Looking for a few rules references

[Sleven]

Does anyone know where I can find the rule (or ruling) that states that an ability that functions like a feat or ability serves as a prerequisite for other feats/abilities that require the feat/ability it emulates?

I remember seeing this somewhere. It was something "official", not just an offhand forum comment. Might have even been in a FAQ, Sage, or a Rules of the Game article...

I'm also looking for the email where Skip says he thought the person he was responding to was talking about something else (in reference to a ruling on what Nondetection works against), and that Nondetection does indeed work against divinations like See Invisibility.

I'm also wondering if there was ever anything official where Skip corrected his mistake on Baleful Polymorph working against Undead and Constructs (found here (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040601a)) or if there is any other evidence that this is otherwise RAI.

[Venger]

Does anyone know where I can find the rule (or ruling) that states that an ability that functions like a feat or ability serves as a prerequisite for other feats/abilities that require the feat/ability it emulates?

Could you give an example of what you mean?

Most of the things I can think of similar to this would just be a prc granting you a bonus feat in the first place, which obviously qualifies you for things using that feat as a tax.

Do you mean something like:

You take a prestige class and it has a class feature that says "this feature works like power attack" but somehow doesn't just say "you gain power attack as a bonus feat" ? or do you mean something else?



I remember seeing this somewhere. It was something "official", not just an offhand forum comment. Might have even been in a FAQ, Sage, or a Rules of the Game article...
If it was any of those, ignore it, they will only lead you to ruin.


I'm also looking for the email where Skip says he thought the person he was responding to was talking about something else (in reference to a ruling on what Nondetection works against), and that Nondetection does indeed work against divinations like See Invisibility.
There's no clarification needed here, nondetection does not provide an exhaustive list, those are just a few examples, so it does work against see invisibility


I'm also wondering if there was ever anything official where Skip corrected his mistake on Baleful Polymorph working against Undead and Constructs (found here (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040601a)) or if there is any other evidence that this is otherwise RAI.
Fortunately, this is not necessary. Skip's inability to understand his own rules doesn't change the fact that undead and constructs can only be targeted by effects requiring a fort save if it also works on objects (such as disintegrate.) The target for baleful polymorph is a creature, so neither type can be affected by it.

Don't read rules of the game articles to help understand game rules, they really have no idea what they're talking about

[Zaq]

Sword and Fist had a rule about “virtual feats” that seems like it could be the source for your memory. It’s out of date now—there are relatively few class features now that are close enough to being a feat that they would trigger this rule rather than just giving you the feat instead.

[Telonius]

The initial ruling from Skip Williams on Nondetection can be found here (https://koboldpress.com/ask-the-kobold-i-spy-with-my-little-eye/). Haven't found any corrections for it yet, but still looking

[Jowgen]

Sword and Fist had a rule about “virtual feats” that seems like it could be the source for your memory. It’s out of date now—there are relatively few class features now that are close enough to being a feat that they would trigger this rule rather than just giving you the feat instead.

Virtual feat rules are actually in a whole bunch of 3e books beyond Sword and Fist; namely Tome and Blood, Defenders of the Faith, Masters of the Wild and even Epic Level Handbook. The text is largely the same in all of them, only masters of the wild goes into more detail.


If a character has a class feature or special ability that exactly duplicates the effects of a feat, then he or she can use that “virtual feat” as a prerequisite for other feats, as well as prestige classes, and so forth. For example, a ranger can fight with two weapons as if he had the feats Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting, so he is considered to have those feats for the purpose of acquiring the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat detailed in this section. If the character ever loses the virtual prerequisite, he or she also loses access to any feats or other benefits acquired through its existence. For example, a ranger who wears armor heavier than light loses access to the virtual feats noted above, and thereby to Greater Two-Weapon Fighting as well. Acquiring a virtual feat does not give a character access to its prerequisites.

While a 3e rule, nothing in 3.5 directly contradicts this, so it is by all rights still valid. In fact, I'mma go update my feat buying handbook with this snippit.