Dear forums,
Can you please help me answer some questions.
Does a witch using a hex ability provoke attack of opportunities?
Does a witch using a hex require somatic components (use of hands), thus if the witch is grappled can the witch still use a hex if they beat the necessary CMD?
If a target has total concealment can a witch use their hex ability on the target? Example: Enemy creates a cloud of smoke that hides him from the witch but the enemey does not move from the square the witch last saw him in. Can the witch use any (or all) of their hexes on this foe, that now has total concealment? The witch has line of effect but not line of sight?
part B: what if there is an ally inside the fog cloud? can the witch use a beneficial hex on their ally even though they can't see their ally?
part C: An archer can shoot into the same square (enemy with total concealment) with a 50% miss chance. What about a caster with a ray spell? What about magic missile? My initial reaction is magic missile doesn't work because the caster can't see the target.
--- AoO and concealment. Both a PC and an enemy are in a cloud that offers total concealment (assume it is a cloud of smoke that blocks all normal and darkvision sight), can either creature (adjacent to each other) provoke an attack of opportunity or use an attack of opportunity? My initial response is no, they cannot.
---In the same cloud of smoke that offers total concealment, can two PCs gain a flanking bonus even though they can't see the enemy (or see each other)?
Can a rogue still get sneak attack? My initial reaction, since sneak attack is based on "precision damage" is that the rogue cannot sneak attack something with total concealment.
--What happens when both PCs are in a cloud that offers total concealment and one is trying to cast a cure spell on the other. Is there a miss chance since the spell range is touch? (In addition to the concealing cloud the caster was blinded)
---Does this situation work? PC player is a druid with the at-will ability to talk to his lion companion. Druid is blinded and can't see. He uses his at-will ability to speak with his pet to find the pet (have the pet call out to him and tell him where the pet is). I assume this is a standard action to use his at will ability. Since it's a free action to speak they "talk" and lion responds to druid's question. Now the blinded druid uses his move action to move half speed to find the lion pet by hearing (pet was in combat and adjacent to an enemy). Was this a legal use of abilities and movement?
Should there be any sort of check for the druid to actually location which square the lion companion is in?
Follow up question -- Lion companion has the scent ability. lion is in a cloud of ash and smoke (total concealment). Can the lion now use its scent ability to location an enemy inside the same cloud of ash and smoke? My initial reaction is that lion's scents are being assaulted by the ash and smoke and renders the scent ability useless or the lion suffers a significant penalty. But there is no DC to use the scent ability. thoughts? (as the DM I suggested they use their perception skills to listen for the enemy, who was wearing loud armor instead of trying to use scent. So problem solved but I am still curious for an answer).
----- on a normal 1" square battle mat you can get 8 creatures around one target in the middle. Now what if the surrounding creatures are small? Can they squeeze two to a square so there are 16 creatures around the target in the middle? My thoughts here are a crowd of kobolds trying to grapple a PC, if you get enough kobolds all using "aid another" they have a chance for success. You could argue the 16 kobolds are "squeezing" with the -4 penalty to attack but they only have to hit AC 10 to aid another. Seems like a viable strategy for small monstrous races. right?
Now what if you have a few kobolds jumping down from above on top of a PC. Am I still limited by the 8 one-inch squares? Couldn't the kobolds use their move actions to move off the ledge and jump down on the PC to grapple (one after the other)?
Imagine a PC is up against a cave wall, surrounded by kobolds all grabbing and clutching at him. Above the PC is a ledge with another handful of kobolds ready to jump on top of him and try and overpower the PC. How would you handle this situation?
I sincerely appreciate any comments. Thank you!
You don't have to answer all of these questions. If you have an insight on one question, then let me know. Don't feel pressure to answer them all.
Thanks.
to the PC with lion:
altough speaking is a free action (normally), asking where the invisible creature is, is very hard. An animal companion with int 3 might not even get it, teaching him that trick might be a good idea. So it will take longer, and the druid still has to hear where the lion barks (or whatever he does), and then only knows the 5 feet square, with total concealment for the ennemy. "Invisible" is hard to get for an animal, so knowing what the ennemy smells like is a bonus, if there is noone other who smells like it.
follow up question:
the smoke would probably not hamper scent, the ash most probably would. However it is your call as a GM (DMing is wizard of the coast ^^, I always forget that too) to judge the malus on scent, saying it is impossible is a good call, it should have given at least a -10 penalty, most likely a -20 penalty. However if you wanted the solution to be hearing, and don't allow the scent option because you didn't plan it, you went into the preplanned trap: if a player is inventive and finds other solutions than you planned, try to go with it as best as you can.
a last hint, your text is really huge, next time try to be shorter and perhaps 3 questions per thread.
Dear forums,
Can you please help me answer some questions.
Does a witch using a hex ability provoke attack of opportunities?
No.
Does a witch using a hex require somatic components (use of hands), thus if the witch is grappled can the witch still use a hex if they beat the necessary CMD?
No.
If a target has total concealment can a witch use their hex ability on the target? Example: Enemy creates a cloud of smoke that hides him from the witch but the enemey does not move from the square the witch last saw him in. Can the witch use any (or all) of their hexes on this foe, that now has total concealment? The witch has line of effect but not line of sight?
All target effects require you to be able to see the target, or failing that, be able to touch the target. In your proposed scenario, you would not be able to hex the hidden enemy unless you walked up and touched him.
part B: what if there is an ally inside the fog cloud? can the witch use a beneficial hex on their ally even though they can't see their ally?
As above.
part C: An archer can shoot into the same square (enemy with total concealment) with a 50% miss chance. What about a caster with a ray spell? What about magic missile? My initial reaction is magic missile doesn't work because the caster can't see the target.
Your initial reaction is correct. Magic missile is a targeted spell and thus would fail. Mundane missiles and rays on the other hand, can target the square the enemy is standing in, with a 50% chance of successfully hitting the target (assuming a successful attack roll).
--- AoO and concealment. Both a PC and an enemy are in a cloud that offers total concealment (assume it is a cloud of smoke that blocks all normal and darkvision sight), can either creature (adjacent to each other) provoke an attack of opportunity or use an attack of opportunity? My initial response is no, they cannot.
No.
---In the same cloud of smoke that offers total concealment, can two PCs gain a flanking bonus even though they can't see the enemy (or see each other)?
Can a rogue still get sneak attack? My initial reaction, since sneak attack is based on "precision damage" is that the rogue cannot sneak attack something with total concealment.
Dunno about flanking (leaning towards no). Sneak attack does not work in concealment.
--What happens when both PCs are in a cloud that offers total concealment and one is trying to cast a cure spell on the other. Is there a miss chance since the spell range is touch? (In addition to the concealing cloud the caster was blinded)
I do not believe so, seeing as it does not even require an attack roll, I imagine concealment would be ignored as well.
---Does this situation work? PC player is a druid with the at-will ability to talk to his lion companion. Druid is blinded and can't see. He uses his at-will ability to speak with his pet to find the pet (have the pet call out to him and tell him where the pet is). I assume this is a standard action to use his at will ability. Since it's a free action to speak they "talk" and lion responds to druid's question. Now the blinded druid uses his move action to move half speed to find the lion pet by hearing (pet was in combat and adjacent to an enemy). Was this a legal use of abilities and movement?
Should there be any sort of check for the druid to actually location which square the lion companion is in?
Seems like a legal use of an ability and a rounds worth of actions.
A GM could certainly rule that a check is needed. Generally, you would need a Perception check to find the direction or exact square of an invisible creature, so I don't see this as being any different.
Follow up question -- Lion companion has the scent ability. lion is in a cloud of ash and smoke (total concealment). Can the lion now use its scent ability to location an enemy inside the same cloud of ash and smoke? My initial reaction is that lion's scents are being assaulted by the ash and smoke and renders the scent ability useless or the lion suffers a significant penalty. But there is no DC to use the scent ability. thoughts? (as the DM I suggested they use their perception skills to listen for the enemy, who was wearing loud armor instead of trying to use scent. So problem solved but I am still curious for an answer).
The ash/smoke cloud would most certainly mask lesser scents. Scent would be nigh useless.
----- on a normal 1" square battle mat you can get 8 creatures around one target in the middle. Now what if the surrounding creatures are small? Can they squeeze two to a square so there are 16 creatures around the target in the middle? My thoughts here are a crowd of kobolds trying to grapple a PC, if you get enough kobolds all using "aid another" they have a chance for success. You could argue the 16 kobolds are "squeezing" with the -4 penalty to attack but they only have to hit AC 10 to aid another. Seems like a viable strategy for small monstrous races. right?
Small monsters take up 5-ft. squares like medium monsters, so no, you cannot get more than 8 to surround a medium enemy.
Now what if you have a few kobolds jumping down from above on top of a PC. Am I still limited by the 8 one-inch squares? Couldn't the kobolds use their move actions to move off the ledge and jump down on the PC to grapple (one after the other)?
To the first: Yes. Anyone who ends up in a illegal square at the end of a move (such as falling) is shunted to the nearest legal square.
To the second: Yes. Note that grappling does not share squares in Pathfinder like it does in v3.5 D&D.
Imagine a PC is up against a cave wall, surrounded by kobolds all grabbing and clutching at him. Above the PC is a ledge with another handful of kobolds ready to jump on top of him and try and overpower the PC. How would you handle this situation?
I would star shuffling kobolds around to make room for the new ones entering the fray. Many of the kobolds won't be able to reach the PC and will likely resort to ranged weapons or reach weapons.
I sincerely appreciate any comments. Thank you!
You're welcome!
Cover, Total Cover, and Total Concealment prevent all AoOs. Concealment does not.
Thank you for the responses so far. I appreciate your time.
I'm a little disappointed. I was getting excited about having 16 kobolds (squeezing -4 attack, -4 AC) and ganging up on a single PC but it looks like you can't end a move in an occupied square.
So... let's say we have eight kobolds surrounding a PC. They all aid another for one of them to make a grapple check. Let's assume they succeed.
The next round the PC tries to escape the grapple. Does the PC only have to beat the one kobold's CMD or the combined CMD (one kobold plus all the aid another bonuses that allowed a successful grapple to begin with - or do I need to reroll all the aid-another attempts to prevent the PC from escaping? or should I not allow any aid-another bonuses for the kobolds as the PC tries to escape)?
Any form of concealment prevents sneak attack. There's a new feat in the APG that helps this.