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

[pabelfly]

Question. A Fangshield Barbarian, Druid or Ranger has to be a nonhumanoid creature. Does a Monstrous Humanoid count as a nonhumanoid creature (I don't believe it does but I'd like confirmation)?

[ZamielVanWeber]

A 201
Monstrous humanoids are not humanoid type, so very likely. Rarely humanoid means "shaped like a human" so you might run into issue if your DM interpets it that way.

A 200
Damage reduction applies to the final number. EX: you rolled 12 damage on a spear charge. DR 5/- reduced that to 7. You rolled 12 on a spirited lance charge, it is doubled to 24 and then reduced to 19. Note that as the damage dealer you are permitted you change the order to (12-5)x2 instead of (12x2)-5 if you should want to do markedly less damage.

[Vizzerdrix]

Q202

What races and templates exist that grant extra functional arms? I am aware of insectile, but the wording makes them sound vestigial. I am also aware of thri kreen, but the racial hd are a bit off putting.Finally, I am aware of Obah Blessed, but the current game disallows Dragon and Dungeon magazines. Spells and spell like won`t due, as anti magic zones are plentiful.

Are their any other options? The lower the hd/la, the better.

[Vaern]

Q 199
How exactly does the Death Rock work, with regard to spells known?

A 199
It says you gain the spellcasting ability of a sorcerer with a level equal to your own, but only know necromancy spells. Spellcasting ability includes both spells known and spells per day. It seems to me that you would learn new spells as you level up in the same way that a sorcerer does, but may only choose from necromancy spells when you do so.

[Troacctid]

Q202

What races and templates exist that grant extra functional arms? I am aware of insectile, but the wording makes them sound vestigial. I am also aware of thri kreen, but the racial hd are a bit off putting.Finally, I am aware of Obah Blessed, but the current game disallows Dragon and Dungeon magazines. Spells and spell like won`t due, as anti magic zones are plentiful.

Are their any other options? The lower the hd/la, the better.

The arms of an insectile creature are fully functional. Some additional options you missed include diopsid for +1 LA (DC), sahuagin for +3 LA and 2 RHD (MM), and aberrant limbs for +2 LA (DMG2).

[jdizzlean]

A202 addition

there is also the non-psionic thri-kreen, it still has the 2 RHD, but only has a LA of +1, that is from shining south, pg 74

you can do any number of anthropomorphic creatures from savage species also

and while neither a race or template, you can take shape soulmeld for girallon arms, but you can't wield weapons with that although you can use them for nat attacks or to grapple

[Thurbane]

Q 203

Is there a rules citation anywhere that it's only PCs who get max HP at 1st level?

Does this apply to NPCs with levels in a PC class?

Monsters with PC class levels?

Characters/creatures with NPC class (Adept, Expert etc.) class levels?

[EndlessKng]

Q204 - Would a samurai of any sort who has a bastard sword and is proficient be able to use that proficiency as the basis for the Exotic Weapon Master prestige class? (It seems like it should be a yes but it's such a weird weapon, can be used two-handed without the proficiency as if it was a martial weapon, so I wanted to make sure it met the criteria).

[Elves]

A205

Yes. EWM requires the feat EWP (x). CW Samurai gets EWP as a bonus feat.

If the class simply listed the weapon in their proficiencies without saying they get the feat for it, that technically wouldn't qualify since the only exemption listed is racial.

[lucmarin]

Q206

So the PrC Frost Mage has the feature "Gain Knowledge"

Gain Knowledge (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, the frost mage gains knowledge of the spell conjure ice beast I, if he does not already have it. Former wizards get to add this spell to their spellbooks for free, and former sorcerers and bards get to add this spell to their spells known, even if this takes them over their normal limit. For each two levels gained in the prestige class, he gains knowledge of the next higher level in the conjure ice beast spell progression (conjure ice beast II at 5th level, conjure ice beast III at 7th level, and conjure ice beast IV at 9th level). At 7th level, in addition to gaining conjure ice beast III, the frost mage gains animate snow as a spell known. At 9th level, in addition to gaining conjure ice beast IV, the frost mage gains frostfell as a spell known.

This class feature does not change the level of the spell. A frost mage still must have a spell slot of the appropriate level to prepare or cast a spell acquired through the gain knowledge ability.

Conjure Ice Beast 1-4 and Animate Snow do not appear on the Sorcerer spell list, as such I assume it's safe to say that a Sorcerer taking levels in Frost Mage would, for example, learn Animate Snow as a 6th level arcane spell.

However, the spell Frostfell is both an 8th level Druid spell and a 9th level Sorcerer spell. Would a Sorcerer taking levels of Frost Mage learn it as an 8th or 9th level spell?

tldr:

If a prestige class would allow a spontaneous caster to learn a spell that appears on the spell lists for multiple classes (Frostfell), are you forced to learn it at the level that it uses on the spell list of the class whose spells known/spells per day are being advanced by the prestige class, or can you choose to learn it at the level a different class would?

[lucmarin]

Q 203

Is there a rules citation anywhere that it's only PCs who get max HP at 1st level?

Does this apply to NPCs with levels in a PC class?

Monsters with PC class levels?

Characters/creatures with NPC class (Adept, Expert etc.) class levels?

A203

Page 110 of the 3.5 Dungeon Master's Guide says:

Elite characters (whether they are PCs or not) have above average ability scores and automatically get maximum hit points from their first Hit Die. Average characters, on the other hand, have average abilities (rolled on 3d6) and don't get maximum hit points from their first Hit Die. The monsters described in the Monster Manual are average characters rather than elite ones (though elite monsters also exist).

I'm not aware of any passages contradicting this, so I think the answer to your original question is no, and I assume that this would apply to any of the examples you have, so long as they're elite.

[unseenmage]

Q207
Is there RAW for alchemical items and special materials to NOT be counted as magic items?

[Thurbane]

Q 208

Do PC races that have RHD have to start play with a level in a class? For example, would a Lizardfolk (2RHD, +1 LA) be able to join an ECL 3 group (where the non-LA PCs will have 3 class levels) with only it's RHD, or must it start with it's 2 RHD and a class level, for an ECL of 4?

[Vaern]

Q207
Is there RAW for alchemical items and special materials to NOT be counted as magic items?

A 207
Magic items are cited as having a number of prerequisites to craft, including a minimum caster level to cast, an item crafting feat, an XP cost to craft, and usually require one or more spells except in the case of generic things like adding a plain old enhancement bonus to an item. The only exception is artifacts which can not be crafted normally. Magic items also invariably emit a magic aura, and generally require some knowledge of the item in order to activate and use them.
None of these rules or qualities apply to alchemical items or special materials and therefore they are not magic items, and are not magical in nature unless specifically mentioned to be so in their description.
Notably, holy water and the everburning torch are specifically called out as not being craftable with craft (alchemy).
Everburning torch is created with a permanent spell effect so, while not a "magic item" per se, this specific item does happen to be magical in nature and could be dispelled or suppressed as such.
Holy water is the result of an instantaneous spell effect and is magical in nature. It may have a residual magic aura from the spell that created it, but whether a dispel or antimagic field would affect it is debatable.

[St Fan]

Holy water is the result of an instantaneous spell effect and is magical in nature. It may have a residual magic aura from the spell that created it, but whether a dispel or antimagic field would affect it is debatable.

A 207 addition
I asked the question about holy water recently. The answer leaned strongly toward "no".

[lucmarin]

A208

Q 208

Do PC races that have RHD have to start play with a level in a class? For example, would a Lizardfolk (2RHD, +1 LA) be able to join an ECL 3 group (where the non-LA PCs will have 3 class levels) with only it's RHD, or must it start with it's 2 RHD and a class level, for an ECL of 4?

From d20srd Monsters As Races section

Level Adjustment and Effective Character Level
To determine the effective character level (ECL) of a monster character, add its level adjustment to its racial Hit Dice and character class levels.

Use ECL instead of character level to determine how many experience points a monster character needs to reach its next level. Also use ECL to determine starting wealth for a monster character.

Monster characters treat skills mentioned in their monster entry as class skills.

If a monster has 1 Hit Die or less, or if it is a template creature, it must start the game with one or more class levels, like a regular character. If a monster has 2 or more Hit Dice, it can start with no class levels (though it can gain them later).

Even if the creature is of a kind that normally advances by Hit Dice rather than class levels a PC can gain class levels rather than Hit Dice.

So a Lizardfolk PC could join an ECL 3 group with only its RHD. While a character with 1 or less RHD would have to replace its RHD with a class level.

[Asmotherion]

Q 209

How does the morphing weapon enhancment interact with special materials such as adamantine?

The example in the description does indicate a composite bow from a longsword. What if said longsword was adamantine? Does this bypass the rule that the bow can't be made of metal or you get a default wooden composite bow instead?

Q 209b

Do you choose the max str bonus/min str score for the morphing composite bow or is it calculated by the base weapon's price?

[Andezzar]

A 209 and 209 b

I am not sure where you get this, but projectile weapons cannot have the morphing property:

Property: Melee or thrown weapon
[...]
You can reshape a morphing weapon into any other melee or thrown weapon of the same size and type (light, one-handed, or two-handed). For instance, a morphing greatsword could become a spear, greataxe, or dire flail.

[Asmotherion]

A 209 and 209 b

I am not sure where you get this, but projectile weapons cannot have the morphing property:

" For instance, a morphing longsword could become a battleaxe or a composite longbow."

https://www.realmshelps.net/magic/weapon/Morphing

Listed source is Underdark. 3.0 material but i thought it wasn't updated.

[Elves]

Q 210

Can factotum's opportunistic piety fuel divine feats?

[Thurbane]

Q 211

The Jambiya is a martial weapon (RoF p.156); it's stats appear to be similar to a kukri, with lower base damage. It has an asterisk which denotes "See the description of this weapon for special rules".

However, the description has no special rules (i.e. not denoted as being able to use for trip attempts, bonus to disarm etc.):

Jambiya: This hooked dagger, common among the Cali****es and Zakharans, leaves long, thin wounds in its target.

...I can't find any errata or updates for RoF. Was the jambiya ever given additional properties anywhere else?

[lucmarin]

A210

I don't think so, Complete Divine specifies that using a divine feat costs 'a minimum of one turn or rebuke attempt from your remaining attempts per day'. Opportunistic piety can turn undead, but it can also be used to heal injuries or harm undead, so remaining uses of the ability would not count as 'turn attempts'.

A211

This is probably a reach on my part, but the text specifies that the weapon is a dagger, and you get a +2 bonus on sleight of hand checks to conceal a dagger. That might be what they were clarifying.

[Asmotherion]

Q212:

Battlemagic perception allows you to counterspell as a free action. How is that possible? Do you ready a free action on your turn? Can you even ready an action that is not a standard action?

[lucmarin]

A212

Readying is always a standard action, however you can ready a standard action, move action, or free action.

Regarding Battlemagic Perception, I think the wording of the spell is fairly confusing. However, as I understand it BMP allows you to sense a spell being cast, roll a spellcraft check, and counterspell as a free action without having to first take a ready action.

[reddir]

Q213:

I thought this was a specific rule but cannot find it. Where does it say in the DMG that magic items can only cost < 200,000 gp before going epic?

Q214:

Is it specified anywhere in the DMG what the limit is on bonuses to skills/stats/saves from magic items (specifically before epic if possible)?

[Arkhios]

Q215:

I have a feeling this may have been asked before:

Regarding Overchannel (psionic feat from Expanded Psionics Handbook), where it says "At 8th level,
..." and "At 15th level, ..." does the level refer to your class level, manifester level, or character level?

I'm inclined to believe it's Character level and my DM is willing to go by that interpretation, but knowing that psionics can be considerably more powerful than spellcasting I want to be sure.

[KillianHawkeye]

A 215

It's a feat, so the default is for it to refer to character level.

[Zaq]

Q213:

I thought this was a specific rule but cannot find it. Where does it say in the DMG that magic items can only cost < 200,000 gp before going epic?

Q214:

Is it specified anywhere in the DMG what the limit is on bonuses to skills/stats/saves from magic items (specifically before epic if possible)?

A213/214:

The relevant rules are in the Epic Level Handbook rather than the DMG. Start on page 123.

[ShurikVch]

Q 216

Polymorph Any Object is based on Polymorph, Polymorph is based on Alter Self, and Alter Self doesn't change amount of hit points:

Your class and level, hit points, alignment, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses all remain the same.

Question: what's will happen with hp number, if target creature was PAOed into something with more HD than it's original hp?
I mean - every HD, by definition, gives at least 1 hp, right?
(With exception of certain traits and flaws.)

[Andezzar]

Q 217

What is the maximum value for magic items, if you play without the Epic Level Handbook?