[3.5] Two questions: a feat and a wand

[CalamaroJoe]

I have 2 unrelated questions, but I didn't want to start 2 separate threads for something that could look trivial.

1.
A player of mine come out with a feat: heroic surge that should give him the ability, once per day, to do 2 actions in his turn.
From where does it came? he has just the page with the feat, that he brought from another party in which he played. IIRC is from Eberron, but we dont'have the sources, so I cannot check if the feat is balanced or has limitations.
The fact is that the player is trying to use the feat to cast 2 spells per round, and I think that in this way it's overpowered.
Ideas?

2.
I randomly selected a wand of False Life for a tresaure, and I liked it, because it's a minor magic item that can be useful sometimes.
The wands description in SRD doesn't say much, and refers to single spells descriptions. The spell description states "Range: Personal", but I don't like the idea of a wand that you can only use to cast spells on self.
How would you use it?

[Salbazier]

I know feat Action Surge, Eberron campaign setting pg 50. Let you take an extra action at the cost of 2 action point. Don't know about Heroic surge

on the second point, I'll use it as written. False life at range touch... I don't think it is unbalancing but I have a bad feeling that you are about to open a can of worms here if you are going to rule Personal range spells became touch if used via wand

[Curmudgeon]

1. Heroic Surge isn't an official D&D 3.5 feat. There are two places to look for such things: the WotC online Feat Index (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/feats), and the DragonDex Index of Feats and Flaws (http://www.aeolia.net/dragondex/feats.html). If it's not on either of these lists, it's either homebrew or nonsanctioned third party material. Salbazier already provided the most likely actual source, but it's helpful to have these two lists available for such questions in the future.

[Salbazier]

1. Heroic Surge isn't an official D&D 3.5 feat. There are two places to look for such things: the WotC online Feat Index (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/feats), and the DragonDex Index of Feats and Flaws (http://www.aeolia.net/dragondex/feats.html). If it's not on either of these lists, it's either homebrew or nonsanctioned third party material. Salbazier already provided the most likely actual source, but it's helpful to have these two lists available for such questions in the future.

Hey, nice list. Thank you :smallsmile:

[AslanCross]

1. As mentioned above, Action Surge is from the Eberron Campaign Setting book. It allows you to perform move or standard action at the cost of 2 action points. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/actionpoints.htm) Granted how few action points one gets, and that action points have many other uses, the use of Action Surge would be far less than once per day. Characters only get action points per level, and they don't stack.

2. I'd use the wand as is. False Life is really meant to be a personal buff spell. At most you can probably share it with a familiar.

[zagan]

I have 2 unrelated questions, but I didn't want to start 2 separate threads for something that could look trivial.

1.
A player of mine come out with a feat: heroic surge that should give him the ability, once per day, to do 2 actions in his turn.
From where does it came? he has just the page with the feat, that he brought from another party in which he played. IIRC is from Eberron, but we dont'have the sources, so I cannot check if the feat is balanced or has limitations.
The fact is that the player is trying to use the feat to cast 2 spells per round, and I think that in this way it's overpowered.
Ideas?

The feat is called action surge on p 50 of the eberon campaign setting. It can indeed allow you to gain an additional move or standard action per round. But to do so you must spend 2 action point. Action point are a mechanic specific to eberon (it was in unearted arcana but they change it a little) basically at each level up the character gain a fix number of action point that they can use to add 1d6 to some roll or do other thing by taking feat. Like action surge, so no your player can't take the feat unless you give action point to everyone otherwise it wouldn't be fair. And it's not once per day either.


2.
I randomly selected a wand of False Life for a tresaure, and I liked it, because it's a minor magic item that can be useful sometimes.
The wands description in SRD doesn't say much, and refers to single spells descriptions. The spell description states "Range: Personal", but I don't like the idea of a wand that you can only use to cast spells on self.
How would you use it?

A spell cast from a wand act the same way as one cast normaly, so in this case only the user can benefit. But as it's an a magic item anyone can try to use it, they just need to make a Use magic device check at DC 20, they're no danger when failling with a spell trigger item you only waste a charge.
As for how I would use it, well it's a good buff spell an you can afford to cast it well before combat because it last 1 hour minimum, so I would use before entering a donjon or before combat if I'm in position to surprise the target.

EDIT: Swordsaged badly.

[CalamaroJoe]

1. Heroic Surge isn't an official D&D 3.5 feat. There are two places to look for such things: the WotC online Feat Index (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/feats), and the DragonDex Index of Feats and Flaws (http://www.aeolia.net/dragondex/feats.html). If it's not on either of these lists, it's either homebrew or nonsanctioned third party material. Salbazier already provided the most likely actual source, but it's helpful to have these two lists available for such questions in the future.

Thanks for the links.
Starting from there (and not finding it) I made some more research and found information:
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9050.0
It's from Age of Mortals. They say it's the same as in d20 modern:


Heroic Surge
Benefit: The character may take an extra move action or attack action in a round, either before or after the character’s regular actions. The character may use Heroic Surge a number of times per day depending on his or her character level (as shown below), but never more than once per round.
{table]Character Level|Times per Day
1st–4th|1
5th–8th|2
9th–12th|3
13th–16th|4
17th–20th|5[/table]

As I read it, you can do one extra move or attack, but not another type of standard action, so no spells.
Do you concord?

[Darrin]

1. Heroic Surge isn't an official D&D 3.5 feat.

Actually, it's an official WotC feat. It just generally doesn't appear in D&D. It appears in other official D20 games, such as the older versions of D20 Star Wars and D20 Wheel of Time. It's also appeared in a few Dungeon Magazines, but I'm not sure in what context (Dungeon Magazine generally considers itself 100% official D&D material).

The text may vary depending on which sourcebook it appears in, but generally it allows an extra move or standard action 1/day, or 1/day for every 4 levels or so.

(In the pre-Saga edition of Star Wars D20, the extra move action could be used to help an 11th level Jedi break the sound barrier. On foot.)

[ericgrau]

I have 2 unrelated questions, but I didn't want to start 2 separate threads for something that could look trivial.

1.
A player of mine come out with a feat: heroic surge that should give him the ability, once per day, to do 2 actions in his turn.
From where does it came? he has just the page with the feat, that he brought from another party in which he played. IIRC is from Eberron, but we dont'have the sources, so I cannot check if the feat is balanced or has limitations.
The fact is that the player is trying to use the feat to cast 2 spells per round, and I think that in this way it's overpowered.
Ideas?

2.
I randomly selected a wand of False Life for a tresaure, and I liked it, because it's a minor magic item that can be useful sometimes.
The wands description in SRD doesn't say much, and refers to single spells descriptions. The spell description states "Range: Personal", but I don't like the idea of a wand that you can only use to cast spells on self.
How would you use it?
In both cases its a matter of how much power you allow in your games. #1 is very strong, ok for some but probably not for you by the sound of it. I mean the belt of battle does the same thing, and some high optimizers think it's fine. I'd politely disallow it. EDIT: Oh, no standard action. That's not as bad, but still very strong. Also depends how many action points he gets. Up to you. #2 isn't nearly as strong, especially since the caster needs the temporary HP the most anyway. The d6 rogue is the one who might abuse it the most, and even then he might have use magic device anyway. That said giving everyone temporary HP is still a power boost. #2 is far more acceptable if you want to allow it.

[Jarveiyan]

CalamaroJoe got it correct(#1), both the move or attack action add and the chart that tells you how many times per day. This is a Dragonlance feat.

[Siosilvar]

Thanks for the links.
Starting from there (and not finding it) I made some more research and found information:
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9050.0
It's from Age of Mortals. They say it's the same as in d20 modern:

As I read it, you can do one extra move or attack, but not another type of standard action, so no spells.
Do you concord?
A d20 Modern "attack action" is the same as a 3.5 standard action.

EDIT: Of course, d20 Modern doesn't have spellcasting without using Urban Arcana and even that's wimpier than 3.5's.

[Jarveiyan]

Dragonlance specified an extra move or attack action(and DL is 3rd edition, so no extra spells).

[Curmudgeon]

CalamaroJoe got it correct(#1), both the move or attack action add and the chart that tells you how many times per day. This is a Dragonlance feat.
Do you know the source? Heroic Surge isn't from the feats section of Dragonlance Campaign Setting, which is the only WotC authorized book for Dragonlance.

[Darrin]

Heroic Surge appears in:

D20 Modern SRD.
Star Wars D20 p. 95.
Star Wars D20 Rev. p. 110.
Wheel of Time D20 p. 93.
Dragonlance: Age of Mortals p. 50.
Polyhedron #149 (AKA Dungeon #90) p. 44. (part of the Pulp Heroes D20 mini-RPG)
Polyhedron #150 (AKA Dungeon #91) p. 41. (part of the Shadow Chasers D20 mini-RPG)
Polyhedron #152 (AKA Dungeon #93) p. 36. (part of the Thunderball Rally D20 mini-RPG)