Combat States - may I request help from the community?
 

For a while now, I've wanted to add a combat states table to HL - charging, fighting defensively, etc. It will probably be placed above the Conditions table on the adjust tab, and will probably look like the conditions table.

The scripting for the basic states won't take long - the time consuming part of this project will be the interactions. For example, a Duelist has the Elaborate Defense ability; +2 AC while fighting defensively or on total defense. The Cavalier has many bonuses while mounted on his mount and other bonuses for mounted charges. A prestige class from Pathfinder #14 called the Chevalier has a Controlled Charge ability that removes the -2 AC penalty for charging.

So, what I'd appreciate help with is finding all those interactions.

Here are the combat states list I've come up with (if you have any recommended additions to this, please say so):

Charging
Fighting Defensively
Total Defense
Mounted
Mounted (Specify Mount)
Running
Withdrawing
Squeezing into a tight space
Flanking
Flanked
On Higher Ground
Kneeling/Sitting
Partial Cover
Total Cover
Soft Cover
Improved Cover
Concealment
Total Concealment

(there are also some conditions, like prone or blinded that may have interactions that have been missed - if you come across anything that modifies the way one of the conditions that are already in HL functions, please bring that up, too).

If you can find anything that has special effects if one of those combat states is active, or that modifies the way a combat state functions, I'd appreciate it if you could list it here. Having a list of things to check will make the process of implementing all those effects much faster. Also, with many eyes searching for them, there's less chance of missing one.

If the thing isn't in the core rulebook, please note which book it's in so that it's easier to find. If you know of anything from 3rd party publishers or 3.5 material, please add those, too (for those, please copy some text or describe the effects - I don't own every 3PP/3.5 book). I won't be implementing those changes for 3PP/3.5 material, but I want to know what possibilities are out there, so that I can write the code in a way that makes it possible for users to add those effects.

Thank you all very much in advance.

Mathias, I have some spells I've added to my conditions. Any interest?

Currently I only have:
Foxes Cunning
Eagle's Splendor
Owl's Wisdom
Shield
Mage Armor
Expeditious Retreat

Planned:
Bless
Shield of Faith (not sure how to designate a level except by doing a seperate entry for each bonus)
Barkskin (ditto)
Fly

I'll probably also be adding a Spells & Character Abilities table at the same time. I'll add a dozen or so core spells (haste, mage armor, shield, bless, etc.) and class abilities (inspire courage, paladin's auras, etc.) myself, but then I'll be requesting help adding all the others.

Their table will be like the existing adjustments tables, not the conditions table, so that they can have incrementers and duration fields, so I'd recommend moving yours out of the conditions table to the normal adjustments table. That way you can use incrementers and build Bless/Barkskin/etc. in a way that allows the user to set the effectiveness of the spell. Also, once all the spells and every class/race ability that can affect another character are added, there'll be way too many to list them all for every character - users can add the once they want to use like they'd add one of the existing adjustments.

Once I get that set up, donations of completed spells would be much appreciated.

Bump

Please?

You should post this on the Paizo Board you will get way more people involved some who dont even have Hero Lab yet

Agreed

Although I'm REALLY looking forward to these "combat states"and I would like to help you, my knowledge of the Pathfinder RPG is somehow limited when it comes down to small tweaks (which is why I bought Hero Lab in the first place :D)

Back at the Paizo boards there are some pretty impressive min/maxers who know these "interactions" like the back of their hand.

Edit: I had an idea after writing this post. Every combat states could be searched in the D20PFSRD just to see what comes up. Unfortunately, the search fonction at this location is not working for me at the moment :(

No, I just want the Hero Lab community.

You don't need knowledge of HL coding for this project - what I need is people reading through the books looking for anything that could alter the function of one of those things.

Post only a few if you like - the more activity on this thread will draw in more helpers.

Here's a couple :)

Fighting Defensively

Draconic Defender feat (Dragon's Revisited): During your action, designate an ally within your reach. When you fight defensively or use Combat Expertise, your ally gains a natural armor bonus to AC equal to the dodge bonus you gain from fighting defensively or Combat Expertise.

Osyluth Guile feat (Cheliax, Empire of Devils): While you are fighting defensively or using the total defense action, select one opponent. Add your Charisma bonus to your AC as a dodge bonus against that opponent's melee attacks until your next turn. You cannot use this feat if you cannot see the selected opponent.

Acrobatics skill: If you have 3 or more ranks in Acrobatics, you gain a +3 dodge bonus to AC when fighting defensively instead of the usual +2, and a +6 dodge bonus to AC when taking the total defense action instead of the usual +4

Flanking

Outflank Feat (Advanced player's guide): Whenever you and an ally who also has this feat are flanking the same creature, your flanking bonus on attack rolls increases to +4. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit against the flanked creature, it provokes an attack of opportunity from your ally.

One thing that our local PFS group faces is the Fighting Defensively as a Standard Action. You can move and still take an attack action, and three or more skill ranks in acrobatics gives you a +3 AC bonus, while the Fighting Defensively as a Full Round action with acrobatics with five ranks provides a +3 AC. And Total Defense of course has the three ranks of acrobatics to get a +6 dodge bonus. I am really looking forward to these and the other conditions already posted being part of the HeroLab core. Having just got a netbook for gaming use - I never realized how useful HL really is at the table and could have used some of those conditions this past weekend.

Prone
Rage
Various Rage powers (To many to list)
Sneak Attack (leveled)
Various Rogue Talents (To many to list)
Bull Rush
Grapple
Incorporeal
Gaseous
Hold the line



I know some one is a spell like gaseous form.. but the rest are relevant to combat :)

Hope this helps and what you were looking for. If it is I will try and look up some more.
-jon