Hey gamers,
How is one supposed to close their eyes? People sometimes joke that pathfinder players "can't wipe their butt since there's no action listed for it in the rulebook". Unfortunately that has a basis in reality.
Suppose I want to have my character (who just so happens to be a blind fight having fighter) to be able to close his eyes to ignore his enemy's mirror image. How can I accomplish this? Or is it impossible within the simulation. Don't even mention avert gaze to me, which has no downside except it's action cost - this isn't the same thing.
My suggestion would be to allow you to close your eyes or open them as a free action at the start of your turn, to prevent cheese while also respecting the simplicity of an action like blinking, which imo shouldn't take up any of your time.
It isn't that it isn't possible - just that it doesn't have defined rules.
Both for wiping your butt and for closing your eyes. And for hitting a chair with your sword or punching through a window - that is another common point of contention along the same lines (no rules for attacking unattended objects - Strike doesn't have objects as a target).
Your idea of a free action at the start of your turn to close your eyes and apply the Blinded condition to yourself for 1 round seems reasonable.
I just allow people to open and close their eyes at will... avert gaze still serves its purpose for the most part and well if a player comes up with a good work around then all the better.
If a player can fall prone for free, closing and opening eyes should be fine.
Why would you restrict it at all?
I'd treat it similarly to Sustain or Raise a Shield, requiring an action each round.
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If a player can fall prone for free, closing and opening eyes should be fine.
Why would you restrict it at all?
To avoid rules cheese.
Such as: I'll open my eyes at the start of my turn, take my turn with no penalties, then close my eyes at the end of my turn so that I am completely immune to the gaze attack of the enemy that they can only use on their turn since the gaze attack has an action cost.
If a player can fall prone for freeA player maybe can. But characters can't: Drop Prone
The trick is not to Fall Prone, but merely to fall. ;D
Hey gamers,
How is one supposed to close their eyes? People sometimes joke that pathfinder players "can't wipe their butt since there's no action listed for it in the rulebook". Unfortunately that has a basis in reality.Suppose I want to have my character (who just so happens to be a blind fight having fighter) to be able to close his eyes to ignore his enemy's mirror image. How can I accomplish this? Or is it impossible within the simulation. Don't even mention avert gaze to me, which has no downside except it's action cost - this isn't the same thing.
My suggestion would be to allow you to close your eyes or open them as a free action at the start of your turn, to prevent cheese while also respecting the simplicity of an action like blinking, which imo shouldn't take up any of your time.
What basis in reality? It's always been a core part of the rules that reasonable things that don't have a written action are adjudicated by the GM, not impossible. That is a written rule (for anyone who needs it to be), not just common sense. See the Other Actions heading in the Playing The Game chapter of either Core Rulebook or Player Core.
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The trick is not to Fall Prone, but merely to fall. ;DIf a player can fall prone for freeA player maybe can. But characters can't: Drop Prone
... and bonus points if you manage to fall and miss the ground.
That's easy, just fall all the way up.... and bonus points if you manage to fall and miss the ground.The trick is not to Fall Prone, but merely to fall. ;DIf a player can fall prone for freeA player maybe can. But characters can't: Drop Prone
And don't forget to think happy thoughts!
... and bonus points if you manage to fall and miss the ground.The trick is not to Fall Prone, but merely to fall. ;DIf a player can fall prone for freeA player maybe can. But characters can't: Drop Prone
That's called flying. Or even orbiting.
Trouble with just falling is it's from a height of zero, so does zero damage, so you don't end up prone.
And I do find it odd that it costs an action to fall prone, though can understand how the discombobulation would cost a few moments. Except that's for us mundane folk. Super warriors should be able to fall prone as a Reaction if not faster, yet that wouldn't be worth a skill feat. And people tripped lose no time/actions despite being more jarred. I have to suppose it's tied to (modest) shenanigans that I vaguely recall could be pulled off in PF1.
Some Gunslingers and goblins can go prone as a reaction.
The problem with anything like dropping prone or closing your eyes as a generic reaction for everyone is that it makes it something you can never do as an action, meaning you couldn’t do it if you already used your reaction or lost your reaction.
Individual classes having something as a reaction is fine because you can still do the thing with an action if you want/need. I think closing your eyes as an action makes sense, as you are not just closing your eyes, you are doing it in a stressful situation where it probably takes a bit of psyching your self up to do it and then you are reorienting yourself afterwards, which probably should take as much time and effort as opening a door.
The problem with anything like dropping prone or closing your eyes as a generic reaction for everyone is that it makes it something you can never do as an action, meaning you couldn’t do it if you already used your reaction or lost your reaction.
Individual classes having something as a reaction is fine because you can still do the thing with an action if you want/need. I think closing your eyes as an action makes sense, as you are not just closing your eyes, you are doing it in a stressful situation where it probably takes a bit of psyching your self up to do it and then you are reorienting yourself afterwards, which probably should take as much time and effort as opening a door.
It could be listed as either, so you wouldn't be limited.
Some real-world combatants can close their eyes fine, so extraordinary heroes of fantasy should have zero issues. There are already enough penalties to movement and attack to dissuade casual use, much less adding an action too. Now Averting one's gaze it makes more sense to take an action as the PC's tracking locations and keeping on guard.
