FAQ
This is an FAQ for MCDM's tabletop roleplaying game DRAW STEEL. It's maintained by community member Jonas Tintenseher and is not affiliated with MCDM. Contact @Tintenseher on Discord with corrections, suggestions, and sources for unclear questions.
Special thanks to Anthalon, Danko, Eddy, Gatlink, Haezan, Renée, Sigfried, Velocity, Voazinha, and all the other #ds_rules_questions regulars.
Does Allow Me to Introduce Tonight's Players require you to win initiative?
Yes, "first turn" means "first turn".Allow Me to Introduce Tonight's Players Heroes 208Do free triggered actions make you bleed if they're none of the other qualifiers? (e.g. Hesitation Is Weakness?)
No, free triggered actions don't trigger bleeding (unless they hit one of the other conditions).Bleeding Confirmed by playtest coordinators and devs via CodexDo reactive tests using Might or Agility make you bleed?
RAI is you don't bleed when forced to make a test.Bleeding DenivariusIf you are bleeding (EoT/save ends), become dying/bleeding, and then heal up from dying, are you still bleeding?
You will still be bleeding like you were before, dying is effecitvely a temporary override.Bleeding Dev commentIf you are dying and bleeding, and use something that would trigger bleeding but also heals you above 0, do you still bleed?
If the thing that would trigger bleeding heals you above 0, including due to friendly triggers, you don't bleed.Bleeding Dev commentWhen a Shadow teleports with Burning Ash, exactly how many creatures will take damage? Only one? One on either side of the teleport? All creatures on one side of the teleport? All on both sides of the teleport?
One target per turn, period.Burning Ash Heroes 164, dev confirmation via CodexHow deep can burrowing creatures (like the arixx) go with a grabbed creature?
The "deeper" in the second sentence is modifying the sentence that says they can dig down a number of squares equal to their size. They can go down that many squares with a creature grabbed, but not deeper.Burrowing Heroes 268, James on RedditDoes having the Climb or Swim skill mean I can climb or swim?
No, skills are not movement keywords.Climb/Swim Heroes 269What counts as a "source" of damage for damage immunity/weakness?
According to the Codex, it's each individual damage value. If you have damage immunity 5 and take "10 damage, 10 fire damage", you'd end up taking 5 and 5.Damage Immunity CodexIf you force-move a creature on the ground downward so they slam, do they take falling damage and fall prone?
No, they didn't move any actual distance so that rule doesn't apply. They have to move through the air 2+ squares before hitting the ground for that to apply.Falling Heroes 272How can a grabbed creature ever be force-moved?
The grabber can force-move them.Grabbed Heroes 77If a flying creature has a non-flying creature grabbed, does forced movement against the grabbed creature count as vertical?
Yes, if a flying creature is grabbing another creature in the air, the grabbed creature counts as flying for the purpose of forced movement.Grabbed Heroes 77, devs via CodexIf you are grabbed, can you force-move the grabber with abilities other than Knockback?
Yes, only Knockback is prevented.Grabbed Heroes 77Do Growth Potions increase current Stamina?
Yes, current and maximum are both doubled.Growth Potion Devs via CodexIs Gravitic Disruption 1/turn or 1/target/turn?
1/target/turn.Gravitic Disruption James on dev streamCan two triggered actions halve the same damage, quartering it?
Yes.Halving damage Dev clarification via Codex devsCan Hesitation Is Weakness let you take two turns?
No, it just lets you take your one allotted turn out of order.Hesitation Is Weakness Heroes 163When does a Black Ash Shadow teleport with IATC?
Uniquely, IATC and Defensive Roll specify that you teleport/shift after the effect that triggered them. This is not the case for other movement triggers.In All This Confusion Heroes 163Do kit signatures include their bonuses?
Yes.Kits Heroes 218Does every class get a kit?
No. The class needs to have the Kit feature.Kits Heroes 217When a minion squad's signature has an effect in or after the power roll, like a shift, do additional minions adding their free strike value get to benefit from the effect?
No, only the "main" minion gets the benefit of the effect. Spread out your minion attacks!Minions Devs via CodexWhen an elementalist persists an ability, can they move the location?
If the persistent effect says that you can use the ability again, like Conflagration, you are using the entire ability, including distance and targeting, and can place it wherever you want. Other persistent effects make the area itself stay in place or let you use some kind of action to move it, but they will specify this.Persistent Magic Heroes 114When you use Practical Magic to Knockback at range, does it retain the Melee and Weapon keywords (and thus qualify for Big Versus Little)?
It loses the Melee and Weapon keywords and changes to Magic and Ranged instead, so no Big Versus Little.Practical Magic Devs via codexIs a conduit's prayer roll separate from their piety roll?
No. Use the same roll for both.Piety in Combat Heroes 95Can you prebuff abilities before combat?
Yes, but not all the time. All abilities are useable out of combat, EoE effects last 5 minutes out of combat (page 76).Prebuffing James on TwitchWhat's the point of pulls larger than distance (Gravitic Strike)?
Overcoming stability and increasing slam damage (especially for vertical pulls).Pull Heroes 270–272What does it mean that the Undead Malice feature Ravenous Horde creates winded minions, since minions can't be winded?
Treat them as a minion pool with 5 total Stamina.Ravenous Horde Monsters 260; Willy in DiscordHow are you supposed to complete big projects?
Take multiple respites at once. The game expects around 10 to 20 respites per level for crafting purposes. Followers also roll every in-game day, not just every respite.Respites Heroes 396What is rolled damage?
Damage in a power roll tier.Rolled damage Heroes 74Does collision damage cost 1 square for the collision?
No. If you are pushed 3 into an adjacent wall, there are 3 squares remaining, not 2.Slamming Heroes 271Can you skip solo turns by winning initiative and using abilities like This Is What We Planned For/Hesitation Is Weakness to exploit their "no consecutive turns" rule?
Yes, turn skipping was tested and approved. Also note that "no consecutive turns" applies even between rounds. If a solo takes the last turn in a round, they can't take the first turn in the next round, even if they won initiative.Solo Turns Playtest coordinators/dev commentCan effects like two instances of Sanctified Weapon stack?
Yes, because Stacking Unique Effects only applies to abilities.Stacking Effects James in playtest coordinator channelAre stormwight kits actual kits? Can stormwights take the Armed and Dangerous title?
Yes, they are kits, so no title.Stormwight Kits Dev commentWhen is Subtle Relocation supposed to trigger for forced movement? Can it cancel forced movement entirely?
Basically whenever you want; yes, it can cancel forced movement.Subtle Relocation Dev gameplay in CRY HAVOCDoes sacrificing a minion count for triggering on-death effects?
Sacrificing a minion shouldn't trigger any death effects from their statblock or your features.Summoner Minions Devs via CodexWhen an ability with multiple targets says it's used "against X creature/target", like from a villain action or Subvert the Green Within, is it limited to just that target or can they still include other targets if applicable?
Varies; follow the flavor of the ability. For example, you can use double-target signatures freely as part of Hammer and Anvil, but a Manticore can only target one creature with their Reflexive Instinct use of Tail Spike.Targeting Devs via CodexHow does taunted work with area/multitarget abilities?
As long as the taunter is included as one of the targets, you don't take a double bane.Taunted Heroes 77When is a Thorn Dragon's Provoking Nettles meant to activate? It says once per turn, but is that actually each turn, including heroes?
Once on each of the dragon's turns. Same for other dragons' similar effects.Thorn Dragon Willy via CodexIf I use To the Death and the damage kills the enemy, do they still get to make a free strike?
No. Abilities With Damage and Effects says damage happens before and separately from anything else, so if they die to the damage, they won't be around to make the free strike.To the Death! Heroes 74What happens if I use a heavy weapon treasure with a light weapon kit?
You lose your kit bonuses, can't use the signature, and don't gain the benefits of the treasure.Treasure Heroes 218, Heroes 314Do leveled treasures add the Magic/Psionic keyword to abilities?
No.Treasure Heroes 314Do triggered actions refresh on your turn, or at the top of the round?
They are once-per-round. Turns don't matter.Triggered Actions Heroes 267Can non-minion monsters in an initiative group set up flanks for each other before attacking?
Yes, monsters can interleave actions to flank and otherwise optimize their turns.Turns Denivarius via Codex clarificationHow do vertical pulls work?
You can move them into the air up to 1/2 the horizontal distance (due to diagonals not counting), or you can slam them down into the ground for damage. Or just pull them normally, or any mix of the above that is a valid straight line. If they are adjacent, you can't pull them except into yourself. See the Vertical Pull Diagrams tab.Vertical pull Heroes 270–272When a devil or dragon knight with wings flies, how are rounds tracked? Does "minimum 1 round" mean they will fall at the end of the round they started flying, or the following round?
"Minimum 1 round" means you will fall at the end of the round you started flying.Wings The Codex