Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Stormonu 02-15-08, 02:08 AM	I'm having problems with the reserve feat, Dimensional Jaunt. The main question is, can you use it to escape a grapple? Since it's a supernatural ability (requiring no somatic, material or verbal components and not provoking an AoO when used) and you can only transport yourself and your familiar, it seems to indicate that you can use it to quickly hop out of a grapple, leaving the opponent behind. Also, if you use dimensional jaunt can you use it to move from a prone position to standing at your destination? (Overall, I think the Reserve Feats are horribly thought out. When this campaign ends, I'm significantly altering them or outright banning them.)
Lyndis 02-15-08, 02:11 AM	Yes, yuo can use them to escape a grapple. This reserve feat is good.
Salla 02-15-08, 02:25 AM	Yes, you can jaunt out of a grapple, but nothing says (or even implies) that you can change your physical orientation in the process, so if you're prone when you jaunt, you stay prone.
RobbyPants 02-15-08, 08:52 AM	Another similar ability to look into if you like this one is the Immediate Magic alternate class feature from PHB2. Sadly, you have to be a specialist to use the ability and give up your familiar. Each school has a different ability, most of which aren't worth losing your familiar. The conjurer, however, gets Abrupt Jaunt, which is a 10 foot teleport as an immediate action :eek:, but you only get several per day. Still, used sparingly, these things are life savers. Again, the downsides are you have to be a conjuration specialist and you lose your familiar.
InkBlot 02-15-08, 12:30 PM	Overall, I think the Reserve Feats are horribly thought out. When this campaign ends, I'm significantly altering them or outright banning them. Seriously? Reserve feats are wonderful. Every time a Wizard uses a reserve feat, she isn't casting a game-breaking spell. Every encounter a Wizard uses a reserve feat to get through, is one less encounter the Wizard destroyed by going nova, and one more encounter everybody got to play through before the Wizard wants to hide in a rope trick until the next day.
Stormonu 02-18-08, 01:30 AM	Seriously? Reserve feats are wonderful. Every time a Wizard uses a reserve feat, she isn't casting a game-breaking spell. Every encounter a Wizard uses a reserve feat to get through, is one less encounter the Wizard destroyed by going nova, and one more encounter everybody got to play through before the Wizard wants to hide in a rope trick until the next day. Yes, seriously. 1) They should be spell-like abilities, not supernatural 2) None of the attack versions allow saves against the effects 3) They can be encounter breakers worse than true spells. For example, I'd rather the wizard in question could cast his Dimension Door once a day rather than Dimensional Jaunt every round. And I'd like to see him use Dimension Door in a grapple. In this way, the reserve feat should not provide a benefit disallowed to the normal spell. I will not be using them ever again.
Nathreet 02-18-08, 01:45 AM	dimension door doesn't have a somatic component, only verbal. Make the concentration check and you're good to go. I played a sorc that could dimension door 10+ times a day if he wanted to (using 5th and 6th level spell slots). But usually he cast other spells. If you have stronger spells it won't matter if you could cast dimension door 1,000,000 times per day, you won't use it in the precious short combat time you have when something else is better. I mean, I even liked my other 4th level spells and glitterdust (2nd level) a lot more. Not that reserve feats aren't broken. I dunno, sounds like they might be for other reasons.
Stormonu 02-18-08, 07:55 PM	dimension door doesn't have a somatic component, only verbal. Make the concentration check and you're good to go. That's interesting - I'm so used to V,S,M spells I didn't notice Dimension Door is Verbal only.
Merestil Haye 02-19-08, 06:25 AM	Not that reserve feats aren't broken. I dunno, sounds like they might be for other reasons.I don't think they are. They're certainly not overpowered. Quite the opposite, if anything. The OP claims that reserve feats giving an attack option don't allow saves. This isn't generally true - I think I found one in a read of the feats in CM. In general, a feat does allow a save if a spell with a similar effect would. While making the feats into SLAs rather than supernatural abilities would be reasonable (in the structure of the game), it would also weaken some already sub-optimal options. For example, consider the Acidic Splatter feat. At best, this allows the featholder to throw an acid ball up to 45' and deal 9d6 acid damage. 45' isn't far away at all. And in 17th level play, 9d6 isn't that much to get excited about either. Now if you add SR into the mix of defensive options, that's going to look even less attractive than it already is. Of the CM reserve feats, Dimensional Jaunt is one of the most powerful ones.
InkBlot 02-19-08, 06:05 PM	2) None of the attack versions allow saves against the effects Please read Complete Mage again. They do allow saves. Storm Bolt is the single one that doesn't either allow a save or require an attack roll, and damages other creatures. Frankly, I'm surprised about Storm Bolt, but a single bad egg is no reason to ban the whole bunch. ACIDIC SPLATTER [RESERVE] ... you can throw an orb of acid as a ranged touch attack. CLAP OF THUNDER [RESERVE] ... you can deliver a melee touch attack as a standard action... the subject must suceed on a Fortitude save or ... CLUTCH OF EARTH [RESERVE] ... A successful Fortitude save negates this effect and renders the target immune to the feat's effect for 24 hours. DROWNING GLANCE [RESERVE] ... if it succeeds on a Fortitude save... FIERY BURST [RESERVE] ... A successful Reflex save halves the damage. HURRICANE BREATH [RESERVE] ... functions much like a bull rush; roll 1d20 + the level of ... INVISIBLE NEEDLE [RESERVE] ... This attack requires a successful ranged attack roll (not a ranged touch attack), ... MAGIC DISRUPTION [RESERVE] ... make a Concentration check ... MYSTIC BACKLASH [RESERVE] ... with a successful touch attack you can infuse another creature with baneful magic ... SHADOW VEIL [RESERVE] ... If the subject fails a Will save ... SICKENING GRASP [RESERVE] ... any living creature you hit with a melee touch attack ... WINTER'S BLAST [RESERVE] ... A successful Reflex save halves the damage. If a saving throw is allowed, the DC is equal to 10 + the level of the spell allowing the ability's use + the ability modifier you would apply to that spell's save DC. For example, if a wizard with a +3 Intelligence modifier and a reserved 3rd-level sonic spell succeeds on a touch attack using the Clap of Thunder reserve feat, she causes the target to make a successful DC 16 Fortitude save or be deafened.
Merestil Haye 02-19-08, 07:09 PM	Storm Bolt was the one I was thinking of. For some reason, I never thought to consult the errata file until just now. When I did, sure enough they've corrected the feat :Page 47 – Storm Bolt [Addition] Under benefits, add “A successful Reflex save halves damage.”So that removes even the one exception.
war_thog 02-20-08, 04:48 AM	Can you use supernatural abilities in a grapple by RaW? Aside from that... My party house rules that you have to make the concentration check to use that in a grapple or other concentration requiring situations. That and all other reserve feats. Of course if you have a high conc your fine anyway, but if you have a high conc, you deserve to be fine so its all good. Balances it a little more to not overriding the spell. IMO the reserve feat shouldnt ever be a more powerful option than the actual spell its powered by.
Firedale 02-20-08, 09:53 AM	We have a wizard in our party using the nice fire reserve feat... 10ft fireball goes poof for spellleveld6 damage... Before the feat... we were going through 2-3 encounters... then rest... even if the encounters took an hour or two ingame... wizard out of good spells. A 5th level wizard can use a 5d6 fireball, or the lil feat for lots of lil limited 3d6 fireballs. Yes, at this level... that seems like alot... but look at 10th level... 10d6 compared to at the best 5d6... the max that can ever be done without going epic would be 9d6 (9th level fire spell used) compare that to meteor swarm that can do 4x(2d6+6d6) for 32d6... Even if all the spheres miss the target, they still explode, dealing 4x(6d6) for 24d6... now compare that to 9d6. Over time, yes, you do more damage using the feats than the 1time use... but you still have to be tactical, location still counts for most of them, because they do have area, and they allow the game to move a lil more quickly. But now the wizard is actually in combat, instead of sitting back, twiddling his thumbs because he's afraid to use spells for fear that we might need them later. The player is enjoying the game more, because not only is he doing stuff, doing damage, but he also still has the option to fireball big if he needs or wants... and the rest of the party is happy because we're not getting roasted by the wizard's big 20ft rad fireball if we're getting beat down... not the best thing to get hit with when you have two party members down and the enemies are quite the melee combatants. Sorry, a lil off topic of the question, heh... just in response to the 'reserve feats suck and are too powerful' idea