Question about pyrotechnics.

[CE Chef]

Hello all,

Been running into a little problem at my home game. Namely the spell pyrotechnics. The wizard in the group has been casting it at the start of every battle and all party members have been saying "I close my eyes". Avoiding having to roll a will save.

It's not too bad, however most enemies fail and it has been making the encounters not fun for me personally as the GM, due to most enemies being blinded and a little useless. I don't mind if this is a viable tactic, however, I don't feel that necessarily it is the most fair or even if it is possible in the rules to "close your eyes" with out any penalty in combat.

Anyways guys, I'd be very interested to hear your feedback!

[Starglim]

edit: The wizard should delay until all party members have shielded (not just closed) their eyes. They lose their DEX bonus to AC against enemies who attack them while blind. Intelligent opponents should react appropriately. Blocking a character's eyes is certainly a free action, but you could still call it an action and require them to do it on their turn.

[StreamOfTheSky]

I'd make them roll initiative, and then if the wizard wants to give them all the chance to shut their eyes when he casts, he has to delay until everyone's init count has come up, as you are considered flat-footed until then, and I would not allow a character to be able to react that quickly while flatfooted. If a character had Uncanny Dodge or Defensive Strategist trait or the like and was thus not flatfooted, wizard would not have to wait for that character.

Seems reasonable, and helps balance the tactic, as the party risks some of the foes getting to act before the wizard gets his spell off.

EDIT: Of course, the spell has a big radius but a LOOOOONG range, so if the wizard can target a flame far enough away that the party's not in the radius, obviously that'd circumvent blinding the party, too.

And if you really wanted to limit the tactic, you could determine that the explosion of pyro happens in an instant (well, it does...) and since the wizard needs to see the fire source in order to target it with the spell...he CANNOT close his eyes to avoid the flash; if he's in the radius, he has to save against it. Also seems completely sensible and puts a hard limit on the spell's usefulness.

[Starglim]

It's probably reasonable that Combat Reflexes, Uncanny Dodge and the like should allow a character to react (though this could have some other consequences). He would then have his eyes blocked until his turn. Agreed also that the wizard has to look at the fire source to target it.

[CE Chef]

Thanks! I guess limiting seems a little harsh, but it does seem to be a too good to be true kinda spell if there are absolutely no risks associated with it.

Hmm, I'm liking the ideas. Thankyou so much.