Perfect droplet effect and reactions to movement

[Errenor]

First, the rule Perfect Droplet:

Perfect Droplet wrote:

After you cast a water spell by Activating the droplet, your body becomes mistlike. Until the end of the turn, you can move through enemies' spaces, treating each square in their spaces as difficult terrain. You can't move through creatures that have the water trait in this way.

The question is, does such movement trigger reactions and if yes, is there some damage reduction or even immunity?

If we are reading this 'as is', there're two obvious readings:
- happens only what is written, there's no mention of reactions as usual, so they don't happen;
- happens what's written, there's nothing there about removing reactions or damage mitigation so reactions happen as usual and damage reduction doesn't.
So, which reading is more obvious?
Of course, the game has a history of having cool effects which aren't as cool as they look at first.

[Bigdaddyjug]

Reactions are a general rule. You would need a specific rule to say they don't happen. Since there isn't a specific rule in this case, the reactions happen as normal.

[Claxon]

Enemy reactions will work as normal, including provoking an AoO for movement, but keep in mind it's not super common for enemies to have in 2E they way every creature could make an AoO is first edition.

And no, you don't get any damage reduction or immunity because it's not called out as so.

It's a useful ability to help you reposition, but sometimes you're going to provoke. The group hopefully can recall knowledge to know if an enemy has such a reaction or you will see it on display in combat before you try to use the ability.

[SuperBidi]

Errenor wrote:

Of course, the game has a history of having cool effects which aren't as cool as they look at first.

For a level 3 items, I find the effect to be quite nice. Removing reactions would be too strong in my opinion (and as Claxon says, not that useful).

[Errenor]

Thanks, guys.

SuperBidi wrote:

Errenor wrote:

Of course, the game has a history of having cool effects which aren't as cool as they look at first.

For a level 3 items, I find the effect to be quite nice. Removing reactions would be too strong in my opinion (and as Claxon says, not that useful).

It is still nice. And probably one of the most useful among spellhearts'. But we need to remember that we have only one action to use it most of the time.

Also ignoring reactions would be the main reason to get it, because it's exactly the scenario when you actually need an effect like that. If threatening creatures don't have movement reactions you just go away even without this effect. So unless you are completely blocked, for example in a narrow corridor, you don't need this effect at all.
Considering reactions, it's also important to remember that to use this effect a character needs to cast, which also provokes. So even if the 'mistification' effect didn't provoke, it still wouldn't be that easy.

[Claxon]

Ignoring reactions isn't the main reason to get, because it doesn't do that.

The main benefit is that it lets you move through an enemy without having to make a tumble through action (it's own 1 action thing) without making a check and without a chance of failure. And when would you want to do that? For example when the enemy has formed a choke point at a door.

It has usability, but it's not necessarily something you're going to use ever turn, which is fine. Compared to other level 3 items the power level seems right to me.

[Themetricsystem]

Despite it not stopping reactions this is still HUGE in that it can and likely will eliminate the vast majority of situations where combat gets too bogged down in melee and also stopped up by narrow corridors, or even more likely, at a threshold that is being blocked such as a doorway.

Being able to move through an enemy space without having to succeed a skill check that has an under 50% chance to succeed for non-martial PCs as well as eliminate the Action cost is immense. As is, I'm not sure this functionality is even appropriate for a level 3 item so I'm utterly confident that it is not supposed to eliminate reactions on top of that, it really is just that good.

[Claxon]

Like sure, the problem doesn't happen that often that you NEED to move through an enemy space, but when it does boy is it freaking great.

[Errenor]

And while we are at it:
- Can most spellcasters really not use spellhearts in 'armor' mode at all because they only have Explorer's clothing which is not armor?
- Do you really won't allow to use caster's own spell DC for non-cantrip spells in greater spellhearts just because the rule says "When casting a cantrip from a spellheart"? (I'm going to absolutely ignore that...)

[HammerJack]

Errenor wrote:

And while we are at it:

- Can most spellcasters really not use spellhearts in 'armor' mode at all because they only have Explorer's clothing which is not armor?
- Do you really won't allow to use caster's own spell DC for non-cantrip spells in greater spellhearts just because the rule says "When casting a cantrip from a spellheart"? (I'm going to absolutely ignore that...)

1. They can use bracers, instead, and have the option of talismans or spellhearts instead of property runes.

2. Yes. Nothing even remotely ambiguous in that one.

[Errenor]

New question:
what are you going to do with Grabbed condition?
A caster is grabbed, made flat check, cast a cantrip through the droplet, her body is mistlike and she can move through creatures. Is she still grabbed? Yes, I realize there's nothing about it in the spellheart rule.

[HammerJack]

Well on the one hand, the item definitely doesn't say its a "get out of grabs for free forever" card.

On the other hand, that would be unbelievably powerful for a level 3 item.

So both hands point to that not being a thing.

[Claxon]

Things do what they say and you shouldn't try to extend the benefits.

You're mist-like, but not mist. If you were mist you would expect physical weapons to be unable to harm you. But you can still be harmed.

Similarly, your form still has enough substance to be grabbed.

[Mellack]

Tumble Through also lets you move through creatures squares. I doubt anyone would think that lets them also automatically get free of a grab. There is no reason to assume that the droplet would produce a free escape check. Just as there is no reason to think it would let you pass through a crack in a door. The power says exactly what it does.