Beta 3: Activating Soldier Ability

[Lithrian]

Dice incorrectly changed when activating Soldier ability.

 

iPad, Normal Brigandoom, no Pass&Play, no Permadeath

Playing as Merisiel, encounter Zombie (Combat 9 to defeat) at the Old Bridge

 

Default die was d8 (Str).

 

Played a Soldier (recharge to add d4 to your Melee Combat check), and the dice became 2d4, rather than d8+d4

 

I was able to repeatedly Evade the encounter and repeat the problem.

[Borissimo]

Weirdly, this is not a bug with the digital game but rather a quirk of the physical game that the digital version captures correctly.

 

The soldier adds a bonus do your Melee skill specifically. Characters who do not have a skill always roll a d4 when attempting a check for that skill. Since Merisiel doesn't have the Melee skill, and since the soldier's ability applies to the melee skill only, Merisiel must roll 2d4 (1d4 for herself + 1d4 for the soldier) if she wants to use the soldier's ability in combat.

 

Edit: here's an extra clarification. Suppose Kyra has 2 skill feats in wisdom and is trying to close the woods (a wisdom or survival 6 check). If she rolls her wisdom, she'll be rolling 1d12 + 2. If recharges a Guide (add d10 to your survival check), then she'll switch from rolling 1d12 + 2 for wisdom to rolling 1d4, no skill feats, for survival, since she does not have the survival skill. Then she will add the Guide's bonus for a total of 1d4 + 1d10. Your example with Merisiel is exactly analogous to this one.

 

What I think is a bug is that Sajan cannot use the soldier when using his hero power. By the wording of his power, he is still considered to be using the Melee skill, so he should still be allowed to recharge a soldier for it ... I think!

Edited April 3, 2016 by Borissimo

[Hannibal_PJV]

True! This is "not" a bug.

Neither is Sajan. He use his dexterity dice for combat check. So it is a combat check, not melee combat check.

[Lithrian]

Oh!  That makes TONS of sense.  Thanks for setting me straight.

 

Do you think it would be appropriate to differentiate between a "default" combat check (my d8), and a Melee check (the 2d4) in the pulldown for check type?  That might help illustrate to the user that something had changed and give them a way to "take back" their mistake?