The meaning of the word 'can' in a text?

[thrilled]

Greetings,

I have a question regarding how to read the text CAN.

Ie

Quote:

Snake Style (Combat, Style)

You watch your foe’s every movement and then punch through its defense.

Prerequisite: Improved Unarmed Strike, Acrobatics 1 rank, Sense Motive 3 ranks.

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Sense Motive checks, and you can deal piercing damage with your unarmed strikes. [/]

As I read it then I have the option to choose if I want to use or not. The reasoning behind this is that I have seen a few occations where it has been a text say you must use this instead of can.

Have I understood this correctly?

/Thrilled

[Trinam]

Yep.

[Grick]

thrilled wrote:

As I read it then I have the option to choose if I want to use or not. The reasoning behind this is that I have seen a few occations where it has been a text say you must use this instead of can.

Yes, "can" is an option. You can choose to deal piercing damage with your unarmed strikes.

Though that does raise a good question. Are you dealing piercing damage in addition to bludgeoning? (IE: P and B, like a Morningstar) or instead of bludgeoning? (Just P, like a Spear)

Personally, I would probably rule that the Snake guy can choose.

[Zaranorth]

Reminds me of an earlier job I had. The procedure on how to follow procedures* had a paragraph explicitly defining "could", "should", and "shall". It boiled down to what you think, could - do the step if you want, should - take best effort to do the step, shall - always do the step, harsh penalties if you don't.

So, yeah you got it right.
Can: do it if you want.
Must: You cannot not do it. ;)

*Yes, they had a procedure telling you how to follow procedures. It was required as a prerequisite to reading/following any other procedure. There was a rule that you couldn't read any procedure until that procedure was read. But that procedure was a procedure and therefore couldn't be read until it was read. Yes, I was momentarily blocked from reading the procedure because I hadn't read that very procedure until a manager realized just how stupid that rule was. (Apparently they had done a heavy revision since the last hiring and hadn't done a sanity check.) Gotta love government (well quasi-government in this case) bureaucracy.

[klevis69]

thrilled wrote:

Greetings,

I have a question regarding how to read the text CAN.

Ie

Quote:

Snake Style (Combat, Style)

You watch your foe’s every movement and then punch through its defense.

Prerequisite: Improved Unarmed Strike, Acrobatics 1 rank, Sense Motive 3 ranks.

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Sense Motive checks, and you can deal piercing damage with your unarmed strikes. [/]

As I read it then I have the option to choose if I want to use or not. The reasoning behind this is that I have seen a few occations where it has been a text say you must use this instead of can.

Have I understood this correctly?

/Thrilled

Where is an example of "must"?

[Grick]

klevis69 wrote:

Where is an example of "must"?

There are plenty of feats where you must do something or make a choice to use the feat. But as using a feat is optional, I don't find any where you must use it.

If you have Alignment Channel you must choose whether you are going to affect outsiders each time you channel. But as one of the choices is to just channel normally, it's basically choosing whether or not to use the feat, just like Power Attack or Improved Great Fortitude.

[Sean K Reynolds]

klevis69 wrote:

Where is an example of "must"?

Alignment Channel, item creation feats, Deadly Aim, Power Attack...