Poll: Enforce the Standard Action to activate Energy Properties?

[Hypersmurf]

If we strictly interpret "wielder" as "someone using that item in hand and swinging" or something, several rules regarding magic items lose meanings for non-hand-held type magic items. For example, "DAMAGING MAGIC ITEMS" section is using the word "wielder" to describe the rules, though there are many magic items which is never physically wielded.

That's a problem with the Damaging Magic Items section, not the Flaming ability description

-Hyp.

 

[Shin Okada]

That's a problem with the Damaging Magic Items section, not the Flaming ability description

-Hyp.

I am also not sure if it is appropriate to say "wielding a sling stone", "wielding a gauntlet", "wielding armor spikes" and such. For me, it seems that the designer is using this word quite loosely. And it is not defined as a rule term anyway.

 

[Murrdox]

Not to mention +1 flaming arrows, would they have to be activated separately ? Oh, the madness, for the rapid-shot longbow freak: "Burn, burn and burn, now, burn, will you ? Aaaaaargh !"

Since a stack of 50 arrows or bolts essentially counts as one magic item, I believe that when you utter the command word - all 50 of them would be activated at once. Of course, this interpretation automatically means you must have a quiver that doesn't get damaged by them...

 

[TheGogmagog]

My answer is a bit of yes and no. Yes we actually enforce the standard action to activate/deactivate. But since the flame (shock, cold, sonic, acid) only does damage on a successful attack, there is no problem leaving it active all the time. The standard action only comes into play when someone wants to disable the abilty for some reason.

 

[Nail]

I also strongly disagree with the FAQ ruling that you can activate many abilities with one command (as it can result in the Magic Missle Gatling Wand problem).

The Magic Missile "Gatling" Wand is impossible. A wand can only carry one spell (not even multiple copies of the same spell), and only 1 charge at a time.


"A wand is a thin baton that contains a single spell of 4th level or lower. Each wand has 50 charges when created, and each charge expended allows the user to use the wand’s spell one time."

 

[Scion]

Nail, I believe he meant holding a bunch (lets say 50) wands all at once with the same command word and popping them all at the same time.

Of course, I could be mistaken

 

[Jdvn1]

Voted yes, because we do require a standard action, but like the quoted poster above, players rarely deactivate energy properties.

Seconded. Or, thirded. Or whatever number we're on.

 

[Deset Gled]

A wand can only carry one spell (not even multiple copies of the same spell), and only 1 charge at a time.

You are correct. However, I was not refering to using one wand fifty times in the same round, I was refering to using fifty wands at the same time in one round.

The Magic Missle Machine Gun (since we're being technical, I suppose I shouldn't call it a Gatling gun because it doesn't rotate) is essentially a ridiculous amount of MM wands all created with the same command word, then secured together. The character then uses his newfound ability from the FAQ to activate them all at the same time, and is has a tool that can cause almost unlimited damage to any creature without any chance of missing.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

It needs to be activated but once it activated you don't have to turn it off (paticuarly with bows). Therefore you will generally activate it before you will be in battle and leave it active.

 

[Mistwell]

I had always assumed constant items like rings of invisibility were always on, like Bilbo's ring, unless you broke the invisibility (like by attacking). Only recently did I discover it lasts only 3 minutes after you put it on and then you become visible again, and have to take an action to re-activate it.

Sadly, part of that same rule seems to go for energy properties. You activate it with an action. However, I don't think it has a 10 round duration before it automatically turns itself off and requires reactivation.