TrollingJoker |
Lets say there is a character with a feather falling potion. This potion is caster level 1 so he can only float slowly for 60 feet.
If he plans on jumping off an airship which is several hundreds of feets in the air he won't make it if he drinks it right of the bat.
Can this falling character drink the potion at the last 60 feet of the drop down and have no damage whatsoever? I imagine the falling speed going to zero would effect him but I'm not sure about the rules.
Thanks :)
Orfamay Quest |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Realistically, no, he probably can't. That kind of precision timing is almost impossible to pull off. There's also the issue that drinking the potion is a standard action, and at the end of five seconds you're already fallen more than five hundred feet and you're moving at better than 100 mph. (Casting the spell, on the other hand, is an immediate action, as is using a snapleaf.)
From a strict RAW perspective, there's nothing in the rules permitting it.
From a narrativist perspective, I'd allow it, because it's more fun for all involved if you're not being a Richard about screwing over the players.
Jiggy RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |
BigDTBone |
Isn't there an Ebberon rule that specifically covers this?
edit: yes, here it is (scroll all the way down)
Clearly, not a pathfinder rule so take it with a grain of salt.
Matthew Downie |
I don't like that rule. (A DC 10 Wisdom check is required to get the timing right.) Firstly, a Reflex save would be a better measure of how good you are at precise timing. Secondly, what happens if you fail the roll? Presumably if you err on the side of caution and drink the potion 75 feet from the ground you're basically fine, but if you drink it too late you take full damage.
Anonymous Warrior |
Creatures that fall take 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet fallen, to a maximum of 20d6. Creatures that take lethal damage from a fall land in a prone position.If a character deliberately jumps instead of merely slipping or falling, the damage is the same but the first 1d6 is nonlethal damage. A DC 15 Acrobatics check allows the character to avoid any damage from the first 10 feet fallen and converts any damage from the second 10 feet to nonlethal damage. Thus, a character who slips from a ledge 30 feet up takes 3d6 damage. If the same character deliberately jumps, he takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 2d6 points of lethal damage. And if the character leaps down with a successful Acrobatics check, he takes only 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 1d6 points of lethal damage from the plunge.
Falls onto yielding surfaces (soft ground, mud) also convert the first 1d6 of damage to nonlethal damage. This reduction is cumulative with reduced damage due to deliberate jumps and the Acrobatics skill.
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. Casting teleport or a similar spell while falling does not end your momentum, it just changes your location, meaning that you still take falling damage, even if you arrive atop a solid surface.
If you can cast a spell with a standard action to cast while falling, then you should be able to drink a potion while falling.
I'd definitely call for a dexterity check though. And I'd highly recommend taking a snapleaf (one use) to make things easier. You'd get a 180 ft window, no worry about spilling your potion, and you have a full three rounds to figure out what to do if you act to early. What's more, most situations that I can think of where you'd WANT to jump from 500+, you probably don't want to be seen when you land.
dragonhunterq |
I have allowed HALO drops using the spell, and I'd happily allow it with a snapleaf. Not sure I'd allow it using a potion.
"50ft before i hit the ground i drink the Featherfall-potion i hold in my hand."
By the time you've got the bottle to your lips you are paste. And every which way I look at this you've got issues - losing grip on the potion, mis-timing it (standard action is very different to an immediate one), spilling it...I just can't see it.
Jiggy RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |
guru-meditation wrote:"50ft before i hit the ground i drink the Featherfall-potion i hold in my hand."By the time you've got the bottle to your lips you are paste.
Readied actions go off before the triggering event, so he wouldn't be waiting until he reached the fifty-feet-left mark before starting to drink. Or if you prefer, he could just specify a higher altitude so that he finishes drinking it at around 50ft remaining.
And every which way I look at this you've got issues - losing grip on the potion,
I assume you're consistent and apply the same difficulty of holding onto your gear whenever you're subjected to a gust of wind spell, damaged in combat, or otherwise exposed to any sort of imperfect situation, yes?
mis-timing it (standard action is very different to an immediate one),
I assume you're consistent and apply the same readied action timing issues when trying to disrupt a spell with an attack (which requires hitting DURING the casting despite not being a faster action type), or when trying to strike a flying enemy just as it swoops down in reach for an instant, or any of the other "has to be at just the right moment" situations that the entire readied action mechanic was designed to handle, yes?
spilling it...
I assume you're consistent and apply the same spillage rules to the drinking of potions in other adverse conditions, much like above, yes?
Saldiven |
Jiggy wrote:I see no reason a readied action wouldn't work./ditto.
"50ft before i hit the ground i drink the Featherfall-potion i hold in my hand."
How about the problem that by the straight reading of the rules "readied actions" only exist inside the framework of the initiative sequence. The only purpose of a readied action is to delay your action from one step on the initiative sequence to another.
Of course, any GM can always allow readied actions outside of combat, but that is not something really addressed in the CRB.
TriOmegaZero |
I wasn't aware you could drink potions mid-fall.
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.
If you can cast a spell while falling, I see no reason you can't drink a potion. They use the same action.
Anonymous Warrior |
Dragonhunterq, I agree that a standard is very different from an immediate. But I think what we are assuming is a situation where you jump from 1000 ft, spend a round carefully getting your potion out, open, and to your lips, and slamming it down at the last second.
The rules for potions suggest that a potion drinker is both caster and target, so it seems reasonable to say that the potion acts immediately after drinking it, I think (though this is in the realms of between houserule and RAI).
As for mis-timing and losing grip, you are right that it'd be insanely difficult to pull this off, but not theoretically entirely impossible. Wouldn't something like two DC 25 Dex checks be appropriate (one to retrieve and open the bottle without mishap, one to drink at the exact necessary moment?)
Edit: Wow. Thoroughly Ninja'd
Jiggy RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Guru-Meditation wrote:How about the problem that by the straight reading of the rules "readied actions" only exist inside the framework of the initiative sequence.Jiggy wrote:I see no reason a readied action wouldn't work./ditto.
"50ft before i hit the ground i drink the Featherfall-potion i hold in my hand."
So does feather fall's duration of rounds. Either both are relevant, or neither are.
Re-read the Ready rules. There's nothing about needing to be in any type of combat situation, just references to rounds and actions. If you're already figuring out how many rounds you're going to be falling, you're already using the segment of the rules that Ready is a part of.
The only purpose of a readied action is to delay your action from one step on the initiative sequence to another.
I think you're confusing it with Delay. Ready is specifically for timing an interruption (such as to attack right in the middle of someone's spellcasting).
Again, re-read the Ready rules. The whole idea of Ready is to specify a condition under which you'll take a specific action. Heck, the condition doesn't even have to be another creature's actions; it can be an environmental situation, or whatever else.
dragonhunterq |
dragonhunterq wrote:guru-meditation wrote:"50ft before i hit the ground i drink the Featherfall-potion i hold in my hand."By the time you've got the bottle to your lips you are paste.Readied actions go off before the triggering event, so he wouldn't be waiting until he reached the fifty-feet-left mark before starting to drink. Or if you prefer, he could just specify a higher altitude so that he finishes drinking it at around 50ft remaining.
Quote:And every which way I look at this you've got issues - losing grip on the potion,I assume you're consistent and apply the same difficulty of holding onto your gear whenever you're subjected to a gust of wind spell, damaged in combat, or otherwise exposed to any sort of imperfect situation, yes?
Quote:mis-timing it (standard action is very different to an immediate one),I assume you're consistent and apply the same readied action timing issues when trying to disrupt a spell with an attack (which requires hitting DURING the casting despite not being a faster action type), or when trying to strike a flying enemy just as it swoops down in reach for an instant, or any of the other "has to be at just the right moment" situations that the entire readied action mechanic was designed to handle, yes?
Quote:spilling it...I assume you're consistent and apply the same spillage rules to the drinking of potions in other adverse conditions, much like above, yes?
fair points, they are primarily conceptual issues I admit. My biggest strictly rules issue is that you can't cast non-immediate spells while falling and I don't think drinking potions should bypass that restriction. TOZ also makes a good point in that respect, I could maybe be persuaded then for falls over 500'.
..
.
Doesn't mean I have to like it. :P
Saldiven |
Would you like me to quote the entire section of the rules?
The Ready action is under the section entitled:
"Special Initiative Actions
Here are ways to change when you act during combat by altering your place in the initiative order."
And, from under the Ready section itself:
"The ready action lets you prepare to take an action later, after your turn is over but before your next one has begun."
You pick the action you wish to take, then "...anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition."
And:
"For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action."
Then:
"Initiative Consequences of Readying: Your initiative result becomes the count on which you took the readied action."
Literally everything about the readied action section refers to actions taken in the initiative order. Only one sentence, taken out of context, would lead someone to believe it can be used anywhere else.
Anonymous Warrior |
Don't most hazards act on some initiative count in a typical game?
1. I fall into lava. Lava damages me immediately. I take damage again on my turn if I'm in the lava.
2. I stick my arm into lava when the enemy attempts to use a spell that can be counteracted by taking damage (such as a harpy's song). I immediately take damage, and take damage each turn that my arm is in the lava.
3. The void stones on the negative energy plane slowly drift towards the nearest living creature within 10 ft at an initiative count of 0.
4. In three turns, I will hit reach the ground. The ground will immediately deal 20d6 points of damage to me.
Also, definitely would allow a 'combat' against an inanimate object that would bring you harm in the immediate future.
1. A crafty rogue uses a mage hand to drop an alchemist fire on my head from the shadows. I move out from under it, then throw a dagger at the inanimate glass vial.
2. The ceiling is dropping, and will crush me in 3 rounds. My only hope is to bust the room's door down within that time. I'm threatened and I'm making attacks.
Dave Justus |
I see no reason at all why a readied action can't happen while falling, and be triggered getting close to the 60' mark. The Ebberron DC 10 will check (or something similar) is probably a fine houserule to add a little danger to the action.
In most cases when falling you won't have a standard action to ready a potion since before you get an action, you have splatted (which is why the spell and many items that use it are immediate actions) but if you plan on this you have the standard to ready, your move to jump and you should be all good.
DM_Blake |
If said airship is 400' high, you hit the ground in the same round you fall off of it. There is no time to ready an action (unless you readied it before you fell/jumped off of the airship).
So the question is, can you drink it during the fall? How long is a standard action? Half of the round? If you drink the potion in the first half of the round, you fall, what, 200', then float down 60', then fall 140' to the ground for 14d6?
No rules for that, but the math works out.
And if you drink it in the second half of the round, you're not finished drinking it when you splat on the ground for 20d6.
No rules for that either.
What if the airship is, say, 900' high? Then you can fall 500' this round, presumably even readying your action to pop the potion, next round, as you wish. 0 damage. So falling from a higher elevation increases your chance of using the potion and taking no damage. Probably even makes sense.
No rules for that one either.
But all that's left is the "rule of cool" and "Rule Zero". Both of which say, basically, "Let that guy drink his potion at the exact right time and, it's probably most cool if the feather fall effect takes place about 9 inches away from splat - don't worry about the sudden deceleration because that's uncool and also not supported in the RAW".
More or less.
MeanMutton |
Would you like me to quote the entire section of the rules?
The Ready action is under the section entitled:
"Special Initiative Actions
Here are ways to change when you act during combat by altering your place in the initiative order."
And, from under the Ready section itself:
"The ready action lets you prepare to take an action later, after your turn is over but before your next one has begun."
You pick the action you wish to take, then "...anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition."
And:
"For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action."
Then:
"Initiative Consequences of Readying: Your initiative result becomes the count on which you took the readied action."
Literally everything about the readied action section refers to actions taken in the initiative order. Only one sentence, taken out of context, would lead someone to believe it can be used anywhere else.
That's fine, then. "Mr. GM, I'm rolling initiative. Let me know when it's my turn. Okay, now that it's my turn, I'll ready an action to..."
There you go, all set!
DM_Blake |
That's fine, then. "Mr. GM, I'm rolling initiative. Let me know when it's my turn. Okay, now that it's my turn, I'll ready an action to..."
There you go, all set!
You forgot to attack the air so that you can actually be making an attack so that you can have an excuse to say that you're in combat (because if you're not in combat, you can't roll initiative - or so I've been told).
GM Hands of Fate |
Ask your GM if you can use 3.5 magic items, and then buy this. I never go without one.
Aura: Faint Transmutation; CL: 1th
Slot: Slotless; Price: 50 gp; Wgt: -
Source: S:CoT, pg. 170
Description: This pin is in the shape of a feather or bird. As an immediate action or a swift action that does not provoke, the wearer can activate a Feather Fall effect, after which the pin crumbles to dust. However, this protection only lasts for the first 60 feet fallen. Falling farther than 60 feet requires a Wisdom check, DC 15, to know when to activate it at the right time to land safely, otherwise, the user slows down for 60 feet and then speeds up again for whatever remains. This equates to 1d6 feet times the amount the Wisdom check failed by, to a maximum of 14d6 or the original falling damage, whichever is less.
Construction Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, Feather Fall
Construction Cost: 25 gp
bbangerter |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I have allowed HALO drops using the spell, and I'd happily allow it with a snapleaf. Not sure I'd allow it using a potion.
guru-meditation wrote:"50ft before i hit the ground i drink the Featherfall-potion i hold in my hand."By the time you've got the bottle to your lips you are paste. And every which way I look at this you've got issues - losing grip on the potion, mis-timing it (standard action is very different to an immediate one), spilling it...I just can't see it.
Open mouth,
Dump vial into mouth (but do not swallow).Close mouth.
Now fall overboard.
Swallow when you get scared.
No risk of losing grip, or failing to get it to your lips in time, spilling it, etc. Only risk is timing your swallow (if you want to play that kind of realism in your game).
Jiggy RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |
If said airship is 400' high, you hit the ground in the same round you fall off of it. There is no time to ready an action (unless you readied it before you fell/jumped off of the airship).
My understanding of the OP was that he was talking about deliberately diving off the airship, so my posts about Readying have indeed been with the idea of "pull out potion, Ready to drink it at an appropriate altitude, 5ft step over the edge". Definitely not saying to dive off, then ready an action to drink, unless you're falling reeeaaallly far.
So the question is, can you drink it during the fall? How long is a standard action? Half of the round? If you drink the potion in the first half of the round, you fall, what, 200', then float down 60', then fall 140' to the ground for 14d6?
Though I like your eventual conclusion, I have a thought or two on this part:
How long is a readied standard action? Making a single attack normally costs a standard action. Casting most spells is a standard action. An attack must damage a caster during spellcasting (after it begins, before it ends) in order to force a concentration check. A readied attack is an explicitly-given example of a way to make this happen.
So when you Ready a standard-action attack to disrupt a spell, the rules are pretty clear that the series of events is this:
• Caster begins a standard action
• Attacker begins a standard action
• Attacker finishes a standard action
• Caster finishes a standard action
So we've got one standard action taking place completely inside the duration of another standard action.
Ergo, these two standard actions, despite being the same action type, did not consume the same amount of time. (This gets even more interesting if the "attacker" is actually another caster, readying to cast magic missile to disrupt the other caster's magic missile spell. Now we've got literally the same action taking two different amounts of time.)
That means that there's no set amount of time that a standard action represents.
So then, how long does it take to drink a potion?
Good question. ;)
Saldiven |
MeanMutton wrote:You forgot to attack the air so that you can actually be making an attack so that you can have an excuse to say that you're in combat (because if you're not in combat, you can't roll initiative - or so I've been told).That's fine, then. "Mr. GM, I'm rolling initiative. Let me know when it's my turn. Okay, now that it's my turn, I'll ready an action to..."
There you go, all set!
That's the strictest interpretation. Personally, I wouldn't even bother bringing up readied actions into the OP's scenario. It's a needless insertion of a combat rule into a non-combat situation. IMO, the OP's situation is one that firmly falls into GM fiat because there really isn't anything that covers the situation. If I were a GM, I'd probably require a (totally irrelevant) Dex check to make the player think there's a chance of failure when I'm, in actuality, hand-waving the situation and just allowing the potion to take affect the way the player wants. Maybe, if he/she rolled particularly badly, I'd throw a small number of d6's at the character to simulate having consumed the potion too early because of nerves or misjudgment.
I think GMs need to be very careful about allowing the readied action rules outside of the initiative structure of combat. It can lead to some pretty absurd extreme cases, like a player running a ranged specialist saying he's constantly readying an action to shoot any non-party member he sees in a dungeon, trying to game the surprise system.
TriOmegaZero |
Saldiven wrote:Would you like me to quote the entire section of the rules?Point out the place in that chapter where it specifies the DM/GM is the one to decide when initiative begins. By RAW, anyone at the table can begin initiative.
Game Master (GM): A Game Master is the person who adjudicates the rules and controls all of the elements of the story and world that the players explore. A GM's duty is to provide a fair and fun game.
Melkiador |
Melkiador wrote:Saldiven wrote:Would you like me to quote the entire section of the rules?Point out the place in that chapter where it specifies the DM/GM is the one to decide when initiative begins. By RAW, anyone at the table can begin initiative.Getting Started wrote:Game Master (GM): A Game Master is the person who adjudicates the rules and controls all of the elements of the story and world that the players explore. A GM's duty is to provide a fair and fun game.
Nothing in the second quote says that the GM and only the GM can decide when initiative begins. By that measure, your character is an element of the story, so you don't control your own character.
Orfamay Quest |
I favor the ruling that doesn't make feather fall a useless spell.
It's not that feather fall is a useless spell, it's that feather fall is a useless potion, which is quite a different thing. Not all spells can be usefully put into potion form, just by virtue of the limitations of potions.
For example, charm person is very useful, but a potion of charm person less so. A potion of emergency force sphere likewise, because you can't drink a potion as an immediate action. I'd put feather fall into the same category.
DM_Blake |
I think GMs need to be very careful about allowing the readied action rules outside of the initiative structure of combat. It can lead to some pretty absurd extreme cases, like a player running a ranged specialist saying he's constantly readying an action to shoot any non-party member he sees in a dungeon, trying to game the surprise system.
And yet, the opposite is awkward too. Disallowing readied actions outside of initiative structure results in the absurd extreme case of the rogue slapping the paladin every round, just so he can make an attack every round and keep the party in initiative as they walk through the dungeon with their archer friend readying his action every round.
Initiative is an abstract tool we use in a game to keep track of the order and frequency of combat events. It's not a real thing and characters have no idea what it is. So having them maintain an initiative order as they walk by making arbitrary attacks for no reason is no more or no less awkward or absurd than telling an archer he cannot be ready to shoot an enemy that comes out of the door until after combat with that enemy has begun.
Both are absurd and awkward. Equally.
TriOmegaZero |
Adjudicate: Make a formal judgment or decision about a problem or disputed matter.
So, all that means is that the GM can veto your declaration of beginning initiative.
So GMs do decide when initiative begins then.
Jiggy RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |
Melkiador |
Melkiador wrote:So GMs do decide when initiative begins then.Adjudicate: Make a formal judgment or decision about a problem or disputed matter.
So, all that means is that the GM can veto your declaration of beginning initiative.
The same as they can decide any other element of the game, such as how many free actions is too many. This has nothing special to do with the ability of the player to initiate initiative.
BigDTBone |
DM_Blake wrote:If said airship is 400' high, you hit the ground in the same round you fall off of it. There is no time to ready an action (unless you readied it before you fell/jumped off of the airship).My understanding of the OP was that he was talking about deliberately diving off the airship, so my posts about Readying have indeed been with the idea of "pull out potion, Ready to drink it at an appropriate altitude, 5ft step over the edge". Definitely not saying to dive off, then ready an action to drink, unless you're falling reeeaaallly far.
Quote:So the question is, can you drink it during the fall? How long is a standard action? Half of the round? If you drink the potion in the first half of the round, you fall, what, 200', then float down 60', then fall 140' to the ground for 14d6?Though I like your eventual conclusion, I have a thought or two on this part:
How long is a readied standard action? Making a single attack normally costs a standard action. Casting most spells is a standard action. An attack must damage a caster during spellcasting (after it begins, before it ends) in order to force a concentration check. A readied attack is an explicitly-given example of a way to make this happen.
So when you Ready a standard-action attack to disrupt a spell, the rules are pretty clear that the series of events is this:
• Caster begins a standard action
• Attacker begins a standard action
• Attacker finishes a standard action
• Caster finishes a standard actionSo we've got one standard action taking place completely inside the duration of another standard action.
Ergo, these two standard actions, despite being the same action type, did not consume the same amount of time. (This gets even more interesting if the "attacker" is actually another caster, readying to cast magic missile to disrupt the other caster's magic missile spell. Now we've got literally the same action taking two different amounts of time.)
That...
So, I'll say that this doesn't have any rules support, but it is consistent with the logic of the rules.
When you ready an action you do all of the time-consuming prep stuff at that time; all that remains is to execute the action.
For example: The batter in a baseball game readies an action to hit the pitched ball. He get in stance, prepares his bat, winds up, adjusts his grip, etc. Then he only has to swing at the ball. The ball throw is also a standard action on the part of the pitcher.
I'll also add that if readying doesn't work this way that no one could play baseball in Golarion. Take that as a plus or minus as you will.
Jiggy RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |
bbangerter |
(This gets even more interesting if the "attacker" is actually another caster, readying to cast magic missile to disrupt the other caster's magic missile spell. Now we've got literally the same action taking two different amounts of time.)
While I agree with your end result, the above isn't necessarily true.
How counter spelling works is not defined. It may not be that you actually go through the full motions of casting the spell you are counter spelling. More likely all you need is to disrupt the enemy caster at a key point as the magic builds up. That may (or may not) only require a single gesture that causes his build up of magical energy to dissipate just prior to the completion of his spell.
BigDTBone |
I like that analogy for a readied attack, but I'm not sure it works so well for a readied spell. Probably some other stuff too.
You get your spell components out, you wave your arms, fingers, legs, and toes, you chant your incantation, and you hold, waiting to utter the last syllable and make the final motions until the precise moment you wish to execute the spell.
bbangerter |
Jiggy wrote:I like that analogy for a readied attack, but I'm not sure it works so well for a readied spell. Probably some other stuff too.You get your spell components out, you wave your arms, fingers, legs, and toes, you chant your incantation, and you hold, waiting to utter the last syllable and make the final motions until the precise moment you wish to execute the spell.
Until he starts casting his spell though you wouldn't even know which components or gestures to begin to make to counter him (see my above post for an alternate narrative).
Jiggy RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |
Jiggy wrote:
(This gets even more interesting if the "attacker" is actually another caster, readying to cast magic missile to disrupt the other caster's magic missile spell. Now we've got literally the same action taking two different amounts of time.)
While I agree with your end result, the above isn't necessarily true.
How counter spelling works is not defined. It may not be that you actually go through the full motions of casting the spell you are counter spelling. More likely all you need is to disrupt the enemy caster at a key point as the magic builds up. That may (or may not) only require a single gesture that causes his build up of magical energy to dissipate just prior to the completion of his spell.
Wasn't talking about counterspelling. I was talking about a plain-Jane casting of magic missile to deal damage and force a concentration check, performed during the other caster's also-plain-Jane casting of magic missile.
So, like I said: literally the same action.
Jiggy RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |
Jiggy wrote:I like that analogy for a readied attack, but I'm not sure it works so well for a readied spell. Probably some other stuff too.You get your spell components out, you wave your arms, fingers, legs, and toes, you chant your incantation, and you hold, waiting to utter the last syllable and make the final motions until the precise moment you wish to execute the spell.
So then it's not until the final utterance that the spell slot (or material components, for that matter) gets expended? Then how come damaging the enemy caster partway through casting (interrupting him before the same final utterance) still costs him his spell slot?
Jiggy RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |
Ah, I misunderstood, so yes, that is indeed identical, with no way to prep for it before the other caster begins his casting.
And yet, I can ready an action, see him start casting, then start and complete my own casting before he finishes.
Thus, "standard action" can't imply very much about how much time is used (unless we get somewhere with BigDTBone's line of thinking, so I'm curious to follow that path for a while).
David knott 242 |
Here's the thing -- setting off something like a Feather Fall spell (an immediate action) the moment you start falling is easy. I think drinking a potion is a bit trickier since it takes more than an immediate action to accomplish, but if you have the potion already in hand and drink it as you jump, you should be fine.
The problem with all of these readied action proposals is that you are trying to delay your action until the optimum point so as to minimize the falling damage -- and until then you are falling at a speed that greatly exceeds the movement speed of nearly anything you might ever find your self fighting. Determining exactly when you are (for example) exactly 50 feet above the ground is obviously a tough task -- and the fact that you are supposedly setting up an action to perform when you are at that exact altitude does not imply that you can actually pull it off.
The risks are obvious -- drink the potion too soon, and you take a small amount of falling damage that you wanted to avoid. Drink the potion too late, and you go splat because you hit the ground before you could drink it. The very title of this thread suggests that the exact timing is the key factor. What skill or ability would be checked and the margin of possible error on a failure are unknowns.
I will definitely have to bring this one up with my gaming group to see how they would handle it, as to date we have somehow avoided this sort of situation.