Just brainstorming....
For all those wacky things PCs want to pull in or out of combat, but aren't specifically covered in the rules.
1. Player describes what he wants to do. Any given stunt description can only be used once per encounter. Tactical handwave: the bad guys catch on; cinematic handwave: doing the same thing repeatedly is boring. The DM is final arbiter on whether a stunt description has been used before.
2. DM assigns a stat or skill to roll, and a defense or skill to roll against. If the target is a skill, then it's an opposed roll. (Remember that skills default to base stat mod + 1/2 level, for monsters/NPCs and PCs alike.)
3. Type of action is determined by the specifics of the stunt. A stunt can take up either a move, minor or free action (but you can only do a stunt on your turn).
3a. Cinematic philosophy: thecooler awesomer more entertaining the stunt is, the less demanding the action required. A super- cool awesome entertaining stunt is a free action. A not-very cool awesome entertaining stunt is a move action.
3b. Tactical philosophy: the complexity and actual game time involved determines the type of action required. A very simple stunt is a free action. A very complicated/long-winded stunt is a move action.
3c. In all cases, a stunt must be a nontrivial effort on the character's part, and the player should also make an effort to distinguish the stunt from the regular flow of events in an encounter.
4. If the stunt succeeds, the player inflicts one of the following on the target. The type of penalty is decided by the DM based on the stunt description given by the player.
4a. -5 penalty to attacks OR defenses OR skill checks/ability checks for 1 round
4b. -2 penalty to attacks OR defenses OR skill checks/ability checks, ongoing until the target makes a saving throw
For all those wacky things PCs want to pull in or out of combat, but aren't specifically covered in the rules.
1. Player describes what he wants to do. Any given stunt description can only be used once per encounter. Tactical handwave: the bad guys catch on; cinematic handwave: doing the same thing repeatedly is boring. The DM is final arbiter on whether a stunt description has been used before.
2. DM assigns a stat or skill to roll, and a defense or skill to roll against. If the target is a skill, then it's an opposed roll. (Remember that skills default to base stat mod + 1/2 level, for monsters/NPCs and PCs alike.)
3. Type of action is determined by the specifics of the stunt. A stunt can take up either a move, minor or free action (but you can only do a stunt on your turn).
3a. Cinematic philosophy: the
3b. Tactical philosophy: the complexity and actual game time involved determines the type of action required. A very simple stunt is a free action. A very complicated/long-winded stunt is a move action.
3c. In all cases, a stunt must be a nontrivial effort on the character's part, and the player should also make an effort to distinguish the stunt from the regular flow of events in an encounter.
4. If the stunt succeeds, the player inflicts one of the following on the target. The type of penalty is decided by the DM based on the stunt description given by the player.
4a. -5 penalty to attacks OR defenses OR skill checks/ability checks for 1 round
4b. -2 penalty to attacks OR defenses OR skill checks/ability checks, ongoing until the target makes a saving throw