There is one thing about the Scout that annoys me

[BSF]

In a featureless 20' room with a fireball? then the believability plummets. Why not make him Immune to Fire, or have him meld into the stone of the floor... etc. Your game, your choice though.

I always imagined a fireball to be a roiling ball of fire. Kind of like when somebody opens the door in a building that is on fire and you get a backdraft effect. As such, I can easily envision somebody with good reflexes and enough wits to be able to avoid the hottest spots of the fireball. That is one way a general reflex save might work. Now somebody with hair trigger reflexes and an uncanny knack for avoiding things might even be able to dance past the flames even more effectively. That is how I see Evasion or Improved Evasion.

I adjust for the flavor of the character and environment.

 

[Sunderstone]

I always imagined a fireball to be a roiling ball of fire. Kind of like when somebody opens the door in a building that is on fire and you get a backdraft effect. As such, I can easily envision somebody with good reflexes and enough wits to be able to avoid the hottest spots of the fireball. That is one way a general reflex save might work. Now somebody with hair trigger reflexes and an uncanny knack for avoiding things might even be able to dance past the flames even more effectively. That is how I see Evasion or Improved Evasion.

I adjust for the flavor of the character and environment.

Thats another way to look at it. In that I agree. Depends on the individuals interpretation I guess. Good Point.
I always envisioned a ball of fire exploding and expanding in flames to fill its radius. Sort of like the previous editions of it exploding outward filling all those 10' squares as it went.

 

[Goblyn]

You don't need to "act" in order to make an opposed check. You simply make the check with a Dex of 0, and since you are a Scout, you succeed.

No, but it's implicit that you need to be capable of offering some resistance.

I actually wonder which opposed checks you can make without needing to(even when unable to) act.

Thats fine but your example doesnt minimize damage if he makes his save, according to the rules, it makes him effectively immune to the "searing heat". Minimizing exposure is one thing, but nowhere to run in a 20' room doesnt make the Rogue Immune to Fire.
This isnt a Lightning Bolt that can be dodged, sidestepped, etc. which is the example given in the PH iirc. Effects that can be dodged like the Lightning Bolt spell.

If a fireball couldn't be dodged, sidestepped, etc. any creatures in its AOE wouldn't get reflex saves at all. They would simply either be in the AOE and fully damaged, or not in the AOE and completely unhurt. This is not the case, thus a Fireball must be able to be dodged, sidestepped, etc by creatures within its AOE; likely then it is not a solid ball of fire(especially a low-level one as the save is easy and the damage little)

IMO, anywho.

 

[Sunderstone]

I actually wonder which opposed checks you can make without needing to(even when unable to) act.



If a fireball couldn't be dodged, sidestepped, etc. any creatures in its AOE wouldn't get reflex saves at all. They would simply either be in the AOE and fully damaged, or not in the AOE and completely unhurt. This is not the case, thus a Fireball must be able to be dodged, sidestepped, etc by creatures within its AOE; likely then it is not a solid ball of fire(especially a low-level one as the save is easy and the damage little)

IMO, anywho.

In a larger than 20' room I agree, or a room with reasonable things to use as cover. In a small area like a 20' square room with no features, I'd disagree that it could be dodged while remaining in that room.

 

[Goblyn]

In a larger than 20' room I agree, or a room with reasonable things to use as cover. In a small area like a 20' square room with no features, I'd disagree that it could be dodged while remaining in that room.

BSF said it more eloquently than I, as I had intended to imply that the fireball was not a solid mass of fire filling the entire space.

Wait ... let's stop for a moment to consider that odd, odd phrase:

"solid mass of fire"

tch, tch. What WOULD my friendly neighborhood physicist think of my using such language?

But I digress.

 

[pawsplay]

No, but it's implicit that you need to be capable of offering some resistance.

It is explicit that it is "always active." Implications are harder to disambiguate.

 

[Slife]

I'm just saying, freedom of movement is an extraordinary ability that is always active.

Petrified: A petrified character has been turned to stone and is considered unconscious.

It is impossible to grapple or pin a petrified scout of 18th level. He does not have to be able to move or attack.

But since he has freedom of movement, he can move and attack. Look at this part of the spell description

This spell enables you or a creature you touch to move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web.

If you're going to be such a literalist about the rule, the scout should also be able to walk around while unconscious. Yes, he would normally be treated as if he had a dex of 0, but he isn't because of FoM.

So the stone statue of the scout just has a few points of hardness compared to how he was before.

(Or you could rule that, because of the "You or creature touched" target of the spell, FoM only effects creatures. Stone statues aren't.)

 

[Fishbone]

I don't know how many high level muckity mucks the OP has in his game world but 18th level Scouts aren't just schlubs in coonskin hats, okay? An 18th level Scout should be one of the baddest mofos in all the land. 18th level is the realm of 100+ damage a power attack and 9th level spells so I doubt this ability will be that big of an issue. Freedom of Movement is an awesome spell and buffing with it or getting an item that gives that benefit to a character that tanks or needs mobility is pretty much a no brainer. I'd have to say that past 12th level Extended Freedoms should be slapped on the Scout before most slashity blasty festivities go down.

 

[pawsplay]

If you're going to be such a literalist about the rule, the scout should also be able to walk around while unconscious. Yes, he would normally be treated as if he had a dex of 0, but he isn't because of FoM.

I don't think we are reading the same spell. Being asleep is not magic that impedes movement. And even if he could move, he can't take an action of any kind, so no sleep walking scouts.

A stone creature is still a creature. They are treated as unconscious, which objects are not. "Being a stone statue" is not something I would classify as having one's movement impeded so much as being a stone statue.

Although paralsis and sleep both cause you to be helpless, I see no indication that sleep, unconsciousness, and the like are protected against by FoM, and hence petrification is also fair game.

 

[Kormydigar]

It is not all that powerful for 18th level. Any cleric with access to the travel domain can use use this power starting at 1st level. The use is limited in times per day but it is available.