Talent/Spell of the Week: Quick Draw (Weapon)

[hcobb]

Whataboutism rolling a critical failure on the Quick Draw of your dagger-Staff II+?

[Terquem]

Originally Posted by warhorse11h

Is it possible that we are all misreading the description of this talent. Is it possible that the die roll mentioned is actually intended to be the roll to hit for the attack. In that case it would be 3D6-2 to hit with a weapon that had been unready at the start of your action phase. If you succeed, you ready and hit with the weapon without an additional die roll.

Under normal circumstances missing is undesirable and carries the possibility of a dropped or broken weapon on a really bad miss.

I think this is correct. As a person who is paid, ridiculously overpaid, to interpret federal guidelines for a DOE contractor, I see the talent saying.
"Do this roll. If successful you draw the weapon AND STRIKE with it, where normally you would not be able to attack at all, only draw the weapon."

[Terquem]

It is my opinion in Henry's example is that the specific rule of the Staff takes precedence over the general rule of dropped weapon on failed attacks

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by warhorse11h

Is it possible that we are all misreading the description of this talent. Is it possible that the die roll mentioned is actually intended to be the roll to hit for the attack. In that case it would be 3D6-2 to hit with a weapon that had been unready at the start of your action phase. If you succeed, you ready and hit with the weapon without an additional die roll.

No, the talent wording is explicit that success means that you ready the weapon and can make an attack; it does not say that a success is a hit with the newly readied weapon.

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by Terquem

As a person who is paid, ridiculously overpaid, to interpret federal guidelines for a DOE contractor, I see the talent saying.
"Do this roll. If successful you draw the weapon AND STRIKE with it, where normally you would not be able to attack at all, only draw the weapon."

With all respect, I think you need to re-read the actual wording again, because it does not agree with your paraphrase. "Can ready the weapon and strike" means that one is able to make an attack, but it in no way implies that the attack is automatically successful. If that were meant, the wording should read, "Success means you hit with the now-ready weapon, rolling damage as normal."

[Terquem]

It is not as simple as that. The word that throws the whole sentence into confusion is "can".
The rule does not say, success means you draw the weapon and strike in the same action (which would be clear). It says success means you can ready the weapon and strike on the same turn. This can mean you are capable of doing this because you succeeded or it can mean you are allowed to try to do this, implying the need for a second roll.
What it specifically does not say is that success means you must roll a separate attack roll.

[Terquem]

If game rule writers always remembered all the rules of grammar, usage, and style, all of the time, the use of "may," would have been substituted for, "can."
You may draw and strike, implies you are able to try, but you are not guaranteed a succes based on the success of the first roll.
Can, technically means "you succeed," but often can is used incorrectly.
Hence the old joke, "can I go to the bathroom."
"I don't know, can you?"
When the proper usage is, "may I go to the bathroom?"

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by Terquem

It says success means you can ready the weapon and strike on the same turn. This can mean you are capable of doing this because you succeeded or it can mean you are allowed to try to do this, implying the need for a second roll.

As you said, "can" implies capability or possibility of doing something. In this case, success means you are capable of striking on the same turn as readying. Compare this "can ready and strike" to the wording for HTH initiation in which states that a hit is automatic on a roll of 6.

Given that "can" implies potentiality and the talent description does not use more definitive wording like "hits for damage" I think we are left to conclude that a separate to-hit roll is required.

[hcobb]

Well at least you can't quick draw and defend on the same turn.

[Helborn]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Well at least you can't quick draw and defend on the same turn.

Doesn't that depend on the DX of the opponent? If it is a lower DX than your DX-2, why not? Since you can change options in the middle of your turn?