Fun With Psionic Defences

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Rupert Boleyn wrote:
> Christopher Adams carved upon a tablet of ether:
>
>> All this nonsense about spending attack actions but not making an
>> attack is just that.
>
> "I attack the floor"

If anyone has ever officially ruled that it's legal, I think they're moronic.

--
Christopher Adams - Sydney, Australia
What part of "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn" don't you
understand?
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mhacdebhandia/prestigeclasslist.html
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mhacdebhandia/templatelist.html

Perge, scelus, mihi diem perficias.

Asatoma sat gamaya, tamasoma jyotir gamaya, mrityorma anritam gamaya.

 

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"Christopher Adams" <mhacdebhandia@yahoo.invalid> wrote in message
news:Bdbee.2952$31.235@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Symbol wrote:
> >
> > Except that with the blind fighting feat you *can* use Dex bonuses
> > against invisible foes. Doesn't make you any better at detecting them
> > though, that's a function of spot and listen (and guesswork). You
> > certainly don't need to have them pinpointed to use the feat.
>
> Well, a character with Blind-Fighting could use Combat Expertise against
an
> invisible opponent, then.

Despite attacking an empty square?

 

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To the extent that expertise in combat allows you to
predict what an invisible opponent is likely to do, it
should provide some bonus, though probably not as
much of one as for a visible opponent.

Of course it would help more if the invisible
opponent's position was given away somehow, e.g.
by noises, dust kicked up from the ground, etc.
Unless he's standing still or moving slowly, there's
likely to be some sound.

 

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Time to step up the meds; I could have sworn Christopher Adams just
said...
> If you attack only the invisible opponent, I don't think you should be able to
> use Combat Expertise. I think it relies upon an engagement of enemies whose
> attacks you can predict - if you don't engage the visible opponent, you can't
> specifically react to their movements.

But the bonus, as several people have noted already, applies to
everyone, not just whomever you're attacking.

I completely fail to see what you find so absurd about burning your
standard action just to use CE. I can only think that you're reading a
significant amount of specifics into the very abstract combat system
that simply aren't there - a conclusion the above quote strongly
reinforces. While the terms used to describe it at the metagame level
are a bit odd, I can see nothing particularly strange about such an
action from the game-world point of view.

 

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Jeff Heikkinen wrote:
>
> I completely fail to see what you find so absurd about burning your
> standard action just to use CE.

Because I think the idea of "burning" a standard action is, on the face of it,
ludicrous. You're not just "expending an attack action", you're *making an
attack*.

On the other hand, people believe crazy things about Combat Expertise. I saw
someone on the Wizards forums today seriously suggest that you can activate
Combat Expertise *and* fight defensively at the same time.

--
Christopher Adams - Sydney, Australia
What part of "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn" don't you
understand?
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mhacdebhandia/prestigeclasslist.html
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mhacdebhandia/templatelist.html

Perge, scelus, mihi diem perficias.

Asatoma sat gamaya, tamasoma jyotir gamaya, mrityorma anritam gamaya.

 

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On Thu, 05 May 2005 08:26:09 GMT, "Christopher Adams"
<mhacdebhandia@yahoo.invalid> carved upon a tablet of ether:

> Rupert Boleyn wrote:
> > Christopher Adams carved upon a tablet of ether:
> >
> >> All this nonsense about spending attack actions but not making an
> >> attack is just that.
> >
> > "I attack the floor"
>
> If anyone has ever officially ruled that it's legal, I think they're moronic.

You can attack the floor with thrown objects, so why not with a melee
weapon?


--
Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz>
"Just because the truth will set you free doesn't mean the truth itself
should be free."

 

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Rupert Boleyn wrote:
>
> You can attack the floor with thrown objects, so why not with a melee
> weapon?

Because you're not actually attacking the floor, you're using a splash weapon.
It's different.

--
Christopher Adams - Sydney, Australia
What part of "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn" don't you
understand?
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mhacdebhandia/prestigeclasslist.html
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mhacdebhandia/templatelist.html

Perge, scelus, mihi diem perficias.

Asatoma sat gamaya, tamasoma jyotir gamaya, mrityorma anritam gamaya.

 

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Christopher Adams wrote:
> On the other hand, people believe crazy things about Combat Expertise.
> I saw someone on the Wizards forums today seriously suggest that you
> can activate Combat Expertise *and* fight defensively at the same
> time.

That too is supported by the FAQ. It seems that your ideas on Combat
Expertise diverge from the official rulings on several points.
--
Bradd W. Szonye
http://www.szonye.com/bradd

 

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"Christopher Adams" <mhacdebhandia@yahoo.invalid> wrote in message
news:xXFee.4635$31.1510@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> On the other hand, people believe crazy things about Combat Expertise. I
saw
> someone on the Wizards forums today seriously suggest that you can
activate
> Combat Expertise *and* fight defensively at the same time.

<raises hand> You can.

Please make statements in public that reflect an understanding of the
rules.

-Michael

 

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On Fri, 06 May 2005 08:32:33 GMT, "Christopher Adams"
<mhacdebhandia@yahoo.invalid> carved upon a tablet of ether:

> Rupert Boleyn wrote:
> >
> > You can attack the floor with thrown objects, so why not with a melee
> > weapon?
>
> Because you're not actually attacking the floor, you're using a splash weapon.
> It's different.

You attack a chunk of floor when you throw the weapon. Or how about
Fireball? You attack a small opening with that when you want to get it
past obstructions. If you're dead set on banning attacks on the floor,
there's always attacking pebbles, passing snails, and so on.


--
Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz>
"Just because the truth will set you free doesn't mean the truth itself
should be free."

 

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On Fri, 06 May 2005 08:31:25 GMT, "Christopher Adams"
<mhacdebhandia@yahoo.invalid> carved upon a tablet of ether:

> On the other hand, people believe crazy things about Combat Expertise. I saw
> someone on the Wizards forums today seriously suggest that you can activate
> Combat Expertise *and* fight defensively at the same time.

Of course, if you can't then taking Combat Expertise makes you worse
at defending if you BAB is under +2 - you could take the description
to mean that only people without CE can use Fighting Defensively.


--
Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz>
"Just because the truth will set you free doesn't mean the truth itself
should be free."

 

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On Fri, 06 May 2005 08:31:25 GMT, "Christopher Adams"
<mhacdebhandia@yahoo.invalid> carved upon a tablet of ether:

> On the other hand, people believe crazy things about Combat Expertise. I saw
> someone on the Wizards forums today seriously suggest that you can activate
> Combat Expertise *and* fight defensively at the same time.

I hope you're bineg ironic - read PH p.140.


--
Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz>
"Just because the truth will set you free doesn't mean the truth itself
should be free."

 

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Time to step up the meds; I could have sworn Christopher Adams just
said...
> Jeff Heikkinen wrote:

> On the other hand, people believe crazy things about Combat Expertise. I saw
> someone on the Wizards forums today seriously suggest that you can activate
> Combat Expertise *and* fight defensively at the same time.

That you find this (both book-legal and entirely reasonable) combination
"crazy" would seem to be final proof of my contention that you're
reading something very specific into one of these things, probably
Combat Expertise, that simply isn't there. All of these aspects of the
combat system are very abstract and can represent pretty much anything
you can think of that could reasonably result in an AC bonus; you seem
to have a far more specific model that you're trying to impose on the
system, though nothing you've said makes it very clear what that model
might be.

 

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Rupert Boleyn wrote:
>
> You attack a chunk of floor when you throw the weapon. Or how about
> Fireball? You attack a small opening with that when you want to get it
> past obstructions. If you're dead set on banning attacks on the floor,
> there's always attacking pebbles, passing snails, and so on.

All of this falls, for me, under the category of "You can't gain an advantage
from doing something nonsensical."

--
Christopher Adams - Sydney, Australia
What part of "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn" don't you
understand?
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mhacdebhandia/prestigeclasslist.html
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mhacdebhandia/templatelist.html

Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the
leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked,
and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to
danger. It works the same in any country.