Simple Q&A (By the RAW) II

[Beren One-Hand]

A 010

It works exactly as stated, Natural Bond cannot make your Effective Druid Level higher than your character level. Beastmaster's ability does not suffer this restriction, but it does not remove it from Natural Bond.

Basically the +3 a beastmaster gets does not count as 'character levels', so Natural Bond will not have any effect if your current druid level is equal or higher than your current character level. Of course, the two bonuses do stack when both apply, so a Barbarian 6/Beastmaster 1 with Natural Bond will have an effective druid level of 7 (+4 from Beastmaster, +3 from Natural Bond), exactly equal to his character level.

But is there a specified order they need to be applied in?
A Ranger 6/Beastmaster 1 would have a base effective druid level of 4, the +3 of Natural Bond would raise it to 7 then the +3 from the Beastmaster for a total of 10.
Or it could be:
A Ranger 6/Beastmaster 1 would have a base effective druid level of 4, the +3 of the Beastmaster would raise it to 7 then the +3 from the Natural Bond would raise it past HD so isn't used.

[oriong]

A 10 continued

It doesn't matter, 'virtual levels' from Natural Bond can never cause your effective druid level to be above your character level.

[iop]

Q 013

Augment Summoning says that the creature gets a bonus to Str and Con "For the duration of the spell that summoned it".
Does that mean that it won't work on (lesser) planar ally, whose duration is instantaneous?

[oriong]

A 013

Augment summoning would not apply because it only affects summoning spells. Planar Ally is a Calling spell. The duration is another reason it wouldn't work as well.

[daggaz]

Q. 014: Do clerics require a holy symbol to cast a spell? I can't find it anywhere in the SRD, and if so, where is it in the SRD?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 014

It is mentioned in the spell header under components whether one is needed for a particular spell.

It looks like this:

Components: DF

DF = Divine Focus

Divine Focus (DF): A divine focus component is an item of spiritual significance. The divine focus for a cleric or a paladin is a holy symbol appropriate to the character’s faith.
If the Components line includes F/DF or M/DF, the arcane version of the spell has a focus component or a material component (the abbreviation before the slash) and the divine version has a divine focus component (the abbreviation after the slash).

[iop]

Q 015

If a creature has both vulnerability and resistance to the same element (see mummy lord for an example, who gets fire resistance from a ring), what is the order in which they are applied?

a) (damage - resistance)*1.5
b) damage*1.5 - resistance

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 015

I would suggest b) based on the description of Vulnerabilities and Resistances.

Vulnerability makes you take 50 % extra damage.
Resistance allow you to ignore some of the damage you take.

However, the Sage disagrees and has decided that whatever order is most beneficial to the creature should apply when an order of operation is not spelled out.

If a monster has resistance and vulnerability to the same kind of damage (such as fire), which effect is applied first? And when does the saving throw come in?

Always roll a saving throw before applying any effects that would increase or reduce the damage dealt. For example, if a frost giant is struck by a fireball that would deal 35 points of damage, it would roll its Reflex save, then apply its vulnerability to fire after determining how much damage the fireball would normally deal. If the save failed, the frost giant would take 52 points of damage: 35 + one-half of 35 (17.5, rounded down to 17). A successful save would mean the frost giant suffered only 25 points of damage: one-half of 35 rounded down (17), plus one-half of 17 rounded down (8).
If the creature has both resistance and vulnerability to the same kind of damage, apply the resistance (which reduces the damage dealt by the effect) before applying the vulnerability (which increases the damage taken by the creature). For example, imagine our frost giant wore a ring of minor fire resistance (granting resistance to fire 10). If the save failed, the frost giant would take 37 points of fire damage: 35 (fireball) – 10 (resistance to fire 10) = 25, plus one-half of 25 (12.5, rounded down to 12). If the save succeeded, the frost giant would take only 10 points of damage: 17 (half damage from the fireball, rounded down) – 10 (resistance to fire 10) = 7, plus one-half of 7 (3.5, rounded down to 3).
As a general guideline, whenever the rules don’t stipulate an order of operations for special effects (such as spells or special abilities), you should apply them in the order that’s most beneficial to the creature. In the case of damage, this typically means applying any damage-reducing effects first, before applying any effects that would increase damage.

[Vaniel]

Q16

With the spell Animate Dead, or even Create Undead... What can you make do the undead?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 016


Could you rephrase that question?

If you are asking what you can make the Undead do, the answer is anything you order them to do that they are capable of doing as long as they are under your control.
They follow your spoken commands to the best of their ability.

With Animate Dead the control of the Skeletons and Zombies is automatic.
With Create Undead the control is not automatic and you need to Command them before you can control them.

[Vaniel]

Q16 (Rephrased)

What are the limits to what a controlled Undead, like a Zombie or a Skeleton, can do?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 016 Revisited

As I said; They follow your spoken commands to the best of their ability.

This is of course not very specific and subject to DM interpretation.

Zombies and Skeletons have 0 intelligence and 10 Wisdom, which means that commands must be simple and are followed to the letter. They have no ability to draw their own conclusions or make individual decisions.

They keep their sensory abilities to distinguish between different kinds of creatures.

This spell turns the bones or bodies of dead creatures into undead skeletons or zombies that follow your spoken commands.
The undead can follow you, or they can remain in an area and attack any creature (or just a specific kind of creature) entering the place. They remain animated until they are destroyed. (A destroyed skeleton or zombie can’t be animated again.)

A skeleton does only what it is ordered to do. It can draw no conclusions of its own and takes no initiative. Because of this limitation, its instructions must always be simple. A skeleton attacks until destroyed.

Because of their utter lack of intelligence, the instructions given to a newly created zombie must be very simple.

[squishycube]

Not Really A16
The many-eyed bookworm has answered your question as far as the RAW goes I think. Further than that, it is not really an RAW question. If you control the undead, they can do whatever the DM deems reasonable for them to be able to do...

[cupkeyk]

I would change the wording from inability to insusceptibility to.

[Stephen_E]

Q005 Are there any feats aside from Improved Trip/Disarm that can improve your Trip/Disarm attempts? If there are in which books are they?

A005 - The only answer I've seen missed this.
Exotic Weaponmaster - Complete Warrior pg 31.
The Exotic Weapon Stunt - Trip Attack, gives a +2 bonus to tripping if you're using an exotic trip weapon.

Stephen

[jonnyjmboy]

Q17 --just for clarification, how fast does a dwarf fighter in medium armor get to move if he multiclasses one level of barbarian?

what if he's in heavy armor?

[Rigeld2]

A17

Fast Movement (Ex)

A barbarian’s land speed is faster than the norm for his race by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when he is wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor and not carrying a heavy load. Apply this bonus before modifying the barbarian’s speed because of any load carried or armor worn.

So, 30 feet in No, Light, or Medium armor (since Dwarves arent slowed in Medium). 20 feet when wearing Heavy armor.

[Stephen_E]

But is there a specified order they need to be applied in?
A Ranger 6/Beastmaster 1 would have a base effective druid level of 4, the +3 of Natural Bond would raise it to 7 then the +3 from the Beastmaster for a total of 10.
Or it could be:
A Ranger 6/Beastmaster 1 would have a base effective druid level of 4, the +3 of the Beastmaster would raise it to 7 then the +3 from the Natural Bond would raise it past HD so isn't used.

A010 further
Checking the effective Druid levels against total levels is the last thing you do before you get the final "Effective Druid level" for advancement purposes

1) Add together all levels that give Animal Companion levels.
2) Add Beastmaster bonus + any other non level limited bonuses (if applicable)
3) Add Natural Bons bonus + any other level limited bonuses (if applicable)
4) Subtract any penalties for Alternative Animal Companions (if applicable)
5) Check if the result is higher than your actual level. If it is, reduce level until your level is the same as your EDL or you are no longer using level limited bonuses, whichever occurs 1st.

Stephen

[Shhalahr Windrider]

A 017

A dwarf's land speed remains unaltered while using medium or heavy armor.

A dwarf barbarian would have a land speed of 30 ft. thanks to the barbarian's Fast Movement class ability. Wearing Medium armor would not change that. The dwarf would still have a speed of 30 ft.

If the dwarf barbarian were to wear heavy armor, it would lose the benefit of the Fast Movement class ability, and therefore have a land speed of 20 ft.

[Maxymiuk]

Q 018

If you're using a bastard sword without the exotic weapon proficiency, does it count as a one-handed or a two-handed weapon for the purpose of disarm and sunder attempts?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 018

What matters for Sunder and Disarm attempts is not the weapon's designation, but how it is used.
A one-handed or two-handed weapon used in both hands counts as a two-handed weapon for the purpose of Disarm and Sunder.
(Light weapons are an exception)

You can get a host of benefits from wielding a twohanded weapon, such as 1–1/2 times your Strength bonus on damage (and twice your damage bonus from the Power Attack feat) and a +4 bonus on your opposed attack roll if someone tries to disarm you. So when is a weapon “twohanded?” For example, a lance is a two-handed weapon, right? But you can wield it in one hand when you’re mounted. Since the weapons table shows that a lance is a two-handed weapon, I get all the two-handed benefits no matter how I wield the lance, right?

Wrong. Table 7–5 in the Player’s Handbook lists weapons as light, one-handed, or two-handed strictly as a matter of convenience. These size categories are always relative to the wielder’s size, as explained in some detail in the section on weapon size on page 113 in the Player’s Handbook (also see next question).
When the combat rules speak of “two-handed” weapons, they’re referring to how the weapon is being used. A Medium character using a Medium longsword in two hands is using a “two-handed” weapon. The same character using a Medium lance in one hand while mounted is using a one-handed weapon. Light weapons are an exception. If you wield a light weapon in two hands you get no advantage on damage (see
page 113 in the Player’s Handbook). Likewise, you always take a –4 penalty on your opposed roll when you’re wielding a light weapon in a disarm attempt (when someone tries to disarm you or you try to disarm someone) regardless of whether you wield it one- or two-handed.

[cupkeyk]

Q 019
If I had Spinning Halberd as a feat, do I qualify for all three melee master feats and their specific sub-feats (Driving Attack, etc) since can deal B, P and S damage with a halberd.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 019

Yes, if you have Spinning Halberd you meet the prerequisites for all three Melee Weapon Mastery* feats and their respective sub feats: Crushing Strike*, Driving Attack*, Slashing Flurry*.

*: Assuming the other prerequisites are also met.

[Behold_the_Void]

Q020

Does leadership allow followers to be PC classes, or are they required to be NPC classes?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 020

They can be any class (that is allowed in the campaign and the DM finds appropriate).
The is no RAW restriction on class for a cohort.

[cupkeyk]

Q 019.1

Since the Halberd now counts as a weapon of all three damage types, does attacking with it trigger all three effects of Crushing Strike, Driving Attack and Slashing Flurry?

Crushing Strike: When you use a full attack action while fighting with any bludgeoning weapon...

Driving Strike: If you use a full round action to make a single melee attack with any piercing weapon...

Slashing Flurry: When you use a standard/full attack action to attack with any slashing weapon...

EG: I use Driving strike to make a single attack, it connects and I knock down my foe as well as triggering Slashing Flurry so I get an additional attack at my highest attack bonus +1(from Crushing Strike) as well as a third attack from Spinning Halberd at -10(penalty from the Slashing Flurry as well as Spinning Halberd, -9 from Crushing Strike, -8 if my second attack connects).

[Fax Celestis]

A19.1 Yes. Yes it does.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 019.1

Driving strike cannot be combined with the other two, since it is a special full-round action.
The other two can be combined when using the full attack action.

[iop]

Q 020

SRD says about divination

The base chance for a correct divination is 70% + 1% per caster level, to a maximum of 90%. If the dice roll fails, you know the spell failed

Do I understand correctly that if you fail the divination, there will still be an answer, but you know it's guaranteed false?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 020

You will have to look at the individual spell descriptions.

Example:

...

An augury can tell you whether a particular action will bring good or bad results for you in the immediate future.
The base chance for receiving a meaningful reply is 70% + 1% per caster level, to a maximum of 90%; this roll is made secretly. A question may be so straightforward that a successful result is automatic, or so vague as to have no chance of success. If the augury succeeds, you get one of four results:

• Weal (if the action will probably bring good results).
• Woe (for bad results).
• Weal and woe (for both).
• Nothing (for actions that don’t have especially good or bad results).

If the spell fails, you get the “nothing” result. A cleric who gets the “nothing” result has no way to tell whether it was the consequence of a failed or successful augury.
...

(My emphasis)