Skills in Combat

[Montkiva]

Hi all,

When a PC uses a skill in combat to, for example, disable a trap, what kind of action is it? A minor action? Free? Standard?

Thanks!

 

[tombowings]

We'll know in two weeks. But until then, I would rule a standard action.

 

[Primal]

We'll know in two weeks. But until then, I would rule a standard action.

Skill checks are most likely "out of combat" stuff only. Trip, Disarm etc. are Fighter Powers usable once/encounter -- nobody else may try them.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Skill checks are most likely "out of combat" stuff only. Trip, Disarm etc. are Fighter Powers usable once/encounter -- nobody else may try them.

Plenty of use for skills in combat: Stealth to hide behind things and set up sneak attacks, Athletics to jump down or climb up ledges, Acrobatics to swing on stuff...

And there are plenty of ways other than "fighter powers" to trip or disarm an enemy, thanks.

 

[Mort_Q]

I would think I'd use a skill challenge like approach, rather than a simple skill ckeck.

The rogue works as quickly as she can to get the lock open.

Complicated multistage locking system, must get 4 success before 2 failures.

Success: Lock Opens. 2 Elite Soldiers appropriate to the location are behind the door. No surprise round.

Failure: 2d4 minions and 1d4-2 swarms appropriate to the location enter the scene, perhaps at random, perhaps to secure the door. Each minion, but not the swarms, has +1 bonus to damage on all attacks per failure incurred. i.e. minions spawned on the initial failure do +1 damage. The lock resets.

Player may attempt to open the lock as often as she wants until she is successful.

..... sorry, just daydreaming.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

And there are plenty of ways other than "fighter powers" to trip or disarm an enemy, thanks.

Yay.

Layeth the smackdown, undead rodent.

 

[Vrecknidj]

Total out-of-the-blue, I-haven't-seen-a-rule guess: "depends on the skill."

I would imagine that some skills (disabling a trap, for example) might be so time-intensive as to be only allowed outside of combat. Others, of course, might be very useful in combat and so allowed.

And, in some cases, I would think that a skill that might take a standard action for some might take less time for someone else (i.e. a higher-level individual might have a feat or power that allows a skill to be used more proficiently, or whatever).

Dave

 

[Primal]

Plenty of use for skills in combat: Stealth to hide behind things and set up sneak attacks, Athletics to jump down or climb up ledges, Acrobatics to swing on stuff...

And there are plenty of ways other than "fighter powers" to trip or disarm an enemy, thanks.

Then why are they once/encounter Fighter Powers in the first place, if the intended reason was to limit "one trick ponies" who constantly trip/disarm their opponents? If it's possible to trip or disarm someone without taking those Powers, who would take them?

 

[MindWanderer]

At DDXP, my party warlock attempted to disable the traps in the second encounter during combat. Assuming the DM ran it correctly, it was a standard action, and only a single success necessary. I hope that's the case; those skill challenges for traps in the preview make is so that disabling a trap in combat is nearly impossible.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Then why are they once/encounter Fighter Powers in the first place, if the intended reason was to limit "one trick ponies" who constantly trip/disarm their opponents? If it's possible to trip or disarm someone without taking those Powers, who would take them?

More easily set-up, takes less turns, can cause additional effects, etc.

So instead of non-power where you: get into position, pray to the dice god you manage to trip the guy, then trip him.

Power is: You run up to him, get a easy trip and manage to curb-stomp the enemy afterwards in one round.

That is how I see it working.