Help needed with garrote

[Max Caysey]

So this is a question about how to use the wire (steel) garrote from Song & Silence and Dragon Magazine #355.

1) In Song & Silence, a wire garrote is an exotic weapon, in DM #355 its a simple weapon. Which one would be correct if playing D&D 3.5?

2) What are the stats? In S&S, a wire garrote its 1d8, 18-20/x2, in DM #316, a garrote ring is 1d8 18-20/x2, in DM #355 its 1d6 and nothing? So what is the crit range on a wire garrote in DM #355?

3) Is the steel cable in DM #355 considered as thick as a rope or thin like a metal wire? I want to have a steel wire garrote, but cant figure out which would be the correct to choose? (Basically I want to do 1d8 dam, but

3 When initiating an attack with the Garrote, what bonuses do I add to know what the attack bonus is? (Base attack + Strength + size modifier + Improved Grapple? + Feats (Weapon Focus)?) I'm unsure of what modifiers is added to this attack.

4) When I do a garrote attack, would Improved Grapple negate the targets AoO?

So yes I'm unsure of witch version I should use, and how exactly to execute the maneuver of actually using a garrote. One the one hand, the stats for the S&S garrote is better, but its an exotic weapon, on the other hand it seems that DM #355 has been published later than S&S and thus takes precedence, but again its a magazine and might not hold the same authority as an actual publication like S&S.

Any explanations, comments or suggestions would be loved!

Thanks!

[heavyfuel]

1) Either. Despite their similarities they have different names and are both legal from a RAW perspective. Just remember they are 3.0 material and need DM regulation to be used properly in 3.5.

2) Weapons without specified crit ranges are assumed to be 20 x2.

3) Not described in the Mag. Ask your DM.

4) Yes.

[Max Caysey]

1) Either. Despite their similarities they have different names and are both legal from a RAW perspective. Just remember they are 3.0 material and need DM regulation to be used properly in 3.5.

2) Weapons without specified crit ranges are assumed to be 20 x2.

3) Not described in the Mag. Ask your DM.

4) Yes.

I chose to look it up a bit more and I'm pretty sure Dragon Magazines that came out in 2007 are D&D 3.5 rules. Even the DM #316, where the Garrote Ring is from, that's apparently 3.5 too. Unfortunately the only consistency is Song and Silence and the Garrote ring in DM #316. They have the same stats. I'm I to believe that the wire garrote item in DM #355 is not the same items as the wire garrote in Song & Silence?

What would you guys rule?


Also, I'm still a little confused as to what different bonuses I get to add to my initial melee touch attack. Can anyone clear that up for me?

[ShurikVch]

Note: garrote rules from Dragon #355 are notably different from those in the Song and Silence - garrote doesn't inflicts normal damage, and instead causing Suffocation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/environment.htm#suffocation); hp damage would come into play only if you will try to strangle something which is immune to suffocation - such as Undead, Construct, or somebody from the Races Of Air (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#racesOfAir).