Crunch Fix #1
Welcome to the first installment of Crunch Fix. Every now and then I intend to write about all things crunchy - 4th edition rules, errata, new classes, races, or content available online, etc.
Healing saves
I missed this the first time I read the PHB: you can grant an adjacent ally an immediate saving throw by making a Heal check DC 15.
Opportunity Attacks - that’s plural
In D&D 3.x characters had a cap on the number of opportunity attacks action they could take in a round. That limit is gone in fourth edition. You could theoretically take 32 opportunity attacks in a round. However there’s a limit of 1 opportunity attack per enemy, per round.
Scales are in (I think I mentionned it last week)
Fighters don’t have plate armor proficiency at first level, so scales are popular these days.
Plates for Paladins
Paladins do have the plate armor proficiency at 1st level. Go figure…
Bull charge
Don’t forget your +1 to hit when you bull rush on a charge.
It’s a figment of my conjuration
About powers with the conjuration keyword (in the PHB errata from WOTC): “Unless a power description says otherwise, a conjuration cannot be attacked or physically affected, and a conjuration does not occupy any squares.”
Basic coolness
Don’t forget that every magic weapon with even the most basic +1 enchantment will deal extra damage on a critical hit.
Also, magical thrown weapons (that have the “light thrown” or “heavy thrown” keyword) return to the thrower automatically and catching them is a free action.
What do you think?
I hope this helps. I sure would appreciate to know which rules you spotted that surprised you, pleasantly or not. Especially rules that are different than the 3.x rules.
Have fun gaming!
23 Comments
1:09 am on September 2nd, 2008
Freakin’ perfect! I missed several of those first month or so!
1:50 am on September 2nd, 2008
i keep forgetting most of those!! especially with the magic weapons…. i was wondering why i thought getting a +1 magic longsword was so cool…. anyways, i think they made the fighter more offensive, and the paladins more defensive/healer-ish, because paladins can’t use military ranged, and fighters can, plus, all of the fighter’s powers are attack based, while plenty of the paladin’s are not.
4:31 am on September 2nd, 2008
Love this! Well spotted, and sure to trip up many a 3e player.
More!
6:42 am on September 2nd, 2008
Good job Yax! Those easily missed rules will get you every time.
7:43 am on September 2nd, 2008
i love this game, really do don’t take me wrong but… don’t you think the “Also, magical thrown weapons (that have the “light thrown” or “heavy thrown” keyword) return to the thrower automatically” its a little weird to put into flavor? just explain this to me, is it some sort of Jedi thing?
9:38 am on September 2nd, 2008
That was great, please do more of these, you have no idea how much this helps me. Playing D&D for about 20 years, I have a hard time remembering which version I playing. Sometimes old rules still stick out in my head so seeing a couple rules a week highlighted would really help me get everything straight.
Thanks as always Yax.
10:57 am on September 2nd, 2008
Great article! I’m not sure if I understand the first tip, though. Grant a saving throw versus what? I thought saving throws were gone from 4e? I haven’t played any 4e yet, but have read through the rulebook.
11:18 am on September 2nd, 2008
@Avaril:
At Avaril, saving throws got a complete makeover. If under a spell or effect your character might get the chance to roll a saving throws to shake off the effect. 10+ is a successful save, and ends the effect.
11:25 am on September 2nd, 2008
Ok, right, right. So, this is useful if your buddy is under some sort of effect. I gotcha now.
11:59 am on September 2nd, 2008
do all effects end with a saving throw? because i have to keep asking, and one time my DM said that it doesn’t say save ends, and it was really annoying….
12:34 pm on September 2nd, 2008
Excellent observations. I have to keep reminding my players about using their opportunity attacks. This is particularly confusing since they have changed which actions allow opportunity attacks and which don’t. Standing up from prone no longer provokes, always confuses someone.
12:59 pm on September 2nd, 2008
Love these FMM (Frequently Made Mistakes)! Thanks!
3:19 pm on September 2nd, 2008
Thanks for listing these– always nice to have a backstop!
7:27 pm on September 2nd, 2008
Hi, would like to add in the below, it’s what my team always forget:
Second Wind:
use of Second Wind, grant you +2 to all defenses until the start of your next turn.
thanks.
7:32 pm on September 2nd, 2008
Don’t forget that when you grant someone a saving throw with a DC 15 Heal check, they also get +2 to the roll.
Effects that don’t actually say (save ends) can not be removed by making a save. If they have a way to be removed the individual power will say how it can be removed.
To get a healing surge to go off when your unconcious, you need to get a 20 on a saving throw. This does not have to be a natural 20 on a die however if you’ve got a bonus to your saving throws say from a feat or magic item.
Bloodthread armor is awesome.
8:05 pm on September 2nd, 2008
So with 8sq around a medium creature they could get around 8 opportunity attacks, with a reach weapon that might go to… 20… and if the mobs were perfectly orchestrated in moving in and out of the threatened squares you could possibly double this for 40???
9:17 pm on September 2nd, 2008
no, only one opportunity attack per enemy per round…
9:18 pm on September 2nd, 2008
But if your surrounded?
If one opponent per sq?
11:24 pm on September 2nd, 2008
Actually, the opportunity attack comment isn’t quite right. You can make one opportunity attack per *turn* (not including your own turn). If you’re a fighter, and JoeGoblin provokes an opportunity attack on his turn, you can attack him. If, on the very next turn, his ally JimGoblin grants him an action, and he provokes again? You can attack him *again*, because it’s another turn. In 4e parlance, “turn” means “one person’s actions in a single round”.
@Labareda: Reach weapons do not grant you opportunity attacks beyond adjacent squares. Reach only applies on your own turn unless you have the “Threatening Reach” ability (which PCs almost never have).
1:13 am on September 3rd, 2008
^thanks, that makes it a little clearer…. and i guess if you’re totally surrounded, your enemies won’t be moving, now, would they? no, they won’t, because you’re totally dead when that happens. XD but theoretically, i guess you get to hit them all.
9:57 am on September 4th, 2008
Is the rule about magic thrown weapon even in 3.x edition?
I didn’t figure out while reading…
Do you think that it’s possible to enlarge this weapon ability also in a 3.5 campaign?
I’d really like it, it’s something cool … ^_^
4:29 pm on September 4th, 2008
@Water Catcher:
The rule existed, but increased cost by +1.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicWeapons.htm#returning
I personally think it’d be fine to just add that feature automatically to all thrown weapons in a 3.5 campaign, provided your players are also fine with it.
6:21 pm on September 4th, 2008
@nik
Yes I checked out in the DMG…(after yax’s pvt reply)
I agree with you by the way: it would be fun to see “boomerang-thrown weapon”
especially because it’s a kind of weapon not so convenient: expensive and heavy to wear.