Dreamscarred press: Obese dwarf - does slow and steady apply?


Advice and Rules Questions


An aberrant aegis can take the obese customization. It states that the user is slowed as is wearing heavy armor. Dwarf PCs have the slow and steady racial trait are not slowed by wearing heavy armor.

So would a dwarf aberrant with the obese customization be slowed or not?

Obese:

The aberrant’s base movement is reduced as if wearing heavy armor (for example, 30 ft. becomes 15 ft.), but the aberrant gains extra hit points equal to his aberrant level and the aberrant’s damage reduction gained from his transformed body improves by 1.


I would say yes, just because in the game many things are "as if" or "like" to cut down word count. It is much easier to refer to something existing and save page space than fill it up a book with redundant rules.

A sword that is a short sword but deals damage as a bastard sword, is still technically a short sword for instance. The customization isn't armor, though the closest rule to simulate the effect is saying it lowers your speed like armor, so the Slow and Steady wouldn't kick in.


I disagree. If it says "like armor", than it means "like armor" and dwarf's slow-and-steady applies. It if didn't mean that it could have just written it slows the character for 10 ft. The game doesn't use "as if" and "like" if it doesn't mean it.


necromental wrote:
I disagree. If it says "like armor", than it means "like armor" and dwarf's slow-and-steady applies. It if didn't mean that it could have just written it slows the character for 10 ft. The game doesn't use "as if" and "like" if it doesn't mean it.

The problem is it doesn't slow the character 10' because different races have different speeds, as well as different classes adjusting speeds. A blanket 10' doesn't work. They can however point to something else in the rules that does what they want and say "like this". It doesn't mean that it is synonymous and exactly the same as that however. There are numerous places in the rules where things like that happen. Two of the ones most debated at this point on the boards have been effortless lace (treating it as a light weapon) and unarmed strikes (treated as a natural attack).

Just because something is "like" something else, doesn't mean it is the same for a intents and purpose. The DSP crew is usually pretty good about watching the boards here, but if the OP needs an answer they can always go to the DSP homepage and post there to get one.


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I would actually say that the Slow and Steady trait would work.


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I'd say it applies, if only because Bombur is the best dwarf.


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The Aegis is slowed as if wearing heavy armor.
Dwarves are not slowed by heavy armor.
A dwarven aegis is not slowed.

Simple logic.


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The game mechanics very often fall apart due to "simple logic", again I would suggest the OP ask on the DSP boards if they want what what the writers intended to be clarified.


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

In this case, simple logic yields a simple answer. Why overthink it?


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I'll try to be clearer.

Slow and Steady works to remove the movement penalty of Obese.

- Andreas Rönnqvist
Dreamscarred Press
Author of both the Aegis and the aberrant.


Thanks for the clarification!


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Skylancer4 wrote:
The game mechanics very often fall apart due to "simple logic", again I would suggest the OP ask on the DSP boards if they want what what the writers intended to be clarified.

I'm guessing you didn't recognize Andreas as one of DSP's writers? ;)


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

You know, it's just such a common name. :)


Orthos wrote:
Skylancer4 wrote:
The game mechanics very often fall apart due to "simple logic", again I would suggest the OP ask on the DSP boards if they want what what the writers intended to be clarified.
I'm guessing you didn't recognize Andreas as one of DSP's writers? ;)

I'm well aware of who he is, I'm an avid fan of psionics and have been buying DSP products since after 3.0 came out :p

Still doesn't change the fact that questions like these are then ones that get FAQs for rules ambiguity. It is nice to know the official stance on the question now.


Orthos wrote:
Skylancer4 wrote:
The game mechanics very often fall apart due to "simple logic", again I would suggest the OP ask on the DSP boards if they want what what the writers intended to be clarified.
I'm guessing you didn't recognize Andreas as one of DSP's writers? ;)

I didn't! :D

(I suck at reading Credits... :/ Sorry!)


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That all depends on how obese we get! Speaking as an obese dwarf myself in RL!

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