A bunch of unrelated questions requiring a short answer

[Kafana]

1) Can you put the keen enchantment on a crossbow?

2) If a weapon with the lighting enchantment (1d6) scores a critical hit, does the lightning damage multiply?

3) If a weapon has a +2 bonus (say bane and lightning) and would deal 1d6 damage, does it deal 1d6+2 damage, or would the +2 be an enchantment on it's own?

4) Can you take 10 on a first surprise attack that is find the opponent completely unaware. Say I'm standing behind a person at the store and he's chatting with the owner. If I have a hand crossbow and nobody sees me pull it out, can I take 10 to shoot the guy that's right in front of me? I mean, it isn't very logical if the guy is almost completely still and I'm not under any real pressure that I miss if I get a 2 or something. I get the guy is flat footed, but even that entitles him to 10 AC.

[GodGoblin]

1) No, but you can on ammunition.
EDIT: Actually while Keen is left off of the table for ranged weapons its text states Piercing or Slashing weapons are eligible, so you may have a case with text trumps tables as bows are Piercing weapons.

2) No but the Shocking/Flaming/Icy Burst enchantments have a similar effect to what youre hoping for.

3) No, its separate.

4) You cannot take 10 on attack rolls. He would just be flat footed and you would probably get a surprise round. You may be thinking of a Coup de Grace but the enemy has to be helpless for that to work.

[Kafana]

4) I'm not thinking about that. I am thinking about a regular attack. I have a hand crossbow which deals d4 damage, right up against his back. Nobody is watching me and the only thing I have to do is pull the trigger. How can I miss?

If he has armor, sure, but if there is no armor and just ragged clothes?

[KillianHawkeye]

4) I'm not thinking about that. I am thinking about a regular attack. I have a hand crossbow which deals d4 damage, right up against his back. Nobody is watching me and the only thing I have to do is pull the trigger. How can I miss?

If he has armor, sure, but if there is no armor and just ragged clothes?

You cannot take 10 on attack rolls. Ever. Period.

[prufock]

4) I'm not thinking about that. I am thinking about a regular attack. I have a hand crossbow which deals d4 damage, right up against his back. Nobody is watching me and the only thing I have to do is pull the trigger. How can I miss?
He feels the slight change of pressure as your finger twitches on the trigger and spins out of the way just in time.

[Kafana]

Oh, I knew I forgot two questions.

5) What's the difference between Hypnotism, Hypnotic Pattern and Suggestion other than the level and the target mechanic. If I'm affecting a single creature that has 2HD is it pretty much the same thing (other than the will save DC and the possible will save penalty for a reasonable suggestion)?

The question is - if the spells all succeed, is the outcome the same?

6) Does silence disable all spells that have vocal components, or just the ones like command, and the like as mentioned in PHB?

[KillianHawkeye]

5) They are similar, but not the same.

First off, hypnotic pattern is an illusion spell rather than an enchantment, and because of this it lacks the suggestion effect entirely. All it does is the fascination effect, so it could be useful to keep a small group of people distracted temporarily but not much else. It has a much longer range, and you can keep it going for a while by maintaining concentration, so that's nice. Also, it doesn't work on blind creatures.

Hypnotism, on the other hand, starts with the fascination effect as a lead in to making a suggestion. This is basically your everyday stage hypnosis ("You are feeling sleeeeeeeepy, very sleeeeeeeepy."). Note that unlike hypnotic pattern, you as the caster are the focus of the targets' fascination. It therefore has absolutely no usage for stealth. A hypnotized creature will forget that it was hypnotized, but you can't get away with being right in front of him. Also be careful, because the duration is extremely short and unfortunately random.

Finally, suggestion doesn't bother messing around with any fascination and goes straight for the compulsion! It's limited to only one target, but the long duration gives that target time to complete a more complex task. Alternatively, you can give the suggestion a trigger which will cause them to carry out the suggested course of action if the circumstances are met within the spell's duration (for example: "When your wife comes home, throw a pie in her face! It'll be hilarious, trust me!"). Suggestion is essentially the beginner's level of direct, no-nonsense magical compulsions.



So if we go back to your example of a single, 2HD creature with terrible Will saves, it basically breaks down like this:
With hypnotic pattern, we can keep him fascinated on the pretty lights for as long as we can maintain concentration, and we can do it from over 100 feet away. He'll never even see us.
With hypnosis, we can use gestures and incantations (or a swirly pocket watch) to fascinate him for less than a minute, but while he is under our hypnosis we can give him a single simple suggestion. "When I snap my fingers, you will cluck like a chicken!"
With suggestion, we can implant a single suggestion which he will be compelled to attempt to complete within the next few hours, or set up a suggested action to be triggered later on. The suggestion must be simple enough to be communicated in a few sentences, must be a reasonable course of action, and cannot be obviously life-threatening. With careful wording, you can really get away with a lot.

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6) Please check the spell description for easy answers like this one.

Upon the casting of this spell, complete silence prevails in the affected area. All sound is stopped: Conversation is impossible, spells with verbal components cannot be cast, and no noise whatsoever issues from, enters, or passes through the area.
(bolding added)

[Chronos]

3) If a weapon has a +2 bonus (say bane and lightning) and would deal 1d6 damage, does it deal 1d6+2 damage, or would the +2 be an enchantment on it's own?

If I'm understanding this question correctly: You can give a weapon an additional plus to attack rolls and damage, or you can give it a special ability. It doesn't gain both at once (unless you pay extra to do both). And it has to have at least +1 before it can gain any special abilities.

Thus, for instance, a +1 bane weapon, a +1 shocking weapon, and a +2 weapon all cost the same amount. A +0 bane shocking weapon would cost the same amount, except that it's not allowed. A +1 bane shocking weapon is allowed, and would cost the same as a +2 bane, a +2 shocking, or a +3.

[Zombulian]

You cannot take 10 on attack rolls. Ever. Period.

I beg to differ.
{Scrubbed}

[KillianHawkeye]

I beg to differ.
{Scrub the original, scrub the quote}

Okay, so an 18th level Fighter can do it. The exception proves the rule.

Who the heck takes straight Fighter all the way to 18 anyway? :smallconfused::smallsigh:

[Zombimode]

1) No, but you can on ammunition.
EDIT: Actually while Keen is left off of the table for ranged weapons its text states Piercing or Slashing weapons are eligible, so you may have a case with text trumps tables as bows are Piercing weapons.

This is NOT a case of text trumping table. The text states: "Only piercing or slashing weapons can be keen." emphasis added. Which is a different statement from "All piercing or slashing weapons can be keen."



4) I'm not thinking about that. I am thinking about a regular attack. I have a hand crossbow which deals d4 damage, right up against his back. Nobody is watching me and the only thing I have to do is pull the trigger. How can I miss?

If he has armor, sure, but if there is no armor and just ragged clothes?

The target could move exactly in the right moment to avoid the bolt.
If the target can't move, it is probably helpless anyway and can be coup de grace'd with no attack roll needed.

[Kafana]

Could a suggestion spell be used to persuade someone to not do something? I'm thinking of star wars, the "These aren't the droids you're looking for" bit. Would one be able to manipulate such a situation with the suggestion spell?

Something a little unnatural comes to mind, like "I think you've mistaken these guys for the wanted men. The guys you're looking for are surely on the other end of the town.", but I'm not sure if that could even fit into the suggestion spell.

[Zombulian]

Could a suggestion spell be used to persuade someone to not do something? I'm thinking of star wars, the "These aren't the droids you're looking for" bit. Would one be able to manipulate such a situation with the suggestion spell?

Something a little unnatural comes to mind, like "I think you've mistaken these guys for the wanted men. The guys you're looking for are surely on the other end of the town.", but I'm not sure if that could even fit into the suggestion spell.

Glibness. Gives you a +30 to Bluff.

@Killian: You could always multi-class but take the Martial feats from CAdv and CS that make your multi-classed and fighter levels stack, but that generally won't happen. Though, I *am* currently playing a Swashbuckler 3/Fighter 11/Barbarian 1.
Or, you could take the Martial Monk ACF. But that path simply reeks of gouda.

[Annos]

Okay, so an 18th level Fighter can do it. The exception proves the rule.

Who the heck takes straight Fighter all the way to 18 anyway? :smallconfused::smallsigh:

That's what Class Synergy feats are for. Fighter 2 Ninga/Scout/Swashbuckler 16 anyone? :smallbiggrin:

[only1doug]

3) If a weapon has a +2 bonus (say bane and lightning) and would deal 1d6 damage, does it deal 1d6+2 damage, or would the +2 be an enchantment on it's own?


a further point on this: a weapon cannot be enchanted with effects (such as bane or lightning) unless it also has a at least +1 bonus first, then further effects can be added.

[KillianHawkeye]

Could a suggestion spell be used to persuade someone to not do something? I'm thinking of star wars, the "These aren't the droids you're looking for" bit. Would one be able to manipulate such a situation with the suggestion spell?

Something a little unnatural comes to mind, like "I think you've mistaken these guys for the wanted men. The guys you're looking for are surely on the other end of the town.", but I'm not sure if that could even fit into the suggestion spell.

Sounds like a completely reasonable usage of the Suggestion spell to me. In the first case, you're not suggesting that they disobey their orders to look for droids, you're suggesting that these particular droids aren't the ones they're looking for. In the second case, Suggestion specifically allows for the suggested course of action to be simple enough to be communicated in one or two sentences, so that qualifies.

But as always, it's up to each individual DM to decide what is "reasonable" for a particular NPC.

[MrLemon]

Okay, so an 18th level Fighter can do it. The exception proves the rule.

Who the heck takes straight Fighter all the way to 18 anyway? :smallconfused::smallsigh:
Warblade 20 also does :smallwink:

[The Dark Fiddler]

Okay, so an 18th level Fighter can do it. The exception proves the rule.

Who the heck takes straight Fighter all the way to 18 anyway? :smallconfused::smallsigh:

A level 21 warblade could as well, since a warblade counts as a fighter of two levels lower for the purposes of qualifying for feats.

Even better, he can change what weapon the feat applies to regularly!

[FleshrakerAbuse]

Or, you know, a 20th level warblade with a heriocs spell on him. But that's inefficient; better to have him use lightning recovery if needed.

[KillianHawkeye]

Okay, guys, the 18th level Fighter thing was just a joke. Get over it already. :smallamused: