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Thread: 1-20 Critical range
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2021-12-01, 09:13 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
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2021-12-01, 12:51 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
The power critical feat gives +4 to confirmations, can be taken multiple times, and stacks with itself. Take it 2-3 times and you .basically confirm anything you can hit anyways.
Dolorous Blow spell keens your weapon and auto confirms threats. I am pretty sure everyone is familiar with Bless Weapon.
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2021-12-01, 01:06 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
Favored Critical feat (Masters of the Wild):
Prerequisite
Base attack bonus +5, at least one favored enemy,
Benefit
Select one of your favored enemies that is normally subject to critical hits. Whenever you attack this type of creature, the threat range of whatever weapon you are using is doubled. For example, a longsword usually threatens a critical hit on a die roll of 19 or 20 (two numbers). In the hands of a character with Favored Critical using it against a favored enemy, its threat range becomes 17 through 20 (four numbers). If it is also a keen longsword, its threat range becomes 15 through 20 (six numbers: 2 for being a longsword, 2 for being doubled as a keen weapon, and 2 for being doubled again by Favored Critical).
Special
You can take this feat multiple times. Each lime you do, it applies to a new favored enemy. The effects ot this feat do not stack with those of Improved Critical.
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2021-12-01, 02:01 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
As much as I like the idea of the feat, it is extremely costly and minimal for such a niche effect. It's worth taking if your campaign is going to feature your favored enemy often enough. As a DM I would have the effect apply to all of a rangers favored enemies similar to how favored power attack works from complete warrior (dragon compendium has a nerfed version, but I think favored power attack was published before complete warrior so it could just be a difference in timing rather than a nerfing).
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2021-12-01, 04:44 PM (ISO 8601)
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2021-12-01, 04:54 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
I don't know how to resolve the build issues you have, but if you want "critical hit every time" there's a spell for that. Hunter's Mercy, a 1st level ranger spell. "Your first hit with a bow (not including crossbows) in the next round is automatically a critical hit." It's a standard action to cast, and that "in the next round" clause means you don't get any benefit out of extending or persisting it, making it hard to make a build around. But, it's there.
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2021-12-01, 05:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
You are right, I did base all my calculations on that presumption and your math is precisely how I got there! While it indeed highly takes advantage of the stacking rules, I see no valid RAW and perhaps no RAI (apart from obvious end result absurdity) argument against it [except maybe the fact it uses 3e PrC and stacking logic, but that logic was specifically meant to allow such stacking and those types of results, and even 3.5e has some similar examples (albeit not as extreme ones)]
Wow .......That is some beneficial reading. Although I see where you are coming from, and the argument that "Iron Power increases the Disciple's threat range, not that of the weapon" is spot on, it doesn't seem to me the class was intended to be used that way - I feel you are supposed to smack your target with said steel weapon - though as I read your post, I immediately thought of a punching dagger (don't those allow you to use the hand to wield a weapon? Even with a penalty?) or a spiked buckler (wait, buckers can't be spiked.....a spiked sizing shield ). And I see the hilariousness of the methods you mention
Yeah, didn't think that was going to fly either.......
Not sure if this is rules-valid, but even if it is, I feel it is on the same venue (though way further down the line) as the iron/steel one
Ah, thanks a lot
Again, thans for going the extra mile, but I doubt such a workaround is in the spirit of the PrCs, plus RL science might not go well with gaming in a fantasy setting (for instance, many players and DMs alike might not know that steel is a crystalline material)
This, basically
All of this
Part of the reason behind using PWM was to make sure everything was eligible edition-update-wise (though Troacctid makes a very good point regarding the logic behind the mechanics). If it is eligible, then Sword and Fist's Weapon Master would be a life saver since there would be no hard rule argument about bonus stacking order and this build would be more or less legal (again, apart from using 3e material)
I am trying to avoid Dragon Magazine stuff. Plus, those do not help with lowering threat range, which is what I am trying to do here
Not very familiar with that material, but sadly unless it specifically says it counts as both iron and crystal then it is as valid and possible as the Nephelium I mentioned in the OP, plus it's setting-specific (though probably more prevalent in-setting)
Should have mentioned to avoid Dragon Magazine in the OP
Apart from that, this seems about as an unintended use as the previous tricks of just holding one wapon to qualify for the feature and using another for its effect
True, but that would leave you with a 18-20 weapon at best since you could not expand the base range, which means that even with all of "False Keenness"'s stacking potential the best you could do is 6-20 if my math is right, which means you would need two more sources of stackable critical range to bring this down to the goal range
No, they don't
I just want to see if I can, I am aware of natural 1s from the OP
Threatening the critical is one thing. To actually hit and/or confirm would need to be dealt with through other feats/items/buffs etc, since if this build can happen all levels are pretty much locked-in
Thank you, I thought this issue would never be addressed and frankly it's the one I am most stuck with!
Thanks for the suggestion, but I was actually trying to have a 1-20 critical threat range (as in, the end effect is not the actual goal, the number is). Plus, as you said, it's hard to build around that and I want the end result to be always-on
So, does anyone have any ways to satisfy the psionic requirement? Also, any consensus on the validity of using Weapon Master?
In addition, now that i've looked it up, if DoD was paired with Dolorous Blow on a 18-20 weapon and the stacking order was as desired, wouldn't that also lead to a 1-20 critical threat range for the duration of the spell?Last edited by Dragonsworn; 2021-12-01 at 05:32 PM. Reason: Grammar/vocabulary/syntax errors
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2021-12-01, 07:06 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
In short? No. Dolorous Blow says this:
Multiple effects that increase a weapon's threat range (such as this spell and the Improved Critical feat) don't stack.
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2021-12-01, 07:28 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
I've never seen anyone question DoD stacking. The class feature is clear how it works and specific>general. Yes it's 3.0 content but never got an update so it's valid.
I see someone already mentioned crysteel. That seems like a perfect way to count as crystal and iron at once.
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2021-12-02, 01:43 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
Yeah, I kinda hoped that "effects" would not include class features, so the spell would apply as the +2 from PWM and then be expanded on by DoD [the other way around (DoD first and then the whole being expanded by the spell) is also plausible with a generous reading and could even allow smaller original threat ranges to work, like 19-20 (not going to do the math for that one), but this seems a tad too abusive]. Which, although your reading seems more reasonable, is not entirely impossible given how you (or the DM) will read it
It's not really DoD's stacking that is the problem, but whether you can stack anything else with it and in what order (assuming I understood what you meant with your post)
Crysteel and OP's Nephelium might allow stacking, though they do not explicitly state they do, so it's up to DM I guess
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2021-12-02, 01:50 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
So I take it by the lack of replies that there is no way to meet the psionic requirement and thus the build is impossible pre-epic, right?
So if PWM is not an option, where do we stand on 3e Weapon Master? The OA one has a clause preventing beneficial stacking. The Sword and Fist one would be ideal but I understand it was updated and subsumed in 3.5e to Exotic Weapon Master by RAW, but the classes are viewed as so dissimilar (indeed they are) that some folks do not accept it and/or believe it would be valid to include the 3e version either as separate PrCs or alternatives to one another. I believe the RAW leaves no room for interpretation, but any arguments in the spirit of things here? Also, what happens in the case of people (such as myself) who did not know of this conversion and thus might have found such a build valid?Last edited by Dragonsworn; 2021-12-06 at 01:44 PM.
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2021-12-02, 03:51 PM (ISO 8601)
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2021-12-02, 09:31 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
It might be better asking a separate question or separate thread on whether there is a way to reduce the minimum psionic class level required to be able to manifest 3rd level powers. It's possible those experienced with psionics haven't dug deep into the thread. I don't know much about psionics but it just looks to me on my rough understanding of the rules that while you can raise your Manifester Level, that only affects variables within the power, it doesn't affect the minimum class level for a given power to be activated. And there isn't anywhere near as much splat support for psionics as for magic, so being a pessimist my guess is that something doing that wasn't ever published.
Another avenue to look into - maybe in the same query - is if there is a playable monster or race that can manifest a 3rd level power, since that would qualify: all PWM takes is that you can manifest a 3rd level power. This is a long shot since odds are on such a monster probably has a serious level adjustment or racial hit dice that raise it to ECL 5 anyway, but as said it's worth a try.
The last resort is to pick up a magic item that allows you to manifest 3rd level powers. In the SRD we've got the Third Eye Repudiate:
Repudiate
While worn, this powerful item allows the wearer to manifest dispel psionics once per day with a +20 modifier on the dispel check (the wearer uses the +20 modifier in place of his manifester level).
Strong psychokinesis; ML 20th; Craft Universal Item, dispel psionics; Price 43,200 gp.Last edited by Saintheart; 2021-12-03 at 08:23 AM.
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2021-12-06, 12:29 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
Sorry for absence, RL had to be attended
Wait, wait......
I thought updated stuff were supposed to be used in their newest version!
I realise that if everyone is willing and DM permits you can do whatever you want, but if you wanted to not violate the rules, is there any legal way you could use 3e stuff that has already been updated?
I was thinking of starting a thread on that, but I am still undecided. If nothing comes up and if 3e Weapon Master ends up being unusable I will think it again
I thought of the race thing, but I highly doubt such a race will not have LA or RHD (since it will probably not be a "normal playable race"). Still, one more question for the thread, I suppose
I am of the inclination not to qualify for PrCs via items, doesn't seem like something that is supposed to happen (as in players were not expected to qualify as such, whether it is considered legal or not is another topic)Last edited by Dragonsworn; 2021-12-06 at 12:30 PM.
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2021-12-06, 01:04 PM (ISO 8601)
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2021-12-06, 01:47 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
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2021-12-06, 02:03 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
To understand why sources like the FAQ hold no weight, you first need to understand the errata, official documents published to bring existing books up to speed in an evolving game.
Let's look at the Player's Handbook errata, Feb. 17th 2006 revision.
Errata Rule: Primary Sources
When you find a disagreement between two D&D® rules sources, unless an official errata file says otherwise, the primary source is correct. One example of a primary/secondary source is text taking precedence over a table entry. An individual spell description takes precedence when the short description in the beginning of the spells chapter disagrees.
Another example of primary vs. secondary sources involves book and topic precedence. The Player's Handbook, for example, gives all the rules for playing the game, for playing PC races, and for using base class descriptions. If you find something on one of those topics from the DUNGEON MASTER's Guide or the Monster Manual that disagrees with the Player's Handbook, you should assume the Player's Handbook is the primary source. The DUNGEON MASTER's Guide is the primary source for topics such as magic item descriptions, special material construction rules, and so on. The Monster Manual is the primary source for monster descriptions, templates, and supernatural, extraordinary, and spell-like abilities.
For instance, to know the rules for playing a shaper (a kind of psion), the first place you turn is to the Expanded Psionics Handbook, since it provides the shaper rules. If another source disagrees, the shaper is still from the Expanded Psionics Handbook, so that book still informs you what to do as a shaper.
(Someone else please pick up from here.)The future is bright.
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2021-12-06, 02:48 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
I am aware of those issues, but I do not see their relevance here
Unless the article linked above was from a FAQ....in which case the subsuming of Weapon Master into Exotic Weapon Master was done later than the actual 3e to 3.5 updating and the folks at WotC later realised the omission and tried to patch it up, rendering the validity of this particular update dubious
Is that the case?
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2021-12-06, 03:07 PM (ISO 8601)
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2021-12-06, 09:49 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
Basically, the difference is being an official source vs referring to something that doesn't actually say what the referral page says it does. There is no actual rule stating that the updates in the article are binding in some capacity. RAW requires a rule in the first place. The article in question is only a reference page telling you where you can find something.
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2021-12-09, 04:22 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
So basically the argument is that the utmost official source did not include these updates, so we view the linked article as an opinion that we disagree with and hence can choose whether to apply it or not
Not going to go on who writes these articles and if we should view them as authority over the rules, but doesn't that seem like cherry-picking sources aside from the officiality thing?
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2021-12-09, 11:57 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
Official or not, it isn't a "rule" so RAW can't be used in this situation. At best it's extra content. ToB and psionics are official also and yet even on these boards you see so many people that don't play with them. In the end that's really all that matters. Each group plays the way they want; that includes deciding the content you want to use. That said, PRCs aren't even meant to be used as is as per the DMG. So all the debating about whether they are meant to be updated for 3.5 doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
Last edited by Darg; 2021-12-09 at 11:58 PM.
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2021-12-10, 01:24 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
I'm not sure if I did gasp the situation of the discussion. But if I got you right, you are arguing if the 3.0>3.5 conversion rules are RAW by the 3.5 rules.
If you download the pdf at this site it has the following statement:
Several feats, prestige classes, and spells that originally appeared in the 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons class
guidebooks (Sword and Fist, Defenders of the Faith, Tome and Blood, Song and Silence, and Masters of the Wild)
have been updated and included in the D&D v.3.5 "Complete" series of books (Complete Warrior, Complete Divine,
Complete Arcane, and Complete Adventurer), as well as other sources. The following reference guide tells you
where to find the most correct, up-to-date version of your favorite feats, prestige classes, and spells from these
books.
The Primary Source Rule is found in the PHB ERRATA (and was quoted above in a post already).
So by RAW, you have to follow the conversion (which includes the S&F Weapon Master > Exotic Weapon Master in the table of the pdf). A DM may houserule it away, but that is a houserule and not RAW.Extended Signature with Links to all my build showcases in the forum
My latest build showcases:
Gaive'Ur, the last Eldritch Knight of Bane (✝)
PACMAN, the Southern Beholder Mage (accelerated spell progression + double 9s)
Optimus Urbana Hierophantus - a Mobile Suit Gundam / Mech / Transformers build
Orko, He-man & Battlecat (a Dragonfire Mount's Ubermount and its Ubermount)
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2021-12-10, 01:36 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
I could argue it easily the other way.
Is the pdf a D&D Rules Source, as the PHB Errata demands? It doesn't name itself as such. Does the PHB Errata define what a "D&D Rules Source" is? Nope. So far as you can glean anything from the errata on that, it looks like the PHB, DMG, and MM are the only real examples we've got.
Is the pdf an official errata, as the PHB Errata demands? It doesn't name itself as such. And it doesn't say to replace words or replace classes or anything, so it doesn't work like an errata does either.
What it does say, though, explicitly, is that it is "a guidebook of where to find" updated 3.5 versions of specific entries in 3.0 books. It is not a source of rules in itself. Therefore, it's not a D&D Rules Source, therefore, it does not fall within the category of either being a D&D Rules Source or an Official Errata. And therefore, doesn't count as a primary source. And therefore by RAW does not update anything. It just points you at books where updated 3.5 versions of Your Favourite Prestige Classes And Other Random Manure have been printed.Last edited by Saintheart; 2021-12-10 at 01:39 AM.
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2021-12-10, 03:11 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
Official D&D Rule Source ain't defined. So we fall back to general English definition. The PDF is from an official source. It claims to be the reference for the 3.0 to 3.5 conversion.
The conversion is mentioned in the PHB (p4). So, basically the PHB is the primary source that enforces a conversion by RAW for using 3.0 material.
Since the PHB doesn't provide a reference for this, this "specific" niche is still free to be defined. The PDF does define itself as source for those references. Thus, it is the Primary Source for pointing you to those conversions.
As said, a DM may houserule it away, but by RAW the DM has to consult the reference list.Extended Signature with Links to all my build showcases in the forum
My latest build showcases:
Gaive'Ur, the last Eldritch Knight of Bane (✝)
PACMAN, the Southern Beholder Mage (accelerated spell progression + double 9s)
Optimus Urbana Hierophantus - a Mobile Suit Gundam / Mech / Transformers build
Orko, He-man & Battlecat (a Dragonfire Mount's Ubermount and its Ubermount)
Giant Dwarf, the Rock Superstar (a War Chanter build)
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2021-12-10, 10:33 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
The update article does not say anything about itself being what determines if they were updated. The books referenced by the document so not do that either except in a few cases. There was however an official statement (that I still can't find) that stated things with the same name were updated along with anything else stated to be such in the update booklet or other sources. No where is there a rule that gives veracity to the update article's claim to accurately reference sources.
Unless you can find a rule other than the ambiguous claim by the article, it can not be RAW because the sources referenced don't say as such. Official sure, but not RAW.
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2021-12-13, 01:37 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
1) So what happens if I give up my attacks with my armor spikes, 2 gnomish quickrazors, 2 boot blades, 2 elbow blades, 2 knee blades, 2 sleeve blades... uh... braid blade? Weighted sleeve doesn't work, am I missing anything else?
2) If you give up all but 1 attack, do you still suffer TWF penalties?Tome of the Holy Grail: Draw power from legendary heroes.|The Dashing Dualist: Two weapons. One happy ending.|The Shifter: Be all that you can be.|The Professional: Mundanes, competent.|The Wuxia Fighter: Mundanes, Wacky.|The Generalist: Do literally everything.
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2021-12-14, 03:57 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
1. Remind me, do those weapons actually give extra attacks? If yes, then RAW you can, but as I mentioned, I expect most DMs to only allow you to sacrifice ranged attacks for some semblance of common sense.
2. Probably, since the penalties are a condition of taking those extra attacks, I expect the penalties to persist even as you sacrifice those attacks to another ability.
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2021-12-14, 04:01 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
If you could make anything and everything welcome to the Zinc Saucier XLV: Figaro
My competition's medals.
Spoiler: For purposes of clarity1109 is September, 11 - my birthday.
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2021-12-17, 05:56 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: 1-20 Critical range
So from what I can tell it all boils down to whether you accept the online article as an update or not, which in itself depends on your definition/preference on what "rule', "official" and "RAW" mean and encompass
Meaning the legality of the build remains in question
Does anyone have an answer as to the manifesting part, or should I start another thead for that?