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

[Morof Stonehands]

Q48

If a template that adds SR to a creature = 10 + HD is added when the creature has 3 HD, does the SR increase if the monster gains class levels, or does it stay the same as it was when applied?

[Beni-Kujaku]

A48
Such effects are automatically updated when the relevant value changes. That's why the scaling templates are generally so much better than the non-scaling ones.

[St Fan]

Q 49

Upon reading the simulacrum spell, it occurred to me...

A) Is there anything preventing the simulacrum to be copying an already dead creature?

B) A simulacrum cannot increase level or abilities... does it also mean it doesn't age and is theoretically immortal?

C) A simulacrum is under the complete control of the creator... but if the creator is killed, can the simulacrum continue to exist?

[Venger]

A 49 It would look however the target looked when you got the body part from it which may present some small inconveniences, but no, there is not.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Q 50 Is there anything which stops a character from holding a two-handed weapon in one hand, drawing a one-handed weapon (say with Quick Draw), attacking with said weapon and sheathing it as a move action, and taking the two-handed weapon up in both hands again? Would a two-handed reach weapon still threaten squares at the end of turn?

[Venger]

A 50 Aside from the special exception made for bastard swords, two-handed weapons cannot be wielded one-handed.

[KillianHawkeye]

A 50 correction

Holding an item in one hand is not the same as wielding it. And that isn't what the question is even asking.

[H_H_F_F]

A 50 contention:

There was a rules of the game article speficially saying that letting go of a two handed weapon with one hand is a free action, as is putting a free hand back on. This is generally accepted, and often used for spellcasting by gishes.

I see nothing in the rules that would prevent you fron doing what you've described.

[Zaq]

A 50 further contention

Rules Compendium pg. 8 says that "switch hands with an item" is a move action that does not provoke. A GM would be well within their rights to say that by RAW, moving a two-handed weapon to a one-handed grip (effectively going from wielding it properly to holding it) falls within that action.

Further discussion may warrant a separate thread, and as always, it's worth discussing ambiguous situations with the GM whenever talking about a real game.

[Vaern]

A 50 further contention

Rules Compendium pg. 8 says that "switch hands with an item" is a move action that does not provoke. A GM would be well within their rights to say that by RAW, moving a two-handed weapon to a one-handed grip (effectively going from wielding it properly to holding it) falls within that action.

I'd consider switching from a 2-handed grip to 1-handed to be the same as dropping an item, which is a free action, since all you're really doing is letting go with one hand.

Q 51
I'm in combat with a gnome bard. I grapple the gnome. I get a good grip on his cloak of charisma which, since he is small-sized, I regard as being "miniature" relative to myself. Could I then cast a stilled resistance spell, consuming the gnome's fancy, expensive cloak as the material component?

[loky1109]

A51
1. "Good grip" isn't enough. This cloak still in gnome's possession. You need to disarm him.

Grabbing Items
You can use a disarm action to snatch an item worn by the target (such as a necklace or a pair of goggles). If you want to have the item in your hand, the disarm must be made as an unarmed attack. If the item is poorly secured or otherwise easy to snatch or cut away (such as a loose cloak or a brooch pinned to the front of a tunic), the attacker gets a +4 bonus. Unlike on a normal disarm attempt, failing the attempt doesn’t allow the defender to attempt to disarm you. This otherwise functions identically to a disarm attempt, as noted above.
You can’t snatch an item that is well secured, such as a ring or bracelet, unless you have pinned the wearer (see Grapple). Even then, the defender gains a +4 bonus on his roll to resist the attempt.

2. "A miniature cloak" in Material component line of spell has no cost, so it should have negligible cost which isn't true about cloak of charisma.
So No.

[Jervis]

A 51 additional I would also recommend against this specific type of rawfoo. The cost issue and relative size of a miniature cloak fitting in a component pouch the size of your hand means that it almost certainly doesn’t work and any player that attempted it in one of my games would find themselves the target of a Mages Disjunction on principle. Likewise a DM doing so is likely to find that one of their players have laced the pizza next week with laxative.

[Birchy]

#Q 52

How does polymorph interact with casting spells?

[Duke of Urrel]

#Q 52

How does polymorph interact with casting spells?

A 52

The Polymorph spell is based on the Alter Self spell, which follows this rule.

You retain any spellcasting ability you had in your original form, but the new form must be able to speak intelligibly (that is, speak a language) to use verbal components and must have limbs capable of fine manipulation to use somatic or material components.

The Shapechange spell follows this rule, too. So does the Polymorph Any Object spell, but beware: This spell may lower your Intelligence, so that you can no longer cast wizard spells.

The Baleful Polymorph spell is not based on the Alter Self spell. It follows the general rule for spells of the Polymorph subschool that appear on page 320 of the PLAYER'S HANDBOOK v. 3.5 (2012). This rule allows you to understand the languages you could speak in your natural form – but it says nothing about speaking them. It allows you to write in the languages you could write in your natural form in a "primitive manner, such as drawing in the dirt with a paw," – but it says nothing about casting spells. Ask your dungeon master about this. My answer would be that the Baleful Polymorph spell always makes you incapable of casting spells, simply because you never have both the mouth and the hands that you would need to do this.

[St Fan]

Q 53

Does a Mordenkainen's disjunction spell has a chance to destroy the Antimagic Field around a Colossus?

Please note that said Antimagic Field ability is noted as (Ex) and not (Su).

[loky1109]

A53
As you said it's Ex, so No.

[Thurbane]

Q 054

Is it possible for a Humanoid to have both the Lycanthrope (natural) and Feral template, since Feral changes type to Monstrous Humanoid?

I assume you can apply inherited templates in whichever order you like, so would that mean yes to my question?

Q 054b

Assuming that is a yes, would the hit dice from the Lycanthrope template count towards abilities granted by the Feral template?

[H_H_F_F]

Q 055
If a 2nd level Illumian loses a level, does she lose her 2nd power sigil?

[H_H_F_F]

Q 056

Would a Holy Warrior Paladin turned Ex-Paladin lose his bonus feats?

[Venger]

A 56 While you may not have spells to lose, you also lose paladin "abilities." The bonus feats derived from holy warrior, a paladin sub level, are definitely paladin abilities, so you'd lose those too.

[St Fan]

Q 055
If a 2nd level Illumian loses a level, does she lose her 2nd power sigil?

A 55
Yes. A 2nd-level character who lose a level becomes a 1st-level character. And "a 1st-level illumian has a single brightly glowing power sigil".

[Elves]

A 56 While you may not have spells to lose, you also lose paladin "abilities." The bonus feats derived from holy warrior, a paladin sub level, are definitely paladin abilities, so you'd lose those too.

Hence a combo I like -- martial monk for Intuitive Attack as monk bonus feat, then Kung Fu Genius to use Int instead of Wis as attack stat.

Q 57
If your hands are free and you make a full attack consisting of melee touch attacks (to deliver a touch spell), can you make claw secondaries? One claw secondary?

[Beni-Kujaku]

A 57
No, you can either use a single melee touch attack by a standard action, touch 6 allies by a full-round action or use a full attack. In the latter case, none of your attacks is a touch attack.

[Venger]

Q 58 What does "up to six friends" in the holding the charge section actually mean? If I have mage armor prepared one time, can I zap 6 people with it at once for one slot? Isn't it discharged when I touch the first creature? Or does it mean if I had some kind of buff that works like chill touch which gives me 1 touch/level (if so, does such a spell exist? I can't think of one) but dole it out in 1 round instead of 6? Or does it mean a third thing ?

[loky1109]

A58

Or does it mean if I had some kind of buff that works like chill touch which gives me 1 touch/level (if so, does such a spell exist? I can't think of one) but dole it out in 1 round instead of 6?

This.

(if so, does such a spell exist? I can't think of one)

Teleport, Plane Shift.

A 57
No, you can either use a single melee touch attack by a standard action, touch 6 allies by a full-round action or use a full attack. In the latter case, none of your attacks is a touch attack.

Are you sure that I can't do melee touch attacks as part of a full attack?

[Beni-Kujaku]

Are you sure that I can't do melee touch attacks as part of a full attack?

"If you don’t discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell, [...] You can touch one friend as a standard action or up to six friends as a full-round action. If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges. If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates. Alternatively, you may make a normal unarmed attack (or an attack with a natural weapon) while holding a charge. "


The "standard action for touch attack" and "normal attack discharging the spell" are two completely different options. A full attack makes several regular attacks, it does not allow for alternative actions like a melee touch attack.

[Elves]

That's the SRD's paraphrase Benji not the primary text (rc 126). RC doesn't include that wording.

Again, question is what if any claw secondaries a FA of touch attacks allows.

[Venger]

A57 again As explained earlier, you cannot make a melee touch attack as one of your iteratives during a full attack.

[Elves]

A57 again As explained earlier, you cannot make a melee touch attack as one of your iteratives during a full attack.

That's not correct. Beni's quote is from d20srd, not the actual books. PHB + RC don't say that.

(It's not even from the official SRD text, it's one of the edits d20srd.org made. Its point is that you can also deliver touch spells with an US.)

[Jervis]

Q 59 Are there any other options for interdimensional storage outside of the usual portable hole, handy haversack, bag of holding, enveloping pit, gloves of storing set? I know spells like hidden chest and hoard gullet exist as well as a 3.0 merchant cleric prestige class that had a storage space of unspecified size that just kinda follows you around but i’m looking for something else. Mainly i’m looking for a way to store a couple spell books and miscellaneous important items in a place where I don’t need to worry about dispelling or items being confiscated. My current solution is eating my spell books to send them to a hoard gullet after preparing spells but i’m looking for something less vulnerable to dispelling and less disgusting.

Also I know Eidetic spellcaster exists and i’m sure I could convince a DM to let me trade Archivist Dark Knowledge and Scribe Scroll for that on Archivist and the normal combo on Wizard, but I’d like other options, especially because I’d like to take aligned spellcaster.