Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Zakon05 Oct 17, 2014 19:30:34	Hi everyone, thanks for having a look at this thread. My friends and I had a few questions, if no one would mind clarifying them:   1) If a party engages a group of enemies while a Rogue who is an Assassin is sneaking, and the enemies don't see the Rogue, does the Rogue get to use their Assassinate class feature when he/she attacks? The rules for surprise seems to state that it should be decided before the battle even begins, and would apply to the entire group instead of just the Rogue.   The same question could go for if the Rogue is sneaking and a group of enemies engages the party without noticing the Rogue. Would that Rogue still get to use their Assassinate feature on a successful hit?   Additionally, if the answer is yes to the above question, would that Rogue be able to duck out of combat, go around a corner, use Stealth to blend back into the shadows, and then sneak back into combat for another Assassinate? Or if the enemy breaks line of sight with the party but intends to return to the battle, could the Rogue use Stealth to set up for an Assassinate when the enemy returns?   2) Would a Dragonborn Druid be able to use their breath weapon feature while shapeshifted into an animal?   3) When a monster uses an ability that instantly reduces a victim to 0 HP, does that person have to begin making death saving throws, or does the ability specifically need to state that they are dying? An example of this would be the Banshee's Wail attack, which reduces a victim directly to 0 HP on a failed save.   4) When attacking with a weapon, does the modifier part of the damage count as the damage type of the weapon being used? For example, a Fighter with a STR modifier of 3 attacks with a Longsword for 1d8+3 damage, is all of that Slashing damage or just the 1d8?   Thank you in advance for looking.
#2 Novacat Oct 17, 2014 20:17:35	1. It's up to the DM. A strict reading of the surprise rules would say no, there is no surprise, but in the spirit of the feature, I would say yes as a DM.   2. No. While shapeshifter, the druid has the animal's stats, not his own.   3. Yes, a creature reduced to 0 HP by any means is dying until something stabilizes it. Death saves are required.   4. All of the damage is the same type. There is, to my knowledge, no such thing as untyped damage in this game.
#3 Zakon05 Oct 17, 2014 20:28:10	Thank you very much!
#4 paulstrait Oct 18, 2014 22:33:37	Novacat wrote:
#5 Nevvur Oct 18, 2014 23:49:01	Wild Shape reads, "you retain the benefit of any features from your class, race or other source, and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so..." Benefits, not statistics.   Dragons are described as "magical creatures whose innate power fuels their dreaded breath weapon..." (p.86 MM) That is, it is by virtue of having an innately magical body (physical attribute) that they are able to exhale energy. Lose the body, you lose the innate magic to use Dragon Breath. I think the same logic should apply to most racial features of a physical, rather than social/mental nature, as enhanced senses are also expressly prohibited.   Although a fire breathing bear would be f%^$ rad.
#6 paulstrait Oct 19, 2014 0:13:16	Nevvur wrote:
#7 Nevvur Oct 19, 2014 0:24:50	lol sorry, yeah I ended up rephrasing what you said because my reply began as a disagreement allowing for the breath weapon. As I consulted the relevant passages to reach a conclusion, I changed my mind without realizing I was repeating what you wrote.