My DM's Crazy Ideas

[Allanimal]

My DM has some interesting ideas. He just told me "mighty wallop and enlarge person don't stack since they come from the same school of magic" and I'm like "what?"

That's the first time I have ever heard that.

That's like saying i can't have bull's strength and cat's grace on my character at the same time because they are the same school of magic.

Or am I missing something?

If not, what other wacky rulings has your DM made?

[Darklord Xavez]

No, you aren't missing anything. He's just wrong.
-Xavez

[KillianHawkeye]

That is some top-shelf crazy you got there!

[Allanimal]

Ok, since you liked that one so much, here's another one.
Combat ends, the druid's animal companion is at -7 hp. The Druid pulls out the wand of cure xyz wounds to stabilize the animal. DM says "sorry, the rule about -10 hp = death is for PCs only. Everything else dies at 0."

Ok...

I put up with it because he makes fun adventures for us, but it sure can be hard to plan sometimes.

[Poil]

Does that mean you can't cast fireball on someone after you've hit them with a Grasping Hand? Or that you can't cast Summon Monster inside a Fog Cloud?

[Vangor]

Combat ends, the druid's animal companion is at -7 hp. The Druid pulls out the wand of cure xyz wounds to stabilize the animal. DM says "sorry, the rule about -10 hp = death is for PCs only. Everything else dies at 0."

Ask him for his justification, and my assumption is because of the usage of "characters" when discussing a person being disabled due to being below 0 health. Unfortunately, almost every condition has similar wording if I recall correctly, so when the druid gets a new companion just make sure the companion is not affected by ability drains and similar since those only apply to PCs only, for whatever reason.

[Umael]

Ok, since you liked that one so much, here's another one.
Combat ends, the druid's animal companion is at -7 hp. The Druid pulls out the wand of cure xyz wounds to stabilize the animal. DM says "sorry, the rule about -10 hp = death is for PCs only. Everything else dies at 0."

No.

I believe the Boar (and the Dire Boar) have an ability that allows them to continue to fight instead of being disabled (or dead) until their hp drops to -10 or lower.

If your DM is ruling that 0 hp = death, then that ability is useless (and in direct contention with how the designers actually designed death to work).

Furthermore, it says that hit points equaling 0 is disabled, -1 to -9 is dying, and -10 or lower is death - and nothing is said about PCs or NPCs.

What happens when someone retires their PC? "Hey, you remember Lord Blackstaff? Last battle, he got knocked down to -1 hp, so he died because he's an NPC now."

Look it up and point it out. If your DM is a good as you say he is, he should listen. The 0 hp = dead isn't even a house rule, but a matter of bookkeeping - PCs attack 3 ogres, the monsters have no way to heal, when one ogre drops to -2 hp, he's as good as dead.

But he's not actually dead yet.

Come to think of it, isn't there a Necromancer spell that takes advantage of people dying to power them up?

[Greenish]

Come to think of it, isn't there a Necromancer spell that takes advantage of people dying to power them up?

Death Knell.

[JoshuaZ]

Death Knell.

Yeah, that only works on living targets that have -1 or fewer hitpoints. Although, I suppose the DM could claim that the spell just is useless if not used on PCs...

[W3bDragon]

Ok, since you liked that one so much, here's another one.
Combat ends, the druid's animal companion is at -7 hp. The Druid pulls out the wand of cure xyz wounds to stabilize the animal. DM says "sorry, the rule about -10 hp = death is for PCs only. Everything else dies at 0."

Ok...

I put up with it because he makes fun adventures for us, but it sure can be hard to plan sometimes.

This is an understandable mistake to make for DMs that are used to 2nd edition. Simply inform him that 3.5 has changed those rules. The Boar's Ferocity Ex ability from the MM would be a good example for that argument.

[kamikasei]

Perhaps point out that constructs and undead have "destroyed at 0 hp" specifically listed as a trait that other types lack.

[Boci]

This is a highly abusable houserule.

DM: "The BBEG cast..."
PC: "Immune."
DM: "How can you know you're immune? You do not know the spell yet."
PC: "Buffed myself with 1 spell from each magic school"

On a more serious note, ask your DM if they are woprried about the power level from stacking those two spell. Maybe he just didn't want to admit to the nerf. As for the second, might have been a mistake as others have said.

[Allanimal]

ask your DM if they are woprried about the power level from stacking those two spell. Maybe he just didn't want to admit to the nerf.

I'm pretty sure that is the case.

As for the second, might have been a mistake as others have said.

Could be. Especially if that's how it worked in 2nd edition. He has often mentioned rules changes from previous editions, so maybe he's just remembering it wrong.

At the time it was late, after an exhausting battle, and I just wasn't in the mental condition to argue the case.