Need help: Stealth/skill check in combat

[jhilahd]

I'm having a senior moment this morning, I had a player try to basically hide in plain sight(or rather behind a large cauldron) in combat.

For the life of me, I cannot remember if it is a move action to use a skill or a standard or what have you. I looked it up and didn't see it.

Now this morning I read that you can use stealth at the end of a move action(but what kind of action is that?) against their perception. And you can have concealment or superior cover is you succeed. Cool.

He wanted to hide to get a combat advantage(he's a striker ranger with a long bow). Because I couldn't remember and we were already an hour into the fight(real time) I made an on the fly ruling that he had use a standard action to do it, but would only have the bonus to defense not combat advantage. Other than failing to rule correctly on the skill use, did I rule correct against the combat advantage?

Thanks.

Oh and is there a listing I'm missing that tells me exactly what skills are considered what while in combat, like which ones are standard actions, which ones are considered move, or minor?
Thanks again.

 

[1of3]

If the vase was big enough to provide superior cover, he could have make a Stealth check after moving behind it. That check does not require an action.

He could than make attacks one attack with combat advantage. Everyone would recognize him thereafter.

 

[Truename]

Oh and is there a listing I'm missing that tells me exactly what skills are considered what while in combat, like which ones are standard actions, which ones are considered move, or minor?
Thanks again.

It's in the skills section of the PHB, but it isn't obvious. For my game, I made a little reference booklet to try to make all the combat actions easier to track--see below.

It sounds like your interpretation of Stealth is a bit messed up. Stealth doesn't grant concealment; it requires it, and Stealth does grant combat advantage.

 

[Hereticus]

PDFs are great for cut-n-paste!

I'm having a senior moment this morning, I had a player try to basically hide in plain sight(or rather behind a large cauldron) in combat.

For the life of me, I cannot remember if it is a move action to use a skill or a standard or what have you. I looked it up and didn't see it.

Page 183 of the Players Handbook:

Bluff: Standard action in combat or part of a skill challenge.

Opposed Check: Bluff vs. Insight.

Gain Combat Advantage: Once per combat encounter, you can try to gain combat advantage against an adjacent enemy by feinting. As a standard action, make a Bluff check opposed by the enemy’s Insight check. If you succeed, you gain combat advantage against the enemy until the end of your next turn.

Create a Diversion to Hide: Once per combat encounter, you can create a diversion to hide. As a standard action, make a Bluff check opposed by the Insight check of an enemy that can see you (if multiple enemies can see you, your Bluff check is opposed by each enemy’s Insight check). If you succeed, you create a diversion and can immediately make a Stealth check to hide.

 

[jhilahd]

Ok.

You're right. My interpretation of stealth was a bit different.
Thanks for that.

The think that bothers me, is the "at the end of a move action". In our game, the player had already moved in the previous round to gain cover. I made perception checks for all the bad guys who were in his line of sight and vice versa.
I gave him partial cover(or just cover) because he moved, and attacked.
Next round he wanted to hide with stealth to get combat advantage.

I had told him I didn't think he could because the enemies were aware of him. He didn't care about his cover bonus, he just wanted CA.

So in a situation like that, how could a player gain CA if he was already in place with cover. Would they need to move out of the square and back to "end it on a move action"?

I think that's what is confusing to me.

I appreciate the help. Alot.
Thanks.

 

[webrunner]

You can make a move action and move 0 squares.

But again, the cauldron has to be enough that it grants superior cover or concealment.. assuming it doesnt grant concealment (ie, it's not wide enough, or tall enough, or has space under it you can see past) if it's a one square cauldron that you rule then even someone on the direct opposite side of the cauldron can draw more than one line from one of their corners to corners of the Rogue.

If the cauldron is 2x2:

.CCE
RCC.

Then the rogue can roll stealth without Bluff.

 

[DracoSuave]

PHB1 isn't the Stealth-rules source, hasn't been for a long time.

Stealth, Perception, and Bluff use the PHB2 rules now.

Also, Stealth doesn't inherently grant combat advantage, it makes the character unseen and unheard by those whose Passive Perception the Stealth roll beats. If the perceiver has other ways to 'see' the player, then combat advantage isn't assured.