Hirax
2012-01-10, 02:02 AM
"Whenever your current hit point total is equal to or less than one-half of your full normal hit points, you gain the mettle ability: If you are affected by a spell that would normally have a reduced effect on a successful Fortitude or Will saving throw, it instead has no effect at all upon you if you save successfully. If you already have mettle from a class feature or some other source, you instead gain improved mettle, which halves the harmful effects of a spell on a failed Fortitude or Will save while still protecting you entirely on a successful save."
1. What would be the applicable UMD check to have a tabard active with full hit points? Activate blindly for DC 25, with +2 on subsequent checks?
2. I've just now looked at the text in addition to the table (what a concept!), and realized I've been using UMD wrong. I'm trying to mimic a first level pious templar, meaning the DC is 20+1=21 to gain improved mettle? I had previously thought it was a flat DC of 20 to pretend you have any class feature. The DC for wands and staffs is only 20, because you're trying to mimic being level 0 in a class to have something on your spell list, right?
3. Most importantly, how the heck does improved mettle work? Halving the effects of something with a binary result isn't explained at all. Looking at improved evasion as a reference point, on a failed save, a character with improved evasion suffers the effects of what would happen if a normal person made their save, against things such as fireballs, breath weapons, etc. Applying improved mettle in the same fashion seems too powerful, because that would make you immune to anything that was will or fort partial.
1. What would be the applicable UMD check to have a tabard active with full hit points? Activate blindly for DC 25, with +2 on subsequent checks?
2. I've just now looked at the text in addition to the table (what a concept!), and realized I've been using UMD wrong. I'm trying to mimic a first level pious templar, meaning the DC is 20+1=21 to gain improved mettle? I had previously thought it was a flat DC of 20 to pretend you have any class feature. The DC for wands and staffs is only 20, because you're trying to mimic being level 0 in a class to have something on your spell list, right?
3. Most importantly, how the heck does improved mettle work? Halving the effects of something with a binary result isn't explained at all. Looking at improved evasion as a reference point, on a failed save, a character with improved evasion suffers the effects of what would happen if a normal person made their save, against things such as fireballs, breath weapons, etc. Applying improved mettle in the same fashion seems too powerful, because that would make you immune to anything that was will or fort partial.