Polare Lissenstine said:
All right then I've got one for you.
Your "one" looks an awful lot like 4 or 5, sir.
Shadow assassin Bob is being chased by Sir Gregor. Bob jumps into a shadow and shadowmelds. Sir Gregor sits down next to that spot and arms a trap. He then goes a safe distance away.
Under which of these circumstances is Bob affected by the trap:
1. The trap is set off while Bob is still shadowmelded within the radius.
2. The trap is set off when Bob starts his 3-count to un-meld (is he in 'real space' before the 3-count is finished?)
3. Bob shadowwalked instead of shadowmelded. The trap goes off when Bob moves (while shadowwalking) and trips the cord.
1 - Negative.
2 - The rule of thumb has been that you are affectable while in your three-count, whether coming in or going out (of rifts, portals, water, etc.) The count is intended to hinder the counting person, not others.
3 - By the rules, if a trap is
accidentally set off when someone OOG performs an action (going to the bathroom, for instance), the trap simply goes off, affecting whomever/whatever is applicable. Since Shadowwalk is not exactly an OOG condition, since you can hear and see what's going on around you, I'd say it goes off, and you take no effect, since that's primarily the purpose of the skill.
The key point, though, is "accidentally". If you do it on purpose, I would rule that the least advantageous thing happens to you. If you did it to blow other people up and be immune, to bad, you take it and they don't. If you did it to blow yourself up and whatever you were holding, to bad, that didn't happen.
Mind you, I'm guessing at how it was intended. It's not a rule that has had much use to be clarified and corrected. Whoever wrote the rule might have had something else in mind.
What if I was spirit recalling and tripped a trap while traveling?
See above on accident vs intentional.
What if I was gaseous formed and tripped a trap?
TMK, nothing actually prevents this. Gaseous form just gives you the ability "Affected only by Solidify", so this could be a valid method of using the effect.
Let's go another step on the Spirit Recall/Prison question as well. I Prison myself and Spirit Recall. It takes me more than 10 minutes to reach the target circle. Is the Prison still up when I come back in? Same question goes for shadowmeld/walk.
No, the prison is down. Similar ruling for rift, etc. None of those abilities "stop time". If you were bleeding out, and it takes you ten minutes to get to where you were spirit-walking/rifting/dancing to, just go to the circle and rezz, do not pass go. (Interesting way of ensuring rezz, IMO)