Simple RAW Thread for 3.5: Score and Nine

[LibraryOgre]

(This is a fairly high procedure thread; please read the entire instructions carefully before posting. Thanks.)

Ever have a simple, straight-forward rules question that you can’t figure out the answer to? Ask it here. No question is too simple. No more worrying about whether your question is “worth” starting a thread. Ask here and receive an answer. You are, of course, welcome to start a thread for your question, and if you think your question is subject to many interpretations or will start a debate, you are encouraged to start a new thread for it.

This thread will serve as a catch-all for simple, discreet questions that can be answered quickly according to the RAW (Rules As Written). This thread is for all simple RAW questions about D&D 3.5. If your question is not about the RAW for 3.5, please look in the appropriate threads in the appropriate forums.


The Procedure:

Do:
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Here are some sample questions. “Bad” questions just mean they should be asked in their own thread where you can get many answers and opinions. “Good” questions just mean that these are the types of questions that are amenable to a quick straightforward answer (probably).

Sample “Bad” Questions:
How do I play D&D? (Great question, but not for this thread.)
What is a good 10 level TWF build? (Far too broad and requires much opinion)
What +2 LA race should I take for my sorcerer build? (Again, an opinion question)
Which is better GURPS or D&D?

Sample “Good” Questions:
Q.1. Are there any Large +0 LA races?
Q.2. As a sorcerer/rogue, do I get to add sneak attack damage to my attack spells?
Q.3. What effect would Dispel Magic have on a golem or similar construct?
Q.4. Is there a feat that allows me to get a familiar?

Please start over with the numbering. When this one reached 50 pages, please report it so that we can start a new one. Thanks.

[Xaroth]

Q 1

Which classes, not including variants, have an unarmored bonus to AC based on a stat, not including the Monk and Battle Dancer? i.e. Battle Dancer gets CHA to AC

[Sian]

A1:

Swordsage (although this is explicitly allowed while wearing light armor), Ninja and Mystic Wanderer (Divine prestige class in Magic of Faerun) springs to mind, quite certain there is at least a handful more

[Curmudgeon]

A 001 correction + query + additional answers

Swordsage AC Bonus is listed for light armor only, not light armor or no armor.

There are many classes which have a bonus to AC regardless of their armor or lack thereof (example: Deepwarden). I'm guessing that's not what you're looking for, so I won't provide further answers of that type unless requested.

Enlightened Fist (Complete Arcane, pages 34-36) has an AC Bonus class feature (if not already acquired via Monk levels). Tattooed Monk (Complete Warrior, pages 82-85) levels stack with Monk levels to determine AC Bonus; it's not clear if that has any meaning with no Monk levels. Shadow Sun Ninja (Tome of Battle, pages 126-130) adds to their Monk levels, or replicates the Monk ability with no Monk levels, for AC Bonus.

[ninjamaster1991]

Q 2
What restrictions does Disease Form give on a Cancer Mage's actions?
Yes, I know I asked this last thread, but I didn't see an answer.

[StoneCipher]

Q3

A necropolitan dies when it reaches 0, correct? I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing any form of RAW that states it operates differently from a normal undead creature in terms of death.

Thanks,

[Curmudgeon]

A 003 Correct.

A Necropolitan creature gains the Undead type. That type's traits include the following:

Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.

[AugustNights]

Q4

When a creature takes a few levels of paladin or cleric of a particular alignment, how do their Hit Dice interact to determine their aura ala Detect [alignment ] spells?

[No brains]

Q 5
What is the closest thing to a chainsaw I can find in 3.X, both in terms of function and flavor?

[Curmudgeon]

A 004

Detect Good and similar spells use different metrics. Good creatures have aura strengths based on their total HD, whereas Clerics, Paladins, and similar classes have aura strengths based on their levels in those classes. There are some classes which stack their levels to determine total aura strength (example: Divine Crusader stacks with Cleric, Paladin, and other classes which generate alignment auras). If a character has multiple aura components of the same type, the aura strength is equal to the greatest single aura component. Aura components of different types have no interaction.

[DarkSonic1337]

Q6 Can you Wish for a Blessed Book with spells already scribed in it? (while staying within the normally safe uses of wish)? If so, how do you calculate the XP cost?

[weckar]

Q7 (Repost from last thread) What does a warforged lose from going dragonborn?

[Curmudgeon]

A 006 Ask your DM.

Other than writing each page yourself as per the normal rules, there is no mechanism to create spellbook pages in a form specific to your own magical notation. Any Wish to produce an effect greater than those items listed in the spell description must be adjudicated by your individual DM, with danger guaranteed per the spell text.

A 007 N/A.

This can't work by RAW, because the Dragonborn text specifies two things:

The result of the transformation is a Humanoid. From Races of the Dragon, page 8:
Dragonborn are humanoids with the dragonblood subtype and any other subtypes they had before undergoing the Rite of Rebirth.
The creature's type does not change. From Races of the Dragon, page 10:
Type, Subtype, and Race: You retain your original type and subtypes, gaining the dragonblood subtype.
I believe the only way to resolve this is to restrict the transformation: only Humanoids can survive the Rite of Rebirth to become Dragonborn. D&D has no mechanism AFAIK for a creature to have multiple types (no way to resolve the differences in multiple type specifications).

This accords with the introduction ("fluff") in the Dragonborn of Bahamut chapter (Races of the Dragon, page 5):
The Platinum Dragon foreswore breeding creatures to oppose Tiamat’s spawn, instead accepting humanoid volunteers to his righteous cause.
...
Those willing to give themselves into Bahamut’s care and act as his emissaries in the mortal realms become his daughters and sons. Such humanoids give up all their former racial identity and are born anew. They become dragonborn.

[kkplx]

Q 008

Can you scribe a psionic tattoo with a power that has more PP invested into it, similar to how you could create a higher CL potion? If yes, how do you calculate cost and what limits do apply?
(If I'm not mistaken, the item creation guidelines already handle ML level increases (base price = PL*ML*50), but are silent on PP increases as far as I could find out)

Q 008 example A:
Could you create a Tattoo of Expansion with a total of 7 PP invested, that increases the user's size by 2 categories, and what would be its price?

Q 008 example B:
Could you create a Tattoo of Vigor with a total of 5 PP invested, that gives the user 25 temp HP, and what would be its price?

[DarkSonic1337]

Q 009


Can you wish for a normal spellbook filled with spells as per the "Create a nonmagical item of up to 25,000 gp in value" use of wish? As far as I know spellbooks are nonmagical and a filled spellbook is worth 5,000gp.

[Curmudgeon]

A 009 Yes.

Your figure is off (it's worth 5,000 gp to sell a full spellbook at half price, meaning it's 10,000 gp to purchase one), but that's within the price limits of the spell.

[AlanBruce]

Q. 10

The veils cast by an IotSFV, are they subject to SR? That means, would the caster have to roll vs. SR if she casts a veil on an opponent with SR to determine if they are affected?

[JDL]

A 10: Yes.

Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil gains the Warding (Sp) ability at 1st level. This is a Spell-Like ability. Spell Resistance applies to Spell-Like abilities unless otherwise noted, and there is no note of the Warding ability being immune to Spell Resistance.

Note that the theme of the Warding ability matches closely with the Prismatic Wall spell, which is also subject to Spell Resistance.

[weso12]

Q11 I was looking through that players handbook and I noticed this wording in the noticed the odd wording at the end of the description feat Armor Proficiency (Light): "All characters except wizards, sorcerers, and monks automatically have Armor Proficiency (light) as a bonus feat. They need not select it."

Since the players handbook is viewed as the primary source for character creation does that mean that all character's that aren't wizards, sorcerers, monks are proficient Light Armor, even if their class description says otherwise (Commoners, Adepts, Wu Jen, etc.) are technically proficient with Light Armor?

Granted even if it RAW, it's no way RAI (on the level of monks not being proficient with unarmed strike), and that no DM would ever let that past.

[Talar]

Q12 If I apply the metamagic feat, Invisible Spell out of Cityscape, to the spell Legion of Sentinels out of Players Handbook 2, do the sentinels gain the bonus to attack as per the rules for invisible creatures? And as an extension would they then become visible after they attacked?

[JDL]

Q 13

A level 1 Fighter with the Two Weapon Fighting feat is wielding a Greataxe and wearing a Breastplate with Armor Spikes.

If the Fighter makes a primary attack with a Greataxe as a two-handed weapon with the appropriate strength bonuses applied to damage for wielding it in two hands, can he still take a -2 on the attack roll and make a second attack with his Armor Spikes?

[Andezzar]

A 13

To get the extra attack he must follow all the rules for TWF. I.e. he must take a -2 penalty on the greatsword attack. Then he gets +1.5*STR to the damage of that attack, and +0.5*STR to the attack with the armor spikes

[Curmudgeon]

A 011 Yes.

Your assessment is correct, though it's probably of little impact. Wu Jen would have Armor Proficiency (Light) as a bonus feat. However, there's also this statement from their class description:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Wu jen are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. So while they've got the bonus feat, they are specifically disallowed the feat's benefit. This then becomes a contention regarding order of application which you would need to take up with your individual DM to establish which rule "wins" in their game.

A 012 No.

The Sentinels would be invisible as per Invisible Spell, and normally would gain the associated attack modifier. However, Legion of Sentinels specifies the total AB used by these swordsmen:
The swordsmen’s attacks are at a bonus equal to your caster level, they threaten critical hits on a 19 or 20, and they deal 1d8 points of slashing damage with a +1 bonus per three caster levels (max +5). (If the spell text had specified base attack bonus then other modifiers to AB would apply.) Opponents are denied their DEX bonus to AC, as usual for invisible attackers.

[Andezzar]

Q 14 Concerning A 12

If attack bonus always is the totality of modifiers to the D20 roll, wouldn't that mean that a cleave, that follows an attack with True Strike on a flanked opponent, would also get those normally conditional modifiers (i.e. D20+BAB+STR mod+20+2+other mods) even if though the spell should not modify the second attack and the second target is not flanked?

[Curmudgeon]

A 014

Yes, that's correct. The FAQ says "bonus" should be read as "base attack bonus" in Cleave, but I find no rules support for this alteration. Taking the feat as written is not sensible, but it is RAW.

[kkplx]

Q 015

Can you target a flying enemy with a (concentrated) volley of arrows? Heroes of Battle page 69.

[Curmudgeon]

A 015 Yes.

Assuming the archers can see the creature's cube in the air to target it, it's within their bow's range, and their leader can hit AC 20 with range and other adjustments, then yes.

[AvatarVecna]

Q16

A Hulking Hurler with the Hurling Charge (http://marksworld.zeemer.com/files/feats/featlibrary/hurlingcharge.html) feat charges towards their enemy and hurls a giant rock at them. This giant rock has somehow become enchanted as a weapon, specifically with the Valorous weapon enchantment (http://www.realmshelps.net/cgi-bin/magweapdesc.pl?power=Valorous&src=mweapontype). Does this hurled rock deal double its normal weight-based damage?

[Belkarseviltwin]

A 16I don't know how the rock would get enchanted, but otherwise Yes. Hurling Charge counts as a charge for the purpose of triggering a valorous weapon enhancement, as the attack "gains the bonus of a charge" and is part of the charge action.

So ignoring the hulking hurler for the moment, someone using Hurling Charge with a Valorous Throwing Axe deals double damage.

Now, how you get a +1 Valorous Boulder is another question...

[Curmudgeon]

A 016 Ask your DM.

"This giant rock has somehow become enchanted as a weapon" takes this question out of the realm of Simple RAW answers and will have to be adjudicated by the DM whose game includes such custom weaponry. Large rocks work off the improvised damage table (Complete Warrior, page 159). Because improvised weapons cannot be created with masterwork qualities they cannot have weapon enhancements. Since your question involves a scenario that's impossible by RAW, only the DM who changed the rules can produce an answer that accords with those non-standard rules.

[AvatarVecna]

A 16I don't know how the rock would get enchanted, but otherwise Yes. Hurling Charge counts as a charge for the purpose of triggering a valorous weapon enhancement, as the attack "gains the bonus of a charge" and is part of the charge action.

So ignoring the hulking hurler for the moment, someone using Hurling Charge with a Valorous Throwing Axe deals double damage.

Now, how you get a +1 Valorous Boulder is another question...

I actually discovered a way to do that for one of the "If it has stats" challenges. By RAW, a weapon can't be enchanted if it's not masterwork, and improvised weapons (like boulders) can't be made masterwork, since they're not crafted as weapons. That said, anything can be made of special materials, and weapons made of certain special materials are automatically masterwork. Since it's a weapon, the weight of the special material in question is unimportant; it costs just as much to make a Colossal Adamantine dagger as it does to make a Diminuitive one. Therefore, a boulder covered in a layer of adamantine costs 3000 gp, and is can be enchanted as a weapon.

I think for the challenge in question, I added on the Ghost Touch and Brilliant Energy enchantments (I REALLY wanted to hit). Also, it amused me to have a boulder made of brilliant energy that I'm somehow wielding despite the entire thing being made of solid energy.

EDIT: I'm not entirely certain this is perfectly RAW legal, but it's certainly close; the rules that would make it RAW illegal are probably extremely obscure, if for no other reason than no one but me trying to figure out how to enchant a boulder by RAW. In any case, I didn't include the method of enchantment because how a weapon becomes enchanted doesn't change how the enchantment affects the weapon (except in some rare cases, I imagine).

[Aplostor]

Q17
Does Blizzard spell (Frostburn) inflict damage every turn or only in the first one?

[Curmudgeon]

A 017 Just the first round.

Blizzard creates ordinary cold (only below freezing). According to Frostburn's treatment on cold dangers (pages 8-9), temperatures down to -20 degrees (severe cold) require just one save every 10 minutes for a completely unprotected character.

[kkplx]

Q 018

Assuming both creatures are conscious and not immediately threatened, what action is it for one of the creatures to feed a potion to the other?

Would this allow the other creature to gain the benefit of 2 potions in a single round or cast a spell and drink a potion in the same round?

[Curmudgeon]

A 018

It's a standard action to "Drink a potion or apply an oil". If one character is applying the potion and the other is drinking it, it's a standard action for both. This will only likely succeed if the characters have uninterrupted turns, so one character would need to Delay until the other's turn.

No, this scenario by itself would not allow any speed-up of actions; instead, it would use the actions of two characters instead of just one. Having a second character retrieving potions for the first one to consume might quicken things.

[Andezzar]

Q 019

What happens if a character has mirror image, displacement and blur active at the same time? Do the duplicates look blurred, or is the original easily identified? Do they benefit from displacement?

[Curmudgeon]

A 019

Mirror Image duplicates the appearance of the spellcaster at the time the spell is cast. If Blur is cast after Mirror Image then only the actual spellcaster will be Blurred; if the Blur effect is in place, then the Mirror Images will duplicate the Blurred appearance. The Mirror Images always have the AC specified in the spell description with no alteration due to Blur or Displacement; those spells can only affect creatures, not figments. The Mirror Images will move randomly, meaning as an average over time none of them can be excluded as contenders for being the actual person, but in the short term things like mimicking the spellcaster "walking" in the air above a low bit of ground can give enemies a chance to guess at which "creatures" are actually figments. (These guesses could be wrong; a canny spellcaster might cast Mirror Image then Levitate to be the one "walking" in the air.)

You'll need to talk to your DM about Mirror Image environmental "interactions" which would let enemies make guesses to exclude distinguishable targets from the indistinguishable targets they select from randomly.

[7th son of sons]

Q20

What is the name and source of the feat that allows your Bardic Inspire Courage ability to grant twice the original bonus when used on your animal companion?

[zeifly]

Q21
How do double weapons/multiple attacks work? Because each character only gets one standard action per round so they should only be able to attack once correct? And each weapon counts as a separate attack right? So how do double weapons and multiple attacks work?

[JDL]

A 21

A creature fighting with a double weapon treats full round attacks as if they were fighting with two weapons. Double weapons used in a single attack deal damage as a single weapon.

Example 1:
A level 1 fighter with a two-bladed sword moves 10 feet and attacks. He makes a standard attack, and since he's wielding his weapon two handed he adds one and a half times his strength bonus.

Example 2:
A level 1 fighter with a two-bladed sword makes a full round attack. He fights as if wielding two weapons, one in the main hand and one in the off hand. His primary attack is at -4 and his off-hand attack is at -8 assuming he's proficient with the weapon (if not add -4 to both these values). Having the Two Weapon Fighting feat reduces these penalties to -2 and -2.

See the Two Weapon Fighting (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#twoWeaponFighting) special attack in the SRD for further information.

[Andezzar]

A 21 Addendum

1) even as a Full Attack the character can opt to use the weapon as a normal two handed weapon, forgoing the extra attack(s) and not incurring the attack penalty.

2) The exact wording for double weapons is:
A character can fight with both ends of a double weapon as if fighting with two weapons, but he or she incurs all the normal attack penalties associated with two-weapon combat, just as though the character were wielding a one-handed weapon and a light weapon.So even if both ends are used the character still gets the damage bonus of a two-handed weapon (1.5*STR) on both ends.

[JDL]

A 21 Addendum

2) The exact wording for double weapons is:So even if both ends are used the character still gets the damage bonus of a two-handed weapon (1.5*STR) on both ends.

A 21 Addendum Addendum

Incorrect. A double weapon wielded so that both ends are used adds strength bonus to damage for the primary end and half strength bonus for the off hand end.

This is as per the 3.5 FAQ:


Is a double weapon considered a two-handed weapon or a one-handed weapon plus a light weapon, for the purposes of feats such as Weapon Finesse and Power Attack?
A double weapon can be wielded in two ways, either as a one-handed weapon and a light weapon, or as a single twohanded weapon. Either way, it follows the normal rules for using such weapons.
Wielding as Two Weapons: The primary end (the “onehanded weapon”) adds your Strength modifier to damage, and the secondary end (the “light weapon”) adds one-half your Strength bonus to damage. When using Power Attack, bonus damage applies only to the primary end. If you have Weapon Finesse, you can add your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with the secondary end (but not with the primary end).
Wielding as One Weapon: Add one-and-one-half your Strength bonus to damage rolls. When using Power Attack, double the bonus damage granted by the feat.
The Sage strongly recommends that characters who wield double weapons record attack and damage values for both methods of use, to speed play.

[Andezzar]

A 21 Correction

The FAQ is not RAW. This is one of the cases where the FAQ contradict the written rules. Since the FAQ are not Errata they cannot change the rules and so are irrelevant in this case. I quoted the actual rule. A double weapon is a two-handed weapon, no rule changes that. It can be used as if you were fighting with two weapons, incurring the penalties of using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. The different calculation of STR based extra damage is not a penalty (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/glossary&term=Glossary_dnd_penalty&alpha=P). Additionally at no point are you actually wielding a light weapon in the off hand. All attacks are still made with a two-handed weapon.

[zergling.exe]

Natural Bond stuff

Q 22 Can a druid that has lost effective levels for an animal companion by taking a higher level companion (like the Flesh Raker) regain those levels with Natural Bond?

Q 23 Can a beastmaster that has lost effective druid levels for animal companions go above their HD using Natural Bond? IE get to level +3 for your companion.

Q 24 If both of the above are yes, can you combine these two?

Q 25 Does Natural Bond apply to all of a beastmaster's animal companions or do they have to select one?


A 21 Realism

Most double weapons you can apply torque to by both pushing with one hand and pulling with the other to get a 'two hand' feel to the attack anyway.

[Tarvus]

Q 26: Are there established rules for swimming in water poisoned by effects such as the Venom Ooze's Corrupt Water or the spell Water to Poison?

[goto124]

It seems one of those questions in which the the answer should be really obvious, yet it's not provided anywhere in the sources I've managed to find... It's why I didn't want to start a new thread- I figured it could be answered in a single post, since it concerns the very basics.

Sorry for asking lots of vague, general questions. I haven't even started my first game :smallredface:

Q 27:
How does your character grow stronger in DnD 3.5?

To give an analogy: In MMOs, you kill monsters to gain XP, to level up, to gain points, to increase your ability scores (Str/Con/Int/etc) and Skills.

But there doesn't seem to be a way to increase your ability scores. Does it stay static? Is equipment the only way to improve these ability scores? How do I know how much XP I need to level up? What else does leveling up give? From what I gather, even level 20 is treated as a super-high level, so should I expect to level a lot less compared to MMOs, and how will it impact my gaming experience?

I'll be happy to be directed to other sources if they help.

[Andezzar]

A 27 Partial

Some of your question goes beyond the scope of this thread. I will answer what is within its bounds. For the rest please open a new thread.

You may allocate a point to one of your ability scores at level 4 and every 4 levels afterwards. Yes, most of your ability score improvements will come from items or spells.

You gain XP by overcoming encounters. Those can be monsters to kill or other things, like getting information from someone or solving riddles or pretty much anything that impedes the progress to your character's goal. The XP table is on p. 22 of the Player's Handbook (PHB) which shows the total XP necessary to be at that level or you can use, the following formula to know how much XP you need to get from one level to the next: necessary XP = Current Level * 1000 XP

What you do on level up can also be found in the PHB, from p. 58 on.

[No brains]

A 27
Unfortunately, the initial roll or point-buy for the character is about where their ability scores are going to stay. That said, there are a few ways to boost one's scores.

Every four levels, one ability score may be increased by 1.

As a character ages, their physical ability scores decrease, but mental ability scores increase.

Magical items can confer enhancement bonuses to ability scores.

The spell Wish can be used to get an inherent bonus to character ability scores.

Other ways exist, but these are the most common methods.

[ILM]

Q28:
The popular stance on optimization boards seems to be that the Eternal Guardian's Eternal Training (Tome of Battle, page 110) is a free action (since no activation is listed), and that it allows one - including Warblades - to recover an expended maneuver.

Our DM is currently ruling against this and to be fair it does seem a bit fishy to me. What does the RAW thread think about this?

Alternatively, you can gain the use of one maneuver from the Diamond Mind or the Devoted Spirit discipline. You must meet the prerequisite for this maneuver as normal. A crusader/eternal guardian (sic) who selects this option is immediately granted this maneuver.

[goto124]

Thank you so much, Andezzar and No brains!

Q 29:

I don't have a physical copy of the PHB, and the pdf is so huge I didn't manage to load it. Luckily, it seems that online sources (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/barbarian.htm) provide convenient tables for the different classes, and I'm going to assume they're accurate.

The Base Attack Bonus column has things such as +6/+1 and +16/+11/+6/+1. What do the slashes represent?

[Troacctid]

A 29

The slashes represent the different base attack bonuses used in a full attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#fullAttack). Higher-level characters can use a full-round action to make multiple attacks in a single turn; subsequent attacks after the first are less accurate. +11/+6/+1 means you can make three attacks: one at +11, another at +6, and a third at +1.

[Curmudgeon]

A 028

Eternal Training is an Extraordinary ability.
Using an extraordinary ability is usually not an action because most extraordinary abilities automatically happen in a reactive fashion. Those extraordinary abilities that are actions are standard actions unless otherwise noted. Eternal Training is not performed reactively, but by conscious choice (an action), and no action type is noted. As such, using it requires the default standard action.

[ILM]

Makes sense that it would be an action, yeah. Thanks again! :smallwink:

[Arael666]

Q 30 Is it written somewhere that you can stand up from prone as a standar action to avoid AoO, or that is just a houserule my DM came up with?

[heavyfuel]

A 30

After checking both the SRD, Rules Compendium, and my memory, this is a houserule as far as my game knowledge goes.

[Curmudgeon]

A 030 additional info

Movement defaults to a move action in D&D, unsurprisingly. Kneeling or sitting has combat modifiers halfway between prone and standing. You can move from prone to kneeling, or from kneeling to standing, as a move action for each position change. As separate move actions these can be done on different turns, or on the same turn with allowance for a 5' step because you won't have moved from your square. Neither of these movements provoke AoOs per the RAW. Thus you can, in two move actions, go from prone to standing without provoking attacks of opportunity. Doing so as a single standard action is a house rule, as heavyfuel stated.

[Thurbane]

Q 031

I* know I've probably asked this before, but I've seen arguments for both answers, so citations are needed.

Do class levels count for determining the DC of monster abilities (i.e. 10 + 1/2 HD + ability mod)?

[Curmudgeon]

A 031 Yes.

Every class level adds one HD to the character's total.

[zergling.exe]

Reposting old questions.


Natural Bond stuff

Q 22 Can a druid that has lost effective levels for an animal companion by taking a higher level companion (like the Flesh Raker) regain those levels with Natural Bond?

Q 23 Can a beastmaster that has lost effective druid levels for animal companions go above their HD using Natural Bond? IE get to level +3 for your companion.

Q 24 If both of the above are yes, can you combine these two?

Q 25 Does Natural Bond apply to all of a beastmaster's animal companions or do they have to select one?

[Deaxsa]

Q32
Can a warlock character take the feat "extra invocation" to grant himself extra invocations of the same level?

Eg; john the warlock used his 6th and 9th level feats to learn dark ones own luck and eldritch spear, both of which are least invocations.

What's in question here is whether the 'special' category extends to taking the feat not just multiple times, but multiple times per invocation level.

[Deaxsa]

A22/23
Yes, but a dm may not like this trick. Also, don't really see the difference in the questions.

A24
Not understanding the difference between q22 and q23, I'm going to say yes. I believe that q22 is actually the intended use of the feat and q23 is a little trick where you don't end up above your HD in terms of bonuses to the animal, so it all works out.

A25
Definitely not by raw. Feel free to ask your dm to let you apply it like this, or at the minimum, take he feat multiple times, but by raw, you a) can only take the feat once, and b) can only apply it to one companion.

[Metahuman1]

Q 33: How many skill ranks per hit die to Dragon Racial Hit Dice come with?

[Andezzar]

A 33

Dragons (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#dragonType) get:
Skill points equal to (6 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die, with quadruple skill points for the first Hit Die.

[AlanBruce]

Q. 34

Does the spell Creaking Cacophony (SpC pg. 55) force a concentration check when casting spells from wands, scrolls, or staves?

[Troacctid]

A 23 correction

No.

Natural Bond states:

Add three to your effective druid level for the purpose of determining the bonus Hit Dice, extra tricks, special abilities, and other bonuses that your animal companion receives (see page 36 of the Player's Handbook). This bonus can never make your effective druid level exceed your character level.

If the +3 from Natural Bond would make your effective Druid level higher than your character level, it does not apply. There is no exception given for cases where your effective Druid level could normally be higher than your character level without the feat.

[Andezzar]

A 22/23 Dispute


A druid of sufficiently high level can select her animal companion from one of the following lists, applying the indicated adjustment to the druid’s level (in parentheses) for purposes of determining the companion’s characteristics and special abilities.It is not clear whether this adjustment creates an effective druid level or not. If it does even with only a -3 adjustment you cannot go over your druid level (which is at least as large as your character level)
EDL=Druid level - 3animal companion + 3 Natural Bond = Druid level

The beastmaster bonus explicitly states that the effective druid level can be exceeded.
If a beastmaster already has an animal companion from another class, her beastmaster class levels stack with class levels from all other classes that grant an animal companion. For example, a 5th-level druid/2nd-level beastmaster would be treated as a 10th-level druid for the purpose of improving the statistics of her animal companion (and which alternative animal companions she could select).

[Curmudgeon]

A 034 Yes.

The Dungeon Master's Guide does indeed refer to normal use of spell completion and spell trigger items as casting the spell from those items, and Creaking Cacophony covers all spellcasting. A character with Use Magic Device, who activates these items instead of casting from them, would not be inconvenienced.

[AvatarVecna]

Q35

Does an inanimate object count as flat-footed for the purposes of attacking it?

[Curmudgeon]

A 035 No.

Only creatures can be flat-footed. From the Glossary (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/glossary&term=Glossary_dnd_flatfooted&alpha=F):
flat-footed

Especially vulnerable to attacks at the beginning of a battle. Characters are flat-footed until their first turns in the initiative cycle. A flat-footed creature loses its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) and cannot make attacks of opportunity.

[zergling.exe]

Q 036

Does a Knight's (PHB 2) Armor Mastery ability allow them to move at full speed in Mountain Plate (RoS)? If it does, it still doesn't allow running, correct?

[Curmudgeon]

A 036 No.

The answer is due to the specific wording of the Knight class ability.
Armor Mastery (Ex): Starting at 4th level, you are able to wear your armor like a second skin and ignore the standard speed reduction for wearing medium armor. Starting at 9th level, you ignore the speed reduction imposed by heavy armor as well. Mountain Plate doesn't impose the standard speed reduction for wearing heavy armor; instead, it has its own nonstandard speed reduction which Knight Armor Mastery cannot ignore.

[UserShadow7989]

Q037

Does the concealment provided by the Child of Shadow stance from Tome of Battle (pg. 76) count as a shadow for the Supernatural versions of Hide in Plain Sight? What about counting as being out of natural sunlight or magical light for the purposes of some (Ex) versions of Hide in Plain Sight, like the one granted by the Dark Template from Tome of Magic (pg. 161)?

[Curmudgeon]

A 037

Child of Shadow explicitly does not enable any version of Hide in Plain Sight.
As you move, shadows flutter and swarm around you.
...
You also gain the standard benefits of concealment, but you cannot use this stance to hide in plain sight; you must still use some other terrain feature that normally allows you to use the Hide skill. No part of the Child of Shadow's generated shadows will enable Supernatural forms of Hide in Plain Sight to work. With shadows in your square(s) not eligible, you must therefore find some other shadow within 10' to be able to use Hide in Plain Sight; usually that should not be difficult. For Extraordinary Hide in Plain Sight the situation is rather worse, because the concealment in your space is rendered ineligible to let you Hide. If you have some companion ability (usually Camouflage) to bypass the need for cover/concealment you're OK; if you don't, the stance's limitations virtually guarantee you can't use Hide in Plain Sight.

[St Fan]

Q 038

Can you use the Power Attack feat when smashing an object to increase the damage?

If yes, can you still gain the Power Attack bonus to damage with a melee weapon if you take a full-round action to line up a shot, making it an automatic hit?

[Andezzar]

A 38 Partial

Yes, once applied Power Attack applies to all attacks until the beginning of your next turn.

Yes, even on an automatic hit you will gain the damage bonus.

[Chronos]

A 37 contention:

There are ordinarily two requirements in order to be able to hide: You must have concealment, and you must not be observed. Hide in Plain Sight removes the second requirement. The Child of Shadow stance does not remove this requirement, and thus, as noted, does not enable you to hide in plain sight. The stance does, however, provide concealment, and so if you are not being observed for some reason, or if you have some other ability that removes that requirement, you can use it to hide.

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 037 contention

The question was specifically about Hide in Plain Sight, not use of Hide without HiPS.

[Coidzor]

Q039: Where can the rules on Inherent Bonuses, how they work, and what they can stack with be found?

[heavyfuel]

A039:
As per the glossary:


A bonus to an ability score resulting from powerful magic, such as a wish. Inherent bonuses cannot be dispelled. A character is limited to a total inherent bonus of +5 to any ability score. Multiple inherent bonuses to a particular ability score do not stack, so only the best one applies.

Since the only mention of stacking is that they don't stack with themselves, normal rules for stacking applies.

[goto124]

Q40:

How does rolling initiative work? It says "an initiative check is a Dexterity check", but what does it mean?

[Andezzar]

A 40

See Ability Checks (PHB p. 66)

[Curmudgeon]

A 040

If you have no special modifiers, an Initiative roll is just a Dexterity check: roll d20 and add your DEX modifier.
initiative check

A check used to determine a creature's place in the initiative order for a combat. An initiative check is 1d20 + Dex modifier + other modifiers. Higher initiative check numbers take their turns before lower numbers.

[St Fan]

Q 041

A question about the Dancing Mongoose maneuver from the Tome of Battle.

It says you gain one additional attack by weapon you wield, up to two, as long as you target the same opponent.

However, it doesn't specify if you need to use a full attack for this. So could it be used along with a standard action?

Also, it's a boost and not a strike, so it can theoretically be used alongside a strike. For example, could one use Wolf Fang Strike and Dancing Mongoose on the same round for 4 attacks as a standard action?

[Curmudgeon]

A 041

Additional attacks requires you to have already made one or more attacks in the round. Dancing Mongoose has no other requirements, so if you've attacked already (through whatever mechanism) and have a swift action available you can use this boost. Use with Wolf Fang Strike would be two attacks as a standard action and two attacks as a swift action (not four attacks as a standard action).

[zergling.exe]

Q 042

If a Frenzied Berserker is dominated, does the dominator have control over who the berserker targets while frenzying?

[Curmudgeon]

A 042 Maybe.
If you and the subject have a common language, you can generally force the subject to perform as you desire, within the limits of its abilities. If no common language exists, you can communicate only basic commands, such as “Come here,” “Go there,” “Fight,” and “Stand still.” It's not possible to exercise fine control without a shared language. With such a language, specifying a target is possible.

[Andezzar]

A 042 addendum

There is also the problem the time between commands. As long as the dominated is not carrying out a command he can act as he wishes.

[Jowgen]

Q 043

I would like clarification for the "hierarchy" of RAW sources. This is how I currently understand what kind of sources take precendece over another:

1st: Official Errata
2nd: 3.5 Primary Sources (PHB, DMG, MM)
3rd: 3.5 Supplementals & Setting-specific books where the setting is concerned
4rd: 3.5 Dragon Mag and other "100% official content" label sources (Dragonlance?)
5th: 3e Supplementals & Setting-specific books where the setting is concerned
6th: 3e Dragon Mag and other "100% official content" label sources
7th: Sage FAQs (if this is even included)
8th: Third party materials (if this is even included)

Do I have the right of it?

[eggynack]

A 043

Apart from the errata, which has perfect and explicit ability to override existing text, maybe the rules compendium, which has the same ability given the lack of subscription to the argument that the premium versions of core books further override its changes, and the core books, which have some explicit claim to primary source rules, there isn't much in the way of a clear and perfect hierarchy by RAW. You just have books that are being used in a given game, and then if one of those sources contradicts another, you try to sort it out as best you can in most cases. It luckily doesn't come up a massive amount though, as supplemental works tend to stick to their own domain for the most part, usually only contradicting core when they contradict anything.

[Curmudgeon]

A 043

1st: official errata
2nd: 3.5 primary sources (PH, DMG, MM)
3rd: 3.5 D&D supplements (including setting-specific); 3.5 Dragon magazine; 3e D&D supplements (including setting-specific) with official 3.5 updates; 3e Dragon magazine with 3.5 updates (same priority)
4th: 3e D&D supplements (including setting-specific), 3e Dragon magazine (same priority) adjusted by individual DMs for their 3.5 games (see the text on page 4 of Dungeon Master's Guide)
5th: everything else is an individual DM's call, not applicable generally

Note that throughout these priority levels a new instance of something in a category (magic item, weapon property, class, spell, feat, ...) replaces the older version with the same name; see, for instance, the renamed and revised spells in Spell Compendium. Additionally, there is an official list of 3.0 Feats, Prestige Classes, and Spells which are officially replaced in 3.5 games here (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20050110x).

Rules Compendium's claim to priority is

self-declared, and not backed up in any other D&D rules source
in conflict with the Primary Sources Errata Rule
only with respect to preexisting core books and supplements
entirely negated by the Premium books printed after RC

[Jowgen]

A 043 minor clarification request

Do Sage FAQ's or the Dragon Mag Sage answers fit into this anywhere, or is their unreputability matched by their lack of influence?

[Curmudgeon]

A 043 clarification

Those answers are the personal opinions of people working for Wizards of the Coast, just like their Customer Service answers. No rule published by WotC gives them any greater status than the personal opinions of others.

[zergling.exe]

It appears I was too vague with my previous question, I should have asked what I meant to. I apologize.

Q 044

Does a Mindbender that has used its Dominate class feature on a Frenzied Berseker before they frenzy maintain full dominate control when they enter a frenzy? If so, does this get around the frenzy's requirement to attack nearby targets at all times?


Q 045

Do the Seul Arcanamach Ignore Spell Failure Chance and the Spellblades Ignore Spell Failure class feature's stack?

[heavyfuel]

A 45

Spellsword's ability is called "Ignore Spell Failure (Ex)" and the Arcanamach's is called "Ignore Spell Failure Change (Ex)". While very similar, they have different names and, therefore, are from different sources, so they stack.

[JDL]

Q 046

What penalties, if any, does an Elf incur by RAW for their 4 hour meditation or "trance" to rest each day? Can an Elf perform Spot or Listen checks during this trance, and if so at what penalty (if any)?

[Curmudgeon]

A 044 No.

Dominate (which operates as Dominate Person) gives commands, but does not change the views of the dominated creature. Frenzy has a requirement based on the Frenzied Berserker's viewpoint:
During a frenzy, the frenzied berserker must attack those she perceives as foes to the best of her ability. Should she run out of enemies before her frenzy expires, her rampage continues. She must then attack the nearest creature ... Dominate could force the FB to enter a Frenzy on their next turn; or make a Will save to try to avoid entering a Frenzy; or make a Will save to try to end a Frenzy. No command will change the requirements of Frenzy (make the FB perceive friends as enemies, or vice-versa) while the FB is in it.

[Ruethgar]

Q 47

What is the spell level of the Spellpool class feature from Magic of Faerun? Was it ever delineated, is there a general rule that could cover it, or is there at least a similar spell or ability to switch spells that does have a spell level to base it on?

[TheSethGrey]

Q 48: How do Metamagic feats work? Do you apply them to spells when you cast them or pick out a single spell when you select the feat?

[eggynack]

A 48

Depends on the casting mechanic. Prepared casters apply metamagic to their spells as they prepare them at the beginning of the day. Spontaneous casters apply metamagic to their spells as they cast them, lengthening casting time to a full round action in the process. In neither case is there a limit to the number of spells you can apply the metamagic to, or to the amount of metamagic you can have on a given spell (as long as you can still cast the spell after the adjustment).

[Tarlek Flamehai]

A046 There is no crunch for elven trances in PHB, PHB II, DMG, DMG II, MM, FRCS, RoF, or RotW. Fall back and punt this one to your DM.

[Tarvus]

Is it cool to re-ask this if I didn't get an answer? I also tweaked the question a bit for clarity.


Q 26: Are there established rules for swimming in poisoned water, whether its been done normally or by effects such as the Venom Ooze's Corrupt Water or the spell Water to Poison?

[kkplx]

Q 49

If you're under the effect of Blink, do you have a 20% failure chance not just for your own spells, but also for spell completion and spell trigger items?

[Curmudgeon]

A 049 Yes.
Your own spells have a 20% chance to activate just as you go ethereal, in which case they typically do not affect the Material Plane. Using items does not change this chance, because the time to complete or trigger a spell is a standard action: the same as the casting time for most spells, and also a longer period than the "very quickly and at random" plane changes associated with Blink.

[JDL]

A 26

Poisons come in four RAW varieties: contact, inhaled, ingested and injury.

When swimming in water or another liquid, it is reasonable to assume that any contact or inhaled poison will reliably force the character to make a save. If the character is able to safely avoid submerging their head underwater (avoid failing their swim check by 5 or more or are in water so shallow it does not go above their head) it is reasonable to assume they can avoid the effects of ingested poison. Injury poison by RAW must be delivered through a wound. Unless the character sustains damage when swimming, they would not be subject to injury poison.

A 49 additional

The Blink spell states the following:


"Your own attacks have a 20% miss chance, since you sometimes go ethereal just as you are about to strike."

"Your own spells have a 20% chance to activate just as you go ethereal, in which case they typically do not affect the Material Plane."

If your scroll or wand is not an attack or a spell that affects the material plane, it works normally. Otherwise, it has a 20% risk of failure. Note that this definition doesn't mean all spells fail, since some may not affect the material plane (for example, spells with Target: You).

[Crake]

Q50

Is casting an SLA a standard action, or does it use the casting time of the spell? I'm finding conflicting answers to this question, but it also makes some SLAs that are useful as immediate actions useless. The SRD on dandwiki says standard action, on d20srd.com it says same casting time as the spell. Normally I use d20srd over dandwiki, but upon checking the books, they all support dandwiki, and not d20srd.

Which is correct? And if the dandwiki one is, does that make SLAs of immediate actions useless?

A50

To answer my own question, rules compendium ammends the 1 standard action casting time to 1 standard action, or the spell's casting time, whichever is lower, so immediate action SLAs are still useful.

[Andezzar]

A 50

Technically dandwiki is correct, because the newest printing of the Core books overwrites everything in any previously published supplemental. However the RC does state:
Using a spell-like ability usually takes 1 standard action and provokes attacks of opportunity unless otherwise noted. If the spell-like ability duplicates a spell that has a casting time of less than 1 standard action, the spell-like ability has that casting time.Note that it does not adjust the casting time for SLAs based on spells with a casting time longer than a standard action.

[Troacctid]

A 26 additional

According to Stormwrack page 12, inhaled poisons do not function underwater unless they specifically say otherwise.

[Andezzar]

Well dihydrogen monoxide is an inhalation poison in its own right. SCNR.

Q 51

What is the damage of a maximized empowered fireball (CL9)? 54+4d6 or 54+(9d6)/2? I always thought it is the former, but the rules say this:
An empowered, maximized spell gains the separate benefits of each feat: the maximum result plus one-half the normally rolled result.The normally rolled result can only be halved after the dice have been rolled.

[Khedrac]

A 51 54+(9d6)/2 - as you said, that's that the rules say (it also flattens the distribution).

[FrznTear]

Q 52
How does the Crusader's steely resolve ability and the armor enchantment Retaliation[MIC pg 14] interact?
Does the damage that goes into the delayed damage pool count towards the 10 damage threshhold for the Retaliation armor to deal damage to the attacker?
What about when enough damage would have been dealt to the crusader to reduce it to lower than 0 but the damage pool results in that damage being taken later?

[Curmudgeon]

A 052

Steely Resolve's delayed damage pool delays when the Crusader takes damage. With Retaliation armor this would give the opponent a round between when they attack the Crusader for 10+ points and when they take 1d6 damage from Retaliation (or 3d6 if the Crusader drops to negative HP when they absorb the delayed damage). Steely Resolve has a provision to resolve special effects tied to an attack immediately, but Retaliation is not a special effect in the manner of energy drain or stun (conditions that affect the character on an ongoing basis).

[FrznTear]

Q 53
Following up question 52
If a Crusader wearing armor with the Retaliation enchantment with an empty steely resolve pool of maximum 10 takes 20 damage from a single melee attack would the attacker take 1d6 damage from the 10 damage that reduces the Crusader's actual hit points and then another 1d6 damage at the end of the Crusader's turn when the 10 from the pool reduces Crusader's hit points further?

[kkplx]

Q 54

If a mount is in the Island of Blades stance, does its rider profit from the flanking?

[Curmudgeon]

A 053 Yes.
While wearing retaliation armor, each time you take 10 or more points of damage from a single melee attack, the armor deals 1d6 points of damage to the attacker. Normally you would only take damage one time from a single melee attack. In your scenario you would take it twice in halves.

A 054 Yes.

If your DM somehow allows a mount to have a martial stance (and the mount is friendly to its rider), the stance works as stated.

[Andezzar]

Q 55

Is there another class that provides fast progression cleric casting similar to the Ur-Priest?

Q 56

A) Is there a way to get a cleric to use CHA as casting stat?

B) Are there classes that use cleric casting (i.e. prepared divine casting from the entire cleric list) with CHA as casting stat

[Khedrac]

A 55 Partially yes - the Divine Crusader (from Complete Divine), but it only gives the accelerated progression for a single domain.

[Andezzar]

A 55 Partially yes - the Divine Crusader (from Complete Divine), but it only gives the accelerated progression for a single domain.The various domain spells are not on the cleric list - at least not until the cleric picks that domain.

[Khedrac]

The various domain spells are not on the cleric list - at least not until the cleric picks that domain.

That would depend on the domain, for example the Healing domain spells are all on the cleric list. Anyway I did say "partial" as it only partly covered your question.

[Andezzar]

Q 57

A) Can you combine Hellfire Blast with Eldritch Glaive?

B) If A is true, how much CON damage does the warlock take if he has BAB 11?

[MilesTiden]

A57: No. Hellfire Blast is a separate SU ability, and thus takes a standard action to activate and is incompatible with any sort of Eldritch Blast modification, such as a Blast Shape (like Eldritch Glaive), an Eldritch Essence, or something like Eldritch Claws or Grappling Blast.

[Andezzar]

A 57 Correction

First of all Hellfire Blast is a Spell-like Ability not a Supernatural one. Secondly It does not require a Standard Action:
Whenever you use your eldritch blast ability, you can change your eldritch blast into a hellfire blast. A hellfire blast deals your normal eldritch blast damage plus an extra 2d6 points of damage per class level. If your blast hits multiple targets (for example, the eldritch chain or eldritch cone blast shape invocations), each target takes the extra damage.
Thirdly Hellfire Blast is not classified as a blast shape invocation or an Eldritch Essence, so those can still be applied to the eldritch blast. So unless I am missing something you can combine Eldritch Glaive (blast shape) with an eldritch blast that is changed to a hellfire blast.

A 57 B


Each time you use this ability, you take 1 point of Constitution damage. So it is 1 CON damage per use no matter how many targets are hit with the blast.

Q 58

If a target is hit multiple times in the same round by an Eldritch Glaive, do each of the hits get the extra damage from the Hellfire Blast?

[St Fan]

Q 059
Does the damage bonus from the "sanctify" line of feats of the Book of Exalted Deeds stack? For example, if a monk has taken Sanctify Ki Strike, Sanctify Martial Strike (for unarmed strikes) and Sanctify Natural Attack, will his fists gain +3 damage against evil creatures (and +3d4 against evil outsiders and undead)?

Q 060
A 2nd-level Fist of the Forest gains Untamed Strike. If her unarmed strikes are already considered magical from another source, they're treated as "lesser ghost touch weapon". Does it means that a Fist of the Forest turned incorporeal for whatever reason can attack corporeal creatures with this lesser ghost touch ability?

Q 061
An Intimidate check to demoralize an opponent is only possible if the foe is threatened in melee combat and can see you. Is the check still possible if the fact that the opponent is in a threatened square not obvious? For example, an unarmed character normally don't threaten adjacent square, unless he has Improved Unarmed Strike. Or a 3rd-level Warshaper has Morphic Reach, giving him a greater reach but which isn't obvious unless used. In both case, does an intimidation attempt stay doable?

[Chronos]

A 55 continued:

The Apostle of Peace, from Book of Exalted Deeds, also gets accelerated casting from a subset of the cleric list. Their spell list is much larger than that of any given Divine Crusader, but still far short of the cleric's.

Alternately, you could use Rainbow Servant to advance any fast-progression arcane class, and so end up with cleric casting that way.

[heavyfuel]

A 56 - Partial

A) 3.e? I don't think there is... If your DM allows WotC's books that aren't D&D, you have the Dynamic Priest feat from Dragonlance's "Legend of the Twins" that gives you casting like the Favored Soul (Cha for max and bonus spells, Wis for DCs). There's also the 3rd Party book "Bastards and Bloodlines" which gives you any stat as casting stat with the Lost Tradition feat.

Like I said, none of these are D&D books, but these are, as far as I know, the only way for a Cleric to gain Cha casting.

[Andezzar]

A 59

Yes, they all are unnamed bonuses from different sources. It's a helluva investment for +3 to hit and +3d4 damage.

A 60

No the description tells you what the class feature does, nothing more, nothing less.

A 61

The ability only cares about whether the opponent is threatened by you or not. Whether that is obvious to him is irrelevant. So Morphic reach will extend the area where you can demoralie an opponent, Unarmed strikes do not threaten without a level of monk or IUS, so demoralize will not work.

[Curmudgeon]

A 060 No.

The full characteristics of "lesser ghost touch" are listed in Untamed Strike:
They deal full damage against incorporeal creatures 50% of the time and half damage the rest of the time. You're confusing this with regular ghost touch, which is a different property.

[Crake]

Q62

If a creature is killed by having a number of negative levels equal to or greater than it's hit dice, how does this interact with being brought back from the dead? Does the creature still retain those negative levels, meaning they are unable to be returned to life? Are they immediately removed?

The particular example I'm looking into is a creature with a contingent psionic revivify. If it is killed by stacking negative levels, what happens when the revivify brings them back?

[unseenmage]

Q63
Can a Gelatinous Cube be grappled without being pulled inside it?

Q64
Given enough time and chain, could one tether a Gelatinous Cube to a structure so that it cannot move?

Q65
If an Iron Defender (ECS) were trapped in a Gelatinous Cube, would Grappling the Iron Defender be a means of retrieving it?

Q66
What about a shield? It cannot be grappled so could it be retrieved by merely reaching in and grabbing it? Perhaps by poking a stick through the Gelatinous Cube against the shield until the shield came out the other side?

[Curmudgeon]

A 063

Only if the creature wishing to grapple the Gelatinous Cube has Improved Grab, is larger than the Gelatinous Cube, and succeeds with the -20 penalty to not be considered grappled while holding the Cube. Otherwise grappling requires sharing spaces, which means the Cube's Engulf ability works automatically by covering the same space.

A 064 No.

Oozes are amorphous. You could trap one with impermeable walls, but it can move around/through chain attached to a structure. A Gelatinous Cube picks up carrion, creatures, and trash; other materials such as chains are ignored by the Ooze.

A 066

Reaching into a Gelatinous Cube means sharing its space, automatically triggering the Cube's Engulf ability. A Gelatinous Cube deals 20 points of acid damage per round of contact. With wood having hardness 5 and 10 HP per inch of thickness, that means a 3" diameter wooden stick engulfed in the Cube would be completely destroyed (1.5" dissolved from all sides) in a single round.

[Tarlek Flamehai]

A062

Per the SRD, Psionic Revivify functions like Raise Dead. Raise Dead does not provide any removal of negative levels and "A raised creature has a number of hit points equal to its current Hit Dice." I would say that the creature is revived and is immediately slain again...per the rules for Negative Levels.

[Denver]

Q067

Concerning the interaction between weapons like the Battering Axe or Dwarven Battlehammer (both from "Arms & Armor v3.5") and the racial Powerful Build ability:

Based on the description the Dwarven Battlehammer, given that it can only be wielded in one hand by Large creatures, and that the Powerful Build ability decidedly does not make the creature Large - does it still allow for a medium creature with Powerful Build to wield a *Large* Dwarven Battlehammer in two hands? (Providing the creature take the needed exotic feat to wield it without penalty)

Q068

Follow up:

If the medium creature with Powerful Build was a Goliath with the Mountain Rage ability from levels as a Goliath Barbarian - would the Goliath now be able to wield a Large Dwarven Battlehammer in one hand, as it now counts as a Large creature? Or, would the Mountain Raging Goliath be able to wield a Medium Dwarven Battlehammer in one hand?

Thank you in advance!

[Andezzar]

A 67 & 68

Arms & Armor is a 3rd party publication and as such beyond the scope of this thread. If you want those questions answered, please open a new thread.

[Dmdork]

Q69:smallsmile:

If I see someone walk through an illusary wall, do i still have to make a save or can I automatically see through the wall under the rule that 'anyone that has proof of an illusion does not need a saving throw'?

[Dmdork]

Q70 can a sphere of annihilation be harmed in a y way?

[Thurbane]

A 070

Yes, as per the description in the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/artifacts.htm), a Rod of Cancellation will destroy it, and a Gate spell also has a chance to destroy it.

From memory, I think there may be a couple o other non-core spells, items or affects that also affect the Sphere.

[Curmudgeon]

A 069

You still need to make the saving throw. Someone apparently walking through a wall may be incorporeal (under the influence of a Ghostform spell, for example) or an illusory figment; you don't know that the wall is an Illusion.

[heavyfuel]

A 069

Someone under the Ghostform spell shows signs of such a spell, signs that weren't mentioned in the question.


You assume a visible, incorporeal form like that of a manifesting ghost

This is true for most, if not all, spells that make you incorporeal or otherwise make you go to the ethereal plane such as the Blink spell.

The real answer to this questions is "Ask your DM".


A character faced with proof that an illusion isn’t real needs no saving throw. If any viewer successfully disbelieves an illusion and communicates this fact to others, each such viewer gains a saving throw with a +4 bonus.

These are the relevant rules for this, but the rules never say what "proof" is. Seeing someone walk past a wall that appears real may or may not constitute enough proof that it's an illusion, depending on DM's interpretation. Alternatively, the DM might understand that whoever passed through the illusion (undeniably a "viewer") has non-verbally communicated this to everyone seeing him, giving you a +4 on the Saving Throw.

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 069
Someone under the Ghostform spell shows signs of such a spell, signs that weren't mentioned in the question.
Excepting a surface where tracks would be visible, I don't know of any signs that would show a difference between a creature and the same creature subject to Ghostform — and abilities like Trackless Step would confound even that difference. Incorporeal creatures don't make involuntary noise, but neither does anyone proficient with Move Silently.

[heavyfuel]

Re: A 069

The visible effect is as I quoted in my post


You assume a visible, incorporeal form like that of a manifesting ghost

Sure, the "someone" Dmdork saw might have been an incorporeal creature in the first place, but that's the kind of detail you usually make clear in your question

[Chronos]

069 continued:

Someone walking into a wall might also be using Meld Into Stone (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/meldIntoStone.htm) or Passwall (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/passwall.htm).

Really, the question of "absolute proof" that something is an illusion is a very tricky one in D&D. It's usually fairly easy to conclude that there's some sort of magic going on, but for any given effect, there are so many ways to achieve it that it's almost never possible to conclude that the magic must be an illusion.

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 069
The visible effect is as I quoted in my post
It's a visible form, just like any other visible form. You can't normally tell the visible form is incorporeal by looking at it. If it happens to pass through something else you know at least one of those things isn't solid, but that's all you know.

[heavyfuel]

Re: A 69


Re: A 069
It's a visible form, just like any other visible form.

What's important isn't that it's a visible form, but that it's visible form like that of a manifesting ghost, which just so happens to be "made of transparent ectoplasm" as per this article (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20030615b)

Since the Dmdork made no such mention, we can only assume it wasn't a creature such as that that passed through the wall.


069 continued:

Someone walking into a wall might also be using Meld Into Stone (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/meldIntoStone.htm) or Passwall (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/passwall.htm).

Passwall doesn't work because there was no passage created. Meld into stone also doesn't work because the dictionary definition (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/melding) of melding is "to merge; blend", not "walk though" as Dmdork suggested


Really, the question of "absolute proof" that something is an illusion is a very tricky one in D&D. It's usually fairly easy to conclude that there's some sort of magic going on, but for any given effect, there are so many ways to achieve it that it's almost never possible to conclude that the magic must be an illusion

Indeed, which is why the answer to the question is "Ask your DM". There are way too many variables for the RAW to cover.

[Andezzar]

Re: A 69



What's important isn't that it's a visible form, but that it's visible form like that of a manifesting ghost, which just so happens to be "made of transparent ectoplasm" as per this article (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20030615b)

Since the Dmdork made no such mention, we can only assume it wasn't a creature such as that that passed through the wall.No, we cannot assume that. While this is true for ghosts, it is not true for incorporeal creatures (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#incorporealSubtype) in general.




Passwall doesn't work because there was no passage created. Meld into stone also doesn't work because the dictionary definition (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/melding) of melding is "to merge; blend", not "walk though" as Dmdork suggestedUnless the wall is transparent, you cannot necessarily see whether the creature merges with the stone or passes through it.

[kkplx]

Q 70

If a - let's say wyrm black - dragon uses a chronocharm of the horizon walker, can he/she then move up to half her FLY speed (in this case 100ft), effectively enabling a full round attack on almost any target it chooses?

[kkplx]

Q 71

Is there any way to turn the natural Blindsense of True Dragons into Blindsight?

[Andezzar]

A 70

Yes, the chronocharm of the horizon walker neither specifies half land speed, nor that the wearer has to cover the distance by walking.

[Thurbane]

Q 073 (correct number)

If a Medium (or smaller) creature with the Half-Dragon template increases size to Large (or larger) through temporary means (magic, psionics), does it sprout wings for the duration of the effect?


Speed: A half-dragon that is Large or larger has wings and can fly at twice its base land speed (maximum 120 ft.) with average maneuverability. A half-dragon that is Medium or smaller does not have wings.

[Curmudgeon]

A 073

As per the template, a Half-Dragon of Large+ size will have wings. The temporary effect used will determine if those wings are useful. For instance:
This spell doesn’t change your speed.
This power doesn’t change your speed. If the Half-Dragon had no fly speed before casting Righteous Might or manifesting Expansion, they won't have a fly speed after casting/manifesting and gaining wings. The specific limitations in these cases override the base rule for the template.

[Andezzar]

A 73 Addendum

Also the benefits of a template are only added when the template is applied. So a smaller than large creature does not get wings. There is no mention that such a creature gets the potential for wings and will actually sprout them if and when its size increases to large.

[Raul Leão]

Q 074

For example: Im a level 19 Fighter/Level 1 Sorcerer

I can use any scroll, wands, staff, potions, etc?

Q 075

A level 20 fighter can use what of theese items?

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 073 Addendum
Also the benefits of a template are only added when the template is applied. So a smaller than large creature does not get wings.
As usual, the specific language of the RAW matters. The template uses the present tense "has".
Speed: A half-dragon that is Large or larger has wings and can fly at twice its base land speed (maximum 120 ft.) with average maneuverability. A half-dragon that is Medium or smaller does not have wings. So the Half-Dragon creature attains this property, which operates as described both then (at character creation) and in the future. "Has" wings is quite different from "gains" wings; the former is a state of (size-dependent) possession, while the latter represents a one-time acquisition.

A 074 No.

Any character can use a potion. Your character can use a spell trigger item (wand or staff) containing spells on the Sorcerer spell list. You can use scrolls of spells on the Sorcerer spell list if you have a high enough ability score (Charisma) and succeed at the required caster level checks for spells higher than you can normally cast. You have a chance of scroll mishap if you fail this check.

A 075 Potions only.

[St Fan]

Q 076
A Psion Egoist can use the Metamorphosis (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metamorphosis.htm) power on his Psicrystal thanks to the share powers ability of the latter. What I'm wondering about is what qualities exactly the Psicrystal retains.

76 A
First of, a Psicrystal is a Construct, so per the wording of the power, Metamorphosis can turn it into another type of Construct within the HD limit, right?

76 B
If the Psicrystal is turned into another type of creature, it loses its construct traits (as per the wording "you lose any benefits of the racial traits of your normal form"). This means a lot less immunities, but also that the Psicrystal can now be healed like a normal creature, right?

76 C
What exact Psicrystal abilities are retained? Metamorphosis says "You keep all extraordinary special attacks and special qualities derived from class levels," and most Psicrystal abilities are indeed derived from class levels... but those of the psion, not of the crystal itself.

[kkplx]

Q 77

Does a piece of armor made from Mithril have an Armor Check Penalty that is 3 or 4 points lower than the original?

[Curmudgeon]

A 077 3.

From the material description:
Spell failure chances for armors and shields made from mithral are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, and armor check penalties are lessened by 3 (to a minimum of 0).

[Andezzar]

A 77 Clarification request

I think the uncertainty comes from the fact that mithral armor also is masterwork armor (reduces ACF by 1), but the rules only mention that the cost for being masterwork is already included in the cost of the material. The rules do not say whether the benefit of being masterwork is already included in the benefits of the material.

[Curmudgeon]

A 077 clarification

The masterwork adjustment is necessarily factored in, because all mithral armor is of masterwork quality:
Weapons or armors fashioned from mithral are always masterwork items as well; the masterwork cost is included in the prices given below. That is, it is not sensible to talk about mithral's ACP adjustment not including the masterwork quality factor, because that separation of adjustments is not physically possible by RAW.

[Chronos]

A 75 continued:

A fighter could also take ranks in the Use Magic Device skill, which (among other benefits) would give him a chance of activating a wand, staff, or scroll. It's a cross-class skill for fighters, though, and they don't have many skill points, so it'd be a big investment for probably a fairly small chance.

[ragnar]

Q 78

A human wizard is helding a +2 large metal shield. He polymorphs himself into a giant. In this new shape can he still use the shield ? Does the shield still provide the same +2 AC bonus ?

[Curmudgeon]

A 078

The shield bonus to AC listed for each type of shield is dependent on that shield being of the appropriate size for a creature. If the shield is Large size and the result of the Polymorph is a Large creature, the shield is usable. If the sizes do not match, the shield will provide no protection. In your example the Human (size Medium) would not gain a +2 shield bonus from a Large size shield, but might do so after Polymorph.

[ragnar]

A 078

The shield bonus to AC listed for each type of shield is dependent on that shield being of the appropriate size for a creature. If the shield is Large size and the result of the Polymorph is a Large creature, the shield is usable. If the sizes do not match, the shield will provide no protection. In your example the Human (size Medium) would not gain a +2 shield bonus from a Large size shield, but might do so after Polymorph.

In fact I did not mean a large size metal shield but a heavy steel shield. It's a bit tricky for me since I'm French and in French two different words are used for the Heavy and Light shields (heavy s.=Ecu, while light s.=rondache).
So the shield the human wizard is wielding in Q78 is a +2 heavy steel shield, medium-size.
Does this modify your answer ? I thought the shield would be enlarged by the polymorph passing from medium to large size and would also retain the +2 bonus.

[Andezzar]

A 78

The wizard retains the benefit of the shield as long as the new form is capable of holding shields and is large.


This spell functions like alter self, except that you change the willing subject into another form of living creature. The new form may be of the same type as the subject or any of the following types: aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin.


When the change occurs, your equipment, if any, either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item), or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional.

As Curmudgeon already wrote, shields only provide benefits if they are appropriately sized.

And lastly you can get the benefits of armor and shields even if you are not proficient with them, which is standard for a wizard, but with additional penalties:
A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he or she is not proficient takes the armor’s (and/or shield’s) armor check penalty on attack rolls and on all Strength-based and Dexterity-based ability and skill checks. The penalty for nonproficiency with armor stacks with the penalty for nonproficiency with shields.

[Oddman80]

Q 79
if you have +3 strength modifier, and take 3 strength damage, can you still use a composite longbow that has a 3 strength rating?

[Andezzar]

A 79

Yes but with a penalty:
If your Strength bonus is less than the strength rating of the composite bow, you can’t effectively use it, so you take a -2 penalty on attacks with it.And of course you do not get the extra damage from the strength you no longer have.

[Oddman80]

A 79

Yes but with a penalty:And of course you do not get the extra damage from the strength you no longer have.

at what penalty?

[Andezzar]

Read the quote. It's -2.

[Oddman80]

sorry, i rolled a 1 on my perception check :)

[Chester]

Q 80

As per the text regarding the spell harm:
If the creature successfully saves, harm deals half this amount, but it cannot reduce the target’s hit points to less than 1.

Am I to understand, then, that an unsuccessful save allows the target's hit points to fall below zero?

[Curmudgeon]

A 080 Yes.

The damage being mitigated to leave the target at least 1 HP is in the dependent clause (successful save) of the statement. The only limitation on the damage Harm can cause with a failed save is a function of the spellcaster's level, not any characteristic of the target.

[Zethex]

Q 81
Is it possible to somehow enter the Master Specialist prestige class already on your 3rd character level?

[Troacctid]

A 81

Yes. There are several feats that let you cast 2nd level spells early. Sanctum Spell, Earth Spell, and Improved Sigil (Krau) could all be used to gain early entry into Master Specialist, provided you have enough feats. You will still need 2 non-Master Specialist levels to meet the skill prerequisites, but you can take your first Master Specialist level at level 3.

[Zethex]

Q 81 cont.
Is there an easy way to find out all the applicable feats?

Q 82
What is the "wizard bonus feat list" as described in the UA variant that lets wizards gain fighter bonus feats (p. 59)?

[Curmudgeon]

A 082

It's this Wizard class feature:
Bonus Feats

At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, a wizard gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, she can choose a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, or Spell Mastery. The wizard must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including caster level minimums.

These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets from advancing levels. The wizard is not limited to the categories of item creation feats, metamagic feats, or Spell Mastery when choosing these feats.

[Zethex]

Q 83
Where can I find what non-magical Masterwork Bracers cost and what they do regarding in game mechanics?

Q 84
Can I buy scrolls with a caster level lower than their spell level? And if not, where can I find the rules regarding the purchase of scrolls?

[Tarlek Flamehai]

A83
Closest I know of is Dastana from Arms & Equipment Guide (3.0).
175gp, +1 Armor Bonus (stacks with armor and shield uses light armor prof), Max Dex -, ACP 0, 5%ASF, 5lb

A84
Yes (12.5 gp × spell level × level cast at x 2), http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/creatingMagicItems.htm#creatingScrolls

[Curmudgeon]

A 084 [comment] Not usually.

From page 171 of Player's Handbook
You can cast a spell at a lower caster level than normal, but the caster level you choose must be high enough for you to cast the spell in question, and all level-dependent features must be based on the same caster level. Because there are no spellcasting classes which advance spell level faster than caster level (though there are some prestige classes with a base spell level of 4-5), and using a scroll is completing the casting of the spell on that scroll, the above rule makes it impossible very uncommon to create scrolls with caster level less than spell level. Here's the rule specific to scrolls, from page 238 of Dungeon Master's Guide:
A spell successfully activated from a scroll works exactly like a spell prepared and cast the normal way. Assume the scroll spell’s caster level is always the minimum level required to cast the spell for the character who scribed the scroll (usually twice the spell’s level, minus 1), unless the caster specifically desires otherwise. For example, a 10th-level cleric might want to create a cure critical wounds scroll at caster level 10th rather than the minimum for the spell (caster level 7th), in order to get more benefit from the scroll spell. (This scroll would, however, be more costly to scribe.) Caster level shenanigans (multiple caster classes at different CLs and one of the prestige classes noted below) do make creation of scrolls with CL less than SL possible. This approach impairs normal spellcasting to provide options for the creation of cheaper scrolls, so it's unlikely you'll ever encounter such a build in an actual game.

[Troacctid]

A 81 cont

That's out of the scope of this thread as it's not really a rules question. Try starting a new thread.


A 84 correction correction

Some prestige classes do advance spell level faster than caster level. Sublime Chord and Nar Demonbinder can both cast 5th level spells at CL 2.

[Belkarseviltwin]

A 84 correction correction

Some prestige classes do advance spell level faster than caster level. Sublime Chord and Nar Demonbinder can both cast 5th level spells at CL 2.

A 84 further discussion
Couldn't you also cast a 2nd-level spell at CL 1 with Precocious Apprentice?

[Andezzar]

A 84 correction correction

Some prestige classes do advance spell level faster than caster level. Sublime Chord and Nar Demonbinder can both cast 5th level spells at CL 2.No, they can't. Even at the first level of either PrC the character has a CL a lot higher than 1. Without shenanigans the Nar Demonbinder will have a CL of 8 at the first level (7 from the casting class that enabled him to cast 4th level spells plus one form the PrC). Sublime chords will have a CL of 6 without early entry tricks.

[Troacctid]

No, they can't. Even at the first level of either PrC the character has a CL a lot higher than 1. Without shenanigans the Nar Demonbinder will have a CL of 8 at the first level (7 from the casting class that enabled him to cast 4th level spells plus one form the PrC). Sublime chords will have a CL of 6 without early entry tricks.

You choose any one spellcasting class to add to your Nar Demonbinder or Sublime Chord levels to determine your caster level, so a multiclass spellcaster might have a lower level if they chose their lower-level class. In some cases you might not even have any other class levels to add, such as a Lammasu character who qualifies as a Nar Demonbinder by virtue of racial spellcasting without any class levels at all, resulting in 5th level spells at CL 1.

[Heliomance]

Q 85 What feats are there that say they can be used in place of another feat for meeting prereqs? I know of the following:

Stone Power: Can replace Power Attack
Expeditious Dodge, Desert Wind Dodge, Midnight Dodge: Can replace Dodge
Azure Toughness: Can replace Toughness

Are there any more?

[Curmudgeon]

A 085 additional

Mourning Mutate [Aberrant] feat (Dragon # 359, page 110) can substitute for Aberration Blood (Lords of Madness, page 178) for prerequisites. The options are somewhat different, but most of them have correspondences: Mourning Mutate's "Unnaturally flexible" is a good substitute for Aberration Blood's "Flexible limbs", for example.

[Chronos]

A 85 continued:

Shadow Blade can also be used in place of Weapon Finesse, with slight changes to the feats it qualifies you for.

[Dousedinoil]

Q86:

Is there a difference between starting HD for level 1 characters in 3.5 vs 4e? 4e takes your character HD + total constituion while 3.5 just takes the modifier?

[Andezzar]

A 86 Partial

The comparison to 4e rules is beyond the scope of this thread, if you want answers to that question you need to open another thread. In 3.5 the hit points of the thirst level are maximized i.e. take the maximum result of the die (e.g. 8 for a d8) and add your CON modifier.

[Dousedinoil]

A 86 Partial

The comparison to 4e rules is beyond the scope of this thread, if you want answers to that question you need to open another thread. In 3.5 the hit points of the thirst level are maximized i.e. take the maximum result of the die (e.g. 8 for a d8) and add your CON modifier.

Ok thanks. Sorry.

[kkplx]

Q 87

If a rider has reach, and his mount does not, if they charge, can both attack the target, assuming they can both attack an adjacent target (for example if the rider uses a spiked chain), or are they forced to end the charge at the point where the rider can reach, denying the mount its attacks?

[Troacctid]

A 87

When making a mounted charge, only the mount charges. The rider remains seated and does not use the charging rules for their attack. However, they share the AC penalty for charging, and if they make an attack at the end of the charge, they share the attack bonus as well.


If your mount charges, you also take the AC penalty associated with a charge. If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge.

So you stop at the mount's reach.

[kkplx]

A 87 Clarification

That would make it impossible to charge with a lance though, since it has reach, yet it is a weapon specifically made to attack while mounted?

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 87 Clarification

There are two ways of dealing with that issue (Horse with 5' reach and rider with a reach weapon at 10').
A horse (not a pony) is a Large creature and thus takes up a space 10 feet (2 squares) across. For simplicity, assume that you share your mount’s space during combat. Because you share all the mount's squares, at least one of them will allow you to meet the Charge requirement to attack from the closest square.

The second way is to use the Ride-By Attack feat.

[Troacctid]

A 87 Clarification, additional

You can also attack with the lance before your mount completes its charge and still get the double damage.

A lance deals double damage when used from the back of a charging mount.

You don't get the +2 bonus this way (because the attack isn't at the end of the charge), but it's interesting to note that it applies even against an enemy other than the one your mount is charging, so you'd still get double damage if you attacked someone to the side while your mount charged toward someone straight ahead.

[Andezzar]

Q 88

With Ride-By-Attack can you satisfy the charge requirements and the requirement to continue in a straight line after the attack, without moving through the target's square?

[Curmudgeon]

A 088 Yes.

"Directly toward your opponent" for Charge movement is defined as follows:
You must have a clear path toward the opponent, and nothing can hinder your movement (such as difficult terrain or obstacles). Here’s what it means to have a clear path. First, you must move to the closest space from which you can attack the opponent. In the diagram below, the GREEN character can Charge the RED character on the BLACK path:

http://thumbnails109.imagebam.com/38132/8fecbe381319088.jpg
Because of the way D&D counts diagonals, the last (topmost) black space is at the same distance from the starting position as the space directly below the RED character: either of these two endpoints would satisfy the "closest space from which you can attack the opponent" requirement. By choosing the straight vertical path the GREEN character can continue in a straight line with Ride-By Attack.

[TheCrowing1432]

Q 89

How do you learn more languages after character creation?

[Curmudgeon]

A 089 Speak Language.

The Speak Language (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/speakLanguage.htm) "skill" provides language capability in one language where a normal skill would gain you one rank. If Speak Language is a class "skill" then learning one language will cost you 1 skill point; if it's cross-class, learning a language will cost you 2 skill points.

[ILM]

Q90:
If you create a Nymph PC and give her druid levels (for example, an ECL 14 Nymph Druid 1), what happens to her casting since she alreay casts as a 7th level druid? Does she now cast as an 8th-level druid or does she somehow gain a second pool of spellcasting as a 1st level druid in addition to casting as a 7th level druid? (which would make absolutely zero sense, but I've stopped making assumptions when it comes to 3.5 RAW)

[Tarlek Flamehai]

A90

Effectively the Nymph has a "class" of Nymph with spell casting ability similar to a druid. Taking a level in druid would give the PC a new set of spells as a first level druid. The Nymph is also capped at 7th level casting ability, so advancing racial HD would not help. You may be able to find a PRC that the Nymph qualifies for that would advance spell casting.

[Chronos]

A 90 correction:

Whenever a monster casts spells as a member of a class, the corresponding class is an associated class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#associatedClassLevels), and levels in the class stack with its innate spellcasting. Thus, a nymph with one druid level would cast as an 8th-level druid.

[Coldsturm]

Q 91

If I have a Dungeoncrasher Fighter who has the ability to knockback, and he knocks back the opponent into another opponent, do they both take 4d6+ (STR*2) or just the opponent who was knocked back?

[Curmudgeon]

A 091 Neither.
If you force an opponent to move into a wall or other solid object, he stops as normal. However, your momentum crushes him against it, dealing an amount of bludgeoning damage Creatures are not walls or other solid objects, so your Dungeon Crasher Fighter does not deal any damage in this situation.

[ILM]

A 90 correction:

Whenever a monster casts spells as a member of a class, the corresponding class is an associated class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#associatedClassLevels), and levels in the class stack with its innate spellcasting. Thus, a nymph with one druid level would cast as an 8th-level druid.
Much obliged!

[Thurbane]

Q 092

Does the Mechanatrix (FF p.137) have a favored class listed anywhere?

Q 093

(if not) Are there rules for running races as PCs which have no favored class?

[Andezzar]

A 92

Not that I know of.

A 93

You run them exactly as characters that do not use the favored class of their race.

[Zethex]

Q 94
Do "Sudden" metamagic feats count as metamagic feats for the purpose of requirements for PrCs, subsequent feats and such?

Example: Sudden Maximize, Complete Arcane p.83

Q 95
How does "Sudden" metamagic work for spontaneous casters like sorcerers? Does Sudden Quicken (p.83) make any sense for them, mechanically?

[Shalist]

Armor for unusual creatures (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/armor.htm#armorForUnusualCreatures)

Q 96
Does the cost multiplier for equipment of unusual size apply to the masterwork component?

Q 96b
Ditto for the cost of special materials.

Q 96c
Does it explicitly say anywhere that unusually sized weapons have the same cost multipliers as armor? (I could only find the extended table for armor, though large weapons/armor both cost double).

[Khedrac]

A 94 Yes everything refers to them as "metamagic feats" so they are treated the same as all other metamagic feats.

A 95 They work as printed. This makes Sudden Quicken useless when spontaneously casting a spell (which also includes clerics converting a spell to a cure spell).

[Zethex]

Q 94/95 cont.
So the only benefit spontaneous casters get from Sudden metamagic is that they can use lower spell slots for them?

Q 97
How does Arcane Thesis interact with Sudden metamagic?

Q 98
Are there ways for spontaneous casters to use metamagic without resorting to full round actions?

[Dr TPK]

Q 99

A Frost Giant Sorcerer 7... What is its CR?

[Curmudgeon]

A 096 No.

A 096b

Special materials are priced either by weight or by item type. If the unusual construction increases the weight, the cost will increase accordingly; otherwise, not.

A 096c

See Rules Compendium on page 152 for the costs of weapons outside of the size range covered in the core rules.

[Chronos]

A 97:

If you're only using sudden metamagics with a spell, then there's no interaction with Arcane Thesis, because Arcane Thesis can't decrease the spell slot adjustment of a spell below zero. If you're a sorcerer combining it with conventional metamagics, then it provides the same benefit as a +0 metamagic like Invisible Spell: Each sudden metamagic you apply will decrease the net slot of the spell by 1, to a minimum of its normal level. If you're a wizard, there's again no benefit, because sudden metamagic is applied at the time of casting, too late to do anything with conventional metamagic applied at time of preparation.

A 98:

There are at least three. PHB2 has an alternate class feature for sorcerers called Metamagic Specialist (replaces familiar), which lets you apply metamagic without a casting time increase. Complete Mage has a feat called Rapid Metamagic, which does the same thing. And Complete Arcane has the feat Arcane Preparation, which allows a spontaneous caster to instead prepare spells in some of their slots, allowing metamagic to be applied at time of preparation, like a wizard.

A 99:

Sorcerer would be a non-associated class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#associatedClassLevels) for frost giants, since it doesn't particularly play to their strengths (melee combat, no Cha bonus), and 7 levels is less than the giant's 14 HD. Thus, each level increases its CR by 1/2, so a frost giant sorcerer 7's CR would be equal to 9 (as normal for a frost giant) plus 3.5 (for 7 non-associated levels), or 12.5 . I don't remember if there are any rules for rounding fractional CRs; if there are, this would round to 12.

[Zethex]

Q 100
If a Familiar has a higher default BAB than their master, which one do they use? This is what has me confused


It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was,


Attacks: Use the master's base attack bonus, as calculated from all his classes.

I am asking because I am getting the Air Elemental Familiar from the Raptoran Sorcerer level 1 racial substitution. Small Air Elementals normally have a BAB of 1 while Sorcerers start with 0.

Q 101

Saving Throws: For each saving throw, use either the familiar's base save bonus (Fortitude +2, Reflex +2, Will +0) or the master's (as calculated from all his classes), whichever is better.
Do I use the saves indicated in bold or do I use the Small Air Elemental's actual saves? If it is the latter, am I correct in assuming that its Fort/Ref/Will saves are 0/3/0?

Q 102
Does a Familiar also gain the Alertness feat herself or does she only grant it to her master? If the former, then does she always have it or also only when at arm's length?

[Smorgonoffz]

Q103


Does a corruptor of fate(MMIV) attack(ranged/melee) offer a Save?

From the block i infer that he has the bestow curse ability at will DC 16, said ability applies to all his attacks.
Does the victims of this attacks have to fail ST to be afflicted?

[Tarvus]

Q104: From PHB pg. 129, a Riding Dog costs 150gp. From MM2 pg.219, buying a creature with the warbeast template costs 50 gp/HD for a warbeast of 3 HD or less. A Riding Dog with the template has 3HD and is thus 150gp.

Am I missing something or is it a more powerful animal, for exactly the same price?

[Curmudgeon]

A 104 Yes, you're missing something.

There is no "Riding Dog with the [Warbeast] template". This template can only be applied to a base Animal. A Riding Dog is already trained for combat.
Dog, Riding

This Medium dog is specially trained to carry a Small humanoid rider. It is brave in combat like a warhorse. You take no damage when you fall from a riding dog.
The Monster Manual describes a few “war creatures” that have qualities similar to those of a warbeast but differ from standard creatures of a given kind. These creatures are considered to already have a separate “war template” and cannot have the warbeast template added. For example, one cannot apply the warbeast template to a heavy warhorse.

[St Fan]

Q 105
Two questions about Empathic Transfer and psicrystals.


105 A
Can a psion use Empathic Transfer to repair a psicrystal?
I know psicrystals, being constructs, can't be affected by healing spells or powers; however Empathic Transfer doesn't have the (Healing) subdiscipline, and it says that you are "transferring some of its damage to yourself", thus I'm wondering if it makes it an exception.

105 B
If a psion manifests Empathic Transfer and use the "Deliver touch powers" ability to make his psicrystal the toucher, will the damage healed be transfered to the psicrystal rather than the manifester? Similarly, can the psicrystal absorb diseases or poisons into itself this way (being itself a construct, and thus immune)?

[Zethex]

I don't know what the protocol is for not being noticed due to being the last one on a previous page so I'll just repost my questions here once.


(...)
Q 100
If a Familiar has a higher default BAB than their master, which one do they use? This is what has me confused


It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was,


Attacks: Use the master's base attack bonus, as calculated from all his classes.

I am asking because I am getting the Air Elemental Familiar from the Raptoran Sorcerer level 1 racial substitution. Small Air Elementals normally have a BAB of 1 while Sorcerers start with 0.

Q 101

Saving Throws: For each saving throw, use either the familiar's base save bonus (Fortitude +2, Reflex +2, Will +0) or the master's (as calculated from all his classes), whichever is better.
Do I use the saves indicated in bold or do I use the Small Air Elemental's actual saves? If it is the latter, am I correct in assuming that its Fort/Ref/Will saves are 0/3/0?

Q 102
Does a Familiar also gain the Alertness feat herself or does she only grant it to her master? If the former, then does she always have it or also only when at arm's length?

[/QUOTE]

[Curmudgeon]

A 102 Just the master.
Alertness (Ex): While a familiar is within arm’s reach, the master gains the Alertness feat. The familiar gains plenty of abilities, but not this feat.

[Belkarseviltwin]

A 103Anyone struck by the corruptor of fate's short sword attack must make the save or be affected by the curse. Regardless of whether or not they fail to save against the curse, they still take damage.
This does not appear to apply to its composite shortbow attack- the attack does not have "bestow curse" listed with its damage. This makes sense- the curse affects those "touching or touched by... its weapons" and someone hit by an arrow is not touching the weapon, as arrows are ammunition not weapons.

[Belkarseviltwin]

Q 106
Is there any way to increase the Save DC of the special abilities of summoned Outsiders* if the Save DC is based on an ability score other than Str or Con**?

*So not Greenbound Summoning (applies only to Summon Nature's Ally) or Rashemi Elemental Summoning (applies only to Elementals).

**Because Augment Summoning already helps with these.

[Chester]

Q107
Regarding the Graft Flesh feat: Can an undead character receive an undead graft and still reap the benefits of the graft?

[Curmudgeon]

A 107 No.

Even in the Libris Mortis text of Graft Flesh, this restriction exists:
You can create grafts of your chosen type and apply them to other living creatures or to yourself. Undead need not apply.

[Andezzar]

A 106

You can always use the normal attribute increasing spells, but I do not know about an ability that increases other ability scores on the summoned creature without using another action.

[Dousedinoil]

Q:108

Noob question but how often can you use power attack? Once per day? Does it scale with level? Unlimited? I'm looking for a page number if possible.

[Curmudgeon]

A 108
Benefit: On your action, before making attack rolls for a round, you may choose to subtract a number from all melee attack rolls and add the same number to all melee damage rolls. This number may not exceed your base attack bonus. The penalty on attacks and bonus on damage apply until your next turn. You may use Power Attack on your turn, before making attack rolls for that round; there are no use limitations other than that. That normally would mean you could use it every round, however making any attacks of opportunity in the round before your turn precludes using Power Attack. Power Attack is on page 98 of Player's Handbook.

[Dude_Here]

Q 109

Do NPC classes start out with maximum hits for their hit die
like player classes do?

[Chronos]

A 109:

It's not a matter of the classes; it's a matter of the characters. Insignificant NPCs are made using the standard array and rolled hit points. PCs and significant NPCs are made using the elite array (or better, depending on the table) and maxed first HD. Significant characters usually have PC classes and insignificant characters usually have NPC classes, but that's not always true.

[Thurbane]

A 109

Looking at sample characters from the MM that have a level of Warrior, they receive average HP for their first HD, not maximum.

[Darxbloop]

Q110

Is there any reason why I couldn't be able to cast benign transportation on my expeditious messenger (a diminutive construct) and myself? It seems too cheesy to be true.

[Chronos]

A 110:

I don't know the details of Expeditious Messenger (what book is that from?), but it certainly works with familiars. Yes, it can be handy utility to have, but remember you have other party members, too.

[Seharvepernfan]

Q 111

Is there any rule in the DMG that limits the enhancement bonus on ability enhancing items? Could I craft a belt of giant strength +8?

[Ianuagonde]

Q 112

Does the Freedom of Movement spell protect against an Air Elementals whirlwind ability?

[Curmudgeon]

A 111

You certainly can craft such an item. The rules here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/magicItems/basics.htm) explain the pricing.

A 112 Partially.
Creatures trapped in the whirlwind cannot move except to go where the elemental carries them or to escape the whirlwind. Freedom of Movement negates the above property of the Air Elemental's Whirlwind special attack. FoM does not affect the damage done by the winds.

[blackbeltcereal]

Q113

As a ninja from Complete Adventurer, if I were to use the Ghost Step ability to become invisible for one round, do I get any bonuses (sudden strike) to my damage if I attack something that cannot sense me?

[Curmudgeon]

A 113 Usually.

Being visually undetectable gives you +2 to attacks against sighted opponents, and denies your opponents any Dexterity bonuses to AC. This latter benefit is the enabling requirement for sudden strike.

[Chester]

A 107 No.

Even in the Libris Mortis text of Graft Flesh, this restriction exists: Undead need not apply.

107b: what if a living creature gets the graft, then goes Necropolitan afterwards?

[Curmudgeon]

A 107b

Most grafts require attachment to living flesh to function; that includes undead, deathless, elemental, and plant grafts as well as the more common race-based types. The rules don't state how quickly a graft will die when it's no longer attached to a living body; you'll need to talk to your individual DM about that.

[No brains]

Q 107 c
Because the entry for Graft Flesh says 'other living creatures or yourself' does that mean a non-living creature can apply grafts of its own creation to itself, or does the 'other' imply that oneself is assumed to be living too?

Q 107 d
While we're at it, doesn't that wording technically preclude non-living creatures from applying grafts to anything?

[Curmudgeon]

A 107c

As worded, Graft Flesh can only be used by living creatures.

A 107d Yes.

[gr8artist]

Q 108: The Aspect of the Wolf (http://therafimrpg.wikidot.com/aspect-of-the-wolf) spell from spell compendium apparently changes your creature type into Animal, which then makes you a valid target for Awaken (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Awaken), correct?
Awaken would then replace your Intelligence with the result of 3d6, which I suppose you could have maximized (18) or even maxed+empowered (27). It also seems to add 1d3 to your Charisma score, and gives you 2 animal HD. It then changes your creature type to magical beast.
When your Aspect of the Wolf spell wears off, are you still a magical beast?
Would repeating this cycle push your Charisma and HD even higher?
Is there something in here that doesn't work by RAW?

[Curmudgeon]

A 108

If you can manage caster level 145, you could make Aspect of the Wolf last slightly longer than 24 hours, the casting time of Awaken; that's what's necessary to make this combination work. A duration of 24 hours or under would be insufficient to have the spell requirement (Animal type) in place throughout the casting of Awaken.
Spell Failure

If you ever try to cast a spell in conditions where the characteristics of the spell cannot be made to conform, the casting fails and the spell is wasted. If you could manage CL 145, the Instantaneous result would occur as specified (type Magical Beast), and you could even apply Maximize Spell metamagic to gain 18 INT.

At the Epic levels necessary for this result, 18 INT, +3 CHA and +2 HD of Magical Beast are underwhelming.

[Chronos]

A 108 continued:

Note that a maximized empowered Awaken wouldn't give you a 27 Int, unless you were very lucky. It would give you 18 + 1/2 (3d6) , or an average of about 23.

[Thurbane]

Q 114

When I apply an inherited template to a creature which changes it type, if I advance it by RHD, do I increase challenge rating as per the new type, or base type?

i.e. If I had a 1/2 Dragon Satyr,do I increase CR by 1 per 4 HD (as Fey), or 1 per 2 HD (as Dragon)?

I'm assuming Dragon, but this seems harsh as the 1/2 Dragon template does not increase BAB etc. (it does increase HD by one step).

[Curmudgeon]

A 114

You follow Table 4–4: Improved Monster CR Increase (Dungeon Master's Guide, page 294) for the altered creature type, then apply the following rule:
Compare the monster’s improved attack bonus, saving throw bonuses, and any DCs of its special abilities from the HD increase to typical characters of the appropriate level and adjust the CR accordingly.

[Venger]

Q115 I am in a form with a con a great deal higher than my natural one. When I take con damage while polymorphed/metamorphosed/etc, do I lose HP straight away, or only when it would cause it to dip below my normal con score?

Q115b Does ability damage gained in polymorph carry over once the duration has elapsed?

[Curmudgeon]

A 115 Straight away.

From page 290 of Dungeon Master's Guide:
If a character’s Constitution score drops, then he loses 1 hit point per Hit Die for every point by which his Constitution modifier drops.

A 115b Yes.

Upon changing, the subject regains lost hit points as if it had rested for a night (though this healing does not restore temporary ability damage and provide other benefits of resting; and changing back does not heal the subject further).

[Belkarseviltwin]

A 108 correction?
Would a contingent spell (using Craft Contingent Spell with a trigger of "when I turn into a wolf") work?

If not, Extended Persistent Aspect of the Wolf has a duration of 48 hours if you allow the two metamagic feats to stack, and I don't see why they wouldn't. The controller of effects chooses in which order they are applied, so you can choose to first increase the duration to 24 hours then double it.

[Thurbane]

Q 116

A spear is a two handed simple weapon, with a range increment of 20 ft - does it require one or two hands to throw?

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 108 correction?
Would a contingent spell (using Craft Contingent Spell with a trigger of "when I turn into a wolf") work?
Benefit: You can make contingent any spell that you know.
known spell

A spell that an arcane spellcaster has learned and can prepare. Awaken is a Druid-only spell, not learnable by arcane spellcasters.

If not, Extended Persistent Aspect of the Wolf has a duration of 48 hours if you allow the two metamagic feats to stack, and I don't see why they wouldn't.
The reason they do not stack is because they do not have special provisions to let them stack. Instead, you follow the duration specified in the RAW in each case.
Benefit: Spells with a fixed or personal range can have their duration increased to 24 hours.
Benefit: An extended spell lasts twice as long as normal. The normal duration of a spell is what is listed in its description. You can apply these metamagic effects in whatever order you like; the last-applied effect dictates the duration:

If Persistent Spell is applied last, the duration is 24 hours.
If Extend Spell is applied last, the duration is twice that listed in the spell description.

[Duke of Urrel]

Q 116

A spear is a two handed simple weapon, with a range increment of 20 ft - does it require one or two hands to throw?

A 116

I don't believe any rule suggests that merely because a mêlée weapon must be wielded with both hands, therefore it must also be thrown with both hands. The following passage from the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#thrownWeapons) applies to spears:


It is possible to throw a weapon that isn’t designed to be thrown (that is, a melee weapon that doesn’t have a numeric entry in the Range Increment column on Table: Weapons), but a character who does so takes a -4 penalty on the attack roll. Throwing a light or one-handed weapon is a standard action, while throwing a two-handed weapon is a full-round action.

The boldface text applies specifically to the spear, as opposed to the shortspear. The longspear both requires a full-round action to throw and imposes the -4 penalty on the attack roll.

[Morof Stonehands]

Q 117

A Medium Sized weapon has a base damage of 3d4 damage. If increase to large sized (i.e. via Enlarge Person) what would its new damage be?

[Curmudgeon]

A 117 3d6.

Table 2–2: Increasing Weapon Damage by Size (Dungeon Master's Guide, page 28) shows that a 1d4 weapon increases to 1d6 damage when boosted one size, and a 2d4 weapon increases to 2d6 damage when boosted one size. Though the table doesn't include your specific example, the pattern is obvious and also is the linear combination of these two (1d4+2d4) components.