Move action

[mneme]

#3 - Every DM is going to do this differently. As far as I'm concerned, threatening reach is obvious, and characters should be aware that the creature lashings its tentacles at every little bit of motion 10' out is going to be trouble.

I agree, but it's fine not to explicitly say "this creature has threatening reach". So sometimes players will misenterpret; it happens (particularly since some monsters have long tentacles with reach, but no threatening reach).

Wicked Flames is... probably the dumbest power out there. You can't take any actions while you're Removed From Play (and you have neither line of sight nor line of effect to anything), so the fact that the attack triggers as an Opportunity Action while you're RFP means it'll never see use.

This is just wrong. Powers do what they say. Wicked Flames says you're RFP, but that you can take an OA, with a specific trigger -- so you can, even though when RFP you wouldn't normally be able to take actions.

 

[sigfile]

This is just wrong. Powers do what they say. Wicked Flames says you're RFP, but that you can take an OA, with a specific trigger -- so you can, even though when RFP you wouldn't normally be able to take actions.

Sure, the effect of the power states that you can take the action, so you can. But it still doesn't grant line of effect, so the attack fails. The intent is clear, but the power needs errata to make the attack a zone effect rather than an opportunity action attack from a Removed From Play character.

"Effect: An enemy entering or starting its turn in the zone is subject to the following attack:
Attack: Your strength + 9 vs reflex
Hit: 3d10 + your strength modifier damage and you may slide the target 3 squares"

 

[wedgeski]

1)in plain sight: a caracter sees everything on the "battlefield" hence he moves normally from where he starts to where he ends, describing his paths and counting his squares.

When it comes to what a PC can see on the battlefield, darkness, low light, stealth, amd other mechanical effects all apply as normal. Otherwise I will use skill checks or simply the combined wisdom of the table ("You sure your PC would know that kobold was around that corner?") to resolve the situation.

2) in corridors: If a corner is coming up, and a character's turn is up, can he move to a square he does not have line of sight to: This would mean when moving, a character moves one square, then moves another, then moves another and you would have to tell the player every new obvious thing he sees from every new square he steps into.

Yes, so? If the PC says "I move around the corner thus..." I would certainly describe what he sees as he rounds the corner, depending on line of sight and *passive* Perception, and allow him to adjust his actions accordingly. If he wanted to use an active Perception check, that would be a Minor action and would mark the end of his Move.

also, if a character is fighting an unknown monster for the first time, and that monster has threathening reach, would you make them discover it with an unexpected opportunity attack, or you would tell them the dangers of passing there ?

That's a perfect case for Monster Knowledge checks.

This makes powerful foes out of threatening reach people who can push back 1 square as opportunity attacks.

Yes, it would make them almost unassailable by melee without reach.

 

[andy3k]

Both of my D&D groups allow you to move 1 square at a time (mini-moves). In most cases, the character moves from origin to destination without interruption, so the action appears to occur as a single event.

New information based on moving into a specific square is delivered as an immediate interrupt and the rest of the move action continues to be take 1 square at a time. So if objects appear or events occur due to turning a corner, shedding light X squares away, etc. then the character is stopped at the square in which the new information becomes available, the DM describes the objects or springs the events, and the character may then proceed based on the new information, 1 square at a time.

Kind of like chess, a character does not actually move until his hand is off the piece (figurine mini) and the action has been declared as final. During the move process, the DM or other players may optionally remind a player that they could potentially be drawing an OA if they pass a particular object. Either way, once the move is declared, the DM pauses a moment to let the player enact last-minute take-backs, then the OA is announced and the move cannot be taken back.

If there is a monster with possible threatening reach, the monster description never really suffices. In my groups, a monster knowledge check is allowed as a free action so you perform your check and do or do not know that the monster has threatening reach. If you don't know and get hit by it, that's the way it goes ... now you know.

"If an opportunity action pushes or slides a character, this should cancel the character's original move action, yes / no and why ?"

My groups play that it does not cancel the original move action (for the reasons stated in previous posts).

For the sake of discussion, ignore reality, since reality has no part in D&D actions. This is all about game balance. How balanced is it that an interrupt that forces movement steal my move action? If I am allowed to move 6, and an interrupt allows a monster to push me 1 square, does it seem fair that I lose the other 5 squares of my move? Is that balanced?

 

[mneme]

Sure, the effect of the power states that you can take the action, so you can. But it still doesn't grant line of effect, so the attack fails.

The "text overrides rules" would win here, but it doesn't need to. You count line of effect from the origin of the effect (the zone, in this case), not from "you" in all cases. In this case, the zone is the origin of the effect, so you can take the OA even though you don't have LOE to the target.

Similarly, you may make attacks with summoned monsters or conjurations on creatures you don't have LoE on.

 

[S'mon]

The RAW definitely do treat movement as a bunch of 1-square mini-moves. Since a real life adult's walking stride is only about a yard, arguably the squares should only be 3' not 5', but whatcha gonna do?