Action's already in the game. I know we have lots of action in our games. Try fighting a Rakshasa Monk and some weird, three-headed, six-armed thing in a dungeon while one of your allies is imprisoned and someone you're supposed to protect is strapped to a nearby rack.
And then there's free actions, immediate actions, swift actions, standard actions, move actions, full-round actions.
What other action is there in there?
There's also conditions like sickened or exhausted.
What are Event Zones? Something out of a computer game (step over there and monsters spawn)? Places where they stage rock concerts and so on?
Action's already in the game. I know we have lots of action in our games. Try fighting a Rakshasa Monk and some weird, three-headed, six-armed thing in a dungeon while one of your allies is imprisoned and someone you're supposed to protect is strapped to a nearby rack.
And then there's free actions, immediate actions, swift actions, standard actions, move actions, full-round actions.
What other action is there in there?
There's also conditions like sickened or exhausted.
What are Event Zones? Something out of a computer game (step over there and monsters spawn)? Places where they stage rock concerts and so on?
I think he means Action zones, Condition Zones, and Event Zones. All of those do not really fit into the Pathfinder RPG Core Book, but have to do with adventure design and should be incorporated in some way into adventures to make interactions with the environment more interesting.
What are those zones for? What do they do? What will they do with my tax money?
I believe they are a great encounter-building tool for individual DMs and the basic mechanics can easily be purposed towards a framework of balanced and level-appropriate improvised actions and effects. The whole concept was one of the best ideas to come out of OGL products and in my opinion it's definitely core rulebook worthy.
Maybe.
But. What. Do. They. Do. ?.
This is like some Apple press conference, where they talk about leveraging the core competencies to provide customer-focused solutions on a global scale, but never say a word about what their new iScam actually does. (It turns out it's a toaster that can also slice bread and play music. And costs $ 1299.)
|
This is like some Apple press conference, where they talk about leveraging the core competencies to provide customer-focused solutions on a global scale, but never say a word about what their new iScam actually does. (It turns out it's a toaster that can also slice bread and play music. And costs $ 1299.)
And as an added benefit it stimulates the economy!
Maybe.
But. What. Do. They. Do. ?.
Essentially the function of a zone is to deliniate an area that has special, rules driven effects. Pretty much like granting a feat to an area. IE special rules apply here.
A condition zone may inflict penalties or other effects on participants in the area. Knee high water, freezing cold, shifting sand, or even narrow walkways are condition zones.
An event zone has an effect much like an if/then statement. 'If this happens, then this happens as a result' Like a trap that goes off every time a PC steps on a green tile, or a ceiling that lowers a foot every time blood hits the ground.
These two are fairly ho-hum, as they are usually a normal part of the gaming experience (you really really don't need to define traps and darkness as event and condition zones respectively. it's redundant)
An action zone is a notation of any 'special' actions that can be taken in a room. Action zones can cover rules on climbing onto the back of the armoured creature, swinging on a chandelier, or dropping down from a high place by using your dagger to slow your fall.
In Iron heroes, an action zone usually had some extraordinary results when used, typically very efficient too, and tended to cover the exceptional results of an action rather than the normal (For example, if a creature in an encounter was vulnerable to shots to the belly, the rules block gave the mechanics for striking bellies, including stabbing while prone, and how to provoke it into rear up to expose its weakness.
Batts
Traps are an example of an event zones in iron Heroes, i.e. they are triggered events. Another, might be an evil alter that heals undead every 4 rounds unless it is destroyed. Condiditon zones are areas have special conditions, such as a slippery floor. Action zones are areas that PCs and NPCs can use in the game.
As I am currently running Curse of the Crimson Throne using Iron Heroes, here are some examples of action zones I added to the fishery encounter.
ZONES
Slurry Filled Vat (Reusable Action Zone): A person can be tripped or bull rushed into the vat. Fort save DC 14; Failure results in being sickened 1d4 rounds.
Slurry Filled Vat (Nonreusable Action Zone): If the vat is broken (hardness 5, hp 10), the floor is covered in the slurry. Balance DC 14; Failure: fall prone in current space; Failure by 5: fall prone and slide 5 feet in direction of travel; Success: move at half speed.
Waste Shaft (Reusable Action Zone): A person can be tripped or bull rushed into the water below (and the waiting jigsaw shark).
Stacked Barrels (Nonreusable Action Zone): As a full-round action, with a Strength check DC 14, the barrels can be made to collapse on top of an adjacent target. Reflex save DC 14 half; 3d6 damage and a 5-ft. burst radius from the target square is covered in slurry and barrel fragments (count as rough terrain).