Figurines of Wondrous Power

[Nikosandros]

I'm a bit confused by those items and I have a few questions.

1) Is the controller required to have line of effect to the creature?

2) What is the range of the conjuration? The creature can only be conjured in an adjacent space, but does this mean that it must always remain adjacent?

3) Are those creatures capable of thought? Do they keep their memories when they are conjured again?

4) Does the death of the conjuror automatically make the creature disappear?

 

[Mort_Q]

Players Handbook 2

Attacking with a Conjuration: If you can attack with a conjuration, you make the attack. You determine line of sight normally, but you determine line of effect from the conjuration.

Movable Conjurations: If the power you use to create a conjuration allows you to move it, it’s a movable conjuration. At the end of your turn, the movable conjuration ends if you are not within range of at least 1 square it’s in (using the power’s range) or if you don’t have line of effect to at least 1 square it’s in.

Death Ends: If you die, the conjuration ends immediately.

3) Are those creatures capable of thought? Do they keep their memories when they are conjured again?

I suppose that's up to you or the DM. Since the player controls it... do whatever is more interesting.

 

[Nikosandros]

So, is a figurine required to remain always adjacent to the character? The initial range of the conjuration is one adjacent square.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Re-read that part about Movable Conjurations.

At the end of your turn, the movable conjuration ends if you are not within range of at least 1 square it’s in (using the power’s range) or if you don’t have line of effect to at least 1 square it’s in.

Figurines don't have Ranges (at least, I didn't see any that did in the Compendium), so the second part of the above statement applies: you must maintain line of effect to your figurine.

 

[Ferghis]

1) Is the controller required to have line of effect to the creature?

It appears so, from the quote posted above.

2) What is the range of the conjuration? The creature can only be conjured in an adjacent space, but does this mean that it must always remain adjacent?

Again, as posted above, the RAW seems to indicate that it can range as far as the owner's line of effect. This creates the odd circumstance in which, for example, it falls down a pit-trap, and dissappears before hitting the bottom because it is out of the line of effect.

3) Are those creatures capable of thought? Do they keep their memories when they are conjured again?

I couldn't find anything RAW about this, so I'm going to opine that it's within the purview of any particular campaign's fluff.

4) Does the death of the conjuror automatically make the creature disappear?

From the passage quoted above, it appears so.



I find the following passage, also under the conjuration keyword, to be mildly confusing in relation to some of the figurines.

Unaffected by the Environment: Terrain and environmental phenomena have no effect on the conjuration. For example, a conjuration that is an icy hand functions in an inferno without penalty. The conjuration does not need to be supported by a solid surface, so it can float in the air.

This clearly states that the figurine can walk off a cliff, or even a tree branch, and float in mid air. Most of the figurines quite obviously walk on a surface. Some have a climb speed or a fly speed. Allowing all figurines to float in mid air seems disrespectful, to put it mildly, of those that fly. So, much as this sounds retarded to me, I have to ask, per RAW:

5) Would you allow an Onyx Dog to float or walk through the air?


Also, two questions regarding the temporary hit points of the figurine. To provide some background, figurines cannot be healed, and when they are called, they last 8 hours, and their owner can spend a surge to give them temp HP equal to the owner's surge value. Per the rules, temp HP dissappear when someone takes a short rest (PHB p 294).

6) Can the owner of the figurine not rest while the rest of the party does?

7) Can the figurine not rest while the owner does?

Finally, a question about flanking. The passage quoted below is in the introduction to figurines. I remember reading somewhere that to flank, a creature had to be able to make opportunity attacks, or somesuch. Whatever it was, I walked away with the impression that if an entity was not dangerous on its own, it couldn't provide a flanking bonus.

Conjured creatures lack basic attacks and therefore cannot make opportunity attacks.

8) Does this mean a figurine cannot flank in melee?

 

[Ferghis]

Should anyone need the additional reference, there is a paragon level figurine listed in Dragon 368. Of relevance, Tantron, Int 5, is described as having the intellect and demeanor of a particularly smart dog. This makes me think that at least that figurine would have lasting memory. Most figurines, however, seem to have Int 2, and some have Int 1.

 

[Mort_Q]

This creates the odd circumstance in which, for example, it falls down a pit-trap, and dissappears before hitting the bottom because it is out of the line of effect.

The check occurs at the end of your turn. If it fails the test, i.e. you no longer have LoE, then it dissappears.

I find the following passage, also under the conjuration keyword, to be mildly confusing in relation to some of the figurines. This clearly states that the figurine can walk off a cliff, or even a tree branch, and float in mid air. Most of the figurines quite obviously walk on a surface. Some have a climb speed or a fly speed. Allowing all figurines to float in mid air seems disrespectful, to put it mildly, of those that fly. So, much as this sounds retarded to me, I have to ask, per RAW:

5) Would you allow an Onyx Dog to float or walk through the air?

Only if the player made a convincing argument. I'm not sure how you would move a non-flying floating conjuration.

Also, two questions regarding the temporary hit points of the figurine. To provide some background, figurines cannot be healed, and when they are called, they last 8 hours, and their owner can spend a surge to give them temp HP equal to the owner's surge value. Per the rules, temp HP dissappear when someone takes a short rest (PHB p 294).

6) Can the owner of the figurine not rest while the rest of the party does?

7) Can the figurine not rest while the owner does?

Officially? I don't know... I'd let it not rest (since it has no surges of it's own).

Finally, a question about flanking. The passage quoted below is in the introduction to figurines. I remember reading somewhere that to flank, a creature had to be able to make opportunity attacks, or somesuch. Whatever it was, I walked away with the impression that if an entity was not dangerous on its own, it couldn't provide a flanking bonus. 8) Does this mean a figurine cannot flank in melee?

You are correct in that you have to be able to make an OA in order to flank.

Conjured creatures lack basic attacks and therefore cannot make opportunity attacks.

It says, at least for the Onyx Dog, that you can't... so I suspect it's power/item dependent... if it doesn't say it can flank... it can't.

 

[Joshua Randall]

The relevant rules for flanking say:

Must Be Able to Attack: You and your ally must be able to attack the enemy, whether you’re armed or unarmed. If there’s no line of effect between your enemy and either you or your ally, you don’t flank. If you’re affected by an effect that prevents you from taking opportunity actions, you don’t flank.

So for the onxy dog (or other figurines, I guess), it's a little unclear to me. It lacks a basic attack so it cannot make an opportunity attack, but can it take an opportunity action? (Which is what flanking actually depends upon.)

The onxy dog is clearly "able to attack", so it fulfills that aspect of the requirement.

 

[Mort_Q]

The Onyx dog has no actions of it's own... the PC provides all actions. As you said, it can't take Opportunity Attacks, therefore it can't flank.

[edit]

... or maybe not...

More on Figurines and Flanking

[/edit]

 

[Mort_Q]

Seems there has been some errrata since that thread took place... though I'm leaning toward the fact that the Onyx Dog conjures a creature... and thus provides flanking.