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Yep, I and my significant other have GMed for each other before. We've come to terms on spirituality, family, honesty, and politics; but good lord, roll out the fine points of stealth rules or readied actions and watch the fight begin.
Yeah, I used to partner with my GF and fiancée for Bridge. Horrible arguments. Saw other couples throw cards at each other. We never married. Hmmm. Maybe now I know why. :)
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The rule reads that you can cast only immediately action spells if falling less than 500 feet. If falling more than 500 feet, you can cast other spells. If you are casting a spell then you make a concentration check. The concentration check doesn't distinguish between immediate spells or other spells. By RAW, feather fall by a falling character requires a concentration check.
The fact that this paragraph can be read that way just shows that it is badly written!
Sometimes we have to actually use our minds! The reason that (normal) spells can't be cast at all until you've fallen at least 500-ft is that 'normal' spells have a casting time of one standard action, and it might not be your turn yet when you start to fall. 500-ft is a nice round number approximating how far you'd fall before your standard action spell could come into effect.
The Concentration check required after that is because, by the time you can cast a spell, then you are falling at terminal velocity! It's quite reasonable to require a concentration check for that!
The reason that immediate action spells can be cast before falling that far is because you don't have to wait before your spell takes effect, therefore you aren't travelling at terminal velocity!
Rules should not replace sense, they should be applied with sense!
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Look, it's obvious that the rules are saying a spell like feather fall,which is an immediate action, can be cast immediately. The whole point of the spell is to save someone who is falling. James Jacobs, while admittedly not an official rules developer, still knows his stuff and clarified that's how the spell works.
Trying to interpret it any other way is just ... I don't know, kind of lame...
Could the spell be written more clearly to spell this out? Absolutely!
But, instead of arguing back and forh (and accomplishing little) why doesn't every single person in this thread go to the first post and click the FAQ link! Enough such clicks will guarauntee a developer will see this thread and (hopefully) address the issue.
...why doesn't every single person in this thread go to the first post and click the FAQ link! Enough such clicks will guarauntee a developer will see this thread and (hopefully) address the issue.
Clicked. :-)
Just an aside, I never thought to force a check for feather fall. It is always fun to see how others read the rules and play them out.
Back to lurking....
Yar!
why doesn't every single person in this thread go to the first post and click the FAQ link.
From what I understand of the FAQ system (I may be wrong) is that the individual post that gets FAQed gets sent to a special cue that only the devs can see. Just that one post, not the whole thread. As such, it would probably be more productive to FAQ one of the posts that actually references the actual Pathfinder Rules, instead of the first post which only mentions a house rule based on a supplemental rule from a non-paizo product.
For example, This Post (hyperlink) actually references both the falling rules, feather fall specifically, and a dispute about their interaction.
Or the post I will make after this one, which will start with a clear question about this interaction, then quote the relevant text.
~P
| 21 people marked this as FAQ candidate. Answered in the FAQ. 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Yar!
Do I have to make a Concentration Check (DC21) to cast Feather Fall while falling?
A character cannot cast a spell while falling, unless the fall is greater than 500 feet or the spell is an immediate action, such as feather fall. Casting a spell while falling requires a concentration check with a DC equal to 20 + the spell's level.
...
Also: What happens if I fall into a pit trap? I've seen it argued that being surprised by a trap makes you Flat-Footed. Feather Fall is an Immediate Action, and Immediate Actions cannot be performed when you are Flat-Footed (unless you have Uncanny Dodge or a similar ability). Is this interpretation correct?
~P
well the spell has existed since 1st edition AD&D, its intent has always been to save you from falling damage when you fall into a trap. it's just that the rules don't technically allow that now, because of how they were written. but it has been obvious since the first version of this spell written in the late 70's that you can cast it without any sort of check when you are made to fall as a surprise of some sort.
Feather Fall (Alteration)
Level: I Components: V, M
Range: I"/level
Duration: I segmentAevel
Area of Effect: Special
Explanation/Description: When this spell is cast, the creature(s) or
objects affected immediately assumes the mass of a feathery piece of
dawn. Rate of falling is thus instantly changed to a mere constant 2' per
second or 12' per segment, and no damage is incurred when landing when
the spell is in effect. However, when the spell duration ceases, normal rate
of fall occurs. The spell can be cast upon the magic-user or some other
creature or object up to the maximum range of 1" per level of experience
of the spell caster. It lasts for 1 segment for each level of the magic-user.
The feather fall affects an area of 1 cubic inch, and the maximum weight
of creatures and/or objects cannot exceed a combined total equal to a
base 2,000 gold pieces weight plus 2,000 gold pieces weight per level of
the spell caster. example a 2nd level magic-user has a range of 2", a
duration of 2 segments, a weight maximum of 6,000 gold pieces (600
pounds) when employing the spell. The spell works only upon free-falling
or propelled objects. It will not affect a sword blow or a charging creature,
but it will affect a missile. The material component is a small feather or a
piece of down somewhere on the person of the spell caster.
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He's now seen the post, and he says JJ has no rules grounds to stand on, and that per RAW, one has to make that check.
Exactly. Common sense and the people who wrote the rulebook know less about the rules than your bf. We must always slavishly follow RAW to the letter.
Which is exactly why, if you die as a result of this falling damage, you should just keep playing with your dead character as if nothing happened. After all, according to RAW the only functional difference between a living and dead character is that dead characters cannot benefit from normal or magical healing anymore:
Dead: The character's hit points are reduced to a negative amount equal to his Constitution score, his Constitution drops to 0, or he is killed outright by a spell or effect. The character's soul leaves his body. Dead characters cannot benefit from normal or magical healing, but they can be restored to life via magic. A dead body decays normally unless magically preserved, but magic that restores a dead character to life also restores the body either to full health or to its condition at the time of death (depending on the spell or device). Either way, resurrected characters need not worry about rigor mortis, decomposition, and other conditions that affect dead bodies.[/b]
I mean, you won't have a soul anymore but there's nothing in RAW that says you need a soul to adventure, or cast spells, or take actions. Souls are silly little bits of fluff that don't really do anything mechanically. It's a hilarious loophole.
... or you can be super-legalistic and just point out that you can't be flat-footed outside of combat, and that feather fall is an immediate action that can be cast in a split second at any time, even if it isn't your turn. Which means you can cast it in that split second before you physically start to fall, which means the rules for "making a concentration check while falling" wouldn't apply since you aren't, technically, falling when you cast it.
...or you could just ask your bf to grow up, put on big boy pants, and stop digging in his heels about something so obvious. I vote for this option.
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Yar!
why doesn't every single person in this thread go to the first post and click the FAQ link.From what I understand of the FAQ system (I may be wrong) is that the individual post that gets FAQed gets sent to a special cue that only the devs can see. Just that one post, not the whole thread. As such, it would probably be more productive to FAQ one of the posts that actually references the actual Pathfinder Rules, instead of the first post which only mentions a house rule based on a supplemental rule from a non-paizo product.
For example, This Post (hyperlink) actually references both the falling rules, feather fall specifically, and a dispute about their interaction.
Or the post I will make after this one, which will start with a clear question about this interaction, then quote the relevant text.
~P
I think you are correct but I'm also pretty certain they check the entire thread once they get to the thread in question.
So he's nerfing feather fall. Yikes. With rules from a backwards-compatible, non-Pathfinder source that seems to be very specific in its origin.
bf or not, kind of a dink move. If it were me, I'd be callin' shenanigans on this one.
A fair amount of GMs would let you cast that spell to prevent your character's death due to falling. Dying from a fall is at least as bad as a Rocks Fall death, no?
Sure, might be realistic, but hey, this is a fantastic table-top game...
No, there is no check needed, nor is their a need for any errata for this spell. That's just plain over-thinking things. It is plainly stated in the rules. If a player or GM wants to read too much into it... Well, turn your focus to twf or the wish spell, you'll have more fun with those tangents.
Good luck!
There was a big kerfuffle about featherfall requiring a concentration check by RAW a few months ago.
It looked legitimate. Could be something to it, OP. Don't know about Eberron though.
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He's now seen the post, and he says JJ has no rules grounds to stand on, and that per RAW, one has to make that check.
I would quit, but the game was fun before this and the gm is my live-in bf.
Elusive, It's a houserule, so live with it.
If you fall like this, so does everyone else. so it just became mad easy to kill EVERYONE in the game by tossing them off cliffs and bull rushing them off building tops. Use it to your advantage, craft feather fall boots and grapple people dragging them off cliffs with you...
a tetori with featherfall boots has just become the GOD of damage, if he can find things to drag people off of!
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Dude, your mistake was letting your GF and fiancé meet, it had nothing to do with the card game.
Yeah, I used to partner with my GF and fiancée for Bridge. Horrible arguments. Saw other couples throw cards at each other. We never married. Hmmm. Maybe now I know why. :)
Ok, that got a grin. Have a cookie.