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

[danielxcutter]

Q72

How would the Multitasking feat work in 3.5e? Does it let the user make additional standard/move actions that involve the use of a pair of arms in general as well as the explicitly stated options - such as a marilith(or a similar monster like the Cathezar) using it to cast three SLAs per round?

[Beni-Kujaku]

A 72 Hard to say by RAW, but the wording of the feat is pretty general, so something along the lines of "you can take an additional move or standard action for each of your additional pair of arms. This action must be performed using only these arms and not necessitate concentration. Thus, you can attack with one of your pair of arms and cast a spell with the other, but not cast two spells with a verbal component, since pronouncing the incantation is not performed with your arms."
Most SLAs are purely mental actions and are not performed with your arms, so I'd say they can't be used that way. You'll notice the feat mentions using a spell or a magic item only in conjunction with attacking, not in conjunction with another spell. The additional actions are more in the realm of "attack, perform a combat maneuver, throw an aspersion weapon or a bag of marbles, pull a nearby lever ...", maybe with something explicitly channeled by touch, like Lay on Hands or something like that.

[danielxcutter]

Well now I am incredibly disappointed.

[Cygnia]

Q73 Can an arcane caster (other than sorc/wizard) get a spell permanently cast on them by if they've hired a sorc/wiz to cast the Permanency afterwards?

Like a Bard casting Tongues or Duskblade casting Detect Magic and a wizard then casting Permanency?

[bean illus]

A 73 I don't have a citation, but I'm 99% sure that magic items can be made using several contributors. I'd assume that this is like that, and yes if both casters are present, it can be done.

Question 74
How does Divine Defiance work? Does it cost a standard action, or whatever casting time the spell has?
If the cleric has already used their standard, is Divine Defiance an option? Wassup?

[Troacctid]

Question 74
How does Divine Defiance work? Does it cost a standard action, or whatever casting time the spell has?
If the cleric has already used their standard, is Divine Defiance an option? Wassup?

Normally, counterspelling is a readied action. Divine Defiance allows you to spend a turn attempt to do it as an immediate action, using the normal rules for immediate actions. All the other rules for counterspelling apply; only the action required is affected.

[bean illus]

Normally, counterspelling is a readied action. Divine Defiance allows you to spend a turn attempt to do it as an immediate action, using the normal rules for immediate actions. All the other rules for counterspelling apply; only the action required is affected.

I don't get it. I mean, i think i get it, but am not sure.

I believe that, the counterspell/dispel must still be cast; in case of dispel magic, as a readied standard action. Can someone ready a swift action? Or does a readied swift spell take a standard action?

What if a cleric has already used their standard action this round? Can Divine Defiance be used, thereby sacrificing the next rounds standard action?

[Jervis]

I don't get it. I mean, i think i get it, but am not sure.

I believe that, the counterspell/dispel must still be cast; in case of dispel magic, as a readied standard action. Can someone ready a swift action? Or does a readied swift spell take a standard action?

What if a cleric has already used their standard action this round? Can Divine Defiance be used, thereby sacrificing the next rounds standard action?

That would be improved counterspell. In this case you’re kind of overthinking it. It doesn’t say you use a standard so you dont

[bean illus]

That would be improved counterspell. In this case you’re kind of overthinking it. It doesn’t say you use a standard so you dont

Well, that's what i hoped you would say, if I'm hearing you correctly ...

With Divine Defiance, a cleric just burns the TU, and burns the Dispel Magic/etc, ... and still gets their swift, move, and standard actions? Do they even change initiative order, or isn't that also unneeded?

[Troacctid]

Well, that's what i hoped you would say, if I'm hearing you correctly ...

With Divine Defiance, a cleric just burns the TU, and burns the Dispel Magic/etc, ... and still gets their swift, move, and standard actions? Do they even change initiative order, or isn't that also unneeded?

It's exactly the same as any other immediate action. You can find the rules for immediate actions here.

[Venger]

Well, that's what i hoped you would say, if I'm hearing you correctly ...

With Divine Defiance, a cleric just burns the TU, and burns the Dispel Magic/etc, ... and still gets their swift, move, and standard actions? Do they even change initiative order, or isn't that also unneeded?

Yes, you burn the turn/rebuke attempt, burn the dispel magic/etc, use your immediate for the round (which precludes you taking a swift: you can take either an immediate or a swift each round, not both) and then get whatever other actions you are normally entitled to. You do not change your initiative order.

A 73 Yes. There is no requirement in permanency that the spells you make permanent were cast by you.

[KillianHawkeye]

Q73 Can an arcane caster (other than sorc/wizard) get a spell permanently cast on them by if they've hired a sorc/wiz to cast the Permanency afterwards?

Like a Bard casting Tongues or Duskblade casting Detect Magic and a wizard then casting Permanency?

A 73

The permanency spell only affects spells used by the caster. There is no provision for someone to make permanent a spell cast by someone else.

You cast the desired spell and then follow it with the permanency spell.

[Beni-Kujaku]

A 73

The permanency spell only affects spells used by the caster. There is no provision for someone to make permanent a spell cast by someone else.

A 73 contention
The sentence you're quoting only applies to the first application of Permanency (spells made permanent on yourself). There is no such restriction on the other two applications (area, objects and other people).

[H_H_F_F]

Q 75

Does tenser's transformation (or any other similar effect) break the epic cap on BAB and iteratives?

[Beni-Kujaku]

A 75 Yes, it does. The same way epic monsters do, you have BAB higher than 20 but only 4 attacks. Note that "Any time feat, prestige class, or other rule refers to your base attack bonus (except for gaining additional attacks), use the sum of your base attack bonus and epic attack bonus.", so this new BAB overrides your epic attack bonus. A Tenser-transformed wizard 30 would thus have +30/+25/+20/+15 to hit.

[Jervis]

A 75 contention Possible contention here. I don’t have one so I can’t prove it but apparently some later printings if the PHB cap it at 20. The change didn’t make it into the SRD. I can’t prove this but it’s something to keep in mind

[Beni-Kujaku]

A 75 contention Possible contention here. I don’t have one so I can’t prove it but apparently some later printings if the PHB cap it at 20. The change didn’t make it into the SRD. I can’t prove this but it’s something to keep in mind

Depending on the wording, that might not make any sense for epic monsters, and would definitely make no sense considering the "all mentions of BAB use the sum of BAB and EAB instead". I believe the best course of action is to ignore that rule in an epic environment. Or are you saying that Tenser's transformation and/or Divine Power cap at CL 20?

[Jervis]

Depending on the wording, that might not make any sense for epic monsters, and would definitely make no sense considering the "all mentions of BAB use the sum of BAB and EAB instead". I believe the best course of action is to ignore that rule in an epic environment. Or are you saying that Tenser's transformation and/or Divine Power cap at CL 20?

I believe the change was that they cap at 20, though as I said I don’t have any of the late printings that supposedly changed it so I can’t be sure. I really need to find one of those

[Vaern]

I believe the change was that they cap at 20, though as I said I don’t have any of the late printings that supposedly changed it so I can’t be sure. I really need to find one of those

Google tells me that the original 2003 printing didn't have any built-in limitations, which is the version we see on the SRD, but there was a 2012 reprint that set a maximum +20 BAB on Tenser's Transformation and Divine Power.

[Thurbane]

Q 076

Maybe not technically a RAW question, but probably not worth its own thread: Duergar get SLAs (Enlarge Person & Invisibility), with a CL = 2x their class levels.

Is there any other playable races that use a similar mechanic, where CL for an SLA is a multiple of HD/level?

[Thurbane]

Q 077

Another monster question - if the Half-Dragon template is applied to a mindless vermin, I assume Int remains as a non-ability, meaning it would be of the Dragon type with Int --.

Does it retain the Mindless ability of the Vermin type, or is that lost with the type change to Dragon?

[Vaern]

Q 077

Another monster question - if the Half-Dragon template is applied to a mindless vermin, I assume Int remains as a non-ability, meaning it would be of the Dragon type with Int --.

Does it retain the Mindless ability of the Vermin type, or is that lost with the type change to Dragon?

A 077

Any creature with no intelligence score is mindless, regardless of type.

Intelligence: Any creature that can think, learn, or remember has at least 1 point of Intelligence. A creature with no Intelligence score is mindless, an automaton operating on simple instincts or programmed instructions. It has immunity to mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects) and automatically fails Intelligence checks.

[Venger]

A 77 (additional) The above answer is correct, but a little elaboration on why. Null intelligence plus or minus anything is still null, since ø+ or - anything is still ø since it's not 0. It lacks any text that says "int is at least 3" such as the fiendish template, so does not rubberband intelligence up to 2.

[St Fan]

Q 78

A) Beyond the 50% miss chance linked to incorporeality, there is nothing preventing the use of a touch spell on an incorporeal creature, right? (Meaning, touch spells are considered ordinary magical attacks...)

B) Would using a spectral hand, itself incorporeal, to deliver a touch spell on an incorporeal creature remove the 50% miss chance?

[Venger]

A 78a Yes.
A 78b Yes.

[Jervis]

Q 79 a the feat Silver Tongue from Dragon 318 has this text in two of its bullet points.

Inspire hope or despair: With a successful diplomacy check against DC 25, you can fill a single creature with hope or despair as if affected by the good hope or crushing despair spells.

Cause Confusion: Make a diplomacy check apposed by your targets sense motive check. If you beat their check by 10 or more, you can cause them to become confused for 1 round.

Is this a spell like, supernatural, or exceptional ability and is it effected by spell resistance or mind effecting immunity?

Q 79 b What is the duration for Inspire hope or despair? I assume is the same as the spell treating your character level as the caster level but i’m not sure.

Q 79 c does Inspire Hope count as being able to cast good hope, and thus a 4th level spell, for the purposes of prerequisites?

[Thurbane]

Q 080

The Dungeon Lord PrC has some racial entry reqs - Undead qualify. One of it's abilities, Horde Lord, says the following: "Your allies gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls while you live and they are within the dungeon." (bolding mine).

RAW, does this mean an Undead Dungeon Lord cannot benefit from this ability? RAI I would assume the abilities would work if you exist and are not destroyed or killed, but I'm interested in the RAW reading.

[loky1109]

A 80
I think yes. Or Dungeon Lord should be resurected to take benefit.

[Troacctid]

Q 79 a the feat Silver Tongue from Dragon 318 has this text in two of its bullet points.

Inspire hope or despair: With a successful diplomacy check against DC 25, you can fill a single creature with hope or despair as if affected by the good hope or crushing despair spells.

Cause Confusion: Make a diplomacy check apposed by your targets sense motive check. If you beat their check by 10 or more, you can cause them to become confused for 1 round.

Is this a spell like, supernatural, or exceptional ability and is it effected by spell resistance or mind effecting immunity?

Q 79 b What is the duration for Inspire hope or despair? I assume is the same as the spell treating your character level as the caster level but i’m not sure.

Q 79 c does Inspire Hope count as being able to cast good hope, and thus a 4th level spell, for the purposes of prerequisites?

a. Feats default to extraordinary unless otherwise stated, so they are extraordinary abilities. Since inspire hope or despair functions as the spell, it is also an enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting] effect.
b. It is the same duration as the spell.
c. No.

[Vaern]

b. It is the same duration as the spell.

The issue in this case is that the spell has a duration based on caster level, and the feat does not specify what your caster level is for the effect.
Monster Manual mentions in the rules for spell-like abilities that "If no caster level is specified, the caster level is equal to the creature's Hit Dice." Supernatural abilities follow a similar rule, defaulting to CL = HD unless otherwise specified.
No default caster level is given for extraordinary abilities, though, since they don't typically replicate spell effects. But, it's probably safe to fall back on the same rule in this case.