super basic shield question

[Plane Sailing]

As a DM, I tell people the number I've hit, and a wizard can use Shield if it is going to be useful for him. It looks cool and he feels great about it.

As a wizard player, my DM tells me the number he's hit, and I choose whether to use shield or not. It looks cool and I feel great about it. Sometimes I'm hit so much that there isn't a point to it, sometimes I've expended Shield AND staff of defence power at the same time to dodge a big hit in a most impressive fashion.

I don't know whether the power would be worth having if you had to use it "blind" though.

 

[hvg3akaek]

sometimes I've expended Shield AND staff of defence power at the same time to dodge a big hit in a most impressive fashion.

Shield: Immediate Interrupt
Staff of Defence: Immediate Interrupt

Immediate Action: Once per round


Nice, powerful house-rule, but against the rules otherwise. Then again, if you are playing with this level of house-rules / misinterpretation, I am not surprised that you would view another interpretation of the rules as "not worth having"

 

[Plane Sailing]

Shield: Immediate Interrupt
Staff of Defence: Immediate Interrupt

See, this is one of the things that bugs me about 4e being full of special case rules - that some things are still general case like immediate actions only occurring once per round. It's twiddly bits like that which still trip us up!

Well, it was great the time I used it, and even having the approx equivalent of shield twice per encounter for me is great.

Immediate interrupt problems aside, I still stand by the 'shield is useful' interpretation rather than the 'shield is pretty useless' interpretation.

 

[Majushi]

Another point I just thought of;

Immediate actions can't be taken in your own turn right?

So if you provoke an Opp Attack, you can't use Shield or Staff of D. to protect yourself?

 

[Infiniti2000]

Do you miss the part of the power that says the +4 bonus to AC and Reflex lasts "until the end of your next turn"? hardly useless, even if it were never to stop the triggering attack!

The problem with this is that "until the end of your next turn" could be the very next person's (you) action. In fact, it's guaranteed to occur prior to the triggering person's next action, so it isn't even a full round.

Immediate actions can't be taken in your own turn right?

So if you provoke an Opp Attack, you can't use Shield or Staff of D. to protect yourself?

That sounds correct.

 

[DracoSuave]

The problem with this is that "until the end of your next turn" could be the very next person's (you) action. In fact, it's guaranteed to occur prior to the triggering person's next action, so it isn't even a full round.

It is if you're shielding against the first attack in the round!

 

[IllDM4YOU]

i must be stupid

but im having a really hard time getting how combat works,, can someone explain

-dont hate me >.<

OFF TOPIC

 

[Majushi]

but im having a really hard time getting how combat works,, can someone explain

-dont hate me >.<

OFF TOPIC

Is this some form of terrible baiting?

If you really want the answer tho;

1) All players and creatures roll initiative.
2) People act in descending order of rolled init.
3) a turn consists of a standard, move and minor action. (Standard can be converted into move actions. Move actions can be converted into minor)
4) rince repeat until TPK or all monsters are dead.

 

[Infiniti2000]

It is if you're shielding against the first attack in the round!

Not if you go second, or anything but last. It's never a full round, even if you go last (not technically, anyway, because theoretically someone could go between the last person and first person, such as a new combatant that rolled higher in initiative).

 

[DracoSuave]

If it's against the first attack against you in a round, that's against -all- the attacks against you in that round. Unless your enemies have awesome time travel to go back in time to before you used the shield, it's as close to a full round as you'll need.