six seconds.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Well actually, if you will notice; we already have a house rule for it, which takes no time at all to resolve.


I don't see a miscommunication. 'The D&D Rules forum which generally focuses on RAW questions such as what they are and if they're balance' is what we were communicating. You're entitled to follow Sir Pendragon's logic and the RAW supports it. I'm entitled to discuss why I think the feat is broken in the RAW as well.

To me, the feat isn't believable in the RAW because it seams obsurd that a 1st level character could be engaged in melee and automatically deflect an arrow coming in @ 300'/second every round (which would be harder to see than a sword swung from an enemy in melee when the focus is on those melee combatants). This unbelievability (...) is why it is unbalancing in our eyes.

By "broken" we usually mean "mechanically unbalanced" rather than "liable to generate incredulity." Plenty of things characters can do are not possible or much more difficult than the rules would suggest. That doesn't mean that they are not balanced as powers for characters of the appropriate level, which is all that matters in this particular forum.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Yeah, but those six seconds aren't allowed to end until someone succeeds. That's gonna be a loooong six seconds.

Zeno's Paradox?

The six seconds don't get longer; the disarm attempts get faster

-Hyp.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Zeno's Paradox?

The six seconds don't get longer; the disarm attempts get faster

-Hyp.

If that's true, on second 7, is one armed and one disarmed, or are both armed, or are both disarmed?

 

[vulcan_idic]

I don't see a miscommunication. 'The D&D Rules forum which generally focuses on RAW questions such as what they are and if they're balance' is what we were communicating. You're entitled to follow Sir Pendragon's logic and the RAW supports it. I'm entitled to discuss why I think the feat is broken in the RAW as well.

Well if I may quote your statement that I quoted above once more... (with emphasis added by me)

We've decided that Deflect Arrows as written needed a change, a random factor, rather than black and white; again, our house rule, so why the indigestion?

The highlighted portions of this comment indicate to me that your intent here is to discuss your House Rule - this is what makes me think this should be in the House Rules forum. I apologize If I misunderstood.

On the other hand, if you wish to discuss whether or not this is broken as per rules as written, as the first quote within this post seems to indicate, then I do not understand why you seem to take so great an offense at, or at least not understand why, someone is making a reasoned attempt to make the opposing case.

If your intent is both of the above, then perhaps you could separate them into two discrete threads so the discussion can be a bit more focused and less heated.

I apologize if this post upsets you, it is not my aim to frustrate you, merely to try and diffuse some of the emotional heat that is being generated so as to make the discussion more productive for all of those involved.

 

[Hypersmurf]

If that's true, on second 7, is one armed and one disarmed, or are both armed, or are both disarmed?

Thompson's Lamp?

-Hyp.

 

[Stalker0]

A 20th level rogue can do +10d6 with a dagger, yet against the lowliest skeleton he's only doing a d6+str....all the time.

A fighter can have a +300 attack, but against someone with displacement he's still going to miss 50%.

Every character type has a situation they are weak against. Its not like every npc is going to have deflect arrows.