If IN-combat Only , Then ... wondering

[awaken DM golem]

Let's say you couldn't do any out-of-combat stuff.
You couldn't do most skills ; just the ones that work In-combat.
You couldn't pre-buff or make items.
Probably couldn't use most Divinations.
You get 4 encounters per day, but you are always surprised.

You could get your daily spells selections, but that's it.
No researching, no spending time at the Wizards Bar & Grill.

The only Only ONLY things you can do, are in-combat.
Another way to think about it is
you might be able to do some these nerfed things during combat.
Not that this is a good tactic, given the restrictions so far.

There would still be the problem of abilities that effectively end combat.
Round 1 survive the onslaught. Round 2 create some space.
Round 3 Teleport away = combat over.
That's just too ...   ... overpowered at some point.
I mean you No Save bam! and you've ended combat. It's over.
This is kinda a new category of abilities: Combat Ender.
It influences combat too much, by ending the combat altogether !!

So obviously you can't do that, because you have to some how STILL be In-combat.
Perhaps you attempt to hit one monster even if you don't hit or
you do 1 hit point of damage via a Concentration based effect, or similar.
So long as you can do that, you qualify as being In-combat.

What do you think  

[Garryl]

It's a similar problem to what comes up in many console RPGs that have free hp/mp restoring effects that only work in combat. Just find something that can't damage you or anything at all and do your stuff.

I recommend having someone grapple a squirrel. Preferably someone who only does 1 damage with unarmed strikes, so that the squirrel doesn't get knocked unconscious (only staggered).

[Lycanthromancer]

I'd have the party fighter enter a slap-fight with the party rogue so I could create a Genesis demiplane with flowing time, then have them wait outside while I did item creation and stuff.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Step 1: Be a druid with ranks in profession (farmer)
Step 2: Get a female hunting bat as your animal companion
Step 3: Teach it basic mathematics, and use it to do all your sums.  Have the party psion use psy-ref so it's a professional math-doer
Step 4: Now that you have a bat that's also an (old school) computer, have the druid milk it for delicious bat milk.  It's a female mammal, so it should be possible.
Step 5: Have the party psion manifest minor creation, creating a million strips of Nitrocellulose.
Step 6: The party screws around with a rod of wonder until they're all shrunk
Step 7: Cover one of the strips from step 5 with the milk from step 4.
Step 8: Cast fabricate to turn that strip into a small house.  Have the entire party enter it.
Step 9: The entire party is now in COM(bat).  Do as you please.

[MalcolmSprye]

Step 1: Be a druid with ranks in profession (farmer)
Step 2: Get a female hunting bat as your animal companion
Step 3: Teach it basic mathematics, and use it to do all your sums.  Have the party psion use psy-ref so it's a professional math-doer
Step 4: Now that you have a bat that's also an (old school) computer, have the druid milk it for delicious bat milk.  It's a female mammal, so it should be possible.
Step 5: Have the party psion manifest minor creation, creating a million strips of Nitrocellulose.
Step 6: The party screws around with a rod of wonder until they're all shrunk
Step 7: Cover one of the strips from step 5 with the milk from step 4.
Step 8: Cast fabricate to turn that strip into a small house.  Have the entire party enter it.
Step 9: The entire party is now in COM[/url](bat).  Do as you please.

Urg.  Your URL is broken... but aside from that you accomplished the primary goal of a pun/shaggy dog story... to cause pain in the listener. 

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

delicious bat milk

that is all

[NiteCyper]

Step 1: Be a druid with ranks in profession (farmer)
Step 2: Get a female hunting bat as your animal companion
Step 3: Teach it basic mathematics, and use it to do all your sums.  Have the party psion use psy-ref so it's a professional math-doer
Step 4: Now that you have a bat that's also an (old school) computer, have the druid milk it for delicious bat milk.  It's a female mammal, so it should be possible.
Step 5: Have the party psion manifest minor creation, creating a million strips of Nitrocellulose.
Step 6: The party screws around with a rod of wonder until they're all shrunk
Step 7: Cover one of the strips from step 5 with the milk from step 4.
Step 8: Cast fabricate to turn that strip into a small house.  Have the entire party enter it.
Step 9: The entire party is now in COM[/url](bat).  Do as you please.

Urg.  Your URL is broken... but aside from that you accomplished the primary goal of a pun/shaggy dog story... to cause pain in the listener. 

I'm still not sure that that is the case. It sounds like they try to make a (word) pun, but I do not grasp it. Do I lack chemical knowledge of this that which nitrocellulose (old film strip/stock, if research serves correctly) covered in bat milk conventionally composes?

[Mixster]

DMM Quicken and linked power becomes very good way of buffing yourself and anyone around you.

It would also benefit the Martial classes who don't rely much on pre-buffing, so I think the nerf is in the right place, however, suddenly they need to use gold on +5 weapons and can't just get the party cleric to make them super.

Extend spell becomes pretty useless. So does persistent.

It's a good idea, but it's pretty weird from a roleplaying perspective. So we aren't allowed to prepare us to go down in the dungeon because reality will screw us over?

Perhaps if you created a story where the characters randomly forgot several months so their buffs have run out when they enter the combat, but that would be odd as well.

[Lycanthromancer]

Once battle is over, everything ceases to exist, much like boredom + Haruhi Suzumiya.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Do I lack chemical knowledge of this that which nitrocellulose (old film strip/stock, if research serves correctly) covered in bat milk conventionally composes?

Whippersnappers don't remember microfilm.

Now I feel old 

[awaken DM golem]

Garryl raises the legit target problem in 4e.
Luckily this is 3.5e.


Lyca has the 9th level spell solution, possibly before level 17 too.


TML
step 3a --- teaching has to be done In-combat, so the Druid needs to summon something
step 3b --- psyref as above, so Linked delays it by one level
step 4a --- "milking" subs in for "teaching" in 3a
and
step 8 --- draws a few OAs

... but otherwise  yeah.


Mixster
Persist X would work, if done in-combat.
Buffing during 1st combat, so the buffs last all day. Sure.

[Lycanthromancer]

Lyca has the 9th level spell solution, possibly before level 17 too.

Dude. With a feat (Collegiate Wizard) and a spellbook sold for a couple of scrolls, I could have this down at like level 3*.






*Estimated. I haven't really checked.

[Garryl]

Garryl raises the legit target problem in 4e.
Luckily this is 3.5e.

Wait, where did I mention 4e?

[awaken DM golem]

You didn't mention 4e ... but you did say Grappled By The "Squirrel".
Can't do that in 4e, but can in 3/3.5e.


Lyca called my kitty avatar "dude" ... 


There's this other thread around here,
where casual or weird restrictions keep popping up.
I don't care, but it's not that hard to take it to it's proper conclusion.
Nerf the snot out of everything, and then see how good everything is.
I figure Always Surprised is a good start.
I figure No Down Time At All also works.
In both cases, this assumes some abilities can be found to get around these.
Like: can't make magic items without that little Arty crafter thingy.
Or wasting Leadership solely for out-of-combat support.         
etc ...