Many questions about Cloak Dance...

[RigaMortus]

With Cloak Dance, I can take a Move Action to give myself concealment. It doesn't tell me what kind of concealment I have (I know it isn't total concealment). Aren't there varying degrees of concealment, and don't they each have % miss chances attached to them?

If I do the Move Equiv with Cloak Dance, and give myself Concealment, I guess I can do a Hide check, right? Would this work in conjunction with sniping? In other words, I could attack using my Standard Action, then Move-Equiv Cloak Dance to give myself concealment, then Hide, right? Would I get any minuses to Hide since I just attacked? Or do I get any minuses to my attack, since I am going to Hide? Kind of confused on how that works.

It also states that the concealment will last until my next turn. So if I successfully hide, and someone moves through my threat area, I can attack them right? And get sneak attack damage? Do I remain hidden?

Now if I choose to use a Full-Round Action, I can get total concealment until my next action. In which case, there is no need for me to use Hide, right? I am technically invisible for one round, or until my next action. Is that right? And since it states I have total concealment until my next action (not turn mind you), that means if I take an AoO against someone, I will lose my total concealment, but I would get a Sneak Attack, right?

Also, when my turn comes up, I still continue to get total concealment, until I take an action. Is that also correct? Which will allow me to make at least one attack as a sneak attack?

Whew, that's it. I hope I am understanding this feat correctly.

Thanks!

 

[Thanee]

CONCEALMENT
To determine whether your target has concealment from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target’s square passes through a square or border that provides concealment, the target has concealment.

When making a melee attack against an adjacent target, your target has concealment if his space is entirely within an effect that grants concealment. When making a melee attack against a target that isn’t adjacent to you use the rules for determining concealment from ranged attacks.

In addition, some magical effects provide concealment against all attacks, regardless of whether any intervening concealment exists.

Concealment Miss Chance: Concealment gives the subject of a successful attack a 20% chance that the attacker missed because of the concealment. If the attacker hits, the defender must make a miss chance percentile roll to avoid being struck. Multiple concealment conditions do not stack.

Concealment and Hide Checks: You can use concealment to make a Hide check. Without concealment, you usually need cover to make a Hide check.

Ignoring Concealment: Concealment isn’t always effective. A shadowy area or darkness doesn’t provide any concealment against an opponent with darkvision. Characters with low-light vision can see clearly for a greater distance with the same light source than other characters. Although invisibility provides total concealment, sighted opponents may still make Spot checks to notice the location of an invisible character. An invisible character gains a +20 bonus on Hide checks if moving, or a +40 bonus on Hide checks when not moving (even though opponents can’t see you, they might be able to figure out where you are from other visual clues).

So, unless otherwise noted, Concealment is 20%.

You can hide, but AFAIK it takes at least a move action to do so (which can be used to move and hide, since hiding is part of movement), so you cannot hide, if you attack and use the feat, since you have no move action left then.

If you are hidden and attack you get sneak attack damage, as usual, but you do not remain hidden. Sniping is the only exception that I know of.

The full-round stuff looks right to me, except for the invisibility. You are not automatically invisible with total concealment, tho it is usually the case, that you get total concealment, when you cannot be seen.

Note, however, that "until your next action" just means until the next time your initiative comes up. What you do on your initiative is irrelevant, so you don't actually have to act to end it, it only lasts one round in any case.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Sejs]

If I do the Move Equiv with Cloak Dance, and give myself Concealment, I guess I can do a Hide check, right? Would this work in conjunction with sniping?

I'm sorry Riga, nothing personal and all but that has to be one of the silliest damn suggestions I've heard in a while.

"Huh, where did he go? He was here just a second ago, and then he totally vanished leaving only this swirling, dancing cloak that he had on, in the space that he once occupied. Man, look at that thing go.

Jeeze, I just have no idea where he could have gotten to!"


*THUNK*

"Gah! Ow! Crap, where did that arrow come from? Cloak, did you see anything?"

 

[Thanee]

Oh, one important thing I forgot to add...

If people are observing you, even casually, you can’t hide.

Bye
Thanee

 

[RigaMortus]

Ok, I understand and agree with everything you stated. Seems to make sense. Except this:

Note, however, that "until your next action" just means until the next time your initiative comes up. What you do on your initiative is irrelevant, so you don't actually have to act to end it, it only lasts one round in any case.

Bye
Thanee

If that meant I have total concealment until my initiative came up, that would mean I can make an AoO and remain in total concealment. Is this how it would be played? I would think AoO would "break" my total concealment...

I'm sorry Riga, nothing personal and all but that has to be one of the silliest damn suggestions I've heard in a while.

Silly or not, that is how it works (to my understanding). Whenever you have concealment, of any type (even by the Blur spell or Obscuring Mist for example), you are allowed to make a Hide check and Hide yourself. Until you can find the rule that proves otherwise, it is officially allowed.

Oh and don't worry, I won't take it personal. I'm not the one that wrote the rules and allowed this into my game system. Although you should direct your comments to the designers, not me.

 

[RigaMortus]

Oh, one important thing I forgot to add...

If people are observing you, even casually, you can’t hide.

Bye
Thanee

Makes sense. However, can't you use a Bluff check in conjunction with Hide, to trick people into not observing you? That's what is written under the Hide skill. If you are allowed, is Bluff a free action to perform in this case?

 

[Thanee]

Well, if you attack, you would lose the benefit of hiding, tho concealment normally isn't lost. It's certainly a bit weird, might make sense to just drop the benefit of total concealment (at least down to regular concealment) if you attack.

No, using Bluff is a standard action. You can bluff (standard action) and then hide (move action). You could not activate that power also.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Sejs]

Right, with Bluff you Bluff (standard action) to try and create a distraction: "Look - air!", looking over the guy's shoulder and feigning as if something huge and terrible is bearing down on you both and muttering "..oh @^$#", or what have you. If you succeed, you draw the target's attention away from you, thus making it so they're no longer observing you, even casaully, until their next action. Then, you Hide (move equivalent action) - assuming there is a viable hiding place within [1 foot per rank of Hide skill], moving to that hiding place and making a Hide check with a -10 penalty. Even then, however, the opponent knows that you're somewhere in the immediate vicinity.

Hiding from someone in combat is really really difficult. Succeeding with a hide check using cloak dance would be one of those 'yeah, but even so it does you no good' things. The opponent knows exactly where you are - he can pinpoint your location - you're in that cloak. He just can't quite tell which bits of the swirling mass of cloth are you, and which are just billowing garment.