Re: Ask a Simple Question - Get a Simple Answer

**LoganAura** Fri Apr 26, 2013 4:20 pm

-X doesn't function, because X=0. You pay 0 pips for the skill, you get 0 worth of effects.

ZamuelNow Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:30 pm

But wouldn't that mean most of them default to X=1? I say this since many of them state specifically that X must be > 0. Plus, it seems like it'd be fine allowing a single activation than just outright saying no to it. Though I guess that mean people just need to be careful what they put in their build.

**Philadelphus** Sat Apr 27, 2013 1:17 am

Zarhon wrote:Do any such limitations apply to the Elements of Harmony powers (e.g. Loyalty, if the party is separated)?

Loyalty specifically says "all allies in sight". Dunno about the rest.

Quietkal Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:33 pm

Can you trigger Overloader off of Never Stay Down? Or would you already count as unconscious and be unable to react?

Overloader:

Never Stay Down:

My initial feeling is "yes, since you can trigger Never Stay Down," but I just want to double check.

**Stairc -Dan Felder** Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:34 pm

You'd already be unconscious, as reactions take place after the trigger.

Ramsus Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:49 pm

If it's a Reaction that means the healing has resolved, as it was part of the previous action, and you're no longer unconscious though.

**Stairc -Dan Felder** Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:54 pm

Usually yes, but since Never Stay Down has a delay between its use and its effect - you'll be unconscious for a while before you're actually healed. And it's during that timeframe that the reaction is supposed to occur.

AProcrastinatingWriter Sun Apr 28, 2013 4:02 pm

What about Zarhon's question on the last page? It's kind of important; one of the games I'm in needs the answer so we know the result of a roll.

**Stairc -Dan Felder** Sun Apr 28, 2013 4:08 pm

Zarhon wrote:Do Magic Points have an effective range, line of sight, awareness, consciousness, or other limitation of use, in regards to boosting skill checks of others (for instance, boosting a persuasion check of an ally a mile away, without in-character knowledge of said check being made, or perhaps boosting someone you are in telepathic contact with)?

Do any such limitations apply to the Elements of Harmony powers (e.g. Loyalty, if the party is separated)?

Would "Breaking the fourth wall" powers allow one to bypass such limitations (by providing them a full scope of the situation, in character)?

Does "Breaking the fourth wall" powers allow an unconscious/KO'd character to have a degree of awareness? In theory, they would be blind, but able to hear (and possibly sleepwalk), or even wake up instantly if it's non-injury related, or activate certain utilities, like Loyalty).

All abilities require line of sight except for things that would make little sense with it - such as fracture the fourth wall, telepathy or loyalty. Magic points do indeed require being able to see the person you want to give the boost to. In short, if you're trying to affect some particular thing you need to be able to see what you're trying to affect. If you're doing a more ambient "all people or allies around me" thing - you don't.

But breaking the fourth wall doesn't have any in-game benefits other than providing knowledge to the character. You can't use it to wake up.

AProcrastinatingWriter Sun Apr 28, 2013 4:14 pm

Huh. That seems odd, since it's a purely add-ten-to-roll mechanics thing and not some sort of in-character thing...

But alright. If that's the ruling, that's the ruling.

Xel Unknown Sun Apr 28, 2013 4:18 pm

Yee-Haw! – Magic Interrupt
Trigger – You or an ally you can see makes a Brawn check.
Effect – After seeing the result of the roll, you can choose to add a +20 bonus to the check.

The Stare – Magic Interrupt
Trigger – You or an ally you can see makes a Persuasion check.
Effect – After seeing the result of the roll, you can choose to add a +20 bonus to the check.

Can you use either of these two talents more than once on the same skill check? (by way of Derp, Spellchild, and/or the lvl 10 Archmage feature.)

**Stairc -Dan Felder** Sun Apr 28, 2013 4:23 pm

AProcrastinatingWriter wrote:Huh. That seems odd, since it's a purely add-ten-to-roll mechanics thing and not some sort of in-character thing...

But alright. If that's the ruling, that's the ruling.

If you want to run it the other way, you absolutely can. However, spending a magic point to help an ally is something your character does - and thus it is an in-character thing. Good comparisons are as Xel provides (which are purely add 20 mechanics but do indeed require you to see them).

Xel Unknown wrote:
Yee-Haw! – Magic Interrupt
Trigger – You or an ally you can see makes a Brawn check.
Effect – After seeing the result of the roll, you can choose to add a +20 bonus to the check.
The Stare – Magic Interrupt
Trigger – You or an ally you can see makes a Persuasion check.
Effect – After seeing the result of the roll, you can choose to add a +20 bonus to the check.

Can you use either of these two talents more than once on the same skill check? (by way of Derp, Spellchild, and/or the lvl 10 Archmage feature.)

Yes you can unless your DM has stipulated that this particular check has a limit to how many Magic effects can be used on it.

Doc pseudopolis Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:20 pm

If you would gain a utility talent from a level of a destiny but you already had that utility what would happen?

**Stairc -Dan Felder** Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:25 pm

Doc pseudopolis wrote:If you would gain a utility talent from a level of a destiny but you already had that utility what would happen?

You can redo pretty much your whole character between sessions, so long as you aren't just optimizing yourself for the challenges ahead and are doing it in good faith (trading out Awesomeness for Magical Tricks because you want to check out a new utility talent is fine, but if you're just grabbing fire immunity because you ended last session near an active volcano is a no no). Thus, you should be able to trade out a utility talent if it's no longer useful to your build.

If a destiny gives you a unique utility talent that just happens to mimic an existing utility talent (the level 4 archlich talent is similar but not identical to twitch tail/eureka) you get both. If it's precisely identical though, just saying "you learn the twitch tail utility talent" you can't have both.

Demonu Tue Apr 30, 2013 6:51 pm

How far can you take racials/utility talents? Let's take for example Echolocation:

Echolocation (2)
Characters of your race can “see” in areas wherever sound can travel, including magical darkness, as easily as a normal human could in broad daylight. They cannot, however, distinguish colors this way.

Should we take it as it is (written) or could we strech it further and allow things like:
- determining when someone is lying by listening to their heartbeat?
- shatter glass by emitting a sonic scream?
- get (situational) bonuses/penalties to skill checks involving listening?
- etc

I'd assume it just allows you to see using supersonic but if it can make your character into a Daredevil/Black Canary hybrid, then it's quite overpowered for a 2 point racial.
Same goes for Scent Tracker, Mimicry and the like.

**Stairc -Dan Felder** Tue Apr 30, 2013 6:55 pm

Taking it as written is a good idea, especially when it's overpowered if you don't.

Quietkal Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:34 pm

If you use Never Stay Down, and you're knocked comatose, what happens? The Talent specifies that if you're still alive you get the health and bonus action, and if you're comatose you're still alive. Do you come back to consciousness, but have to leave the fight immediately? Does the healing just not happen, even though it's a delayed effect and you used it properly?

Never Stay Down:

**Stairc -Dan Felder** Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:37 pm

Comatose doesn't remove you from the battle, it just means you can't become conscious in it again and can't do anything. You can still be healed or attacked though. So this would restore you to full health - but you would still be comatose (even while at full health). It would just make it much harder to actually kill you that fight.

sunbeam Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:39 pm

Dan, you mentioned somewhere that 4 hours is long enough to take an extended rest. Since art of the dress lasts for 4 hours, could I make my party look like a pack of medium-sized timber wolves with my spare magic point so nobody will attack us, and would that disguise last long enough for an extended rest?

**Stairc -Dan Felder** Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:50 pm

sunbeam wrote:Dan, you mentioned somewhere that 4 hours is long enough to take an extended rest. Since art of the dress lasts for 4 hours, could I make my party look like a pack of medium-sized timber wolves with my spare magic point so nobody will attack us, and would that disguise last long enough for an extended rest?

No, 4 hours isn't long enough.

**Paper Shadow** Wed May 01, 2013 6:02 am

sunbeam wrote:Dan, you mentioned somewhere that 4 hours is long enough to take an extended rest. Since art of the dress lasts for 4 hours, could I make my party look like a pack of medium-sized timber wolves with my spare magic point so nobody will attack us, and would that disguise last long enough for an extended rest?

It takes eight hours for an extended rest. What Dan was saying was that, with a four hour long Howling Chains, you can keep someone shackled while the rest of the party takes an extended rest with only two uses. Otherwise, with its two hour duration, it takes four uses, which means you have to have someone else stay with Howling Chains as well (although if they are the first person to use it they can rest for the full eight hours)...

I was a bit confused at what he was saying as well at first...

ZamuelNow Fri May 03, 2013 12:09 am

If you get extra Standard Actions, does Caltrops stack if you use it on those actions?

Are Caltrops subject to damage buffs on your character?

CALTROPS:

**Philadelphus** Fri May 03, 2013 1:05 am

I think I asked basically that same question a while back, and the general answer "unless it says it stacks, it doesn't." So basically you can't use it three times a turn to deal 3d4 damage to enemies, sadly (unless someone with more knowledge corrects me). Don't know about your second question, it might depend on the specific buff and how it's worded. Did you have one in mind?

ZamuelNow Fri May 03, 2013 1:15 am

The one in specific was Acidic Addendum though I'm curious about all damage buff possibilities.

Craft Acidic Addendum:

Colter Bolt Fri May 03, 2013 1:29 am

I'd say no, because Caltrops is a utility and it's effect is just damage, while Acidic Addendum effects an attack.

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