Questions tagged [defense]
For questions about defense, the pursuit of preventing harm to one's self or to others.
63 questions
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Can someone decide to be hit?
In this question, I asked about whether a character could willingly not use their shield or Dex bonus on certain attacks due to wanting to be hit. This raises the greater question-
Can someone decide ...
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Most effective way of improving survivability for an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian?
The Path of the Ancestral Guardian Barbarian (Xanathar's Guide to Everything, p. 9-10) is an extremely powerful barbarian. It pretty much makes your allies invulnerable against an enemy boss.
But it ...
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How to survive level 1 as a wizard?
At level 1, a wizard has a very small amount of hp compared to most classes, and lacks armour proficiencies meaning they must invest in Dexterity as well as constitution to have less AC than most ...
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Fate Core incongruence in Action's outcomes?
I'm new in Fate, and I'm amazed by the game style and mechanics.
Nevertheless, reading the manual, I think I've found 3 mechanical incongruences.
Speaking about the Four Actions and their outcomes, in ...
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Why don't weapons grant some sort of defense?
I'm not sure how it works in other version of D&D, but in 4e you get absolutely no bonus to defense with your weapon, and that doesn't quite make sense. When you're in combat with someone, you ...
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How does defending on behalf of others work in Fate Core?
There's actually multiple answers to that question in Fate Core and The Fate System Toolkit, but they seem a bit contradictory. I'd like your help to sort them out.
Note: I know characters can ...
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How does AC scale with character level?
In D&D 3.5, I know that base attack bonus scales with level. How does AC increase over levels to meet it? I know saves do, so there should be some kind of AC thing? Is it done more with HP, or is ...
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Does an Evocation shield have a reactive utility to it?
Say that Player X is 2nd in the initiative. 1st is the Black Court vampire that is in a rage and taking a swing at Player X. Player X gets a built in defense [Athletics/Fists + 4dF] but can Player X ...
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Using a familiar to deliver a spell attack while both of us are under Sanctuary
Suppose both my familiar and myself have the sanctuary spell on.
Sanctuary states that it ends when the warded creature makes an attack, casts a spell that affects an enemy, or deals damage to another ...
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What are typical defense statistics for a Defender at different tiers?
What are some typical defenses (AC, Fort, Will, Reflex) for a defender at the different tiers (Heroic, Paragon, Epic) of a D&D4 game?
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Can you Defend against your own action in Fate?
In Fate Accelerated can you Defend against something your own character did? For example can you reduce the damage of an Attack that damages everyone (including yourself) in a zone.
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Rage benefits for someone who doesn’t attack
I’ve had in mind a character built around defensive and supernatural effects from rage, who doesn’t attack.
Towards this end, I’m using druidic avenger to actually get rage. I’ll take both Blazing ...
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Does the defense bonus from shields stack with cloaks?
In Gurps (4th Edition), does the DB given from a shield stack with the DB given from a cloak? If so, isn't it possible to raise your dodge skill untouchably high?
Default dodge of 8 plus 2 from a ...
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Should I pay attention to the defenses targeted when choosing my powers?
I'm building a 1st level human wizard for my first 4e campaign. As of now, my at-wills are Winged Horde (targets Will), Unraveling Dart (targets Fortitude) and Arc Lightning (targets Reflex).
I was ...
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Can wizard's staff of defense class feature stack with Wizard Utility 2 Shield on the same triggering effect?
Staff of Defense class feature:
...once per encounter as an immediate
interrupt, you gain a bonus to defense
against one attack equal to your
Constitution modifier. You can
declare the bonus after ...
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What does the lack of a Will defense mean?
There's a module which features an inanimate object without a Will defense.
Does a lack of Will defense mean you can't attack the target with a power that goes against Will? Or you can but it ...
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Can you decide not to use a shield's AC bonus? Dex bonus?
Let's say that there is a combat. There's is one player character and two enemies- one melee and one ranged. The player character has Armor of Agathys (or some other spell) and wants the melee ...
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Party Synergies for Melee Rogue with Sentinel
I'm playing a melee rogue (Arcane Trickster). I'm looking to multiply my sneak attack damage by taking the Sentinel feat to increase the odds of getting to make attacks on someone else's turn.
Pro: ...
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When does Fighting Defensively activate?
Let's say that I'm about to fight some monster. We both roll Initiative, and the monster wins. It can reach me and hit me on its turn. Can I declare that I'm Fighting Defensively right away (and incur ...
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When you receive a physical attack and Shield Block it, if it deals multiple types of damage, how is damage reduced?
Shield Block states that:
Trigger While you have your shield raised, you would take damage from a physical attack.
You snap your shield in place to ward off a blow. Your shield prevents you from ...
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Can a defender defend against any number of attacks?
In non-group combat the defender rolls a defend roll against the attacker's attack. So far pretty basic and clear. Now our group was wondering what happens if multiple, say 3, attackers all go for one ...
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Can a character with the Defensive Duelist feat who never makes an attack with the finesse weapon still gain the benefit of the feat?
The description of the Defensive Duelist feat says (PHB, p. 165):
When you are wielding a finesse weapon with which you are proficient and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use ...
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Are shields a numerically significant defensive boost?
We have had a number of questions about the function of Shield Block, and some of the answers have me questioning the viability of shields.
Considering the need to purchase shields, use an action to ...
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How can I effectively shield block with a tower shield?
I am a champion with a shield ally and a tower shield. Shield ally adds +2 to my shield's hardness and 50% HP and BT. So a normal tower shield in my hands has a hardness of 7 and 30 HP.
I want to be ...
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In D&D 4e, are 1/2 level defense bonuses compound with the raised ability modifier?
I've recently started playing D&D with some friends, and the one thing on the character sheet that bothers me is the defense section.
In the defenses section, it has both the sections 10 + 1/2 ...
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Barbarian rage and fight on defense
Can a Barbarian in Rage mode fight defensively or use Full Defense?
I didnt find any rule about it, I think there is something about using Combat Expertise, but nothing else.
In the session that the ...
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What defensive option would be ideal for martial characters?
I have been hearing players around me saying that "after lv.10, you should move from AC to missing chances and the stuff that won't let people target you (e.g. total concealment or total cover)&...
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How to Interpret Defending Others vs. Shoot Attacks?
A situation occurred in which the party needed to defend a 'sitting duck' in the form of a small robot against ranged enemy attacks. There was the consideration for party members to take the bullets ...
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Core Rulebook v2.1 - Damage to a mob of troops
The Core Rulebook for Wrath & Glory 2nd edition explains the rules when battling a mob of troop-level enemies this way:
MOB DAMAGE
Mobs are only made up of Troops, and every individual in a Mob ...
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Blocking and parrying with two weapons
I've been mastering a game of MERP where my PCs didn't take much care about protecting themselves and attacked at full force each round, only subtracting the Defensive Bonus from their shields from ...
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Is there any way to defend with magic in DFRPG? [duplicate]
I feel like I am missing something obvious.
Evocation/Channeling can be used for a great deal of fun effects on your turn.
But what about when you need to make a defend roll against an enemy? As far ...
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Does the Defensive Duelist feat work with Psychic Blades from the Soulknife Rogue subclass?
I'm making a Soulknife Rogue and was wondering if the feat Defensive Duelist would work with the Psychic Blades or if I'd need a regular dagger to gain benefit from it.
Defensive Duelist:
When you ...
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Is the Choice of Scale Effects Limited per Roll or per Conflict?
System Toolkit page 67 offers the Scale mechanics for attacks and defences between different-sized opponents, groups etc. However, I'm not sure how to interpret inner 'or' (i.e. the 'or' within each ...
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In a Conflict, what does it mean to Defend on your turn?
According to the rules for Conflicts:
Next, each character takes a turn in order. On their turn, a character can take one of the four actions. Resolve the action to determine the outcome. The ...
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Rules for intercepting attacks and protecting others
Both the Guardian Ars Magnus and Bodyguard combat module in Dominus Exxet imply that you can intercept an attack directed at other creatures, but I simply cannot find the rules that explain it. I have ...
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Which spells are currently available to safeguard a fixed location?
After reading this question on how to safeguard an inanimate item, and thinking back on this question of mine, which was closed as too broad, I still think a list of spells that allow creating a very ...
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How does defense work? [closed]
I'm new to D&D and I want to make a new character, he is a warlock with 11 hp and 13 armor class. What should I do when I get attacked? Damage - defense?
I don't have the books, I'm using D&D ...
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Multiattack defense vs legendary actions
I have a question about the DnD 5E Ranger Hunter Multiattack Defense feature.
Should you or do you get Multiattack Defense against legendary actions? For example, when you get a bite and two claw ...
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1
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Trying to understand stacking defense bonuses from Racial / Feat / Items in DND4e?
I am a relatively new player to DND (4e). I've tried to look this information up and have found tidbits but I am still unclear. This is a multi-part question though the core of it is understanding if ...
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How do I protect my squishy friends from ranged attackers?
I'm playing in a 13th Age campaign as a tank.
She's a Fighter built to deal moderate damage, but have lots of hit points and good PD/AC.
I have the ability that gives enemies −4 to disengage, and I ...
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When can you interpose yourself in the path of an attack?
I'm interested in the mechanics of heroically throwing yourself in front of a shooting attack against an ally. (As distinct from, say, a prolonged period of actively defending an ally from multiple ...
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How to make a tavern defensible quickly? [closed]
I have a group that is about to run into a small village that has already been repeatedly attacked. The few survivors are nearly exhausted, and can barely go on defending themselves. There will be 2 ...
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How do I Block or Defend in DFRPG? Can the following Blocking & Defense Actions Examples be Critiqued/Verified?
I've struggled a bit with what I consider to be somewhat vague sidebars on pages 252 & 253 in regard to Blocks. Thus I've written out other examples of how I think Blocks work and am hoping to get ...
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How to calculate the damage taken when using Shield Block?
How do you calculate the damage a PC takes when using shield block? The Shield Block feat allows you to reduce the damage from an incoming attack when you have your shield raised. The feat says (CRB, ...
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Can you block an attack that an ally is trying to make?
My dragonborn friend keeps (accidentally) downing half the party with his poisonous Breath Weapon.
I'd like to know if I can block his poisonous breath so that the party doesn't go down anymore due ...
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1
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What is the effect of being prone in the Ubiquity RPG system?
In the Ubiquity RPG system (used for Hollow Earth Expedition and other games), the action “Stand Up” reads:
Falling down is easy; it is getting up that is hard. Your character can fall prone as a ...
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Consequences/Downsides of Allowing Ranged Defence (Dodge) with Fight?
The House Rule Proposed
I'm intent on making the following rule addition/change in my campaigns:
In addition to parries and blocks in mêlée combat, the Fight skill also covers training in dodging ...
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When summoned creatures are "defending themselves from hostile creatures" on a turn without commands, does this include taking Actions of any type?
The descriptions of many "Conjure ..." spells (e.g. Conjure Animals pp.225 PHB) contains text like this:
If you don't issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile ...
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I need a dice system with a unique behavior and rate of growth (preferably in ANYDICE to verify) [closed]
I am looking for a defense system where the probability of hitting is proportional to the inverse of a quadratic polynomial with respect to defense. I don't care about attack scaling yet.
If you ...
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Is a College of Valor bard(Lv5)+ Oath of Ancients paladin(Lv15) the best Tank/Support option?
I am playing my first game and I have a level 2 Variant human Paladin, my current stats look like this:
Str:13 (+1)
Dex:10 (+0)
Con:11 (+0)
Int:6 (-2)
Wis:10 (+0)
Cha:12 (+1)
Feat: Lucky
I am aiming ...
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