|
| 12 people marked this as FAQ candidate. 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
There has been a new FAQ, of which I am eternally grateful, lots of good stuff in there. There's just one problem, the Hover Drone FAQ entry doesn't actually fix the issue with the hover drone.
The new FAQ has this to say, "[Mechanic] Since a hover drone (page 75) doesn't have perfect maneuverability, it can't actually hover, can it?
A drone that takes the flight system mod twice gains perfect maneuverability. This allows hover drones to hover."
Here's the problem, page 259 says this about perfect maneuverability, "If you have perfect maneuverability, you do not have to attempt an Acrobatics check to use the avoid falling damage or hover options; you automatically succeed at these options (unless you are unconscious), though you can still attempt an Acrobatics check to hover as a swift action instead of a move action."
So awesome, the hover drone doesn't need to make a check or it can make a check for a swift action(which it auto succeeds in favorable wind conditions), that's cool, the problem is that it doesn't eliminate the fact that its a move action OR a swift action.
A hover drone only has a move action or a standard action. So if it uses its standard action to attack when not under direct control, it still falls because it has no move or swift action to take. That could be fine because it also doesn't have to make a check to avoid falling damage. So worst case it just falls, but it can not actually hover still. And it gets even worse, avoiding falling damage is a reaction, so if the drone has already used its reaction IT TAKES FALLING DAMAGE.
Well, that's fine you might say, you can just give it a swift action to have it hover as a partial direct control. Nope. RAW you can only give a drone a swift action if you gave it your move action first.
This problem is theoretically solved at level 7 because at that point it can take a standard action to attack and a move action but then why was the FAQ needed in the first place, because it could always take a move action to hover starting at this level (although it would have needed a check it auto succeeded at.)
It actually also brings up a really interesting point that goes beyond drones as well. NO FLYING CREATURE CAN MAKE A FULL ATTACK AND NOT FALL. Full attack is a full action. If you take a full action you don't have a swift action, so you always fall to the ground if you take a full attack as a flying creature. This is what really needs an FAQ above everything, is it intended that no being can ever full attack while flying?
Starfinder Design Lead
|
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
It actually also brings up a really interesting point that goes beyond drones as well. NO FLYING CREATURE CAN MAKE A FULL ATTACK AND NOT FALL. Full attack is a full action. If you take a full action you don't have a swift action, so you always fall to the ground if you take a full attack as a flying creature. This is what really needs an FAQ above everything, is it intended that no being can ever full attack while flying?
You are correct in saying that question needs its own FAQ. And it's going to get one. But the issue with how drones gain perfect maneuverability was ready first, so it went out in Friday's update.
|
|
You are correct in saying that question needs its own FAQ. And it's going to get one. But the issue with how drones gain perfect maneuverability was ready first, so it went out in Friday's update.
Thank you for the reply, dev feedback is really helpful and makes me feel good to know that issues aren't being shouted into the void.
|
Also my two cents for at least the issue that Shaudius mentioned with not being able give the Drone a Swift action unless you first give it a Move, would be to simply errata that you *can* give a drone your swift action on its own to give it a Swift action on its turn. That would make a good deal of the Hover Drone hovering issue go away.
I wish we could just tie a balloon to the Drone and call it done..
|
As a move action, you can directly control your drone. This allows the drone to take both a move action and any standard action this turn (one from your control, and one from its limited AI). If you also take a swift action, your drone can take a swift action as well, or it can combine its actions into a full action. Your drone must be able to see or hear you, or be within range of your custom rig, for you to directly control your drone.
The rule is definitely that continuing to hover takes a move action (or a swift, with an acrobatics check), which makes hover drones not work the way that people naturally expect. There has been nothing from Paizo that changes that, at all.
Also, in Starfinder, the default action economy means that you can't full attack while flying.
This is how my mystic wound up dropping 500 feet out of the sky in the lotus position because he needed to summon something...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The rule is definitely that continuing to hover takes a move action (or a swift, with an acrobatics check), which makes hover drones not work the way that people naturally expect. There has been nothing from Paizo that changes that, at all.
I think that's because it's working as intended.
No one gets to fly "for free". You can hover as a move action or you can move while flying. That's everybody. Some lucky people, those with perfect maneuverability, can hover as a swift action. Which might let them do a little more while flying than someone else. However, it doesn't let you full attack because full actions require your swift action too.
I believe this is 100% intentional.
People just expect flying to be as easy and useful as it was in PF1.
It's not.
Also, in Starfinder, the default action economy means that you can't full attack while flying.This is how my mystic wound up dropping 500 feet out of the sky in the lotus position because he needed to summon something...
I would recommend having the augmentation Force Souls MK II (Pg 92 Armory) if anything wants to "hover" it can by standing up on nothing. Makes full attacks possible without haste.
I would recommend having the augmentation Force Souls MK II (Pg 92 Armory) if anything wants to "hover" it can by standing up on nothing. Makes full attacks possible without haste.Can a barathu use Force Souls MK II?
Yes. they really shouldn't have to but they can
While Starfnder has a preponderance of nonhumanoid aliens
with strange morphology, any playable alien race can purchase
and use the equipment in this book. A betentacled barathu
(Starfnder Alien Archive 20) soldier can wield a hydra cannon
and make use of hoverskates just as easily as a kasathan soldier.
(armory)
(barathu falling out of the sky every time they open fire is one of the wonkier parts here...)
(barathu falling out of the sky every time they open fire is one of the wonkier parts here...)
It's no wonkier than anyone using a jetpack falling out of the sky when they shoot something twice.
(barathu falling out of the sky every time they open fire is one of the wonkier parts here...)It's no wonkier than anyone using a jetpack falling out of the sky when they shoot something twice.
It really is. An airplane messing up can drop out of the sky like a baby grand. A hot air balloon, not so much.
As I mentioned in the other thread that is linked in this one, I think the correct answer is on a case by case basis (as house rules) you can rule that certain races can hover as a free action as part of their racial traits.
Barathu would probably be a good candidate for such a thing.
That said, I think them having to spend at least a swift action to stay afloat is fine. Which does prevent shooting more than twice (or any other full actions), at least if you want to avoid falling.
I think it's okay that they can't make full attacks while flying. Other kinds of full round actions though, like casting a summon spell, it's less okay.