Various questions on various subjects and druids in 3.5

[Iliumin]

So, I'll be playing my very first druid ever. As such, I had many questions - some google was able to answer, but not so for others. I would normally ask such questions in the quick answer thread, but as I had so many, I figured I would open a topic about them.
I wasn't able to find any online SRD to link to for my questions, but i'd be happy to add images of the relevant pages in the books if needed.

Poisons
1a) Do poisons apply more than once? I know that most have primary and secondary damage, but if I use the same poison on the same target before it has run its course, will the primary damage apply again?
1b) Same question as above for Ravages (from the book of exalted deeds p. 35). Presumably the answer is the same as they work like poisons, but figured I would ask since they aren't actually poisons.
2) If I use poisons while shapeshifted as part of the creature's natural form (that I can't turn off), is it considered evil?

Animal Companions
3a) For the purposes of taking feats, does the companion's HD count as their "level"? For example, could an animal companion take leadership at 6HD?
3b) On the subject of leadership, could I use leadership to attract a non-sentient animal? Could I attract another druid with their own companion?
(as far as I could find, animal cohort feat was removed in the change to 3.5)
4a) The exalted companion feat (found in the Book of Exalted Deeds p. 42) allows one to add the celestial template to a companion. The celestial template says that the intelligence of the base creature will be at least 3. Does this therefore increase the animal's intelligence to 3?
4b) If I increase my animal's intelligence (say by using the Exalted companion feat from above), can I then give them more complex instructions? Do they speak celestial?
4c) When adding the celestial template to an animal, they become magical beasts. Magical beasts have a 1:1 BAB instead of 3/4 BAB progression. Does this apply to my animal companion? Similarly, does their HD also increase to a d10, and do I add darkvision to them?
5) Can animal companions take flaws (from Unearthed Arcana)? I only ask because my DM instructed me to "break the game" and this seems like crazy cheese to get more feats.

Wild Shape
6a) Can I wild shape while mounted? What exactly happens to the poor mount if so?
6b) Can you wild shape into a bird while falling to save your life? (per RAW)
7) If I become a tree (per spells such as tree form), and I have natural spell...can I cast? Correspondingly, can I use natural spell while polymorphed?
8) I assume I can't use "unarmed attacks" while shapeshifted and using natural weapons? So no flurry of blows or any such nonsense?

Miscellaneous
9) Swift Concentration. This kind of seems like an ongoing thing....is it still subject to the 1/combat limitation of other skill tricks?
10) Can anthropomorphic animals speak their animal type? It's implied they are capable of such, but not that they know how.
11) If I gain darkvision from multiple sources, do they stack? Eg, does it increase the range or upgrade the sight somehow?
12) Vow of Poverty from the book of exalted deeds states that I get DR 5/magic and later "upgrades" to DR 5/evil. Do I get both? Or does 5/evil replace 5/magic? I recognize they don't stack.
13) Does intuitive attack apply to ranged? It says when using any simple or natural weapon, but then says replaces Str mod with Wisdom mod.

[Khedrac]

I can cover a few of these for you:


So, I'll be playing my very first druid ever. As such, I had many questions - some google was able to answer, but not so for others. I would normally ask such questions in the quick answer thread, but as I had so many, I figured I would open a topic about them.
I wasn't able to find any online SRD to link to for my questions, but i'd be happy to add images of the relevant pages in the books if needed.
Don't do that - that's posting copyrighted information. If needed add page numbers for clarity.


Poisons
1a) Do poisons apply more than once? I know that most have primary and secondary damage, but if I use the same poison on the same target before it has run its course, will the primary damage apply again?
1b) Same question as above for Ravages (from the book of exalted deeds p. 35). Presumably the answer is the same as they work like poisons, but figured I would ask since they aren't actually poisons.
2) If I use poisons while shapeshifted as part of the creature's natural form (that I can't turn off), is it considered evil?
1a I think so - but others may disagree
1b ditto
2 That's very DM's call - if you take the BoED rule that poison use is evil then how are naturally venomous creatures neutral?


Animal Companions
3a) For the purposes of taking feats, does the companion's HD count as their "level"? For example, could an animal companion take leadership at 6HD?
3b) On the subject of leadership, could I use leadership to attract a non-sentient animal? Could I attract another druid with their own companion?
(as far as I could find, animal cohort feat was removed in the change to 3.5)
4a) The exalted companion feat (found in the Book of Exalted Deeds p. 42) allows one to add the celestial template to a companion. The celestial template says that the intelligence of the base creature will be at least 3. Does this therefore increase the animal's intelligence to 3?
4b) If I increase my animal's intelligence (say by using the Exalted companion feat from above), can I then give them more complex instructions? Do they speak celestial?
4c) When adding the celestial template to an animal, they become magical beasts. Magical beasts have a 1:1 BAB instead of 3/4 BAB progression. Does this apply to my animal companion? Similarly, does their HD also increase to a d10, and do I add darkvision to them?
5) Can animal companions take flaws (from Unearthed Arcana)? I only ask because my DM instructed me to "break the game" and this seems like crazy cheese to get more feats.
3a Yes
3b I don't think so. Wild Cohort is a web feat somewhere in the archive.
4a I would need to look more closely and I am afb right now - pass.
4b you can always give more complex instructions, as to whether they understand them.... and afb so pass.
4c They get what the template gives, I would check the template to be sure but "probably".
5 I don't think so - they have to be normal animals to be animal companions and that could be argued to render then "non normal".


Wild Shape
6a) Can I wild shape while mounted? What exactly happens to the poor mount if so?
6b) Can you wild shape into a bird while falling to save your life? (per RAW)
7) If I become a tree (per spells such as tree form), and I have natural spell...can I cast? Correspondingly, can I use natural spell while polymorphed?
8) I assume I can't use "unarmed attacks" while shapeshifted and using natural weapons? So no flurry of blows or any such nonsense?
6a Yes - it reacts however it would react to finding your new form on top of it. If you are too big this could be painful for it.
6b If you have time to take a standard action. See also swift wildshape feat
7 don't think so as trees cannot move. Exception - spells without a S component possibly - ask your DM.
8 Yes you can as unarmed strikes are made with an unspecified body part - not it can't be one you are using to attack with otherwise.


Miscellaneous
9) Swift Concentration. This kind of seems like an ongoing thing....is it still subject to the 1/combat limitation of other skill tricks?
10) Can anthropomorphic animals speak their animal type? It's implied they are capable of such, but not that they know how.
11) If I gain darkvision from multiple sources, do they stack? Eg, does it increase the range or upgrade the sight somehow?
12) Vow of Poverty from the book of exalted deeds states that I get DR 5/magic and later "upgrades" to DR 5/evil. Do I get both? Or does 5/evil replace 5/magic? I recognize they don't stack.
13) Does intuitive attack apply to ranged? It says when using any simple or natural weapon, but then says replaces Str mod with Wisdom mod.
9 Well RAW that makes it pointless so DM'sc all.
10 Pass
11 No - unless it says they stack they don't - you use the longest ranged one.
12 it replaces - not usually an advantage
13 pass

PS if you want to break the game do NOT take Vow of Poverty - it's weak, even for a druid. That said, taking it for your companion is a different issue...

[Iliumin]

Don't do that - that's posting copyrighted information. If needed add page numbers for clarity.


Ah, very valid point. Thank you for the heads up on this.



2 That's very DM's call - if you take the BoED rule that poison use is evil then how are naturally venomous creatures neutral?


Another valid point. I'll bring this up to the DM. I imagine he would agree.



4c They get what the template gives, I would check the template to be sure but "probably".


The template says "animals that acquire this template become magical creatures". Magical creatures get a 1:1 BAB per MM1.
Druid, however, says "An animal companion’s base attack bonus is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal’s HD". Which would be 3/4. That was where my confusion came in.



6b If you have time to take a standard action. See also swift wildshape feat


Happen to know which book this is in off-hand?



8 Yes you can as unarmed strikes are made with an unspecified body part - not it can't be one you are using to attack with otherwise.


Could I attack with "primary" natural attacks, and then attack with 'unspecified body parts' as the secondary attack(s)?



PS if you want to break the game do NOT take Vow of Poverty - it's weak, even for a druid. That said, taking it for your companion is a different issue...


Really? It looks quite powerful :confused:. Would you still say it's terrible given that I ended up at 4 strength base (anthropomorphic bat and bad stat rolls...)? What would you suggest in it's place?


Still need some help with 4b, 10, and 13 if someone else has some insight.

[erok0809]

In general, VoP is underpowered because of the value that magic items bring to the table. It's not as bad for a druid than for say, a monk, because the druid still has full casting, wild shape, and the animal companion even without magic items. However, it still tends to add less value than wealth by level does, even on a chassis as powerful as a druid's.

[Khedrac]

The template says "animals that acquire this template become magical creatures". Magical creatures get a 1:1 BAB per MM1.
Druid, however, says "An animal companion’s base attack bonus is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal’s HD". Which would be 3/4. That was where my confusion came in.
The Celestial template also states:

Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes.
Since you are specifically applying the template to an animal companion it gets whatever the animal companion would have without the template (which may not be the same as the base animal because animals vary and animal companions don't).


Happen to know which book this is in off-hand?
Complete Champion I think.


Could I attack with "primary" natural attacks, and then attack with 'unspecified body parts' as the secondary attack(s)?
Err, no - because unarmed strikes follow the weapon rules they have to be primary attacks, only natural attacks are ever secondary attacks.
My memory says that they also cannot be the off-hand weapon for two/multi-weapon fighting.
What you can do though is start with the headbutt (unarmed strike) then claw/claw as secondary. Headbutt + bite will probably get ruled out as suing the same body-part twice.

[Iliumin]

Found the answers to a few of my own questions after more looking around. Figured I would post the answers here in case someone else comes looking at some point in the future.



4b) If I increase my animal's intelligence (say by using the Exalted companion feat from above), can I then give them more complex instructions? Do they speak celestial?
Per the SRD (http://dungeons.wikia.com/wiki/SRD:Reading_Creature_Entries?&ap=5?&coi=771?&cop=main-title?&npp=5?&p=0?&pp=0?&ep=5?&mid=9?&hash=D951898C7B369AA9E72E380D9D1BB890): a creature with an intelligence of at least 3 speaks at least one language (Common, unless otherwise stated). So, the animal companion would speak one language - being common. Though I would argue a creature native the celestial plane speaks celestial and doesn't give two sticks about common; ask your DM.
As for the complex instructions, a creature with intelligence of 3 apparently has roughly the same intelligence as a 2 year old human (http://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1cbrf3/what_intelligence_score_is_considered_stupid/?&ap=4?&coi=771?&cop=main-title?&npp=4?&p=0?&pp=0?&ep=4?&mid=9?&hash=DB4EB2B871AFD7FDFBD6B1CC2773AFE0) would in real life - so no.

10) Can anthropomorphic animals speak their animal type? It's implied they are capable of such, but not that they know how.
While anthromals have the biological parts necessary to create the sounds their animal base does, they do not in fact get to learn the language. Information based on a sample anthropomorphic creature (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Anthropomorphic-Ape_(3.5e_Creature)).

13) Does intuitive attack apply to ranged? It says when using any simple or natural weapon, but then says replaces Str mod with Wisdom mod.
Based on this GitP post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?206497-Clerics-With-Intuitive-Attack&ap=2&coi=771&cop=main-title&npp=2&p=0&pp=0&ep=2&mid=9&hash=5CEEB6B206539561B8D1E1D3C7B1889C), intuitive attack is written as intended - and therefore lets you replace your Str mod with your Wis mod when using natural or simple weapons. This could theoretically apply to ranged weapons, but would need some other way to add your str mod to ranged attacks.



The Celestial template also states:Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes.

Not sure how I completely missed that. Thank you very much!