But what does THAT mean now? Do we only get to use Fey Gift a limited number of times, REGARDLESS if its a Bonus Action or a normal Action, or do we only get a limited number of uses of Fey Gift AS a Bonus Action?
Like I wrote, it's clear from a common sense reading how Fey Gifts tie to proficiency. It's also clear that the feature needs to be reformatted beyond the present delineation to prevent obtuse interpretations.
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
As written, using Help as a bonus action is limited to proficiency bonus times, but ANY time you use Help, you pick one of the bonuses and apply it on top of advantage on an ability check to a target or apply it to whichever enemy you target that you want to grant the next attack advantage on.
This ability was written very poorly, and by people who didn't bother to verify that the Help action worked in the way they thought it did. But it does seem it was very specifically written to apply the bonus unlimited amounts of time. Because they very specifically tied the PB uses to the line about using it as a bonus action. AND they very specifically said that you get the bonus any time you use the Help action "each time you take the Help action, whether as a bonus action or an action". So balance issues aside, it was clearly intended to NOT tie the bonuses to the PB uses of Help as a Bonus action.
Here's what I think it SHOULD be to balance it:
Fey Gift. You can use this trait to take the Help action as a bonus action, and you can do so a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Starting at 3rd level, you may choose one of the options below each time you take the Help action, whether as a bonus action or an action. Each ally can only benefit from one of these options, and they may only benefit from it once, until they finish a long rest.
Then I would rewrite the second paragraph of the Help action to make sure that you target an ally. (Obviously this will never happen).
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in an attack. You feint, distract the nearby enemies, or in some other way team up to make your target's Attack more effective. Until the start of your next turn, the target gains advantage on the first attack roll it makes against a creature that was within 5 ft of you when you took the Help action.
I interpret the help action as you choose an ally and an enemy. Crawford's ruling seems as based in RAW as mine, his twitter isn't an official ruling.
That is certainly a way you can interpret it at your table. But that doesn't change the vague imprecise language in the help action. And it doesn't change the fact that as written, the Hobgoblin would still be giving a benefit to the enemy it targets.
This is a shame. I wonder why they keep having people unfamiliar with the game rules write mechanics? A lot of these mistakes could be solved if the process involved actually looking at the game rules and sage advice...
Diversity Quota most likely
Are you suggesting that not only did WotC hire people based solely on their race (or other trait) to fill a quota, but that those people they did choose to hire are also unqualified for their job?
I hope I am misunderstanding your comment here because
Yikes, dude.
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„You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task.“
“Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s Attack more effective.“
„you can aid a friendly creature“ -> the target of the help is the ally. always.
i see why you find „the target“ being used ambiguous, but using grammar rules it‘s generally not: proximity implies association. the physically closer, logically fitting sense, that fully describes, what „the target“ is associated with, is the attack, and not the help action.
If i try to understand what the post by Crawford from 2017 means: the target of your help action can switch if you chose to help with an attack. that’s most likely to not lose an action while not forcing the player you want to assist with into doing what you want. both losing an action bc of someone else and being forced into one are no fun, so as game dev it makes sense to give this way out.
that‘s RAW.
Here’s a little example of that proximity rule:
“the light is on and the heater is also on, but if it was off, it would be dark.“ makes no sense
“the light is on and the heater is also on, but if it was off, it would be freezing.“ makes a lot more sense.
In this example the first „it“ has an implied association with the closer device, which makes the first sentence sound weird: why would it be dark if the heater was turned off? Other languages use this rule too btw (german for example).
in the text, you only read it wrong because you scan for the keyword, which in this case is not helpful as we try to understand the wording.
Not sure why you dug up this old thread but the current language of the ability is "the creature you help," so the concerns being raised in this thread are no longer relevant.
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Like I wrote, it's clear from a common sense reading how Fey Gifts tie to proficiency. It's also clear that the feature needs to be reformatted beyond the present delineation to prevent obtuse interpretations.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Ahhh OK. In that case you just don't use the trait.
#OpenDnD
As written, using Help as a bonus action is limited to proficiency bonus times, but ANY time you use Help, you pick one of the bonuses and apply it on top of advantage on an ability check to a target or apply it to whichever enemy you target that you want to grant the next attack advantage on.
This ability was written very poorly, and by people who didn't bother to verify that the Help action worked in the way they thought it did. But it does seem it was very specifically written to apply the bonus unlimited amounts of time. Because they very specifically tied the PB uses to the line about using it as a bonus action. AND they very specifically said that you get the bonus any time you use the Help action "each time you take the Help action, whether as a bonus action or an action". So balance issues aside, it was clearly intended to NOT tie the bonuses to the PB uses of Help as a Bonus action.
Here's what I think it SHOULD be to balance it:
Then I would rewrite the second paragraph of the Help action to make sure that you target an ally. (Obviously this will never happen).
I interpret the help action as you choose an ally and an enemy. Crawford's ruling seems as based in RAW as mine, his twitter isn't an official ruling.
That is certainly a way you can interpret it at your table. But that doesn't change the vague imprecise language in the help action. And it doesn't change the fact that as written, the Hobgoblin would still be giving a benefit to the enemy it targets.
Are you suggesting that not only did WotC hire people based solely on their race (or other trait) to fill a quota, but that those people they did choose to hire are also unqualified for their job?
I hope I am misunderstanding your comment here because
Yikes, dude.
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
„You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task.“
“Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s Attack more effective.“
„you can aid a friendly creature“ -> the target of the help is the ally. always.
i see why you find „the target“ being used ambiguous, but using grammar rules it‘s generally not: proximity implies association. the physically closer, logically fitting sense, that fully describes, what „the target“ is associated with, is the attack, and not the help action.
If i try to understand what the post by Crawford from 2017 means: the target of your help action can switch if you chose to help with an attack.
that’s most likely to not lose an action while not forcing the player you want to assist with into doing what you want. both losing an action bc of someone else and being forced into one are no fun, so as game dev it makes sense to give this way out.
that‘s RAW.
Here’s a little example of that proximity rule:
“the light is on and the heater is also on, but if it was off, it would be dark.“ makes no sense
“the light is on and the heater is also on, but if it was off, it would be freezing.“ makes a lot more sense.
In this example the first „it“ has an implied association with the closer device, which makes the first sentence sound weird: why would it be dark if the heater was turned off? Other languages use this rule too btw (german for example).
in the text, you only read it wrong because you scan for the keyword, which in this case is not helpful as we try to understand the wording.
Not sure why you dug up this old thread but the current language of the ability is "the creature you help," so the concerns being raised in this thread are no longer relevant.