Hey, me and my group - we are playing Pathfinder for a few weeks now and we love it. But there are still some problems with the rules while DM-ing. Most of the time i just make something up, but some rules, well, you cannot completly make them up by yourself.
Ok, so 2 questions for now:
You can use acrobatics for moving over a field with an enemy. When you do that, does it provoke an Attack of Opportunity? And can you use this for more than one time in a round?
Next question is about preparing spells. For the Wizard, it is finde, he is able to prepare all the spells written down in his spellbook. But what's up with Cleric and Druid for example? They have no Spellbook, so can they just choose their prepared spells from the Spelllist all the time? I mean, if this is the case, wouldn't be the Druid too powerful, because he has so many spells to choose from?
I hope you understand my question and thank you in advance for answering them!
I am not a native English Speaker so sorry for my bad Englisch ! :)
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You can use acrobatics for moving over a field with an enemy. When you do that, does it provoke an Attack of Opportunity? And can you use this for more than one time in a round?
It will provoke an AoO if you do not beat their CMD+5.
Next question is about preparing spells. For the Wizard, it is finde, he is able to prepare all the spells written down in his spellbook. But what's up with Cleric and Druid for example? They have no Spellbook, so can they just choose their prepared spells from the Spelllist all the time? I mean, if this is the case, wouldn't be the Druid too powerful, because he has so many spells to choose from?
Druids get their whole spell list to choose from, clerics get most of their spell list, alignment restrictions do limit their spell list a little.
It's not really over powered at the wizard's spell list is a lot more powerful than the druid/cleric's spell list.
You can use acrobatics for moving over a field with an enemy. When you do that, does it provoke an Attack of Opportunity? And can you use this for more than one time in a round?
I'm not certain what you mean by "over a field". There are two ways to use acrobatics. One is to move through an enemy's 'threatened area' WITHOUT provoking an attack of opportunity. If you fail the skill check, then you DO provoke the attack, but still complete your movement.
The other is to move through the enemy's occupied square(s). Failure here means you stop just before entering the enemy's square AND provoke an attack as well as losing the rest of your move.
Both of these uses can be done multiple times per round, as evidenced by the asterisk by the Base DC that says "This DC increases by 2 for each additional opponent avoided in 1 round."
Study the acrobatics skill description and the AoO rules.
Next question is about preparing spells. For the Wizard, it is finde, he is able to prepare all the spells written down in his spellbook. But what's up with Cleric and Druid for example? They have no Spellbook, so can they just choose their prepared spells from the Spelllist all the time? I mean, if this is the case, wouldn't be the Druid too powerful, because he has so many spells to choose from?
Clerics pray for the spells they desire and the power that they worship grants what they ask for. I don't play druids, so I can't answer that part.
aah thanks guys, i got it now ! :) We are playing the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path and a fihgt in the first adventure was kind of a mess with noone really understanding the acrobatics-rules.
Thanks!
SlimGauge's comment is completely correct, but I wand to expand on one point since I'm not sure what you mean by "more than one time in a round":
Both of these uses can be done multiple times per round, as evidenced by the asterisk by the Base DC that says "This DC increases by 2 for each additional opponent avoided in 1 round."
In each round, you can take two different move actions.
You can move past multiple foes on a single move action. Roll the acrobatics check for each foe, and increase the DC by 2 for each additional foe, cumulatively. (So Foe 1=normal DC, Foe 2=DC+2, Foe 3=DC+4, etc.)
This only counts as "one time in a round", because it's the same movement and acrobatics maneuver. Also note that this only provokes an Attack of Opportunity once, because it's the same action. If you miss the acrobatics roll on Foe 1, he only gets one AoO even if you move through three different squares that he threatens, and even if he has the ability to take multiple AoOs in a round.
Now it gets tricky:
The acrobatics DC for moving through a threatened square increases by 10 if you move more than half speed. If your speed is 30 feet (6 squares), you can acrobatics past Foe 1 at the normal DC if you only go 3 squares on that move action. If you go 4 or more squares, it's normal DC + 10.
If you need to move more than 3 squares, you can take 2 move actions at half speed in your round to avoid the +10 to the DC. This still counts as the same movement, and it only provokes once from each foe. I would call this "more than one time in a round".
Example:
Say you want to get behind Foe 3 so you can flank with your ally.
Option 1: Use Acrobatics to pass 3 foes in one round as a single move action, then attack:
1st square: pass Foe 1, DC= Foe 1's CMD+15 (CMD+5, +10 for moving more than half your speed)
2nd square: pass Foe 2 (DC= Foe 2's CMD+17 (add +2 for second foe)
3rd square: pass your ally's square (no acrobatics necessary)
4th square: (empty)
5th square: pass Foe 3 (DC= Foe 3's CMD+21 (add +4 for third foe)
6th square: step behind Foe 3
From here, you can then attack Foe 3 on this round.
Option 2: Use Acrobatics to pass 3 foes in one round as two separate move actions:
First move action:
1st square: pass Foe 1, DC= Foe 1's CMD+5
2nd square: pass Foe 2 (DC= Foe 2's CMD+7 (add +2 for second foe)
3rd square: pass your ally's square (no acrobatics necessary)
Second move action
4th square: (empty)
5th square: pass Foe 3 (DC= Foe 3's CMD+11 (add +4 for third foe on the same round)
6th square: stop behind Foe 3
You're in position, but you can't attack Foe 3 until next round.
Obviously, at lower levels, you'll want to take Option 2.
Ok, thank you.
Let us take your example:
(E=enemy, A=ally, X=me)
-EEX--
To pass the two Enemies in front of me i can take one move-action, as you said, with the DC'S CMD+5 and CMD+7.
But what if i fail the second acrobatics-check? I would go back to the position where i started, wouldn't i?
If this is the case, which enemy would be able to take an Attack of Opportunity? The first or the second enemy? Or both?
Ok, thank you.
Let us take your example:
(E=enemy, A=ally, X=me)
-EEX--To pass the two Enemies in front of me i can take one move-action, as you said, with the DC'S CMD+5 and CMD+7.
But what if i fail the second acrobatics-check? I would go back to the position where i started, wouldn't i?
If this is the case, which enemy would be able to take an Attack of Opportunity? The first or the second enemy? Or both?
Let me clarify my wording a bit, since "pass" doesn't line up with the rules text exactly, so I don't know if we're talking about moving through a threatened square or moving through the enemy's square. (Sorry about that: I was being lazy earlier.) :-)
E and F=enemies (just so I can keep them straight), A=ally, X=me, #=wall, -=empty square
Version 1: move through a threatened square
########
--EFX--
-------
#######
In this example, you are moving through the empty squares beside the enemy, like this (counting the squares you're moving through):
########
-3EFX--
--21---
#######
Normally, moving through those squares provokes an AoO, but you can make an Acrobatics check to avoid provoking the AoO. For this maneuver, the DC for your Acrobatics check is your opponent's CMD, and you add +2 for each opponent after the first.
Step 1) You step into square 1, which normally provokes an AoO from enemy F (the one next to you). Your Acrobatics check to avoid provoking the AoO is enemy F's CMD.
If you miss the check, you provoke an AoO from F, but you can keep on moving. (You could change your mind and stop, but you don't have to.)
Step 2) You step into square 2, normally provoking an AoO from enemy E. Your Acrobatics check to avoid provoking this AoO is enemy E's CMD+2 (because this is the second enemy on this turn).
If you miss the check, you provoke an AoO from E, but you can keep moving. Note that even though this movement passes through a second square threatened by enemy F, you only have to roll once against enemy F because it's still part of the same action that originally would have provoked the AoO.
Step 3) You step into square 3 and can attack enemy E from your new position.
Again, even though this movement passes through another threatened square for both enemies, you can only provoke one AoO from each enemy on the same action.
Version 2: move through the enemy's actual square
########
--EFX--
#######
In this example, you are moving through the squares the enemies are standing in, so you move through square F, through square E, and end in square 3:
########
-3EFX--
#######
For this maneuver, the DC for the Acrobatics check is your opponent's CMD+5, and you add +2 for each opponent after the first. You have to make this check even if the enemy can't take an AoO: you have to make the check just to get through that square. If you fail the check, you stop moving, and you provoke an AoO (e.g., you can't try to make another Acrobatics check avoid provoking this AoO).
Step 1) You attempt to step into F's square. You must make an Acrobatics check at enemy F's CMD+5. If you make the check, you do not provoke an AoO, and you can pass through F's square.
If you miss the check, you provoke an AoO from F, and your movement stops in the square you were in when you attempted this maneuver (in this case, your original square). You do not provoke an AoO from E, because you were never actually in a square that he threatens.
Step 2) You attempt to step into E's square. You must make an Acrobatics check at enemy E's CMD+7. If you make the check, you do not provoke an AoO, and you can pass through E's square. Note that this part of the same action, so you don't provoke an AoO from F (for moving through a square he threatens).
If you miss the check, you provoke an AoO from E, and your movement stops in the square you were in when you attempted this maneuver.
Weirdness warning!
In this case, the square you attempted the maneuver from is F's square, but there's a problem: you cannot end your movement in an enemy's square. Now we have to leave the Acrobatics rules and check the rules for Accidentally Ending Movement in an Illegal Space.
Sometimes a character ends its movement while moving through a space where it's not allowed to stop. When that happens, put your miniature in the last legal position you occupied, or the closest legal position, if there's a legal position that's closer.
In this example, the closest legal space is the one you started in, so you get "bumped" back through F's square and land in your original square. Fortunately, since this is all part of the same action (for which you already avoided provoking the AoO from F and provoked an AoO from E), you don't provoke any additional AoOs for moving through a threatened square.
Step 3) You step into square 3, and can attack enemy E from your new position.
Is that better?
Oh, alright. That was very clear. Thank you very much. (although i don't really know if there is a disadvantage when you try to move through a threatened square (example 1). Is there a disadvantage?)
Because of this rule:
Combat Reflexes and Additional Attacks of Opportunity: If you have the Combat Reflexes feat, you can add your Dexterity bonus to the number of attacks of opportunity you can make in a round. This feat does not let you make more than one attack for a given opportunity, but if the same opponent provokes two attacks of opportunity from you, you could make two separate attacks of opportunity (since each one represents a different opportunity). Moving out of more than one square threatened by the same opponent in the same round doesn't count as more than one opportunity for that opponent. All these attacks are at your full normal attack bonus.
So, for all the movement a character makes in a single round he only provokes once from each enemy that threatens them. If the character makes a successful acrobatics check to move through a threatened square he can completely negate the enemy's ability to make AoO against him that round for movement. Howver, casting (if not casting defensively) or making a ranged attack or other actions can still provoke and are separate instances of provoking each. Only movement is lumped together as one.