Medusa Gaze

[Markn]

So, last night I ran an encounter with a Medusa. During the combat, after a player was turned to stone, the other players asked if they could end their turn closing their eyes and then start their next turn by opening their eyes so they could not be affected by the Medusa on her turn and also so that they would not have any penalties to their attacks on their turn. The group felt that in both cases it was a free action and we couldn't find any rules on this.

Has this come up before? How would you handle it? Is this legal? What is the best way to handle it?

Thanks.

 

[Fede]

i don't remember seeing rules for closing eyes during combat.
However, i wouldn't allow what your players are proposing. If i had to make a rule, i'd say that you can at the start of your turn chose to close your eyes until the start of your next turn, and you are considered blinded while you have your eyes closed

 

[darkadelphia]

I don't know exactly how I'd handle said situation. Keep in mind that closing your eyes does not grant immunity, having the condition "blind" does. So, even if you let the characters "blind" themselves by closing their eyes, they'd be offering CA and taking -10 penalty to perception (sounds like a great time for some nasty lurker to show up).

Whatever decision you make, if the players object due to "realism," don't buy it. "Realistically," combat does not take place in an orderly sequence with all participants standing still until its their turn. The initiative order is a convenient way to represent the nearly simultaneous action of combat. So, any attempt to "close your eyes until its your turn" are simply not realistic. If I allowed players to blind themselves, I would make it save ends, to represent that they may miss the opportunity represented by their turn.

 

[abyssaldeath]

I say let him do it. Till the start of his next turn he'll be blinded.

BLINDED
✦ You grant combat advantage.
✦ You can’t see any target (your targets have total
concealment).
✦ You take a –10 penalty to Perception checks.
✦ You can’t flank an enemy.

Edit: You could also have the medusa ready an action to use her gaze when the player opens his eyes.

 

[VincentRVenturella]

I have DMd several groups through similar encounters and I came ready because I knew this question was going to come up. I gave the party three options. During their start of Turn phase, they made a decision of which one of these three actions they would take and it lasts until their next Start of Turn phase (as yes, turns are an abstraction).

1.) Fight normally. No penalties, full exposure to gaze attacks.

2.) Avert your eyes. Represents your character looking away or trying not to look directly at the monster. The monster gains concelament, you grant CA and you gain a +2 bonus to all defenses against the gaze attack.

3.) Close your eyes completely. You are blind, you are immune to the gaze attack.

Hope that helps.

 

[Fede]

Your option 2 is useless, because the +2 defense bonus is offset by granting CA (that gives a +2 to hit)

 

[chaotix42]

Your option 2 is useless, because the +2 defense bonus is offset by granting CA (that gives a +2 to hit)

Agreed. You avert your eyes for a -2 to hit and the medusa has the same chance of affecting you.

 

[Mr. Teapot]

So, last night I ran an encounter with a Medusa. During the combat, after a player was turned to stone, the other players asked if they could end their turn closing their eyes and then start their next turn by opening their eyes so they could not be affected by the Medusa on her turn and also so that they would not have any penalties to their attacks on their turn.

Turns are an abstraction to make combat sensible to us. They don't exist at all in the PC's world. The party members don't sit by idly while the enemy attacks them: their movement and their own attacks are happening simultaneously to the medusa's attacks. But trying to handle the rules for such simultaneous action would be difficult and confusing, so initiative and turns are used to keep everything orderly.

So, no, they can't close their eyes when the medusa attacks but have them open when they attack, because these two events occur simultaneously or overlap.


Outside the rules, but I could see allowing the the PCs to be functionally blind for the round (decide at the start of each of your turns if you will be blind or not, this condition lasts until the start of your next turn).

 

[SteveC]

The ruling we agreed on was that a character can decide to close or open their eyes at the beginning of each turn. With eyes closed, you're blind and suffer the appropriate penalties, but are also immune to gaze attacks. My paladin decided after a couple of characters had been turned to stone that this was a prudent action...and it stopped us from having a TPK.

The ruling seemed to make sense for us, and ended up being pretty well balanced.

--Steve

 

[evilbob]

I have run a medusa once and the way we handled it was that each character could choose to close/open their eyes on their turn as a free action, but they were closed (and the character blind) until their next turn, unless another character told them to open their eyes as a free action. This seems to favor the players quite a bit, but you have to consider:
a) all enemies have CA against someone who is closing their eyes
b) MANY player effects require you to see someone (like warlord effects)
c) enemies would quickly notice this and simply ready actions or delay their turns

"C" is really your defense against this: the medusa could easily move around without fearing OAs with everyone's eyes closed, then ready a gaze at the next person who could see her. Or, just have her hang back and pelt everyone with arrows with a +2 to hit, and send the brutes in to have lots of fun avoiding OAs, setting up flanks, and generally not missing.

The one thing you really must be strict on is if someone suggests closing their eyes as an immediate reaction: you can ready an action to close your eyes, but it is a standard action to ready an action, even if it's a free action.