Simple Q&A (By RAW) VII [D&D 3.5e and all other games]

[Ryuuk]

Q 674

With regards to the maneuver granting items in Tome of Battle (Crown of the White Raven and the like):

Assuming a first level character somehow gets his hands on a Master's Stone Dragon Belt containing Mountain Tombstone Strike. This maneuver has no prerequisite maneuvers known, even if though it is Stone Dragon's 9th level maneuver. Can the character use it?

[Curmudgeon]

A 674 Yes.

The only thing that's unreasonable here is a 1st level character acquiring a 45,000 gp magic item.

[rubycona]

Q 675

Can a wizard scribe spells into a spellbook that s/he cannot cast?

IE, could a high level wizard hire a low level mage to copy his spellbook into another book?

Edit: Thanks! Yeah, I knew that part, but it was the first example I thought of.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 675

Yes, being able to cast it is not a requirement, but having someone else scribing them into the spellbook might not be the best idea, since it then would require that you pass the spellcraft check before preparing it, although that may be more or less trivial depending on skill level.


ARCANE MAGICAL WRITINGS

To record an arcane spell in written form, a character uses complex notation that describes the magical forces involved in the spell. The writer uses the same system no matter what her native language or culture. However, each character uses the system in her own way. Another person’s magical writing remains incomprehensible to even the most powerful wizard until she takes time to study and decipher it.

To decipher an arcane magical writing (such as a single spell in written form in another’s spellbook or on a scroll), a character must make a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the spell’s level). If the skill check fails, the character cannot attempt to read that particular spell again until the next day. A read magic spell automatically deciphers a magical writing without a skill check. If the person who created the magical writing is on hand to help the reader, success is also automatic.

Once a character deciphers a particular magical writing, she does not need to decipher it again. Deciphering a magical writing allows the reader to identify the spell and gives some idea of its effects (as explained in the spell description). If the magical writing was a scroll and the reader can cast arcane spells, she can attempt to use the scroll.
Wizard Spells and Borrowed Spellbooks

A wizard can use a borrowed spellbook to prepare a spell she already knows and has recorded in her own spellbook, but preparation success is not assured. First, the wizard must decipher the writing in the book (see Arcane Magical Writings, above). Once a spell from another spellcaster’s book is deciphered, the reader must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell’s level) to prepare the spell. If the check succeeds, the wizard can prepare the spell. She must repeat the check to prepare the spell again, no matter how many times she has prepared it before. If the check fails, she cannot try to prepare the spell from the same source again until the next day. (However, as explained above, she does not need to repeat a check to decipher the writing.)
Adding Spells to a Wizard’s Spellbook

Wizards can add new spells to their spellbooks through several methods. If a wizard has chosen to specialize in a school of magic, she can learn spells only from schools whose spells she can cast.

Spells Gained at a New Level: Wizards perform a certain amount of spell research between adventures. Each time a character attains a new wizard level, she gains two spells of her choice to add to her spellbook. The two free spells must be of spell levels she can cast. If she has chosen to specialize in a school of magic, one of the two free spells must be from her specialty school.

Spells Copied from Another’s Spellbook or a Scroll: A wizard can also add a spell to her book whenever she encounters one on a magic scroll or in another wizard’s spellbook. No matter what the spell’s source, the wizard must first decipher the magical writing (see Arcane Magical Writings, above). Next, she must spend a day studying the spell. At the end of the day, she must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell’s level). A wizard who has specialized in a school of spells gains a +2 bonus on the Spellcraft check if the new spell is from her specialty school. She cannot, however, learn any spells from her prohibited schools. If the check succeeds, the wizard understands the spell and can copy it into her spellbook (see Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook, below). The process leaves a spellbook that was copied from unharmed, but a spell successfully copied from a magic scroll disappears from the parchment.

If the check fails, the wizard cannot understand or copy the spell. She cannot attempt to learn or copy that spell again until she gains another rank in Spellcraft. A spell that was being copied from a scroll does not vanish from the scroll.

[enderrocksonall]

Q676

If a lich uses polymorph to turn into a non-undead creature, does it lose all the undead traits that it had?

Also, since polymorph changes type and subtype, does the creature using it gain traits of the type they are changing into?

For example, would a human wizard who cast the spell and turned into a black pudding gain blindsight, and immunity to critical hits, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, and stunning, despite the fact that polymorph states that you do not gain qualities like blindsight?

[monty]

A 676

This was errata'd. Polymorph no longer changes type, so that isn't an issue.

If you managed to change type through some other means, then yes, you would gain all its features and lose those of your old type.

[Roland St. Jude]

New thread here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5437890#post5437890).