Simple RAW Thread for 3.5 #35: 3/2 Score And Four Threads Ago

[jdizzlean]

A149

you would lose mountain fortress and regain the stone dragon stance you used to access it, then if you chose you could use a swift action to change stances per normal.

there are of course class abilities that let you have 2 stances active at a time

Q150

how does DR interact with the crusader's ability, Steely resolve?

does the DR come into play before the damage is added to the pool, or when the damage from the pool hits you the next turn?

[svipdagr77]

A 147
From the SRD, emphasis mine:

Movement During a Charge
You must move before your attack, not after. You must move at least 10 feet (2 squares) and may move up to double your speed directly toward the designated opponent.

You must have a clear path toward the opponent, and nothing can hinder your movement (such as difficult terrain or obstacles). Here’s what it means to have a clear path. First, you must move to the closest space from which you can attack the opponent. (If this space is occupied or otherwise blocked, you can’t charge.) Second, if any line from your starting space to the ending space passes through a square that blocks movement, slows movement, or contains a creature (even an ally), you can’t charge. (Helpless creatures don’t stop a charge.)

Squeezing
In some cases, you may have to squeeze into or through an area that isn’t as wide as the space you take up. You can squeeze through or into a space that is at least half as wide as your normal space. Each move into or through a narrow space counts as if it were 2 squares, and while squeezed in a narrow space you take a -4 penalty on attack rolls and a -4 penalty to AC.

No, you cannot charge through terrain if it requires you to squeeze to pass through.

Does the answer differ if there is only one choke point along the charge path (generally fits the examples of unable to charge in the PHB, as it would block a "clear path"), versus if the entire charge path is narrow along its entire length?

No. "Charge" is a full round action and you can only take that action if you have a "clear path" to the target. Any amount of squeezing required would, by definition, make the path not a "clear path."


A 150

Steely resolve gives you a "delayed damage pool." While you can think of that pool however you like, in RAW the pool is like a magic imp (under your control) that, based on some logic, intermittently deals untyped damage to you.

Damage reduction is very simple but it has a misleading name. It doesn't reduce all damage taken. Instead, when you *would* take bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, you subtract any applicable DR from the value of damage that *would* be dealt. The new, modified damage is then dealt (as in, subtracted from your pool of hit points).

Steely resolve adds damage to your pool using this language: "When you are attacked, any hit point damage the blow deals..." so the correct RAW way to interpret the interaction is as follows.

An attack is aimed at you, and it hits. It *would* deal, say, 10 slashing damage. You have DR 2/-. So instead, the attack deals 8 damage. At that point, the damage is now no longer typed, and can either be applied to your hit points pool or to your delayed damage pool.

If the attack is put in your "delayed damage" pool, then when your turn comes around, the "imp" will have his due, and deals 8 untyped damage to you. Untyped damage is not bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, so DR does not apply.

Energy damage (positive, negative, fire, cold, acid, etc) interacts with your pool and with Energy Resistance in the same way - when it hits you, resistance applies. Then it converts to untyped damage which floats around your various pools (hit points and delayed damage) but it never gets reduced a second time.

[Thurbane]

Q 151

I'm pretty sure I found a magic item at some point that gives Trapfinding, as per the Rogue class feature. I don't believe it was an item that gave the Kobold domain or anything like that.

I cannot find this item at all now - I thought it was in an official 3.5 source. Anyone know the item I'm looking for?

[jdizzlean]

A151

there are the Theft Gloves soulmeld, which when bound to the hands grants you trapfinding. that is the only nonclass nonfeat way of gaining it i know of.

[Thurbane]

Q 152

Could a mindless creature, such as a Skeleton or Golem, activate magic items requiring a 'mental' command activation (such as a Beholder Crown) if ordered to do so?

[Venger]

A 152 Yes, it could.

[Vizzerdrix]

Q153

I remember seeing a klingon bat'leth in a dragon mag. Anyone know what one it was?

[King of Nowhere]

Q154: a) a dragon with a higher-than-average-for-dragons dex score has both the combat reflexes and the large and in charge feats; he also has improved trip
Assume a pc charges him, the dragon gets an attack of opportunity
a) does having freedom of movement prevents the pc from getting pushed back? does freedom of movement allow the pc to keep moving forward (as the "an opponent you push back cannot move any further this round" can be read as something limiting movement)?
b) in case answer to a) is [no, yes] and the pc can move forward again, does he provoke a new attack of opportunity?
c) can the dragon push back and make a trip attempt in the same attack of opportunity?

[svipdagr77]

Q154: a) a dragon with a higher-than-average-for-dragons dex score has both the combat reflexes and the large and in charge feats; he also has improved trip
Assume a pc charges him, the dragon gets an attack of opportunity
a) does having freedom of movement prevents the pc from getting pushed back? does freedom of movement allow the pc to keep moving forward (as the "an opponent you push back cannot move any further this round" can be read as something limiting movement)?
b) in case answer to a) is [no, yes] and the pc can move forward again, does he provoke a new attack of opportunity?
c) can the dragon push back and make a trip attempt in the same attack of opportunity?

A154
a) FoM in RAW is kind of poorly written but I think it's unambiguous with respect to this question. What it does say is that a person can "move normally, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web. There is no explicit definition of what "move normally" means, but there is an implicit definition. Specifically, the spell implies that the definition of "move normally" includes moving without the kinds of hindrances that those spells apply. Because it includes the word "even", that implies that nonmagical means of applying paralysis, entanglement (web), or slowed movement also do not work. That means that the PC can keep moving forward. Nothing in FoM prevents you from *being moved.* So the answer is [no, yes]

b) Attacks of opportunity are provoked without hysteresis (they don't take into account any AoOs that occurred in the past) with one exception - "Moving out of more than one square threatened by the same opponent in the same round doesn’t count as more than one opportunity for that opponent." (from the SRD). Large and In Charge does NOT change how people provoke AoOs, so in the situation you describe, the first AoO is provoked when the PC leaves a threatened square of the dragon (as part of moving around within the dragon's large threatened area). Until the next round, that PC is free to move around in the dragon's threatened area without provoking AoOs.

c) Large and In Charge explicitly requires you to "attack" and "hit" with an AoO, at which point some stuff happens. Trip attempts are actually called "Trip attacks" in the SRD, and consist of two components. First, you make a touch attack, then you do some opposed stuff. The touch attack is resolved against AC, so if it succeeds, then you have "hit" with an "attack" and LaIC triggers.

As a final note... it is not clear to me in RAW whether a prone character affected by Freedom of Movement would suffer a reduction in movement speed, or in fact whether a character affected by FoM could be rendered prone at all. After all, is crawling as opposed to walking "normal"? One would assume crawling is a normal mode of movement. But... so is swimming, and yet a person with FoM can explicitly ignore the effects of water. My interpretation as a DM would be that a person with FoM could be tripped and rendered prone but I wouldn't argue with an alternative reading.

[Celestia]

Q155

Is there a spell available to wizards that lets you steal spell slots/prepared spells/active spell effects/similar from another caster?

[Troacctid]

Q155

Is there a spell available to wizards that lets you steal spell slots/prepared spells/active spell effects/similar from another caster?

Spell theft from Complete Scoundrel.

[Kaleph]

Q 151

I'm pretty sure I found a magic item at some point that gives Trapfinding, as per the Rogue class feature. I don't believe it was an item that gave the Kobold domain or anything like that.

I cannot find this item at all now - I thought it was in an official 3.5 source. Anyone know the item I'm looking for?

A 151 - addendum
You possibly mean the ring of lore from the complete arcane, but have a second look since it's not 100% trapfinding.

[Thurbane]

A 151 - addendum
You possibly mean the ring of lore from the complete arcane, but have a second look since it's not 100% trapfinding.

I'm not finding that item in the ring section of Complete Arcane?

I found the Ring of Lore (MoF p.146): you can find magical rune, glyph, sigil and symbol based traps. Better than nothing.

[Thurbane]

Q 156

Normally taking a planar domain (SC p.282) takes up two domain choices for a character.

a.) If you use the Substitute Domain spell (CC p.126), and select a planar domain, do you only give up one of your current domains?

b.) Is it possible to get Domain Draught (MIC p.156) of a planar domain?

[Elves]

This is about the Enlightened Fist's Arcane Fist ability:

Q157

Arcane Fist (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, an enlightened fist can spend one of her daily stunning attempts to cast and deliver a touch spell as part of an unarmed full attack action. She can choose to deliver the touch spell with any single unarmed strike attack she makes during the action.

Is the touch spell replacing the unarmed damage or riding on top of it?

[Troacctid]

This is about the Enlightened Fist's Arcane Fist ability:

Q157


Is the touch spell replacing the unarmed damage or riding on top of it?

On top of it.

[TheTeaMustFlow]

Q159: What ways exist for a cleric to get access to the Dominate Person spell? (I'd prefer methods which can be done by 12th level and without much prestiging, if possible.)

[Elves]

A159

Domination, Temptation and Baator domains all give it.

[Thurbane]

A 159 additional

As well as domains (which would generally be the easiest way), the following feats also add Dominate Person to your Cleric spell list: Dread Tyranny (RoD) and Initiate of Tiamat (DM).

[Vizzerdrix]

Q160

Is activating a wand of nerveskitter a standard or swift action? What about an eternal wand?

[Asmotherion]

Q161:

Can multiple effects from a Spell with variable effects (that you choose 1 of them at the time of casting) affect a character from multiple castings?

For example if i persist Ruin Delver's Fortune 3 times can it give it's bonus to all 3 saves? Or is this covered in "effects from multiple castings of the same spell do not stac"?

A160:

A wand is under Spell Trigger rules and that uses a standard action no matter the casting time. The only exception is for spells with a longer casting time than Standard were the activation time matches the casting time. Unless you have some ability were "specific beats general" any wand no matter the spell or charges you have will require a standard action or longer.

An incantatrix could for example apply quicen spell to a wand by using 4 more charges from the item since the incantatrix ability is more specific than the general "casting a spell from a wand is a standard action or longer."

PS: Consider my reply irrelevant; Totally missed the Rules Compendium.

[Troacctid]

Q160

Is activating a wand of nerveskitter a standard or swift action? What about an eternal wand?

It's an immediate action. RC 85.

Q161:

Can multiple effects from a Spell with variable effects (that you choose 1 of them at the time of casting) affect a character from multiple castings?

As long as subsequent castings don't render the previous ones irrelevant (e.g. polymorph), sure.

[Thurbane]

Q 162

Not really RAW as such, but I'm looking for two monsters I've seen mentioned on these forums, and cannot find them: Shroud of Death and Despair; and Silvereye Marauder.

I think it's an Eberron book?

---

A 162

Found my own answer: Five Nations (pages 92 & 155 respectively)

[St Fan]

As long as subsequent castings don't render the previous ones irrelevant (e.g. polymorph), sure.

A 161 contention

There have been of debate on this subject, and you'll find out I disagree with other posters on this forum.

The case is, I believe, covered by the Combining Magical Effects rules:

Same Effect with Differing Results
The same spell can sometimes produce varying effects if applied to the same recipient more than once. Usually the last spell in the series trumps the others. None of the previous spells are actually removed or dispelled, but their effects become irrelevant while the final spell in the series lasts.

Thus, in most cases the latest spell cast is the one that cover all the others.

Some exceptions of spells that can be cast several times on the same subject (like magic tattoo), or even having special synergic effects when stacked (for example, body ward and soul ward) do exist, but those are always specifically described in the spell's text.

Ruin's delver fortune, though, do seem to have such a provision with the line "You can cast this spell multiple times. Each time you do, choose a different benefit." Ultimately, it's up to the GM to interpret it as a specific exception.

[Dr.Orpheus]

Q 163
Can a size large or bigger character hold a shield of standard size and receive the usual benefits?

[Thurbane]

Q 163
Can a size large or bigger character hold a shield of standard size and receive the usual benefits?

A163

There are, AFAIK, no special rules for creatures to use shields of an incorrect size (like there are for weapons). I therefore conclude that you can only use a shield of the correct size for yourself to gain any benefit from it.

[Elves]

Q164

Is a body double created by the wu jen spell Body Outside Body a valid target for the Incantatrix's 3rd level ability, Metamagic Effect?

At 3rd level, an incantatrix can attempt to apply a metamagic feat she possesses to a persistent spell effect that is already in place. For example, she could use Extend Spell to extend the duration of a wall of force or Maximize Spell to maximize the damage dealt by a cloudkill.

This spell creates one or more indistinguishable duplicates of you, all of which share your ability scores, personality, class levels, skills, feats, and memories. (1minute duration)

[St Fan]

Q164

Is a body double created by the wu jen spell Body Outside Body a valid target for the Incantatrix's 3rd level ability, Metamagic Effect?

A 164
Yes, the body doubles are considered the effect of the spell, so there is nothing forbidding it per RAW. (All body doubles, please note; you can't single one out.)

The exact metamagic effect may be the source of some variance, however. Not all metamagic feat may be relevant, and some can have further limitations.

[ShurikVch]

Q 165

In rare cases, requirements say "humanoid-shaped" rather than "Humanoid" - such as "humanoid-shaped outsider" for Mulhorandi Divine Minion template, "humanoid-shaped construct" for the Awaken Construct and Incarnate Construct spells, "incorporeal undead that are vaguely humanoid" for the Proper State spell (Ghostwalk).

Question: if the creature in question is able to change its shape (not like polymorph derivatives, but genuine shape - like Mimic or some Oozes) and take a shape of Humanoid - will it be legal for such spells/templates(/.../whatever)?

[Elves]

Q166

Does an effect produced by a spell-like ability count as a "spell effect"?
For example, could an Incantatrix use the third level ability quoted above to enhance a wall of force created by a spell-like ability, or does the general ban on metamagicking SLAs prevent this?


Q164 clarification

A 164
Yes, the body doubles are considered the effect of the spell, so there is nothing forbidding it per RAW. (All body doubles, please note; you can't single one out.)

My only suspicion here is the wording, a spell effect that is already in place, which suggests it should be a static effect.

Furthermore, both of their examples are spells that are eligible for permanency, which strongly suggests the kind of thing they were aiming for.

Lastly it does seem kind of ambiguous because there are multiple clones that the spell creates.

Has this been discussed anywhere before?