Defelt Arrows and Exceptional Deflection [Archive] - Wizards Community

Defelt Arrows and Exceptional Deflection [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Cord de'Beron
12-10-07, 08:42 AM Question, is the character with the feats below able to deflect all kind of missle weapons, even magical and so on?

Can he more than once/round use the epic feats??

What if he is in a grapple??

DEFLECT ARROWS [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Improved Unarmed Strike.

Benefit: You must have at least one hand free (holding nothing) to use this feat. Once per round when you would normally be hit with a ranged weapon, you may deflect it so that you take no damage from it. You must be aware of the attack and not flatfooted. Attempting to deflect a ranged weapon doesn’t count as an action. Unusually massive ranged weapons and ranged attacks generated by spell effects can’t be deflected.

EXCEPTIONAL DEFLECTION [EPIC]
Prerequisites: Dex 21, Wis 19, Deflect Arrows, Improved Unarmed Strike.

Benefit: The character can deflect any ranged attacks (including spells that require ranged touch attacks) as if they were arrows.
Rulebook
12-10-07, 08:46 AM in a grapple you're not considered having a hand free.

and yes, once per round any reasonable projectile is deflected. magic arrows, javelins, shurikens. just no gigantic boulders, seige weapons, and the like.
Tedronai
12-10-07, 08:48 AM With the listed feats, the character can deflect ANY effect that requires a ranged attack roll, including spell effects and siege weapons (so long as they require a ranged attack roll to hit and target the character, not an area).

Another epic feat allows the character to deflect an infinite number of such attacks each round.

It would be reasonable to assume that a creature in a grapple does NOT have at least one free hand except in specific situations (grappling an opponent significantly -as in to or more size catagories - smaller than themselves, or perhaps while maintaining a pin)
NoldorForce
12-10-07, 09:49 AM More to the point, there's a line in Deflect Arrows stating that "you must be aware of the attack and not flatfooted". When you're grappling, you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC...which sounds like a loss of awareness of other attacks to me.

If you're using Improved Grab (creature ability, potentially feat-granted as well) to hold a creature at penalty, however, you don't lose your Dexterity bonus to AC and consequently can deflect things just fine. (You explicitly get a free hand, too.)

And yes, the two feats in combination will allow you to deflect anything that requires a ranged attack roll. You'll need Infinite Deflection to do it more than once per round, however, considering that neither feat grants such a capability.
Grumman
12-10-07, 10:59 AM More to the point, there's a line in Deflect Arrows stating that "you must be aware of the attack and not flatfooted". When you're grappling, you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC...which sounds like a loss of awareness of other attacks to me.
It is possible to be aware of an attack but still lose your Dex bonus to AC.
Wheldrake
12-10-07, 11:16 AM Note that magic missiles don't require a ranged touch attack, and hence can't be deflected.

That epic deflection feat is mighty powerful, but epic characters are *supposed* to be godlike in power, so heck, why not?

IMHO, D&D as a game system breaks down long before epic levels are reached. But some folks really enjoy epic level games - to each his own.

Cheers, --- Wheldrake
Dheran
12-10-07, 11:41 AM With the listed feats, the character can deflect ANY effect that requires a ranged attack roll, including spell effects and siege weapons (so long as they require a ranged attack roll to hit and target the character, not an area).

Another epic feat allows the character to deflect an infinite number of such attacks each round.Well, no. You can only deflect ordinary projectile attacks an infinite number of times.Infinite Deflection [Epic]

Benefit: You may perform any number of deflections each round, as the Deflect Arrows feat. Note that the infinite deflections refers only to the base Deflect Arrows feat, and not Exceptional Deflection. So no more than one deflection of a spell/siege engine attack per round.
CrimsonDeath
12-10-07, 01:04 PM That epic deflection feat is mighty powerful, but epic characters are *supposed* to be godlike in power, so heck, why not?

Because it makes the character completely immune to a particular mode of combat. What's an Archery-style ranger supposed to do about an Infinite Deflection monk?

I think part of the problem is that Infinite Deflection was written for 3.0, but 3.5 updated Deflect Arrows so that it no longer required a Reflex save. (Still, even with a DC 20 Reflex save, a ranged combatant probably wouldn't be expected to hit an Infinite Deflection monk more than about once every other round...)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Cord de'Beron 12-10-07, 08:42 AM	Question, is the character with the feats below able to deflect all kind of missle weapons, even magical and so on? Can he more than once/round use the epic feats?? What if he is in a grapple?? DEFLECT ARROWS [GENERAL] Prerequisites: Dex 13, Improved Unarmed Strike. Benefit: You must have at least one hand free (holding nothing) to use this feat. Once per round when you would normally be hit with a ranged weapon, you may deflect it so that you take no damage from it. You must be aware of the attack and not flatfooted. Attempting to deflect a ranged weapon doesn’t count as an action. Unusually massive ranged weapons and ranged attacks generated by spell effects can’t be deflected. EXCEPTIONAL DEFLECTION [EPIC] Prerequisites: Dex 21, Wis 19, Deflect Arrows, Improved Unarmed Strike. Benefit: The character can deflect any ranged attacks (including spells that require ranged touch attacks) as if they were arrows.
Rulebook 12-10-07, 08:46 AM	in a grapple you're not considered having a hand free. and yes, once per round any reasonable projectile is deflected. magic arrows, javelins, shurikens. just no gigantic boulders, seige weapons, and the like.
Tedronai 12-10-07, 08:48 AM	With the listed feats, the character can deflect ANY effect that requires a ranged attack roll, including spell effects and siege weapons (so long as they require a ranged attack roll to hit and target the character, not an area). Another epic feat allows the character to deflect an infinite number of such attacks each round. It would be reasonable to assume that a creature in a grapple does NOT have at least one free hand except in specific situations (grappling an opponent significantly -as in to or more size catagories - smaller than themselves, or perhaps while maintaining a pin)
NoldorForce 12-10-07, 09:49 AM	More to the point, there's a line in Deflect Arrows stating that "you must be aware of the attack and not flatfooted". When you're grappling, you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC...which sounds like a loss of awareness of other attacks to me. If you're using Improved Grab (creature ability, potentially feat-granted as well) to hold a creature at penalty, however, you don't lose your Dexterity bonus to AC and consequently can deflect things just fine. (You explicitly get a free hand, too.) And yes, the two feats in combination will allow you to deflect anything that requires a ranged attack roll. You'll need Infinite Deflection to do it more than once per round, however, considering that neither feat grants such a capability.
Grumman 12-10-07, 10:59 AM	More to the point, there's a line in Deflect Arrows stating that "you must be aware of the attack and not flatfooted". When you're grappling, you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC...which sounds like a loss of awareness of other attacks to me. It is possible to be aware of an attack but still lose your Dex bonus to AC.
Wheldrake 12-10-07, 11:16 AM	Note that magic missiles don't require a ranged touch attack, and hence can't be deflected. That epic deflection feat is mighty powerful, but epic characters are supposed to be godlike in power, so heck, why not? IMHO, D&D as a game system breaks down long before epic levels are reached. But some folks really enjoy epic level games - to each his own. Cheers, --- Wheldrake
Dheran 12-10-07, 11:41 AM	With the listed feats, the character can deflect ANY effect that requires a ranged attack roll, including spell effects and siege weapons (so long as they require a ranged attack roll to hit and target the character, not an area). Another epic feat allows the character to deflect an infinite number of such attacks each round.Well, no. You can only deflect ordinary projectile attacks an infinite number of times.Infinite Deflection [Epic] Benefit: You may perform any number of deflections each round, as the Deflect Arrows feat. Note that the infinite deflections refers only to the base Deflect Arrows feat, and not Exceptional Deflection. So no more than one deflection of a spell/siege engine attack per round.
CrimsonDeath 12-10-07, 01:04 PM	That epic deflection feat is mighty powerful, but epic characters are supposed to be godlike in power, so heck, why not? Because it makes the character completely immune to a particular mode of combat. What's an Archery-style ranger supposed to do about an Infinite Deflection monk? I think part of the problem is that Infinite Deflection was written for 3.0, but 3.5 updated Deflect Arrows so that it no longer required a Reflex save. (Still, even with a DC 20 Reflex save, a ranged combatant probably wouldn't be expected to hit an Infinite Deflection monk more than about once every other round...)