[Spells] Grease


Rules Questions

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Questions:
1. It seems that you can fight or cast spells freely while in the area of effect. Also you could stand up if you are prone. You are restricted only your movement ("walk"), this is going from one space to another. What about jumping? Also, in the terrain rules, you must pay double for moving into a space with difficult terrain, but not when you are leaving from that space. Should that rule apply to Grease? The spell specifies "within the area of effect".
2. If you try to move while in the area of the spell, you must make an Acrobatics(Balance) check. From the skill description:
"While you are using Acrobatics in this way, you are considered flat-footed and lose your Dexterity bonus to your AC (if any). If you take damage while using Acrobatics, you must immediately make another Acrobatics check at the same DC to avoid falling or being knocked prone."
When would the flat-footed condition apply? For AoO and ready actions when you are moving?


angelroble wrote:

Questions:

1. It seems that you can fight or cast spells freely while in the area of effect.

As long as you don't move. Any movement triggers the acrobatics check and the flat-footed condition.

Quote:
Also you could stand up if you are prone.

Yes, and with no penalty other than provoking attacks of opportunity as normal.

Quote:
You are restricted only your movement ("walk"), this is going from one space to another. What about jumping?

Jumping is something that is done as part of movement. You still move as part of jumping, but obviously there are some special situations that are not covered in the rules. For instance, if you jump over a patch of grease, the grease has no effect. There isn't a specific rule for this, but it's reasonable to interpret things that way from the given rules.

Quote:
Also, in the terrain rules, you must pay double for moving into a space with difficult terrain, but not when you are leaving from that space. Should that rule apply to Grease? The spell specifies "within the area of effect".

Grease isn't quite the same thing as difficult terrain. The grease text states:

PRD wrote:
A creature can walk within or through the area of grease at half normal speed.

Any movement coming into or leaving a grease field is at half speed and subject to the acrobatics check and the flat-footed condition.

Quote:

2. If you try to move while in the area of the spell, you must make an Acrobatics(Balance) check. From the skill description:

"While you are using Acrobatics in this way, you are considered flat-footed and lose your Dexterity bonus to your AC (if any). If you take damage while using Acrobatics, you must immediately make another Acrobatics check at the same DC to avoid falling or being knocked prone."
When would the flat-footed condition apply? For AoO and ready actions when you are moving?

A character is rendered flat-footed by grease if and only if that character actually moves while in a greased area. But attacks of opportunity from movement are only given for actually leaving the space.

So, the order of events would be (given a Mover and a Attacker):

1. Mover attempts to move through a greased square to a non-greased square.

2. Since moving through a greased square is at half-speed and subject to a DC 10 acrobatics check, mover must make that check immediately and must be able to move 2 squares.

2a. If they pass, they are actually moving -- and thus subject to an AoO and being flat-footed.

2b. If they don't pass, they either fail to move (and roll a reflex save to fall) or fall immediately (if they fail the acrobatics check by 5 or more).


Grease is still awesome. Slightly less so because acrobatics is much more likely to be trained under Pathfinder than balance was under 3.5.

Even so, a grease is a rogue's best friend.

The above is pretty accurate answer to your question.

The important bits:

  • AoO on standing up
  • AoO on movement
  • Flat footed while moving

  • Sovereign Court

    Dennis da Ogre wrote:

    Grease is still awesome. Slightly less so because acrobatics is much more likely to be trained under Pathfinder than balance was under 3.5.

    Even so, a grease is a rogue's best friend.

    The above is pretty accurate answer to your question.

    The important bits:

  • AoO on standing up
  • AoO on movement
  • Flat footed while moving
  • Cast on an enemy's weapon to disarm him
  • Cast on oneself to avoid grappling
  • Cast on the item the enemy absolutely must not escape with
  • Cast on pig for fun and games


  • My all time favorite grease use involves stairs and a GM who recognizes that once you start falling down stairs you are going to keep falling.

    Even if it weren't so crazy good on flat open ground grease is such a versatile spell it belongs on every casters list.


    Dennis da Ogre wrote:

    My all time favorite grease use involves stairs and a GM who recognizes that once you start falling down stairs you are going to keep falling.

    Even if it weren't so crazy good on flat open ground grease is such a versatile spell it belongs on every casters list.

    Good use of a first level spell slot + secondary comic relief as the guards try to chase the trickster up the stairs.

    +1 I will definately use that.


    Dennis da Ogre wrote:
    Grease is still awesome. Slightly less so because acrobatics is much more likely to be trained under Pathfinder than balance was under 3.5.

    In Pathfinder, there's no benefit to balancing obtained from having ranks in Acrobatics.


    hogarth wrote:
    Dennis da Ogre wrote:
    Grease is still awesome. Slightly less so because acrobatics is much more likely to be trained under Pathfinder than balance was under 3.5.
    In Pathfinder, there's no benefit to balancing obtained from having ranks in Acrobatics.

    Fighters now take it because they can actually move in their armor. It is several skills rolled together now instead of using all their skill points on mobility. You get a bonus to dodge when you get 10 ranks in accrobatics.. there are many more people putting points in that skill now than in 3.5


    grasshopper_ea wrote:
    You get a bonus to dodge when you get 10 ranks in accrobatics..

    That was removed in the final version of the game.

    PRD wrote:

    Dodge (Combat)

    Your training and reflexes allow you to react swiftly to avoid an opponents' attacks.

    Prerequisite: Dex 13.

    Benefit: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. A condition that makes you lose your Dex bonus to AC also makes you lose the benefits of this feat.


    grasshopper_ea wrote:
    hogarth wrote:
    Dennis da Ogre wrote:
    Grease is still awesome. Slightly less so because acrobatics is much more likely to be trained under Pathfinder than balance was under 3.5.
    In Pathfinder, there's no benefit to balancing obtained from having ranks in Acrobatics.
    Fighters now take it because they can actually move in their armor. It is several skills rolled together now instead of using all their skill points on mobility. You get a bonus to dodge when you get 10 ranks in accrobatics.. there are many more people putting points in that skill now than in 3.5

    Oh, I get it -- you mean that creatures are more likely to be good at balancing than in 3.5. I agree.

    I thought Dennis was talking about this bit: "If you have 5 or more ranks in Balance, you aren't considered flat-footed while balancing." Which has no counterpart in Pathfinder. Never mind...


    hogarth wrote:
    Oh, I get it -- you mean that creatures are more likely to be good at balancing than in 3.5. I agree.

    Yeah... boy I am not doing a good job at making simple points today.

    Pretty much acrobatics is one of the super skills most everyone will have some ranks in. Compared to Balance which a lot of characters or monsters didn't take any ranks in.


    Dennis da Ogre wrote:
    hogarth wrote:
    Oh, I get it -- you mean that creatures are more likely to be good at balancing than in 3.5. I agree.
    Yeah... boy I am not doing a good job at making simple points today.

    No, it was obvious, but I was thinking of something much more specific for some reason.


    Thanks for the answers.
    Yesterday we began the Second Darkness AP.
    The wizard who tried to steal the chest cast a Grease spell, and my DM was ruling it mostly with his intuition. For ex. everyone had to roll for Acrobatics when fighting and even casting. As I didn't want to slow the game I shut up and continued playing, but I wanted confirmation on my questions; maybe I hadn't noticed something as this is our first PF game after the release.
    Anyway, it was funny when I bull rushed that wizard into the grease and killed him (he failed his Acrobatics and could not cast).


    Dennis da Ogre wrote:
    My all time favorite grease use involves stairs and a GM who recognizes that once you start falling down stairs you are going to keep falling.

    Mine is grease + stairs/ramp + golem. It's 1 minute/level of your own captive slapstick comedy routine!


    meabolex wrote:
    grasshopper_ea wrote:
    You get a bonus to dodge when you get 10 ranks in accrobatics..

    That was removed in the final version of the game.

    PRD wrote:

    Dodge (Combat)

    Your training and reflexes allow you to react swiftly to avoid an opponents' attacks.

    Prerequisite: Dex 13.

    Benefit: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. A condition that makes you lose your Dex bonus to AC also makes you lose the benefits of this feat.

    Sadness. And just when I would POSSIBLY consider dodge as a potential feat. Who am I kidding.. it's a prereq, that's about it


    Jess Door wrote:
  • Cast on pig for fun and games
  • Dennis da Ogre wrote:
    once you start falling down stairs you are going to keep falling.
    Zurai wrote:
    grease + stairs/ramp + golem. It's 1 minute/level of your own captive slapstick comedy routine!

    I like this thread


    If a creature succeeds its reflex save when grease is cast, and it chooses to stay in its square, does it still need to make an acrobatics check every time it attacks or is attacked?


    I have recently come across this in a pbp game- setting grease spell area on fire. Is the grease flammable? I never thought so, but other players in the game say they have used it that way for years.


    blope wrote:
    I have recently come across this in a pbp game- setting grease spell area on fire. Is the grease flammable? I never thought so, but other players in the game say they have used it that way for years.

    There's nothing against it in the 3.5E or PF rules. I seem to recall that in 2nd ed grease is specifically said to not be flammable.

    If it is flammable, there'd be a Ref save to put out the fire.


    meabolex wrote:
    PRD wrote:
    A creature can walk within or through the area of grease at half normal speed.

    Any movement coming into or leaving a grease field is at half speed and subject to the acrobatics check and the flat-footed condition.

    I still don't see how this follows.

    With any kind of terrain, the movement speed is calculated by the terrain being moved into, not the terrain being moved out of.

    Why should 'greased' terrain be any different?


    ryathas ruyonin-shar wrote:
    If a creature succeeds its reflex save when grease is cast, and it chooses to stay in its square, does it still need to make an acrobatics check every time it attacks or is attacked?

    No, only make checks for movement.


    Corky Thatcher wrote:
    meabolex wrote:
    PRD wrote:
    A creature can walk within or through the area of grease at half normal speed.

    Any movement coming into or leaving a grease field is at half speed and subject to the acrobatics check and the flat-footed condition.

    I still don't see how this follows.

    With any kind of terrain, the movement speed is calculated by the terrain being moved into, not the terrain being moved out of.

    Why should 'greased' terrain be any different?

    Because you have to be careful when moving subject to a 'greased area'. You are subject to the greased area whether you are moving into it or away from it.


    Zurai wrote:
    Dennis da Ogre wrote:
    My all time favorite grease use involves stairs and a GM who recognizes that once you start falling down stairs you are going to keep falling.
    Mine is grease + stairs/ramp + golem. It's 1 minute/level of your own captive slapstick comedy routine!

    Grease + pint of oil + torch... If they fail the REF to fall, they're probably going to fail the REF to extinguish themselves.


    I always assumed a greased area to be buttery or slimy not so much oily or flamable, you could also not directly grease a pig unless you wrapped it in a cloth or something similar by RAW.


    Remco Sommeling wrote:
    I always assumed a greased area to be buttery or slimy not so much oily or flamable, you could also not directly grease a pig unless you wrapped it in a cloth or something similar by RAW.

    Yes... hence the oil pint. Nothing like slip-sliding in crisco coated in kerosene when someone tosses a match.

    Liberty's Edge

    Cast it on the doorknob of the door that the enemy had planned to escape from.


    Ok...what happens if you already need to make an acrobatics check while on the affected (greased) area?

    What if I cast grease on the midsection of a 20 foot long 3 inch wide plank? do they make 2 acrobatics(balance) checks or just one extra hard one?

    What If I cast it on a 35 degree slope (already a climb check)?

    Just asking, as the sorcerer has just picked it up. My summary judgement would be to add spell level + caster's spell casting attribute bonus to the already established DC, but that may be a bit harsh.

    Batts


    Robert Young wrote:
    Corky Thatcher wrote:

    I still don't see how this follows.

    With any kind of terrain, the movement speed is calculated by the terrain being moved into, not the terrain being moved out of.

    Why should 'greased' terrain be any different?

    Because you have to be careful when moving subject to a 'greased area'. You are subject to the greased area whether you are moving into it or away from it.

    You are using a subjectively worded sentence to describe what is happening...not a Pathfinder rule...at least, as much as I can tell!

    Can someone point out, in the rulebook, where something like Grease should behave differently than any other kind of AoE spell?

    For example, if there is a Wall of Fire that someone tries to pass through, the text says:

    Quote:
    the wall deals 2d6 points of fire damage + 1 point of fire damage per caster level (maximum +20) to any creature passing through it.

    I don't think anyone would argue that they take this damage twice, once for entering a square in the wall and once for leaving the square with the wall.


    If someone passes through a wall of fire, he / she should only take damage once, I can not see any reason at all why it should deal damage twice. A creature only passes through the wall once, not twice.

    The logical explanation for grease would be that it would be too easy to escape the greased area otherwise a 10 foot square (almost) always allows for a small or medium creature to step out off it with a 5 foot step if that was the case, it actually makes sense to me in regard with slippery surfaces. For the rules there seems to be a distinction between difficult terrain and a greased surface.


    Iczer wrote:

    Ok...what happens if you already need to make an acrobatics check while on the affected (greased) area?

    What if I cast grease on the midsection of a 20 foot long 3 inch wide plank? do they make 2 acrobatics(balance) checks or just one extra hard one?

    I would probably use a single Balance check with a DC of 20 (2"-6" wide, severely slippery) or the DC of the Grease spell, whichever is greater.


    Remco Sommeling wrote:
    The logical explanation for grease would be that it would be too easy to escape the greased area otherwise a 10 foot square (almost) always allows for a small or medium creature to step out off it with a 5 foot step if that was the case, it actually makes sense to me in regard with slippery surfaces. For the rules there seems to be a distinction between difficult terrain and a greased surface.

    I agree that its not considered terrain. But it is, in fact, and AOE spell.

    Which, I fear, would follow the rules that the Wall of Fire does :( So, I'd reckon, you can't assume stepping out of it could cause a player to slip.

    Remember...this is a 1st level spell. It's not meant to be super awesome!


    "A grease spell covers a solid surface with a layer of slippery
    grease. Any creature in the area when the spell is cast must
    make a successful Reflex save or fall. A creature can walk within
    or through the area of grease at half normal speed with a DC 10
    Acrobatics check. Failure means it can’t move that round (and
    must then make a Reflex save or fall), while failure by 5 or more
    means it falls (see the Acrobatics skill for details). Creatures that
    do not move on their turn do not need to make this check and are
    not considered flat-footed."

    It doesn't seem like a too powerful spell, I am glad it got downgraded some, but it seems to be fair enough like this. I do not see the comparison with wall of fire..

    RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

    Corky Thatcher wrote:
    Remco Sommeling wrote:
    The logical explanation for grease would be that it would be too easy to escape the greased area otherwise a 10 foot square (almost) always allows for a small or medium creature to step out off it with a 5 foot step if that was the case, it actually makes sense to me in regard with slippery surfaces. For the rules there seems to be a distinction between difficult terrain and a greased surface.

    I agree that its not considered terrain. But it is, in fact, and AOE spell.

    Which, I fear, would follow the rules that the Wall of Fire does :( So, I'd reckon, you can't assume stepping out of it could cause a player to slip.

    Remember...this is a 1st level spell. It's not meant to be super awesome!

    This difference between grease and wall of fire is in the description. The grease fills a 10 foot square while the fire is a thin sheet. If a creature ends its move in a greased square it will be subject to the grease effect on the next turn, even if it is leaving the square with this movement. Since the fire effect is a sheet and not at least 5ft wide a creature would only pass through the fire not end in it. If the fire was at lest a square wide and a character ended its turn inside it then it would get burned the next round as well since it would be affected by it a second time.


    Corky Thatcher wrote:

    You are using a subjectively worded sentence to describe what is happening...not a Pathfinder rule...at least, as much as I can tell!

    Can someone point out, in the rulebook, where something like Grease should behave differently than any other kind of AoE spell?

    For example, if there is a Wall of Fire that someone tries to pass through, the text says:

    Quote:
    the wall deals 2d6 points of fire damage + 1 point of fire damage per caster level (maximum +20) to any creature passing through it.
    I don't think anyone would argue that they take this damage twice, once for entering a square in the wall and once for leaving the square with the wall.

    Grease is an AoE spell that affects (ground) movement within its area of effect over its duration. If you seek to avoid its effects, avoid its area of effect during its duration while moving. If it behaves 'differently than any other kind of AoE spell', the part of the rulebook that confirms this is in Chapter 10, Spells, pages 291-292 under 'Grease'.


    had a wizard that would grease himself prior to combat to make those grappeling types frustrated. play alot of small pcs and hate being grappeled.


    MythrilDragon wrote:
    This difference between grease and wall of fire is in the description. The grease fills a 10 foot square while the fire is a thin sheet. If a creature ends its move in a greased square it will be subject to the grease effect on the next turn, even if it is leaving the square with this movement. Since the fire effect is a sheet and not at least 5ft wide a creature would only pass through the fire not end in it. If the fire was at lest a square wide and a character ended its turn inside it then it would get burned the next round as well since it would be affected by it a second time.

    My bad, the Wall of Fire analogy was bad, but it could be analogous to a room full of fire.

    Which is basically what your example denotes.

    So, if a creature both entres the grease and exits the grease in a single turn, then they wouldn't be effected by the greased effect upon leaving the grease, correct?


    Corky Thatcher wrote:

    My bad, the Wall of Fire analogy was bad, but it could be analogous to a room full of fire.

    Which is basically what your example denotes.

    So, if a creature both entres the grease and exits the grease in a single turn, then they wouldn't be effected by the greased effect upon leaving the grease, correct?

    Depends on the turn sequence and amount of movement. You make an Acrobatics check when you move into a Greased square. Depending on that Acro check, you can move at 1/2 speed while in its AoE on that turn. If your continued movement takes you beyond the spell's AoE during that turn, no further Acro checks are warranted. If you end your turn within the spell's AoE, you will have to make another Acro check to move within it on your next turn.


    Robert Young wrote:
    Depends on the turn sequence and amount of movement. You make an Acrobatics check when you move into a Greased square. Depending on that Acro check, you can move at 1/2 speed while in its AoE on that turn. If your continued movement takes you beyond the spell's AoE during that turn, no further Acro checks are warranted. If you end your turn within the spell's AoE, you will have to make another Acro check to move within it on your next turn.

    Hmm, but what about the turn they ENTER the grease. If they fail their saving throw, would they be stopped before they actually enter it (it says they cannot move if they fail their save) or is entering a special case where they are stopped from actually moving further?

    I'd assume the latter, but I just wanna be really sure, heh.


    I would think failing the check entering the square, they would fall prone in the entered square like an old banana peel comedy routine.


    Corky Thatcher wrote:

    Hmm, but what about the turn they ENTER the grease. If they fail their saving throw, would they be stopped before they actually enter it (it says they cannot move if they fail their save) or is entering a special case where they are stopped from actually moving further?

    I'd assume the latter, but I just wanna be really sure, heh.

    There's no check or save to enter the square. You enter the Greased sguare, then you make an Acro check. Nothing prohibits movement into a Greased square. If the Acro check fails, then they have entered the area and cannot move further on that turn (remaining within the area). There are no checks or saves to be made for this spell (and most other spells) beyond its AoE (before entering its area).


    Corky Thatcher wrote:

    I still don't see how this follows.

    With any kind of terrain, the movement speed is calculated by the terrain being moved into, not the terrain being moved out of.

    Why should 'greased' terrain be any different?

    Grease doesn't create difficult terrain. It creates a special terrain that is unique the grease spell. The spell has its own rules that it imposes. You can't look at other sets of rules to see how grease works -- it's its own thing.

    RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

    Corky Thatcher wrote:
    Robert Young wrote:
    Depends on the turn sequence and amount of movement. You make an Acrobatics check when you move into a Greased square. Depending on that Acro check, you can move at 1/2 speed while in its AoE on that turn. If your continued movement takes you beyond the spell's AoE during that turn, no further Acro checks are warranted. If you end your turn within the spell's AoE, you will have to make another Acro check to move within it on your next turn.

    Hmm, but what about the turn they ENTER the grease. If they fail their saving throw, would they be stopped before they actually enter it (it says they cannot move if they fail their save) or is entering a special case where they are stopped from actually moving further?

    I'd assume the latter, but I just wanna be really sure, heh.

    The save is required as a result of the character being affected by grease effect. Failing the roll stops them inside the square with the grease. From then on they are affected by the grease for every round they remain in its area of effect or the grease is dispelled.


    This part of the description always puzzled me:
    "Creatures that do not move on their turn do not need to make this check and are not considered flat-footed."
    Yet, it is stated that a creature needs to save the round it is cast if it is in the spell area.
    I was DMing with a stone golem last week, and this spell had my golem fall to the ground immediately. He stood back on his feet and didn't move anymore in the following rounds, but I still feel something is weird in this spell: you don0t need to save if you stand still in your area, UNLESS it's the round the spell is cast. How would you justify it? Maybe the moment the spell is cast the creatures in the area also get some kind of "push" to make them fall?

    Liberty's Edge

    Grease:
    A grease spell covers a solid surface with a layer of slippery grease. Any creature in the area when the spell is cast must make a successful Reflex save or fall. A creature can walk within or through the area of grease at half normal speed with a DC 10 Acrobatics check. Failure means it can't move that round (and must then make a Reflex save or fall), while failure by 5 or more means it falls (see the Acrobatics skill for details). Creatures that do not move on their turn do not need to make this check and are not considered flat-footed.

    meabolex wrote:
    angelroble wrote:

    Questions:

    1. It seems that you can fight or cast spells freely while in the area of effect.

    As long as you don't move. Any movement triggers the acrobatics check and the flat-footed condition.

    Quote:
    Also you could stand up if you are prone.

    Yes, and with no penalty other than provoking attacks of opportunity as normal.

    Regarding the above...

    Where would be the rule that says this? A bit of a disagreement on whether "standing up" falls under the grease spell wording of "Creatures that do not move" or is it moving. From my standpoint, standing is a move action, but not movement by game terms, thus would not require the character to make an acrobatics check to stand up. I am going strictly RAW.


    blope wrote:
    I have recently come across this in a pbp game- setting grease spell area on fire. Is the grease flammable? I never thought so, but other players in the game say they have used it that way for years.

    They might be thinking of Web, which is specifically flammable.


    My group is going through this very same discussion right now. The following email was sent out as part of the discussion. Posting here since I think some of the folks here might benefit from the discussion or be able to add some additional insights.

    Full Email Text:
    There's a lot of ambiguity in the spell description. I'm not sure yet about making assumptions regarding using the full set of conditions and effects described in the Acrobatics rules.

    For example, the spell description never mentions anything about whether taking damage while in the area of effect automatically causes another Acrobatics check. Should that be added in because it's part of the Acrobatics description? If you're gonna do that, does that mean the entire spell description should essentially be replaced by the Acrobatics rules for narrow surfaces? If that's the case, the DC for the Acrobatics check should drop down to 5 (Base 0 for an area wider than 3 feet + 5 for "Severely Slippery"). And for a DC of 5, a check shouldn't even be required, according to the footnote in the Crossing Narrow Surfaces table! It would only rise to a 10 if the victim wishes to move at full speed through the area of effect.

    Speaking of which, the spell description has a very vague description of when to apply the effect. "A creature can walk within or through..." Most of the posts, including the one you mentioned, agree that one would apply the effect when attempting to LEAVE an affected square but not upon entering. That seems reasonable to me; falls right in line with movement that triggers other effects like AoO.

    And what about the flat-footed part of the Acrobatics description? "While you are using Acrobatics in this way, you are considered flat-footed..." For how long? Until their next turn? If someone with a move of 50 successfully uses 20 of it to cross a 10-foot patch of Grease, are they still considered flat-footed after the patch of Grease is 30 feet behind them and they're standing on solid ground?

    And what if you attempt to move but fail? Does that mean you did not move on your turn? Does that meet the criteria for "Creatures that do not move on their turn do not need to make this check and are not considered flat-footed" even though you already made the check? Does that make you flat-footed for having tried to move? Or not flat-footed for having not moved?

    Excuse me, my head just exploded.

    Nowhere in either description does it state that standing up from prone would cause another Acrobatics check. Even in the loosest of interpretations, I would not consider standing up to be walking.

    I'm inclined to go with the following clarifications which merge elements of both the spell and Acrobatics descriptions without going purely one or the other:

    • Acrobatics check DC 10 to leave an affected square at double movement cost
      o Whether the check succeeds or fails, the victim is considered flat-footed until they leave the area of effect or until the start of their next turn, whichever comes first
      o Only one such check per round is required for this movement
    • Acrobatics check DC 15 to leave an affected square at normal movement cost
      o Whether the check succeeds or fails, the victim is considered flat-footed until they leave the area of effect or until the start of their next turn, whichever comes first
      o Only one such check per round is required for this movement
    • Failure of Acrobatics check by 4 or less means the victim is unable to leave the square that round and must make a Reflex save versus spell DC or fall prone
    • Failure of Acrobatics check by 5 or more means the victim falls prone and is unable to leave the square that round
    • Taking damage does not impose an additional Acrobatics check (nothing in the spell description states that it should)
    • Move actions that do not involve leaving the affected square do not impose an additional Acrobatics check (nothing in the spell or Acrobatics description state they should)

    Short version:

    • Acrobatics check DC 10 to leave an affected square at double movement cost
      o Whether the check succeeds or fails, the victim is considered flat-footed until they leave the area of effect or until the start of their next turn, whichever comes first
      o Only one such check per round is required for this movement
    • Acrobatics check DC 15 to leave an affected square at normal movement cost
      o Whether the check succeeds or fails, the victim is considered flat-footed until they leave the area of effect or until the start of their next turn, whichever comes first
      o Only one such check per round is required for this movement
    • Failure of Acrobatics check by 4 or less means the victim is unable to leave the square that round and must make a Reflex save versus spell DC or fall prone
    • Failure of Acrobatics check by 5 or more means the victim falls prone and is unable to leave the square that round
    • Taking damage does not impose an additional Acrobatics check (nothing in the spell description states that it should)
    • Move actions that do not involve leaving the affected square do not impose an additional Acrobatics check (nothing in the spell or Acrobatics description state they should)

    If anyone has any suggestions for improvements to the above, I'm all ears.

    Shannon


    ArchAnjel wrote:
    I'm not sure yet about making assumptions regarding using the full set of conditions and effects described in the Acrobatics rules.

    I see 2 places where the spell description suggests Acrobatics rules apply:

    - "... (see the Acrobatics skill for details).": self-explanatory
    - "Creatures that do not move on their turn do not need to make this check and are not considered flat-footed.": flat-footed was not mentioned in the description up to this point, thus the source and justification of being flat-footed can only come from applying the Acrobatics rules

    ArchAnjel wrote:
    If that's the case, the DC for the Acrobatics check should drop down to 5 (Base 0 for an area wider than 3 feet + 5 for "Severely Slippery").

    The only exception to the Acrobatics check standard ruling is the spell description statement "A creature can walk within or through the area of grease at half normal speed with a DC 10 Acrobatics check." Thus, the DC of the check for movement is overruled to be 10 instead of the usual 5 of severely slippery surfaces. Additionally, the description says nothing about moving at full speed, it do not say "A creature can only walk" or "cannot walk at full speed", your suggestion of adding +5 DC to the Acrobatics check, as for it’s standard ruling, seems like a fair ruling to me in case someone wants to walk at full-speed.

    As for the check for leaving the area discussion, I think the clue is in the statement "walk within or through", that is not in the Wall of Fire spell which only states "walk through". So any walking movement done within the spell area of effect must succeed in the Acrobatics check. Other kinds of move actions like jumping, crawling or standing-up are more subject to interpretation, specially because in the statement "Creatures that do not move on their turn do not need to make this check and are not considered flat-footed" they chose to change the verb from walk to move. Further clarification with respect to standing-up, crawling and jumping, which are common actions under the spell effects, would be useful.

    Another doubt I have, is can a 5-foot step be used to go out of the grease? It do not seem slippery surfaces are difficult terrain, it's just you need to do Acrobatics checks and they have extra penalization if you don't do it at half speed. Thus seems moving out with a 5-foot step, if we apply full-speed Acrobatics ruling, would require a DC 15 Acrobatics check instead of the usual 10 for walking within the grease.


    Do you realize this thread was started in 2009?

    Grand Lodge

    1 person marked this as a favorite.

    5 years?

    A mere blink of an eye.

    Why, the skeletal structure of this horse is still intact.

    Beat away, my good man!


    To be fair, while the thread is nearly 5 years old, the bump is only from almost 4 years ago. So maybe the horse was still twitching?

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