Simple RAW Thread for 3.5 #37: 3d12+1

[St Fan]

Q 226 Can remove disease cure things like cancer or genetic disorders?

A 226
It depends on how they are considered in game terms. Note that the definition of "disease" in D&D is rather broad. The spell remove disease works on parasitic infestations, can heal drug addictions (Book of Vile Darkness) and even some form of insanity.

Now, genetic disorders, if they are part of a race, a trait, a feat or a flaw, certainly won't be affected by remove disease (and the character certainly wouldn't want to if gaining benefits from them).

[St Fan]

Q 234

When using the attack action with a melee weapon, you can move both before and after the attack, provided that your total distance moved is not greater than your speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender you attack, though it might provoke attacks of opportunity from other creatures, if appropriate. You can't use this feat if you are wearing heavy armor.

You must move at least 5 feet both before and after you make your attack in order to utilize the benefits of Spring Attack.

When you make a melee attack with one or more melee weapons (including a standard attack, full attack, or even a strike maneuver), you can make an additional attack at your highest attack bonus. This attack is an unarmed attack that deals damage equal to your base unarmed attack damage + 1/2 your Str bonus. You take a -2 penalry on all attack rolls you make this round.

Looking closely, I don't see anything in RAW that would prevent using those two feats in tandem. However, I need some precision.

A) If you use both Spring Attack and Snap Kick the same round, can the snap kick happen before the move? After the move? Or need it be at the same time as the melee attack granted by the spring attack?

B) Even if the response to A) is the third proposition, does the snap kick need to have same target as the spring attack? Or can it be another opponent that just happens to be in range?

[Cygnia]

Q235
9th lvl Duskblade (BAB 9/4) decides to use their Quick Cast ability to cast True Strike before attacking. Can he use the +20 from True Strike to apply to his 2nd attack instead of his first?

[Khedrac]

A235 No, unless the quick cast is used between the attacks - true strike always applies to the next attack roll.

[Sir Chuckles]

Q236
Does casting Silence from a wand at a point in space that would include an enemy in its AoE break Invisibility?

[loky1109]

A236
RAW yes. Even Detect Magic yes.

[Troacctid]

Q 234





Looking closely, I don't see anything in RAW that would prevent using those two feats in tandem. However, I need some precision.

A) If you use both Spring Attack and Snap Kick the same round, can the snap kick happen before the move? After the move? Or need it be at the same time as the melee attack granted by the spring attack?

B) Even if the response to A) is the third proposition, does the snap kick need to have same target as the spring attack? Or can it be another opponent that just happens to be in range?

The two attacks happen at the same time; you move, then attack (and get an extra attack), then move. You can target two different creatures, but only the main target will be unable to make AoOs against you during your movement.

[ShurikVch]

Q 237

Is "+1 CL" granted power of some domains (such as Chaos) adds CL to SLA (presuming they fit the domain's criteria), or only to spells?

[Beni-Kujaku]

A237 It says spells. SLAs‚ though they behave as spells when taking effect‚ are not cast as spells.

[ShurikVch]

A237 It says spells. SLAs‚ though they behave as spells when taking effect‚ are not cast as spells.

Then what's about the deity's Spell-Like Abilities? Do you mean they can't benefit from their own domains? (Not all deities have levels in spellcasting classes)

[Beni-Kujaku]

Then what's about the deity's Spell-Like Abilities? Do you mean they can't benefit from their own domains? (Not all deities have levels in spellcasting classes)

Well‚ sadly no. But I'm pretty sure gods rarely have to worry about having too little power‚ especially if the power is only a +1 to caster level.

[St Fan]

Q 238

Most spells, including emanations, don't care if the caster is still alive, right?

So, if a wizard who'd cast antimagic field is killed, the field continue emanating from the body for its normal duration?

[H_H_F_F]

Q 238

Most spells, including emanations, don't care if the caster is still alive, right?

So, if a wizard who'd cast antimagic field is killed, the field continue emanating from the body for its normal duration?

A? 238

Wouldn't think so, for an emanation centered on "you". I don't think your corpse qualifies as "you".

[Venger]

A 238 (correction) No, they don't. If they don't require continuous action from the caster, such as being duration (concentration) for example, they will run out to their normal duration even if the caster is killed prior to then. In the example AMF, it radiates out from the caster's corpse until the time runs out. Like anything else, it just checks variables when the spell is cast, not afterwards.

[H_H_F_F]

A 238 (correction) No, they don't. If they don't require continuous action from the caster, such as being duration (concentration) for example, they will run out to their normal duration even if the caster is killed prior to then. In the example AMF, it radiates out from the caster's corpse until the time runs out. Like anything else, it just checks variables when the spell is cast, not afterwards.

If that was true, emanations wouldn't move with the caster. Every round, they emanate from where she is. If she plane shifts while emanating something, the emanation shifts with her - meaning, it is no longer where she was, only where she is.

And undoubtedly, if she dies she is not there, is she? She moved to another plane, usually.

[MornShine]

A Pyrokineticist has the abilities Hand Aflame and Weapon Aflame. Both require a move action to activate, but have no listed duration.

Q239a) Once activated, how long do these abilities last?
Q239b) The fire damage applies to all attacks during the duration, correct?
Q239c) Is there anything preventing a Monk/Pyrokineticist from activating both the Hand Aflame and Weapon Aflame abilities on an Unarmed Strike, thus gaining +4d6 fire damage?

As an aside, Sonokineticists are a cool image, especially with Heat Death as Destructive Resonance. Combat not-Bards?

[Thurbane]

Q 240

Is there any RAW either way that lycanthropes can or cannot be were-swarms? I.e. could a character be a Human Were-Rat Swarm?

[ShurikVch]

A 240

Since swarms considered a single creature for the most purposes - yes, in theory there can be a were-swarm (even if unclear how the hybrid form should look like)
But Humans are Medium, and Rats - Tiny; base creature and base animal should be within one size category.

[Metastachydium]

(even if unclear how the hybrid form should look like)

(A240+: It is quite clear:

Attacks: (…) A lycanthrope in hybrid form gains two claw attacks and a bite attack as natural weapons.

[…]

Special Qualities: A lycanthrope retains all the special qualities of the base creature and the base animal, and also gains those described below.

Alternate Form (Su): (…) A lycanthrope also can assume a bipedal hybrid form with prehensile hands and animalistic features.

It would have two legs, two clawed, prehensile hands, a head and animalistic features.)

[H_H_F_F]

(A240+: It is quite clear:


It would have two legs, two clawed, prehensile hands, a head and animalistic features.)

And swarm traits. Which, pretty weird.

[Troacctid]

A Pyrokineticist has the abilities Hand Aflame and Weapon Aflame. Both require a move action to activate, but have no listed duration.

Q239a) Once activated, how long do these abilities last?
Q239b) The fire damage applies to all attacks during the duration, correct?
Q239c) Is there anything preventing a Monk/Pyrokineticist from activating both the Hand Aflame and Weapon Aflame abilities on an Unarmed Strike, thus gaining +4d6 fire damage?

As an aside, Sonokineticists are a cool image, especially with Heat Death as Destructive Resonance. Combat not-Bards?

A. Indefinitely, or until you let go of the weapon.
B. Only attacks with that weapon.
C. Weapon afire calls for a held weapon. Unarmed strikes are not considered to be held.

Q 240

Is there any RAW either way that lycanthropes can or cannot be were-swarms? I.e. could a character be a Human Were-Rat Swarm?

Here's the relevant text.

The lycanthrope takes on the characteristics of some type of carnivorous or omnivorous creature of the animal type (referred to hereafter as the base animal).

This animal can be any predator, scavenger, or omnivore whose size is within one size category of the base creature’s size (Small, Medium, or Large for a Medium base creature).

A swarm of rats is composed of 300 rats that take actions as though they were a single creature. However, the "type of carnivorous or omnivorous creature" in this case is still a rat. Lycanthropy only checks the species, not the population size.

Just as a werewolf bitten by a werebear, weretiger, weregorilla, and werehawk doesn't split into a squad of five Andalite Bandits every full moon, being bitten by multiple rats is not meaningfully different than being bitten by one rat.

And swarm traits. Which, pretty weird.

In the hypothetical case where this was possible, no, you would not gain swarm traits, since your transformation does not allow you to gain any subtypes of the new form (other than the aquatic subtype).

[St Fan]

Q 241

For the Item Familiar rules, is it the character level that is used, or the effective character level?

Could a character with a +2 level adjustment take the feat at level 1?

Would she loose XP as if 2 levels higher if separated from the item?

Could she take the special abilities sooner?

[Beni-Kujaku]

A 241 Regular level, as in number of HD. Level adjustment has zero effect in game except for calculating XP and calculating when going from one level to the next. The item familiar gains sapience when the character reaches level 7, or ECL 9 in your case. You lose XP relative to your HD, not counting LA.

[ShurikVch]

Level adjustment has zero effect in game except for calculating XP and calculating when going from one level to the next.

Also - WbL, and when the character becomes [epic]

[loky1109]

Also - WbL, and when the character becomes [epic]

WBL - yes, when the character becomes [epic] - no.

[ShurikVch]

WBL - yes, when the character becomes [epic] - no.

Oh, come on!
It's in the ELH itself:

For example, a creature with a level adjustment of +5 who is also a 13th-level fighter/3rd-level blackguard is ECL 21 and eligible to select an epic feat provided he meets the prerequisites.

[Cygnia]

Q242

A rogue trades out Evasion for Spell Reflection at lvl 2. When they get to the level to purchase Rogue Bonus Abilities, if they buy Imp. Evasion, it just becomes Evasion.

Can they then bump it up to Imp. Evasion the next time they get a Rogue Bonus Ability and spend it on that?

[Venger]

A 242 When you buy improved evasion the first time, it's just improved evasion. It is not downgraded to evasion.

[St Fan]

Q242

A rogue trades out Evasion for Spell Reflection at lvl 2. When they get to the level to purchase Rogue Bonus Abilities, if they buy Imp. Evasion, it just becomes Evasion.

Can they then bump it up to Imp. Evasion the next time they get a Rogue Bonus Ability and spend it on that?

A 242
I don't think there's a RAW answer, but I doubt you can take twice the same Rogue special ability, so I would say it won't work.

You can, however, still obtain Improved Evasion from a different source, like with levels in Thief-Acrobat.

[Cygnia]

A 242 When you buy improved evasion the first time, it's just improved evasion. It is not downgraded to evasion.

CM states from Spell Reflection though: "(If you would later gain improved evasion as a special ability, you gain evasion instead.)