Druid's Trackless Step

[ThirdWizard]

You're using Iron Heroes House Rules to determine D&D RAW?

 

[shilsen]

Also I thought that the Trackless Step ability is EX, and not a SU or a SP ability. So he can't remove his scent just by being extraordinary knowledgeable in a forest.

Why not? In a game where a monk can fall any distance when next to a wall, become immune to disease, gain spell resistance and speak with any creature, despite not knowing its language, all as EX abilities, being immune to tracking by scent as an EX ability is hardly strange.

 

[Joël of the FoS]

Why not? In a game where a monk can fall any distance when next to a wall, become immune to disease, gain spell resistance and speak with any creature, despite not knowing its language, all as EX abilities, being immune to tracking by scent as an EX ability is hardly strange.

Because IMHO EX ability comes from extensive class training, and are never magical.

The monk was trained to fall next to a wall, all the barbarian's abities comes from training, and the druid is trained to Trackless Step in the wilds.

Removing scent for Trackless Step would be magical for me, and couldn't come from class training. That would make the ability SP or SU.

But that's just my interpretation, while staying coherent to my other post above

Joël

 

[Joël of the FoS]

You're using Iron Heroes House Rules to determine D&D RAW?

Well, it's a valid interpretation of the ability, coming from a D&D writer.

Unless WotC has an official errata/note on Trackless Step, this is the closest from the horse's mouth we could find. Unless you have something better?

Joël

 

[Hypersmurf]

Removing scent for Trackless Step would be magical for me, and couldn't come from class training.

... until 11th level?

Well, it's a valid interpretation of the ability, coming from a D&D writer.

How do you 'interpret' a passage that doesn't mention 11th level anywhere, and come out with 11th level in your 'interpretation'?

Do you consider the Feral Pool and no Animal Companion rules to be 'valid interpretations' of the PHB text?

-Hyp.

 

[Venzor]

OK, one person in our group found this useful thing: Monte Cook ruled this ability doesn't cover scent before level 11th.



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Also I thought that the Trackless Step ability is EX, and not a SU or a SP ability. So he can't remove his scent just by being extraordinary knowledgeable in a forest.

Case closed for me Thank you all for your input.

Joël

Scent doesn't necessarily have to "disappear"... it could be masked through the "extraordinary class training". But in the end, I suppose it comes down to how you interpret extraordinary as a DM.

2c: I say that Trackless Step nulls all forms of nonmagical tracking.

 

[Vegepygmy]

Removing scent for Trackless Step would be magical for me, and couldn't come from class training.

"I rub these elderberries all over myself to mask my own scent, preventing my enemies from tracking me by sense of smell. It's a neat little trick I learned when I made 3rd level."

 

[Joël of the FoS]

"I rub these elderberries all over myself to mask my own scent, preventing my enemies from tracking me by sense of smell. It's a neat little trick I learned when I made 3rd level."

Interesting view. This could be another valid way to rule this ability, or as Crothian said, it's cool if they could.

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Anyway, there was a definitive gray zone in the definition of this ability in the PHB, and we had to put the line somewhere. And WotC doesn't have any rule clarification / errata on this.

So there are no official blurb, then let's ask here (many good ideas), and one of my player found this D&D writer' opinion.

Monte clarified the way he rules this ability (and no, *sigh*, it doesn't mean I accept all Monte Cook has written since 1934), and since it's from a writer, it's the most credible interpretation (or option if you prefer) I got so far, IMHO.

Joël

 

[moritheil]

It seems pretty absurd to say that all (Ex) abilities are the result of training. Many monsters without the intelligence to learn fancy tricks have plenty of Ex abilities.

 

[Joël of the FoS]

It seems pretty absurd to say that all (Ex) abilities are the result of training. Many monsters without the intelligence to learn fancy tricks have plenty of Ex abilities.

Well I'm not the one who said it

Extraordinary Abilities (Ex): Extraordinary abilities are nonmagical. They are, however, not something that just anyone can do or even learn to do without extensive training. Effects or areas that negate or disrupt magic have no effect on extraordinary abilities.

And do not get me started on "animals learn the tricks they know by their parents, or is it innate?"

We can reasonably assume animals and monsters learn, weither from their parents or their evolution.

Joël