oath of honor and pit trap

By kiper32, in Descent: Journeys in the Dark

If an OL uses a pit trap on a player using ooh would said player still be able to make the attack from ooh considering it is not a new action but rather a part of the action that is still taking place. After some debate we ruled that the player could choose to still make the attack, but then be stunned, or he could give up the attack basically paying it as the movement cost for the card, but then he wouldn't be stunned. Has anyone else had this issue? We had a couple in our group argue that he should be stunned and could not perform the attack, but then would also lose his second action to discard stun. I ruled it as I did because it seemed to be the fairest option. The latter seemed to crippling for the hero because basically they paid fatigue to move a few spaces and then lost both their actions because the card prevented them from finishing their action of attacking on top of taking away their second action with stun.

Based on the two cards I would have to say that if the Warrior spent all of his movement points prior to activating OOH, then once he enters the empty space the OL's card suspends the Warrior's action following entry to the space and you follow the rules on the OL card which puts (in this case) a stun on the hero preventing the follow up of the OOH. This makes logical sense as the hero has fallen in a pit and has no range of motion left to get out and perform the attack. However, if the hero has movement points left for whatever reason (activated the action first, split the move, etc) then he simply loses a movement point (and health, of course), the OL's pit trap card is discarded and the hero continues his OOH attack. That's how I understand the cards to be played.

Your example leads me to believe he had a second action left which he could use as a move to negate the stun effect. Which, again, is logical since he is using his movement to get out of the pit.

Your interpretation then would beg the question of if a person is able to use a second move act to pay the cost of a movement point to pay the movement point for the card. We had been playing that it if it had been played at the end of a move then the second action was separate move and therefore you could not pay your movement point through that act, so then you would be stunned, instead. This also then asked the question of if you can use a fatigue to gain a movement to pay the cost of the card or even if you can use fatigue to move while under the effects of stun since its the only action you can take and using fatigue to move is not an action.

There is nothing I can find that states the OL cards are based per action. I believe the design is purposeful in that the OL card would state the unique rules of it's play ( this is why cards override the rule book). To this effect, yes, you may use your second action as a move action to negate the pit trap stun.

With regard to using fatigue the answer is "yes" because the card is clearly stating "Movement Points" which (Page 8) is defined as your character's movement points AND the ability to convert stamina to movement points. The OL card says nothing as to when, during a hero's two actions, it can be used - it simply says "When a Hero enters an empty space". It also states "If he (the hero) has no movement points to lose" to which I refer to my previous statement regarding movement points; every hero has potentially [2xN movement points + remaining stamina points] movement points per Round.

The OL card never refers to "Move ACTIONS" which I believe is where your group's confusion lies. It clearly states "Movement POINTS".

Rico said:

There is nothing I can find that states the OL cards are based per action. I believe the design is purposeful in that the OL card would state the unique rules of it's play ( this is why cards override the rule book). To this effect, yes, you may use your second action as a move action to negate the pit trap stun.

With regard to using fatigue the answer is "yes" because the card is clearly stating "Movement Points" which (Page 8) is defined as your character's movement points AND the ability to convert stamina to movement points. The OL card says nothing as to when, during a hero's two actions, it can be used - it simply says "When a Hero enters an empty space". It also states "If he (the hero) has no movement points to lose" to which I refer to my previous statement regarding movement points; every hero has potentially [2xN movement points + remaining stamina points] movement points per Round.

The OL card never refers to "Move ACTIONS" which I believe is where your group's confusion lies. It clearly states "Movement POINTS".

Movement points are something that is actively generated by either a move action or spending fatigue to move. If you haven't already done one of these you have zero movement points just the ability to generate them.

If the hero uses oath of honor as his first action and gets hit with pit trap he is stunned. While he has an action available he has no movement points at the time the pit trap lands. You can't interrupt actions (other then move actions) to take a move action or spend fatigue to generate movement points so by the time the hero could generate additional movement points to pay off pit trap it has already landed and the hero is already stunned.

So no you can't use a 2nd move to negate pit trap stun as you have an action available but no window to convert said action into movement points.

Things get a little harder to figure out when a pit trap hits a fatigue move or at the end of a move action as there you have the ability to interrupt your actions and generate more movement points and it comes down to can you interrupt your action in response to the OL on which there are no rules. It comes down to timing of when you can interrupt and we only know that you can interrupt so no way to tell without a FAQ.

I have to agree with this clarification regarding "actively generating" move points. I retract my previous argument. In the OP's case he would burn his last action to discard the stun so that his following turn he would have both actions available.

But now were still back to whether or not the player can follow through with an action that has already begun if he gets stunned in the middle of the action, lol.

kiper32 said:

But now were still back to whether or not the player can follow through with an action that has already begun if he gets stunned in the middle of the action, lol.

The stun card only prevents a hero from taking any other action while that player has the card. I don't see anything in that effect that prevents the hero from completing an action already in progress.

So I would rule that the hero gets to finish the special action already taken for Oath of Honor, and makes the attack. Afterwards, they may clear the stun if they still have an action remaining.

True, this may not work that well thematically, but it is how the rules work.