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Re: Some questions about Melee/Wizard

Acting in the order of constantly changing adjDX can be tricky to keep track of. I've played with the only DX adjustments affecting the action order being those imposed by wound reaction. The idea behind it is that your basic reaction speed should not change just because, for instance, you are stabbing at someone on the ground or above you, or if you are in an HTH brawl. You do slow down when stunned a bit. Everyone at the table was fine with it, and some even preferred it to RAW since it just made things a little simpler. It does change tactics a bit, but it is a satisfyingly playable alternative.

Re: Some questions about Melee/Wizard

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Originally Posted by Shostak (Post 2296622)

That's how we've always played it. Unless you're stunned, the adjDX doesn't make you slower, just less likely to succeed.

Re: Some questions about Melee/Wizard

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Originally Posted by bluekitsune13 (Post 2296510)

One last thing I can think of. If I'm reading it correctly, DX is fluid. That means that changing conditions in a round can actually increase or decrease your DX. Say for example a fighter wants to declare a sweeping blow on his turn. I believe that normally gives him -4 DX to hit. If he has a starting DX of 12, does that mean he will act on DX8 if that is the case, what if during the course of a turn he decides that he would rather just Attack One fighter without the penalty. Would he have to wait until DX8 to act, because he already declared he was making the sweeping blow?

It depends on the GM and whether he's using the optional Delayed Actions rule or not. If he is, then you could do a normal attack at any point between your adjDX and the end of the turn. Otherwise you'd need to ask you GM how he'd handle it exactly.

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Originally Posted by bluekitsune13 (Post 2296510)

What about a fighter that has a DX of 8, and declares an attack against an adjacent fighter. Say the targeted fighter gets knocked down before he gets to attack. You get + 4 DX for attacking a knocked down fighter, so would that mean he would effectively act on DX 12 that round if he were to attack the downed fighter?

Yes. (Though confirm with your GM's way of playing.)

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Originally Posted by bluekitsune13 (Post 2296510)

Also, what do you have to declare at the start of the round? Do you have to specify a specific Target of your attack?

No, in almost every case, you don't really have to declare anything about what you're going to do during the Action phase, unless you need the GM or other players to know your intention.

The reason you don't, is because at any point before you actually act, you can change your declared action to any other legal action.

If you look at the examples of play in the rules, you'll notice that pretty much no player ever declares their actions before they do them.

Pre-declaring your intended option is mostly a formality intended to help people think about what they're intending to do, so they don't make that impossible by moving too far. It also communicates to other players their intention, which can be helpful for speeding play and for checking that a figure really didn't move too far to do something.

However there are a couple of edge cases where you might really need to, mainly something like starting Dodging in case someone you can't see (and so, can't change to Dodge as a reaction) attacks you.

But the way we mostly played, pre-declaring and option would mostly be a needless waste of time that isn't done except to help other players know what you're up to (e.g. so they don't move their characters in ways that will mess up your line of fire or something).

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Originally Posted by bluekitsune13 (Post 2296510)

Say if you were engaged with two enemies, and one of them got knocked down. Could you change your attack to the knockdown enemy to take your turn faster? Also, could you not declare a sweeping blow, but then decide when your turn comes at DX 12? Would you then have to wait til DX 8?

Yes. Again, you can change your option to anything that's not impossible. And yes, a Sweeping Blow wouldn't actually be doable till your adjDX -4. And it doesn't mean you need to do the sweeping blow when you get to that point either. If you were going to sweep, and then one of your foes dies or disengages before you can, you do a normal attack on the remaining foe (or any other legal action).

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Originally Posted by bluekitsune13 (Post 2296510)

One last thing. Fighter is attacking with two weapons. Depending on what talents they have, I believe it gives them a DX penalty to attack with the second one. So I believe it is regular DX for the first attack, and - 4 DX for the second attack. Attacking with different DX does that mean the first attack will strike at DX 12 and the second at DX 8? Or are they both rolled at DX 12?

The second attack would take place at DX 8 in the sequence of events.

Re: Some questions about Melee/Wizard

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Originally Posted by Shostak (Post 2296622)

Yeah we often played similar to this way too, especially after running some very large battles where there were many figures to keep track of. Our rule of thumb was that only things that affect a figure's adjDX as a whole would affect when they act, but not things about which target they were attacking, whether they were taking an aimed shot or not, etc.

Re: Some questions about Melee/Wizard

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shostak (Post 2296622)

I've played with the only DX adjustments affecting the action order being those imposed by wound reaction.

We did that as well, but I'll go out on a limb to say you probably also included the DX adjustments for armor worn.

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Originally Posted by Skarg (Post 2296650)

Our rule of thumb was that only things that affect a figure's adjDX as a whole would affect when they act, but not things about which target they were attacking, whether they were taking an aimed shot or not, etc.

A very nice, generalized way of putting it, and also our preferred way to handle it.

In my own shorthand on record sheets, a figure had base DX (DX), dressed DX (DDX) and adjusted DX (adjDX). DDX was DX minus anything for armor, encumbrance, and wounds, these being the adjustments you "wore". AdjDX was DDX plus or minus anything else that applied. Actions came in order of DDX, success or accuracy determined by adjDX.

Re: Some questions about Melee/Wizard

If you don't adjust order of movement for facing then there is little point in knocking a high DX target down.

Re: Some questions about Melee/Wizard

I've been preferring the new (almost) blanket rule that action order tracks adjDX for that action in all cases. Actually, I extend it to include ranged missile fire as well, which is both better in a game-ist sense (streamlining rules) and I think perfectly justifiable in terms of realism (i.e., it takes time for objects to fly through the air, plus you have to aim more carefully at longer range).

Re: Some questions about Melee/Wizard

What happens if you nail the archer while the arrow is in midair?

Re: Some questions about Melee/Wizard

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Originally Posted by hcobb (Post 2297081)

If you don't adjust order of movement for facing then there is little point in knocking a high DX target down.

Why would you say that?

+4 DX is a huge accuracy boost, and it seems to me that the most important effect of knocking someone down is it prevents them from acting. It also prevents them from getting away, allows you to get them in HTH if you want, etc.

Re: Some questions about Melee/Wizard

Knock down a high DX figure and it will then stand up again before you hit again, unless you get +4 to your action order from kicking a foe while he's down.