Ask the Sage: Noob Rules vol. 2

[JJeff]

I believe it's up to your DM to declare how many Free actions you can take a round before they aren't free anymore. I think my DM said that you can only do 4 free actions + 1 Swift action, althought I don't know if it's a offical ruling somewhere..

[GhostKnight]

Originally Posted by Medesha

You really have to ask your DM. But if you want something to show him, here's how the centaur level progression breaks down.

Centaur (Monstrous Humanoid)

HD per level: d8
Skill Points per Level: 2 + Int modifier
Class Skills: Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival

Level     BaB     Fort   Ref   Will  
1          +1       +0     +2    +2
2          +2       +0     +3    +3
3          +3       +1     +3    +3
4          +4       +1     +4    +4

So you could spend 3 levels to be a centaur with 1 HD, gaining the centaur special abilities (Large size, +8 Strength, +4 Dex, +4 Con, -2 Int, +2 Wis, darkvision 60', +3 natural armor bonus) and the first "level" of the centaur HD progression.

Umm not really- the centaur is 4hit dice +2 LA- for a 6 level progression. If you use the Savage species prgoression the bonuses to stats are split across the 6 levels, not all gained at once and the hit die are gained across the progression. You would also start at medium size and then progress to large size

I don't have savage species on me but I would probably break up the Centaur progression as:


At start:
+2 str, -2 int
60' Darkvision
Speed 40'
Class Skills: Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival
Automatic Languages: Sylvan, Elven. Bonus Languages: Common, Gnome, Halfling
Favoured class ranger

Level Hit dice BaB Fort Ref Will Skills Other
1 1d8 +1 +0 +2 +2 (2+int) x 4 Feat
2 2d8 +2 +0 +3 +3 2+int +2 str, +1 natural Armour, +2 con
3 2d8 +2 +0 +3 +3 - +2 str, +2 dex
4 3d8 +3 +1 +3 +3 2+int +1 natural Armour Large Size, Speed 50', feat, reach/space 10feet
5 3d8 +3 +1 +3 +3 - +1 natural Armour, +2 dex
6 4d8 +4 +1 +4 +4 2+int +2 str, +2 con, +2 wis

NOTE You do not gain feats/bonuses to stas as per normal but as per the above table. After level 6 you would gain feats ervery level divisible by three and a stats bonus every level divisible by four as normal. (So next stat bonus is at level 8 and feat at level 9)

[GhostKnight]

Originally Posted by JJeff

I believe it's up to your DM to declare how many Free actions you can take a round before they aren't free anymore. I think my DM said that you can only do 4 free actions + 1 Swift action, althought I don't know if it's a offical ruling somewhere..

There is no official ruling for this to my knowledge- essentially the limits are according to common sense and whatever your DM says.....

[Qalyar]

There is actually a limit to the number of free actions that can be performed per round. Its ... erm ... this one's going to take me a little while to find, I think.

[Medesha]

Originally Posted by Ghost Knight

Umm not really- the centaur is 4hit dice +2 LA- for a 6 level progression. If you use the Savage species prgoression the bonuses to stats are split across the 6 levels, not all gained at once and the hit die are gained across the progression. You would also start at medium size and then progress to large size

I don't like Savage ECLs. I was just breaking down the monstrous humanoid Hit Die progression. I figured his DM would mix it up with the LA however he liked.

Originally Posted by Qalyar

There is actually a limit to the number of free actions that can be performed per round.

Yeah, it's whatever your DM says.

Originally Posted by 3.5 PHB, page 144

Free actions don't take any time at all, though your DM might limit the number of free actions you can perform in a turn.

[vampirehunter42]

Would giving skeletons longbows up the CR any? At least by a little like by 1/4 for the lower ones. Like a human skeleton with a longbow would be a CR of 1/2 or 2/3 other that 1/3. Maybe as a ad-hoc points other than a real change.

Just thinking of putting some medium skeletons on the other side of a river or trench. With most thrown weapons being piercing and only base damage dice. It sounds like a good idea.

[Qalyar]

Okay, I found the free action limits I was thinking of ... forget I went looking for them. What I had partially remembered was the chart limiting the number of automatic actions that deities can take (based on their portfolio). It is not a good analogue for normal PCs taking normal free actions at all.

So, yeah, whatever the DM says. I figure more than 5 is getting pretty ridiculous, though.

[Stam]

Since most rogue/invisible blade builds'll only have three attacks per round, 3 free feints would be good enough for them...four if they're hasted, five if they're multiclass fighter-types. That's fast feinting and one really sorry-looking target

The only time it'd limit them is if they were two-weapon capable as well and so had somewhere between 6 and 8 attacks a round...

But oh, wait--the target's got heavy fortification and/or Crit immunity and/or Uncanny Dodge and so you just did only 4d4+(Str x4) damage, cross off all your nasty Sneak stuff

(Speaking of--I think I asked this somewhere but can't remember. What happens when a Feint attempt comes up against Uncanny Dodge? Theoretically, the Uncanny Dodger should be able to still avoid being flatfooted...?)

[Hoopy Frood]

Originally Posted by Stam

(Speaking of--I think I asked this somewhere but can't remember. What happens when a Feint attempt comes up against Uncanny Dodge? Theoretically, the Uncanny Dodger should be able to still avoid being flatfooted...?)

I would agree with that. It's part of what makes it "uncanny."

[Medesha]

Feint doesn't make you flatfooted, it makes you lose your Dex bonus to AC.

Originally Posted by 3.5 PHB page 308

flat-footed: Especially vulnerable to attacks at the beginning of a battle. Characters are flat-footed until their first turns in the initiative cycle. A flat-footed creature loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) and cannot make attacks of opportunity.

Originally Posted by 3.5 PHB page 68

Feinting in Combat:...If your Bluff check result exceeds this special Sense Motive check result, your target is denied its Deterity bonus to AC (if any) for the next melee attack you make against it.

Originally Posted by 3.5 PHB page 50

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): ...She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker.

By the rules, you can Sneak Attack someone with Uncanny Dodge by bluffing them. It is, in fact, one of the only ways you can Sneak Attack them (you can also stun and immobilize them to get the SA in.) Allowing Uncanny Dodge to make you immune to feints isn't a bad houserule, though. It makes Barbarians and Rogues slightly more powerful.

[Stam]

Well, yeah...able to react uncannily to dodge should apply even when you're deliberately misled. Your body just jumps out of the way without bothering to query the brain on the matter, so the fact that you thought he was going to hit from this side shouldn't matter much :biggrin:

[Medesha]

Then why are there two separate Uncanny Dodges - if your body can save you from being deliberately misled, shouldn't it save you from being deliberately flanked? I would rather see a "Greater Uncanny Dodge" ability that prevents you from being bluffed.

[JJeff]

Yes, uncanny dodge allows your body to react to dangers that YOU DON"T KNOW, allowing you to not be caught flat-footed in a surprise or by an unseen attacker.

BUT if you conciously dodge a certain direction, you make your body move in the direction you want it to go, overriding the instinctive dodge. THAT'S what feint does, making you dodge in the direction the attacker wants you to dodge.

As Medesha pointed out, it's the ONLY way to SA a rogue, monk or a Barb higher in level than you

[Medesha]

(Aside from stunning or immobilizing him, of course. )

[Stam]

Point