Multiclass 3 levels into Battlemaster to get Disarming Attack. Disarm them of their spellcasting focus. GG.
A spellcaster who actually wields their focus instead of wearing it on a strap so they can hold it when they cast deserves what they get. This is like disarming one of their component pouch - if they didn't bring a shoulder strap to the fight, it's their own fault.
Fluff about your character ‘s equipment doesn’t negate rules.
Multiclass 3 levels into Battlemaster to get Disarming Attack. Disarm them of their spellcasting focus. GG.
A spellcaster who actually wields their focus instead of wearing it on a strap so they can hold it when they cast deserves what they get. This is like disarming one of their component pouch - if they didn't bring a shoulder strap to the fight, it's their own fault.
Fluff about your character ‘s equipment doesn’t negate rules.
And rules you invent aren't RAW, they're homebrew.
You may not be able to beat most of your competitors alone. But you don’t have to. Your first goal should be allying with another player that’s in a similar situation. Maybe a bard or cleric or artificer? Ideally, agree beforehand if you know the other players. The agreement should include when it stops: either everyone else dies or a certain number are left. You should also agree whether you can expect support or healing from each other.
Two level 20 characters should be able to take out others one at a time, even a Moon Druid. If you can get three, you should definitely be able to do it.
Think Hunger Games, but with Meteor Swarm and elementals. Teams were key there too.
Multiclass 3 levels into Battlemaster to get Disarming Attack. Disarm them of their spellcasting focus. GG.
A spellcaster who actually wields their focus instead of wearing it on a strap so they can hold it when they cast deserves what they get. This is like disarming one of their component pouch - if they didn't bring a shoulder strap to the fight, it's their own fault.
Fluff about your character ‘s equipment doesn’t negate rules.
And rules you invent aren't RAW, they're homebrew.
So you allow everybody to have a lanyard for their weapons. Now nobody can be disarmed. Why doesn’t everyone have lanyards and why is disarming even a thing?
In your “homebrew” if you allow advantages without cost, your game will quickly devolve into nonsense.
Multiclass 3 levels into Battlemaster to get Disarming Attack. Disarm them of their spellcasting focus. GG.
A spellcaster who actually wields their focus instead of wearing it on a strap so they can hold it when they cast deserves what they get. This is like disarming one of their component pouch - if they didn't bring a shoulder strap to the fight, it's their own fault.
This just sounds like kids playing make believe in the back yard.
"I shot you with my lazer!"
"Nuh, uh I have a super lazer deflector shield!"
You can't negate a legitimate mechanical feature with a made up description of your gear. If you could, every barbarian would carry around a massive shield that gave them full cover from all ranged spells and attacks until they close at melee range. There is a mechanic for disarming. There is no mechanic for preventing disarming outside of what is detailed in the disarming rules.
How to tell me you haven't read the disarming rules without telling me you haven't read the disarming rules.
Disarming attack causes the target to drop one object it's holding. It doesn't:
Force a target to hold anything.
A caster has no reason to hold a material component or focus outside of the relevant cast a spell action.
During the cast, they only need to hold the material component, not the entire component pouch.
So even if you Ready an attack to interrupt a cast of a caster using a material component from a pouch, all you'll do is cause them to drop the component.
Force the "drop" to drop the object to the floor.
Component pouches, as written, are belt pouches. Even if the target is holding the pouch and drops it, it won't phase through the belt.
Meanwhile, if you force them to drop the component, they'll just drop it back into the pouch, not necessarily to the ground.
Foci work like material components in every way. You can carry one inside a container and reach into the container each time you need to hold the focus to cast, exactly like casting with a material component.
So yes, you can Ready an action to make a single attack, and if you hit, apply Disarming Attack, forcing the target to make a Strength saving throw or drop the item they're holding. You have no magical way to force them to hold the object outside of the cast, and during the cast, you have no way to force them to hold the object outside of a container. So you just have no practical way to make this a real, genuine problem.
And I haven't invented any of these items, only used their in-game description:
(How are you suggesting you'd meaningfully disarm an amulet, anyway? Do you want the string to phase through the target's neck?)
I do think that there is some legitimacy to what you say about component pouches, which doesn't apply to a wand or other arcane focus.
PHB p.203:A spellcaster must have a free hand to access a spell's material components - or to use a spellcasting focus - but it can be the same hand he or she uses to perform the somatic components.
So we can infer from this that you can have a component pouch attached to your belt and you are just pulling out the components rather than the whole pouch, so I agree with much of what you said here.
Typically (and this is not a rule, just how I see most games going) a caster won't declare "I use my free action to put my wand in its holster/in my bag" at the end of a turn. If they do, then they need to remember to get it out again if they want to cast a spell on their next turn (and on that turn, they have no free action left to put it away again). So at least every other turn, they should be holding their focus. There are some Reaction spells like feather fall that you cannot use if you're not holding your arcane focus and don't also have a component pouch, but there aren't many (wizards only have 3).
Interestingly this means that using a component pouch is strictly mechanically better than using a wand or other arcane focus.
Meanwhile, if you force them to drop the component, they'll just drop it back into the pouch, not necessarily to the ground.
Disarming Attack does force the caster to drop it to the floor. This won't work for the battlemaster ability as it specifically states that it lands on the ground at your feet, not in a place of the target's choosing, but if you're doing that as a Held Action on their turn then firstly you'd have to forgo your normal attacks, they could move and then cast the spell and it won't work.
However, as 'Withdraw a potion from your backpack' is listed on p190 of the PHB, the DM should rule that the caster using a component's pouch must use a free action (only on their turn) to access the components in their pouch if they do not already have them in their hand, since we're now suggesting that the components pouch is a worn item equivalent to a backpack. Or they could rule that accessing the components in the pouch doesn't require a free action and is considered part of the Cast A Spell action (which I would probably side with).
So straps and whatnot aside, I'd come down on the side of being unable to disarm a caster of their components pouch, but you usually will be able to disarm them of an arcane focus.
Hey, I'm playing in a battle royale with several other people. My rogue is really good against melee and ranged attackers, but I'm worried about his effectiveness against spellcasters. Does anyone have advice on to fix this?
Details:
Everyone's level 20.
Everybody gets 3 common, 3 uncommon, 2 rare and 1 very rare magic items as long as it can match their backstory.
I don't have access to spells.
You're a Rogue. Do what rogue's do - pickpocket the caster's focus/pouch what ever, disengage, bolt for cover.
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
Hey, I'm playing in a battle royale with several other people. My rogue is really good against melee and ranged attackers, but I'm worried about his effectiveness against spellcasters. Does anyone have advice on to fix this?
Details:
Everyone's level 20.
Everybody gets 3 common, 3 uncommon, 2 rare and 1 very rare magic items as long as it can match their backstory.
I don't have access to spells.
You're a Rogue. Do what rogue's do - pickpocket the caster's focus/pouch what ever, disengage, bolt for cover.
Yep! Play like a Rogue. Stay hidden whenever possible, take cheap shots, don't get pinned down.
Pray that nobody has Forcecage.
Consider taking a teleportation item like the Cape of the Mountebank in case they do. But also, that spell requires ruby dust, so snatch their component pouch ASAP.
You don't need a backstory. The magic item just has to make sense for your character. (although I don't know why someone would try to get a magic item that doesn't make sense)
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I love drow, rogues and Chinese weapons. I mean come on, rope darts are awesome.
My current character is a drow shadow monk, with a "unique" honor code (give him some time, he's working through some stuff). He also sucks on the socialization side of interacting with all other living creatures. which is very fun to RP.
Fluff about your character ‘s equipment doesn’t negate rules.
And rules you invent aren't RAW, they're homebrew.
You may not be able to beat most of your competitors alone. But you don’t have to. Your first goal should be allying with another player that’s in a similar situation. Maybe a bard or cleric or artificer? Ideally, agree beforehand if you know the other players. The agreement should include when it stops: either everyone else dies or a certain number are left. You should also agree whether you can expect support or healing from each other.
Two level 20 characters should be able to take out others one at a time, even a Moon Druid. If you can get three, you should definitely be able to do it.
Think Hunger Games, but with Meteor Swarm and elementals. Teams were key there too.
So you allow everybody to have a lanyard for their weapons. Now nobody can be disarmed. Why doesn’t everyone have lanyards and why is disarming even a thing?
In your “homebrew” if you allow advantages without cost, your game will quickly devolve into nonsense.
I do think that there is some legitimacy to what you say about component pouches, which doesn't apply to a wand or other arcane focus.
PHB p.203: A spellcaster must have a free hand to access a spell's material components - or to use a spellcasting focus - but it can be the same hand he or she uses to perform the somatic components.
So we can infer from this that you can have a component pouch attached to your belt and you are just pulling out the components rather than the whole pouch, so I agree with much of what you said here.
Typically (and this is not a rule, just how I see most games going) a caster won't declare "I use my free action to put my wand in its holster/in my bag" at the end of a turn. If they do, then they need to remember to get it out again if they want to cast a spell on their next turn (and on that turn, they have no free action left to put it away again). So at least every other turn, they should be holding their focus. There are some Reaction spells like feather fall that you cannot use if you're not holding your arcane focus and don't also have a component pouch, but there aren't many (wizards only have 3).
Interestingly this means that using a component pouch is strictly mechanically better than using a wand or other arcane focus.
Disarming Attack does force the caster to drop it to the floor. This won't work for the battlemaster ability as it specifically states that it lands on the ground at your feet, not in a place of the target's choosing, but if you're doing that as a Held Action on their turn then firstly you'd have to forgo your normal attacks, they could move and then cast the spell and it won't work.
However, as 'Withdraw a potion from your backpack' is listed on p190 of the PHB, the DM should rule that the caster using a component's pouch must use a free action (only on their turn) to access the components in their pouch if they do not already have them in their hand, since we're now suggesting that the components pouch is a worn item equivalent to a backpack. Or they could rule that accessing the components in the pouch doesn't require a free action and is considered part of the Cast A Spell action (which I would probably side with).
So straps and whatnot aside, I'd come down on the side of being unable to disarm a caster of their components pouch, but you usually will be able to disarm them of an arcane focus.
You're a Rogue. Do what rogue's do - pickpocket the caster's focus/pouch what ever, disengage, bolt for cover.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
Yep! Play like a Rogue. Stay hidden whenever possible, take cheap shots, don't get pinned down.
Pray that nobody has Forcecage.
Consider taking a teleportation item like the Cape of the Mountebank in case they do. But also, that spell requires ruby dust, so snatch their component pouch ASAP.
I find it interesting that backstory is required for a battle royale at level 20, and needed in order to acquire magic items.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
You don't need a backstory. The magic item just has to make sense for your character. (although I don't know why someone would try to get a magic item that doesn't make sense)
I love drow, rogues and Chinese weapons. I mean come on, rope darts are awesome.
My current character is a drow shadow monk, with a "unique" honor code (give him some time, he's working through some stuff). He also sucks on the socialization side of interacting with all other living creatures. which is very fun to RP.
Play like a Rogue.
Stay hidden
Disarm foci
Steal component pouches/belts via Sleight of Hand
Wait until everyone has weakened each other, then attack from hidden.
You should be able to win this if you play like a Rogue