Poisoned Dagger Issues

[sanityismyvanity]

1) Currently, the Poisoned Dagger is being implemented incorrectly in regards to the rules. You are only given the option to use the Dagger on a roll of 1 and after your opponent has rolled. The rules (pg. 10) state that all modifiers are applied to your Attack Score before your opponent rolls their Attack Roll. The game should pause to have the Dagger flash when rolling a 1 before the opponent has an opportunity to even roll their Attack Roll.

2) Additionally, the Poisoned Dagger in its current state is bugged and not adding the additional roll to your Attack Score. In a game earlier today, my Martyr was in Battle with a Pit Fiend (Str 4). I rolled a 1, and combined with my Str 6 + Poison Dagger (+1 Str in Battle), I had an Attack Score of 8 vs. the Pit Fiends Attack Score of 9. At this point I activated the Dagger and rolled a 2. I did not reroll, since that should have bumped me up to a 10, but I still lost the Battle and lost a life. It acted as though I never rolled the additional die. I had no Objects/Followers that would have caused my Attack Score to be lower, like the Jester/Haunt.

[Artaterxes]

I don't think the first point is an issue. The dagger, and anything that affects the "attack roll," is different from something that "modifies" Strength or Craft.

To illustrate why the distinction matters, remember, the attacker always rolls first. Even if you forced an attacker to activate the poisoned dagger before the defender rolls, it is impossible to force the defender to do the same. A defender with the poisoned dagger will always see the attacker's roll. We just don't think of this situation because usually the defender is a creature, not a character with the dagger.

Therefore when it comes to modifying attack *rolls,* I think it's fair to allow both to be rolled and then give the options, as is currently done.

However, if something can change the Strength or Craft *modifier,* as opposed to the *roll,* then yes that needs to be done prior to the rolls (e.g. Psionic Blast, Potion of Strength).

[sanityismyvanity]

Perhaps I'm getting too wrapped in the semantics of this situation, granted, but without rules that always apply you just end up with chaos. While I understand where you are coming from, just keeping things simple, I felt it should be pointed out that in Battle vs. Creatures, everything that affects the attacking characters Attack Score must be applied before the defending creature makes their Attack Roll. This is very clearly stated on Pg. 10 of the rulebook.

Bringing up an additional point concerning what you mention, technically "Battles between two Characters" as described on pg. 11 of the rulebook is implemented incorrectly by the DE game. Whilst in a Battle or Psychic Combat vs. a Creature, the Attacking Character always rolls first before the Defender, no such distinction is made for Player vs. Player. Same goes for casting Spells before combat, or using Objects or Followers that modify your Attack Score. The Defending character can roll first here, per the rules, or cast a spell before the Attacker does.

What this potentially restricts is the ability of the Attacking Character to adjust and react to something that the Defending Character does. DE forces the Attacker to just roll with no additional "gap" to perhaps cast another spell, while in the physical game, they could react.

Of course, for the sake of simplicity, it is enacted exactly like combat vs. Creatures and uses the same logic. But it isn't a direct translation of how the game is supposed to actually work.

Of course, none of this is related to the very real bug that the additonal poisoned Dagger roll after getting a 1 isn't working properly as I detailed in point 2. I haven't had a chance to check if a previous bug I reported before during the Dungeon Beta has been fixed, where after rolling the additional die still allowed a fate reroll, and the added die still added to the Attack Score + the newly rerolled original Attack Roll, creating a Flail like situation where one shouldn't exist.