quote:

---

Originally posted by dazzlerdal

I've been mulling over the saving throw and spell duration system.

It has rather annoyed me when a single spell incapacitates several or even all members of the party in one go and results in a TPK.

For some reason the inflicted are forced to wait until the duration expires before they can regain control of themselves (sleep, mind blast, confusion, hold person, etc).

In the movies and stories we are continually presented with instances of the hero resisting the influence and breaking its hold of them early, he then surprises the enemy and butchers him.




Trying to represent this in D&D i've had a few thoughts.

1 - Allow non spellcasting characters the ability to remove negative conditions (and thereby end the effects of the spell prematurely) possibly through the use of a Heal skill check. I figure this is like Hermione in Harry Potter and her back of tricks that allow her to cure a variety of spell induced problems (would require an apothecary bag or something like that).

2 - Have saving throws be repeated at every interval of a spell's duration. So a spell with a duration of several rounds allows the target to make a save check at the end of every round. A spell with a duration of minutes, hours, days, etc allows the target to make a save every minute, hour, day. If the save is successful the spell is ended. This would be a save check against the spell attack check of the caster and is currently the system i have implemented but i'm not entirely happy with it.

3 - Allow characters the chance to take a Saving Throw action (as a Standard Action) that allows them to make a save check against the spell attack check of the caster. If successful they can remove one spell in effect. Mental actions are allowed if for instance the character is paralysed or held immobile but otherwise retains their thoughts. Certain spells prevent this action (petrification, and sleep for instance) because the character is unable to perform any actions as they are no longer conscious.


I'm leaning towards a combination of 1 and 3 (option 2 would cause two many saving throws at the end of each round and i want to limit the number of dice rolls to only what is absolutely necessary).

So if you are affected by a spell that debilitates you in some way you can stop and try to resist it, or perform a Heal check to remove the condition (if there is one), or get someone else to perform a Heal check on you, or finally you can have a spellcaster cast dispel magic or cure malady to try and remove it.

That way TPK events should become much rarer, and players wont feel left out of combat if they have a hold person spell cast on them in the first round and it has a duration of 20 rounds or more.


Any thoughts?

---

quote:

---

Multiple Actions: Any action that can be accomplished as a standard action can also be attempted repeatedly multiple times as part of a full round action. The number of attempts for that action must be specified before any dice are rolled.
Every attempt after the first incurs a -2 cumulative Circumstance penalty on all action checks for the rest of the round.
So for example a fighter wishing to make 3 attacks as part of a full round action incurs a -4 penalty on all 3 attack checks (-2 for the 2nd attack and a further -2 for the 3rd attack).
Multiple actions may be performed for Skill, Attack, and Save checks, etc. The only limitations are that the action must normally be a Standard Action, and it must be the same action.
So for example as a wizard you can cast magic missile 3 times (incurring a -4 penalty on all three attack rolls), but you could not then attack with your staff. Similarly you could not cast a fireball, magic missile, and mage armour spell because this is not the same action either, they must be the same spell.
You may target anyone within range of the actions in question when you take multiple actions as a Full Round Action.
Opportunity Attacks: Multiple actions provoke Opportunity Attacks as appropriate to the action you are replicating. So casting a spell multiple times provokes an Opportunity Attack each time you cast the spell.

---

quote:

---

Multiple Actions: Any action that can be accomplished as a standard action can also be attempted repeatedly multiple times as part of a full round action. The number of attempts for that action must be specified before any dice are rolled.
Every attempt after the first incurs a -2 cumulative Circumstance penalty on all action checks for the rest of the round.
So for example a fighter wishing to make 3 attacks as part of a full round action incurs a -4 penalty on all 3 attack checks (-2 for the 2nd attack and a further -2 for the 3rd attack).

---