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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6339497" data-attributes="member: 6696971">BreakdownAs it has been a hot subject as of late, and has considerable lack of understanding out there, I was considering writing a lengthy treatise on stunting in 4e (infamous p42).  I won't have the time for that this weekend and I may yet work on it in the coming week.  However, I figured I'd do a quick and dirty abridged version and create a thread that can serve as a repository for examples of stunting in folks' home games.At its most basic fundamentals, 4e stunting includes 4 steps.1)  Of-level Skill Checks at typically the moderate DC.  The primary skills involved in stunting are:a)  Athletics - Feats of power and physical impositionb)  Acrobatics - Feats of swashbucklingc)  Arcana - Feats of arcane (and psionic) spellcastingd)  Nature - Feats of primal spellcastinge)  Religion - Feats of divine spellcastingThere will be some other more niche cases (such as Bluff, Endurance, Thievery), but those are the ones you're going to use most of the time.  2)  A level + 5 vs AC or level + 3 vs NAD attack.  This can be subbed for the PC's own attack modifier if it exceeds that base number (due to purchased PC build resources).3)  Adjudication if the interaction with the environment or stunt warrants the limited-use damage expression or the at-will damage expression.4)  Adjudication of the value of the control effect applied or the advantage earned as a proportion of the damage expression.  Whether it affects single or multiple targets is another consideration.  As the PCs progress through the tiers, more powerful control effects should be made available to their stunting (as is the progression of their powers).  Push 2, Slide 1, Slow, Prone are typically going to be your bread and butter for stunting.Married to all of this is the consideration of genre logic.  Rogues, Monks and  the like are going to be doing swashbuckling stuff, so expect them to  be deploying Acrobatics.  Druids are going to be calling upon the primal  spirits to invoke nature's wrath or aid, so expect them to be  deploying Nature.  If players try something along their shtick, there  should really never be cause for saying no.  Adjudicate/negotiate a fair, potential mechanical result, and proceed through the resolution outlined above.  Pretty straight forward.Terrain Powers are good guidance for understanding the formula.  The Lightning Pillar Strike from Dark Sun Creature Catalog allows a PC within 5 squares to make an Arcana (arcane), Nature (primal), or Religion (divine) to invoke the magic of the pillar for a single target within CB5, medium damage expression, L + 3 vs Ref, lightning damage attack.  The DMG2 Rope Bridge attack lets you recapture an Indiana Jones scene with a moderate Athletics check and L + 3 vs Ref attack versus anyone on the bridge (you must be on it or adjacent to it).  Success knocks them prone with no damage.  If they're already prone then they fall from the bridge.  So multi-target + prone = entirety of damage expression.ExamplesAlright, here are some examples from my home games over the years.  Hopefully others will post their own examples and this can be a bit of a repository for 4e GMs hoping to improve their improv!1)  My players were fighting in a burning inn.  The whole place was covered in smoke and the fire was quickly out of hand.  A family was huddled in the corner and the spreading fire was soon to overtake them.  The Druid in my group wanted to use her at-will attack Grasping Tide (summons a vortex of water, CB1 w/i 10) to douse the spreading flames and protect the family.  The flames were a hazard.  There was a countermeasure to douse squares of the fire with easy DCs but the Druid wanted to go big.  Works for me!  Nature medium DC is passed by everything but a 1 for the Druid so this was easily defeated.  Wis vs Fort attack versus low NAD (normal NAD - 2) for a standard creature.  The Druid succeeded, 9 squares of flames were doused and the fire hazard couldn't spread to those squares for the rest of the encounter.  Family saved!2)  The Legendary Sovereign Epic Paladin (later to become an NPC antagonist) wanted to call upon his god to momentarily sanctify a place as holy so he could restrain a mental patient that he knew to be possessed by a demon.  He did this on multiple rounds to parlay (a Skill Challenge concurrent to the combat) with the demon to convince it to willingly leave the host and return to the Abyss.  Awesome!  Religion medium DC.  Level + 3 vs Will.  Target is restrained (save ends).3)  The group was fighting on a ship.  The Rogue was Mariner themed and the captain of the ship.  Lots of high-seas Pirates of the Caribbean stuff going on with lots and lots of bad guys.  The PCs were all within about 5 squares of each other.  The round before, the Rogue secured a lasso from his pack after putting down a bad guy in a swashbuckling duel.  The Rogue then deployed his level 10 mariner utility Avast(!) which is minor action, allies in CB5, allies can choose to become slowed to reduce any forced movement by 2.  After he does that, Standard Action Thievery (medium DC) to lasso the ship's wheel and YANK.  Ship yaws severely.  Level + 3 attack versus Fortitude versus everyone on the ship (including PCs) to Push 3 in the direction of the ship's yaw.  Lots and lots of bad guys prone (passed saving throw versus challenging terrain as they were over the rails) or overboard or one down in the hold (failed save).  Awesome stuff.There have been tons and tons more, but those are 3 off the top of my head that were pretty spiffy and extremely genre/archetype-relevant.</blockquote>

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