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Drimoran
2015-02-11, 05:57 AM
Hello guys, I am working on a new character and I will appreciate your wisdom about some matters.

Doubt One:
This character will be a 4th level rogue, and I intend to use the disruptive attack alternative class feature. The description states that even if a creature is inmune to sneak attacks, this ability will still work on them, so I really do nott need to actually make a sneak attack and then forego the damage, right?. Would it be ok if I also took the martial rogue variant and not have any sneak attack at all? Could I still take disruptive attack and use it?
Benefit: Beginning at 4th level, through careful study you’re able to find exploitable flaws in any creature’s tactics and defenses. Whenever you hit a target that is flat-footed against your attack, or whenever you hit a target that you flank, you can choose to sacrifice your sneak attack damage in order to apply a –5 penalty to that creature’s AC for 1 round.
Multiple hits on the same target don’t stack. This extraordinary ability works even against creatures normally immune to extra damage from sneak attacks, such as undead.
The rogue who favors martial training over stealth and cunning can profit if she chooses her fights carefully.
Gain: Bonus feats (as fighter).
Lose: Sneak attack.

Doubt Two:
Also, if you see other features like Distracting Attack from Ranger, you can see that it says "This ability has no effect on creatures that can’t be flanked." But Disruptive attack does not make that affirmation. Would it apply versus uncanny dodge?
Beginning at 4th level, whenever you hit an enemy with a weapon attack (whether melee or ranged), that enemy is considered flanked by you for the purpose of adjudicating your allies’ attacks. For example, if your rogue ally attacked that enemy, not only would she gain a +2 bonus on her melee attack roll but she could also add her sneak attack damage to a successful melee attack.
This flanked condition lasts until either the enemy is attacked by one of your allies or until the start of your next turn, whichever comes first. This is an extraordinary ability.
This ability has no effect on creatures that can’t be flanked.
Starting at 4th level, a rogue can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, she still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
A rogue of 8th level or higher can no longer be flanked; she can react to opponents on opposite sides of her as easily as she can react to a single attacker. This defense denies another rogue the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking her, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target does.

Doubt Three:
I am focusing him in two weapon fighing with the valenar double scimitar. I am planning to take 5 levels in Revenant Blade. The feature that concerns me is Legendary Force. According to this feat I treat both ends of the double scimitar as two handed weapons. I understand that the damage output changes drastically and I can use now power attack on secondary attack of the double weapon. But, what happens to the TWF attack penalty? Is it still -2? Because if it changes back to -4, I dont know if it is even worth it.
At 5th level, you become a true master of the double scimitar. Through skill and art, you learn to strike with astonishing strength. This ability allows you to treat both ends of the Valenar double scimitar as twohanded weapons, even when you use it as a double weapon.
For example, you add 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus on damage rolls with each end of the weapon, and any damage bonus from the Power Attack feat is doubled when used with the weapon.

Doubt Four:
This class, the Revenant Blade, has another feature that is Giant Slayer. Though it does not say is favored enemy Giant, it does the exact same thing. I will have features like Improved Favored enemy that gives me +3 to my favored enemies. Would it apply to giants as well?
Though the elves of Valenar no longer war with the giants of Xen'drik, the ancestral memories of the champions of the past burn strongly in you. At 4th level, you gain a +4 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against giants. You also gain a +4 bonus on weapon damage rolls against giants. You gain the ability to speak Giant (and read and write it, if you are literate) as if you had spent skill points to learn the language.
At 1st level, a ranger may select a type of creature from among those given on Table 3–14: Ranger Favored Enemies. Due to his extensive study on his chosen type of foe and training in the proper techniques for combating such creatures, the ranger gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures of this type. Likewise, he gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures.

Doubt Five:
I am also taking levels in Scar Enforcer, wich has Favored enemy (elves and humans), and makes a reference to the Ranger Favored enemy. Now, whenever you take a new Favored enemy in the ranger class, you also add a +2 to one of your favored enemies at choice. If I go Ranger First, and then take Scar Enforcer, Would I have +2,+2 or could I get +4,+2 as I am adding a new favored enemy?
As a member of this class, you gain a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against humans or elves. Likewise, you gain a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against these races. See the ranger class feature, page 47 of the Player’s Handbook.
At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the ranger may select an additional favored enemy from those given on the table. In addition, at each such interval, the bonus against any one favored enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by 2. For example, a 5th-level ranger has two favored enemies; against one he gains a +4 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks and weapon damage rolls, and against the other he has a +2 bonus. At 10th level, he has three favored enemies, and he gains an additional +2 bonus, which he can allocate to the bonus against any one of his three favored enemies. Thus, his bonuses could be either +4, +4, +2 or +6, +2, +2.

PHB 2 = Player's Handbook 2
UA = Unearthed Arcana
PGE = Player's Guide to Eberron
PHB = Player's Handbook
RD Races of Destiny

Sam K
2015-02-11, 06:37 AM
Disruptive attack states that you have to sacrifice your sneak attack damage to gain the benefits. If you trade away your sneak attack feature, you have no sneak attack damage to sacrifice.

If you got sneak attack damage from some other source, I could see it working. You should only need 1d6, as the disruptive attack isn't tied to the number of sneak attack damage you do. But without the sneak attack feature, you have no sneak attack damage to sacrifice.

WeaselGuy
2015-02-11, 06:58 AM
You should look at the Penetrating Strike ACF from Dungeonscape. Replaces the worthless Trap Sense +1 in order to do half sneak attack damage to opponents usually immune to precision damage. Also, take Craven, to add your character level in extra damage on sneak attacks.

Drimoran
2015-02-11, 08:26 AM
You should look at the Penetrating Strike ACF from Dungeonscape. Replaces the worthless Trap Sense +1 in order to do half sneak attack damage to opponents usually immune to precision damage. Also, take Craven, to add your character level in extra damage on sneak attacks.

I wish not to do sneak attack but to reduce the enemy armor -5AC, so craven wouldnt be good for me. Also, the feature states that it overcomes inmune to critical so that wouldnt be a problem as long as I flank the enemy or catch him flat-footed. Thanks anyway for your answer.

Red Fel
2015-02-11, 10:26 AM
Doubt One:
This character will be a 4th level rogue, and I intend to use the disruptive attack alternative class feature. The description states that even if a creature is inmune to sneak attacks, this ability will still work on them, so I really do nott need to actually make a sneak attack and then forego the damage, right?. Would it be ok if I also took the martial rogue variant and not have any sneak attack at all? Could I still take disruptive attack and use it?

As others have said, Disruptive Attack is based on you having Sneak Attack. If you've traded it away, you don't get Disruptive Attack.


Doubt Two:
Also, if you see other features like Distracting Attack from Ranger, you can see that it says "This ability has no effect on creatures that can’t be flanked." But Disruptive attack does not make that affirmation. Would it apply versus uncanny dodge?

Disruptive Attack applies against any target you flank, or who is flat-footed. Uncanny Dodge has no impact, because the target can still be flanked or caught flat-footed (although it means she retains her Dex to AC), but IUD says that she can no longer be flanked. Under those circumstances, Disruptive Attack would function only when the target with IUD is flat-footed, not when flanked.


Doubt Three:
I am focusing him in two weapon fighing with the valenar double scimitar. I am planning to take 5 levels in Revenant Blade. The feature that concerns me is Legendary Force. According to this feat I treat both ends of the double scimitar as two handed weapons. I understand that the damage output changes drastically and I can use now power attack on secondary attack of the double weapon. But, what happens to the TWF attack penalty? Is it still -2? Because if it changes back to -4, I dont know if it is even worth it.

Tricky. As I understand it, the feat doesn't impact your TWF penalties, but rather simply lets you apply the benefits of THW on both ends. I don't believe the penalty changes.


Doubt Four:
This class, the Revenant Blade, has another feature that is Giant Slayer. Though it does not say is favored enemy Giant, it does the exact same thing. I will have features like Improved Favored enemy that gives me +3 to my favored enemies. Would it apply to giants as well?

No. Improved Favored Enemy is an upgrade to Favored Enemy. You don't have Favored Enemy, even if you have a class feature that's very similar. As a result, unless the class feature explicitly says so, Improved Favored Enemy won't upgrade it.


Doubt Five:
I am also taking levels in Scar Enforcer, wich has Favored enemy (elves and humans), and makes a reference to the Ranger Favored enemy. Now, whenever you take a new Favored enemy in the ranger class, you also add a +2 to one of your favored enemies at choice. If I go Ranger First, and then take Scar Enforcer, Would I have +2,+2 or could I get +4,+2 as I am adding a new favored enemy?

Although it cites to the Ranger class feature, there are several points that make me think they don't upgrade. First, Scar Enforcer gains Favored Enemy against two separate races, whereas a Ranger can only pick one at a time (Humanoid (Human) or Humanoid (Elf)). Second, the way that the Ranger ability is described suggests that it wasn't intended to upgrade other sources of Favored Enemy, and while Scar Enforcer references Ranger, it doesn't say that it stacks. Which leads to my third point, that abilities from the same source do not stack. Ranger and Scar Enforcer are two different sources, but they both provide Favored Enemy, which provides bonuses to various things against certain enemies. Compare that with Monk and Swordsage, both of which have an ability called AC Bonus which provides Wis to AC; those abilities, despite being from different classes, are generally agreed to not stack.

Drimoran
2015-02-11, 03:00 PM
Thank you, that makes a lot of sense. You have been extremely helpful.