This weekend Rules Advisory for Players

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up on some more unique things going on this event.

1) There will be boom bags to alarm you that you have set off a trap. They give a not too loud popping noise shortly after you inadvertently step on them. They will have the correct string on them, so if you see the string and you can do something about the trap, feel free to. However, if you hear a pop, this is the trap you get hit with:
Area Effect 15 feet Attack 1: Waylay Attack 2: Sever left leg, Sever right leg
-If you were not aware of the trap, the attacks are a surprise attack, meaning that it bypasses all latent magical, divine, and druidic defenses protecting an opponent, except for Resist, or a protection that specifically foils surprise attacks.
-A character that is aware of the trap suffers the attack as a normal attack of the appropriate type
-Waylay can be stopped by Resist, or a skill that specifically defends against waylay (Not displace or displacement since they do not defend against AoE attacks)
-For the Sever limbs, you only need one defense for the two sever limbs. Even if you are waylaid, Stone skin, Bark skin and the like will work. If you are not waylaid, Resilience, Deflect, Parry (if you are facing the trap), Repel, Immaculate Defense, Resist, or Avoid will work.

2) If you are in an area surrounded by RED glowsticks, The following will not work in the confines of that area: Healer's Abilities, Light Clergy Prayers, Posi, and Good Aligned abilities. That also means that any of those abilities cast INTO the area will have no effect.
The following healing will still work: Druidics, Wild Magic, Physicians, Alchemy, Bardics, Neutral and Dark Clergy.

3) If you see an area bordered by GREEN glowsticks, you can only enter that area if you are level 10 or under.

4) If you are touched by a Shadow Creature, you must make your way directly to the small glade kind of area between the Inn and the Barn. You will know the Shadow Creature...

5) Hope everyone finds this weekend challenging and fun! It looks like it might thunderstorm some this weekend, so bring a change of clothes, or two... or three.

Real quick... if you disarm the trap with the boom bag, do you wish for the player to OOG remove the boom bag, string, etc... or do you want the player to inform a marshal that they disarmed the trap & have the marshal remove it OOG from where it is?

Will Bardic spells work within the red glow-stick zones?

1) The locations where the traps will be, there will be a Marshal nearby. However, if you disarm the trap, and the marshal isn't around, please loudly verbalize your removal of the trap using a skill, then feel free to pop the bag with your foot. I don't want you putting the bag in your pocket, then having it go off in your pocket.

2) Bardics will also work in the red glow-stick zones. As will all magic.

Will a single defense stop both Sever Limbs?

Correct. You need one defense for the waylay, which hits first, then another defense for the sever limbs.

What defenses will not work against the traps- I'm assuming the list of what will not work is smaller than the list of what does work.

Waylay can be stopped by Resist, or a skill that specifically defends against waylay (Not displace or displacement since they do not defend against AoE attacks)

For the Severlimbs, even if you are waylayed, Stoneskin, Barkskin and the like will work. If you are not waylayed, Resilience, Repel, Immaculate Defense, Resist, or Avoid.

Please if I overlooked any, let me know. I'm pretty sure most other defenses do not work against AoE.

What about parry or deflect? Depending on the way you are facing of coarse parry definitely wouldn't, but this is still important for those of us who have few or no higher list skills.

What about items that are good aligned, will they still function in the glowstick areas? Namely an aligned artifact with non-aligned abilities on it, I am wondering if the non-aligned abilities on the item will still work.

Thank you, yes, both of them would work (parry as long as you are facing the trap when it goes off).

From: Detecting, Triggering, and Disarming Traps in the Rulebook

All effects that a trap delivers are considered to be one attack, unless the trap has the trait Multiple Attack - at which point the effects can be divided into a total number of attacks equal to the number of Multiple Attack traits plus one. A defense that will stop any one effect of an attack will stop the whole attack.

Any character that is affected by the trap and was not aware of its presence must treat the attack as a surprise attack - meaning that it bypasses all latent magical, divine, and druidic defenses protecting an opponent, except for Resist, or a protection that specifically foils surprise attacks. A character that is aware of the trap suffers the attack as a normal attack of the appropriate type.

Thank you Chris, I will update my responses to reflect that.

As to the unaligned abilities on an aligned item. I don't have a problem with them working.

Hey would psionics work in the glow areas? and as for the trapped area if the psion is near someone who knows about the trap and tells the psion to put up inertial barrier would that stop anything?

Psions are not Healer's Abilities, Light Clergy Prayers, Posi, and Good Aligned abilities. They should be fine.

Inertial Barrier only stops all non superior incoming and outgoing physical weapon attacks. Since traps aren't weapon attacks, it will not help.