Fantasy Craft Second Printing Q&A Thread

[Crafty_Pat]

Hmm... I see now. There's no explicit action for picking pockets, it's just an action of 'I take that out of his pocket' with a Conceal Action check to cover it up.

Yup.

So does the Mistdancer gain possession of the pickpocketed items (I presume so, since they can stash things at a distance)?

Well, Stashing is the opposite action (say, hiding something in a person's pocket), but the same holds true. If you pick a pocket or stash an item from a distance using shadow's hand, the item is gained or stashed at range.

Do their tools apply to the Disable attempt (once they hit level 7)?

It's still the same action - it's just happening at range. So yes.

[Crafty_Pat]

How does the Wicked Dance stance from Knife Basics (can't take move actions, but can take 5' steps) interact with Ghost Basics (move twice your speed when making a Hide check) and the Mist-Dancer's Spellshroud ability (spend an AP to make a Hide check as a free action when you cast a spell)?

Point of order: this is exactly the kind of thing your GM should be answering, as I can see multiple perfectly valid answers for each combination. Given my GMing style, I might in fact use more than one of them in the same game, and even in the same session, based on circumstances and the narrative at hand. That said...

I.e. Can a character with all of the above who is already in Wicked Dance stance cast a 0-level spell (e.g. Featherfall, free action) spend an AP, and move twice their speed without breaking the stance?

Technically, that reading is correct. Remember, however, that free actions are specifically and universally limited to GM fiat. I might allow that once for fun, twice to help the story along, but the second I smelled abuse the character would suddenly be operating on a healthy diet of zero free actions.

If we took out the cheesy use of Feather Fall, and replaced it with a real spell (such as a full-round action one), how are the rules meant to be interpreted? Since there aren't any 'move' actions in the game (although there is a 'standard move actions' and several other 'movement actions'), I'm having trouble interpreting what a character in Wicked Dance (or one of the other 5' only stances) can and can't do. For example, does the Handle Item action (a movement action) break the stance?

There are Movement actions in the game (see page 218) and they're specifically what the wicked dance stance is prohibiting. Of course, one of the reasons we leave these things a bit open to GM interpretation is that a GM can and should feel empowered to extend that reach if, say, a combo arises in his game that's detrimental to play. For example, I might rule that anything involving significant movement of any kind would break the stance, even if otherwise protected by magic or other abilities. The game's flexible like that.

[tenebrae]

Does the Class Enhancement essence work like Virtues of Command, in that it boosts existing class abilities that are based on class level, or does it solely grant the next level's class ability?

[dulio12385]

This may seem like a dumb question but I'd like to ask it anyways. When you pay Reputation to purchase a magic item, say a magic suit of armor, do you still have to pay separately for the sp cost of item itself along with its upgrades? Do I get the item with all the upgrades (like Fitted or Lightweight, etc) for free along with it or am I just paying for the enchantments of the item itself?

[tenebrae]

Do Command spells make the target act immediately (without taking an action), or on their next initiative count?

[Mister Andersen]

This may seem like a dumb question but I'd like to ask it anyways. When you pay Reputation to purchase a magic item, say a magic suit of armor, do you still have to pay separately for the sp cost of item itself along with its upgrades? Do I get the item with all the upgrades (like Fitted or Lightweight, etc) for free along with it or am I just paying for the enchantments of the item itself?

It's spelt out in the example: once something's magicked up, all you're payng is the rep. Any associated monetry cost is strictly speaking GM fiat but is generally understood to be written off (likely to the standard upkeep that eats away your cash every time you level)

[Gentry]

Though if you're having it built, your GM is perfectly within his rights to make you pay the silver cost of the armor prior to paying the rep cost for the enchantment. It could go either way, depending on the circumstances in which you acquire the armor.

[Crafty_Pat]

Does the Class Enhancement essence work like Virtues of Command, in that it boosts existing class abilities that are based on class level, or does it solely grant the next level's class ability?

I would rule that it does both.

Do Command spells make the target act immediately (without taking an action), or on their next initiative count?

In most cases a character acts when he can act (i.e. his current or next Initiative Count). I could see some situations where I'd rule otherwise, however.

[Gatac]

This sentence from the Combat Section, page 203:

"Unless a character intentionally enters a combat after it begins, he begins the fight flat-footed."

What exactly is that saying? I think it means that when combat starts, everybody in it is flat-footed to begin with, but if you join a running combat after it's started, you're not flat-footed. I'm about 95% sure that's what it means but I'd like to be 100% sure.

[Crafty_Pat]

This sentence from the Combat Section, page 203:

"Unless a character intentionally enters a combat after it begins, he begins the fight flat-footed."

What exactly is that saying? I think it means that when combat starts, everybody in it is flat-footed to begin with, but if you join a running combat after it's started, you're not flat-footed. I'm about 95% sure that's what it means but I'd like to be 100% sure.

Two situations...

- Adventurer spots a bar fight and decides to join. He's not flat-footed because he's entering intentionally.

- Adventurer is sitting down to dinner and a fight that's been brewing outside for a round or two spills through a window and over his table (this actually happened to one of my co-designers in the real world - three times). He is flat-footed, as he wasn't expecting to enter the fight.

Make sense?

[Mister Andersen]

What trumps, a higher result (19+x₁=y₁) or a threat/critical success (20+x₂=y₂)?

where x₁ > x₂ & y₁ > y₂

[Crafty_Alex]

*sproing*

[Deral]

What trumps, a higher result (19+x₁=y₁) or a threat/critical success (20+x₂=y₂)?

where x₁ > x₂ & y₁ > y₂

Wouldn't this be the higher result? A threat is nothing special (unactivated, on it's own, without any other abilities or feats)  in FC, and can only be activated as a critical success if it wins the opposed roll/beats the DC. So then the argument is reduced to is 21 > or < 20, it's a lot more obvious. Or was this a joke question I failed?

[Gentry]

Top right on page 65. A natural 20 has to actually produce the higher total in order to be activated as a critical success.

[Mister Andersen]

thanks