Areas of Effect

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Area of Effect

Accounting for distance and movement is a complex topic, and large amounts of thought went into this. For these variant rules, Pathfinder's Distance, Movement, and Area of Effect rules are the 'standard'. Namely, measure all movement in squares, face-to-face moves are 1 for 1, and diagonal moves are 1, then 2, then 1 for 1. Area of effects are represented by templates and precisely defined.

This approach is simple, but is not very flexible and introduces several issues. For example, there is no template for a 25 foot cone, so how do you determine the area of such a custom area of effect? Why is the template for a sixty foot cone actually eighty feet wide? How do you determine the exact size of a sixty foot cone that has been doubled in size by a meta-magic feat? What about a sixty foot radius circle? Why is the area of a sixty foot line cut in half if it is laid down in a diagonal?

Moreover, these variant rules introduce several high-maneuverability classes, namely, the prowler, the monk, and the brawler. In addition to the maneuver classes, several classes may gain area of effect attacks, such as epic bards and fighters, and of course the spell-casters. In order to make play smoother and more enjoyable in such a fluid environment, it is strongly recommended that the following variant rules be used for measuring distance, movement, and area of effects.

ALL distances and movement are counted as "1 for 1." There is no penalty for moving in diagonal lines. This has the effect of greatly simplifying the work of determining ranges and allows high-maneuverability classes to play much faster.

ALL areas of effect are simplified.

Templates are no longer used for circles or cones. The area of effect for all common cones and circles are reduced to squares, based upon the conversions below. This simplifies placing AOE's considerably, and allows custom sizes or widened spells to be used easily.

Placement Rules

No-range attacks (usually cones) are placed by ensuring that any square of the AOE must have one point of adjacency, either a side or a corner, with one of the attacker's squares. For example, a size Medium wizard uses Burning Hands. This spell has a fifteen-foot-cone area of effect. In these rules, the cone template is not used, and instead the Area of Effect is converted to a three by three square. The location of the effect of the spell must be adjacent to either a side or a corner of one of the caster's squares. Since the wizard is size Medium and thus has only one square, the Burning Hands AOE must be adjacent to either a side or a corner of that square.

A size Huge dragon breathing a sixty foot cone of fire is resolved as follows: A size Huge creature occupies a three by three square. A sixty foot cone is defined as an 8x8 square. The 8x8 square of the area of effect must be placed so that it is 'touching' any edge or corner of the 3x3 square of the dragon's space.

Ranged area of effect attacks are not determined by adjacency to the attacker's square. Instead, they are counted out from a central target point. All 'odd number' areas of effect are centered upon a target square. All 'even number' areas of effect are centered upon an intersection 'targeting cross-hair' formed by four squares.

Conversion of Areas of Effect

Many of the larger areas of effect have been reduced in size to balance the fact that corners are no longer being cut out by the old 3:2 diagonal rules. The total affected area is still usually greater under these variant rules. This reduction also allows for simplification of the Widen Spell metamagic feat, which simply doubles the listed axis values. For example, a 30-foot cone with Widen Spell applied grows from a 5x5 square to a 10x10 square.

Line Areas of Effect

To determine which creatures are struck by a line attack, choose the origin square (any square adjacent to the caster) and any target square within range, and draw a straight line between the center of the two squares. The target square may be closer than the line's maximum range but it may not be further. Note that the line's range is not shortened by choosing a square closer than the maximum range; the effect simply passes through that square to its maximum range. Any square that the line crosses, even partially, is considered to be within the line's area of effect. If there is some doubt that the line has actually passed through a square, rather than just nicking its edge or corner, the GM should generally rule conservatively, (i.e. the line doesn't cross that square), since lines are intended to be somewhat limited in area of effect.

Cone Areas of Effect

• • 15 foot cone becomes a 3x3 square around a target square
  • 30 foot cone becomes a 5x5 square around a target square
  • 60 foot cone becomes an 8x8 square around a target intersection point

Radius Areas of Effect

• • 5 foot radius becomes a 2x2 square around a target intersection point
  • 10 foot radius becomes a 4x4 square around a target intersection point
  • 15 foot radius becomes a 5x5 square around a target square
  • 20 foot radius becomes a 7x7 square around a target square
  • 30 foot radius becomes a 9x9 square around a target square
  • 40 foot radius becomes a 12x12 square around a target intersection point