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Hi :)

I’d like to incorporate the following into my current campaign: a location where (legal, non-lethal) arena fights take place. The campaign is set (mostly) in a single city, so the characters can visit the arena again and again. There should be a ranking system for the strongest fighters there and a sort of challenge system. After successfully completing a few introductory fights, players can challenge the next-highest-ranked fighter on the list, and so on. This is primarily intended as a gimmick or a kind of side quest. I definitely have one player who would absolutely love to fight his way to the top over the course of the campaign. (You could also incorporate a few social aspects relevant to the main story, but that’s not so important for my request here.) I’m currently considering the following and would really appreciate any tips or advice: How do you design the fights so they’re interesting? Is it enough to simply create Level 1 to 20 fighter NPCs who then make up the ranking list? Or should the fights be handled differently? To simplify things, I’ve considered having the fights follow normal rules, but then describing them in the story as non-lethal. Having only fist-fighters might be too boring? And as a player, you want to use your skills and all that. Is there any material available for something like this? Or would a completely different approach be better?

(I imagine it's similar to the bar fights in The Witcher 3, even though those are always fistfights.)

Thanks for all the replies!

Hi :)

I hope you can help me with the following task:

One of my players plays a rogue (level 10 already). During combat she likes playing her rogue like a true acrobat, jumping and climbing all over the place. Sometimes I am struggling to figure out logical rules or skill checks for what she wants to do.

For example: Last time we played she was standing on a bridge and a wyvern flew next to the bridge. She wanted to jump on that wyvern (step 1) and then attack that wyvern from its back (step 2). (How) does that work? (I know that is a rules question, but since I am also asking for general advice I figured the post would better fit here - feel free to move it, if I am wrong). Jumping through the spaces adjacent to creatures works through acrobatics, that I know. But isn't that jump also kind of an attack because she wants to land on that wyvern? It kinda seems like a grapple but that doesn't quite fit. Would you maybe just use a "generic combat maneuver" for that? How could the wyvern try to lose her if she makes the jump? So many questions. Are there rules for stuff like that I didnt find yet?

I am aware of the vexing devil archetype.

Which other (if any) rules or feats, archetypes, whatever (...) could help me and her to let her rogue act like she wants? Jumping on that wyvern was just one example. In general she likes fighting with crazy acrobatic maneuvers. And since she reached level 10 already I feel like stuff like that should be in the scope of said rogue. That is why I am trying to figure out how to make it work rules wise.

Thanks for your help in advance!

(I flagged the thread I posted in the wrong sub-forum)

Hi :)

I hope you can help me with the following task:

One of my players plays a rogue (level 10 already). During combat she likes playing her rogue like a true acrobat, jumping and climbing all over the place. Sometimes I am struggling to figure out logical rules or skill checks for what she wants to do.

For example: Last time we played she was standing on a bridge and a wyvern flew next to the bridge. She wanted to jump on that wyvern (step 1) and then attack that wyvern from its back (step 2). (How) does that work? (I know that is a rules question, but since I am also asking for general advice I figured the post would better fit here - feel free to move it, if I am wrong). Jumping through the spaces adjacent to creatures works through acrobatics, that I know. But isn't that jump also kind of an attack because she wants to land on that wyvern? It kinda seems like a grapple but that doesn't quite fit. Would you maybe just use a "generic combat maneuver" for that? How could the wyvern try to lose her if she makes the jump? So many questions. Are there rules for stuff like that I didnt find yet?

I am aware of the vexing devil archetype.

Which other (if any) rules or feats, archetypes, whatever (...) could help me and her to let her rogue act like she wants? Jumping on that wyvern was just one example. In general she likes fighting with crazy acrobatic maneuvers. And since she reached level 10 already I feel like stuff like that should be in the scope of said rogue. That is why I am trying to figure out how to make it work rules wise.

Thanks for your help in advance!

Hi :)

What would you say is the perception DC of hearing someone cast a spell (with a verbal component obv)?

Is it the same as hearing the sound of battle (i.e. -10)? Maybe because casting spells often is something done in battle, hence should be treated as the same.

Or more like hearing the sounds of a conversation (i.e. 0)? Maybe because talking and verbally casting a spell is almost the same.

Currently I'd rank it in the middle of both. Because verbally casting a spell is more verbal action than just talking but it is also not like swords thunderous clashing onto armor.

What do you think? Is there maybe even an official ruling I just overlooked.

Hey :)

Are there rules modifying a fight if one creature fights while hanging from the ceiling (assuming it can walk on the ceiling just like on the floor)? Maybe changing the way people fighting from the floor can flank it?

Couldn't find anything myself. So currently I'm assuming there are no changes if the creature on the ceiling is within reach of the flanking characters.

Hi :)

The last time I played with my group they used a combination of the spell "Greater Darkness" and Darkvision (via race and items) to win a combat encounter. That I was perfectly fine with, in principle. However, we had problems with using the correct rules to solve that combat encounter. Namely, I had troubles to play the enemies

The questions that arose:

Those who cannot see are effectively blinded. So far, so clear. The rules state, that a blinded creature has a 50% miss chance in combat because all opponents have total concealment (from it). That means that a creature that knows where its enemy stands can attack that enemy with a 50% miss chance. But how do I determine whether a blinded creature (that can still hear the moving and fighting enemies) knows where its enemies are? I know that you can use perception to do that. But how exactly does that work? Do I use the rules concerning invisible creatures to solve that? Does blinded mean the enemy is effectively invisible concerning the blind creature?

A creature can generally notice the presence of an active invisible creature within 30 feet with a DC 20 Perception check. The observer gains a hunch that “something’s there” but can’t see it or target it accurately with an attack. It’s practically impossible (+20 DC) to pinpoint an invisible creature’s location with a Perception check.

If those rules are applicable, then the blinded creature could use Perception (a move action) to try to spot enemies in the dark. Am I right?

But what about attacks of opportunity? If an enemy walks right next to the blinded creature the blinded creature usually would get an AoO? Does it still get it? Can it try to hear where the enemy walks around and then hit it? Or does blinded mean that you are not able to use the enemys movement against it?

You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your turn. Generally, that means everything in all squares adjacent to your space (including diagonally). An enemy that takes certain actions while in a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity from you. If you’re unarmed, you don’t normally threaten any squares and thus can’t make attacks of opportunity.

According to that, you would still threaten squares, even if you are blinded, right?

I hope you can help me. :)

Hi :)
Imagine a room full of hidden traps. Say, there are 20 squares. 5 of them are floor plates with a hidden trap mechanism (stepping on them activates the traps). I know that a character can use perception to detect the traps. To do that they have to roll perception and beat the preset DC (maybe 25). But what I don't know is: How does that work within fight rounds? In a fight it takes a standard action to roll on perception to check for traps (right?). How many squares does that roll cover? Only a single square? Or each square within sight? Or something else?
I hope you can help me. Thank you!