Simple Q&A (by RAW) IX

[evil-frosty]

Q 402

Can a cleric/wizard benefit from the practiced spellcaster feat?

[Curmudgeon]

A 402 Certainly.

You should note that you must select one spellcasting class for Practiced Spellcaster to apply to. A Cleric/Wizard could take the feat twice.

[Amiria]

Q 403

A Scout uses a move action to cover some distance (10 ft+) and then readies an action to shoot at a spellcaster when he starts casting. Does that work and does he get the Skirmish damage (provided the caster is within reach) when he then hits the caster (who started casting).

[evil-frosty]

A 403

Yes if you attack in the same round as you moved.


Q 404

Can practiced spellcaster be used to increase the amount of spell you can cast? And also with it can you get higher level spells?

[Thurbane]

A 404

No - Practiced Spellcaster only increases your effective caster level for variables such as damage, duration, dispelling etc. It does not grant bonus spells or access to higher level spells.

[RTGoodman]

A 404 Not Found


Practiced Spellcaster only increases your CASTER LEVEL, not the level of spells you know or can cast per day anything like that.

Thus, a Wizard 4/Fighter 3 with Practiced Spellcaster still has as many spells per day as a 4th level Wizard, but his caster level (that determines, for instance, how long mage armor lasts, how much damage burning hands does, etc.) is 7. (That is, CL 4 from his Wizard levels, +3 from Practiced Spellcaster, which specifically can't improve it beyond your character level.)

[Curmudgeon]

A 404 additional info

In the special case of a Cleric using a properly aligned Candle of Invocation to prepare spells, the higher caster level (from the Candle, Practiced Spellcaster, and other CL boosts) will allow preparing and casting spells as if their Cleric level were the same as their caster level.

He can even cast spells normally unavailable to him, as if he were of that higher level, but only so long as the candle continues to burn.

[powerdemon]

Q 405

Anyone know of a list of constructable constructs out there? I have a wizard that is crafting specialized and I'm trying to find all the golems/constructs I can make. Aside from the clockwork mender, the earliest construct that I can see that I can make is a flesh golem and then a clay golem. But I'm not evil so I can't make the flesh golem.

A 405
EDIT: Found it here on page 20.

[tyckspoon]

A 405 (sort of)

The Effigy template can be found in Complete Arcane on page 153/154. It will allow you to make a Construct version of almost anything you feel like.

[Cedrass]

Q 406

When failing to activate a wand with Use Magic Device, do you lose a charge or not? As a matter of fact, Eternal Wands? Staffs? Scrolls?

[SethFahad]

Q 407

Silly question I know...

a) Is Warshaper immune to crits and stunning only when she is in alternate form or is she immune always?

b) Can she use the other supernatural abilities (Morphic Weapon, Body, Healing, Reach) only when she shapes or can she use them in her natural form too?

Thank you

[RTGoodman]

A 407

The Warshaper class description specifically says that its class abilities only apply when the character is in a form other than his own.

[Curmudgeon]

A 406 No.

Use Magic Device cannot use a charge from a device if the check is insufficient to use the device. Nothing happens.

[oxinabox]

Q 408
by RAW can Iron heart surge (ToB) be used to disable an Antimagic field.
an antimagic field is a spell that is affecting you. when used effect imediatly ends.
thus does it stop affecting everyone or just you?
How about dominate humanoid? if someone has cast dominate humanoid can you take a standard action to iron heart surge it away?

Remember by RAW.

[Curmudgeon]

A 408 No.

The Iron Heart Surge maneuver will immediately end "one spell, effect, or other condition currently affecting you and with a duration of 1 or more rounds." As this specification is grammatically distinct from "1 round or longer", the Surge is only effective against impediments with a stated duration of some number of rounds; durations expressed in minutes or other units of time are unaffected. Antimagic Field has a duration of 10 min./level.

There is no clear answer as to whether the Surge ends the effect just for you or for everyone, so that's a matter of DM discretion.

I don't know any Dominate Humanoid spell. Perhaps you meant Dominate Monster? That has a duration of 1 day/level.

EDIT: I've searched all the D&D spells I could find and have not found Dominate Humanoid.

[oxinabox]

Q 408 Clarification.
sorry i ment Dominate Person.
1/day per lvl is greater than one round per lvl?
since one round is just another way of saying 6 seconds.

Assuming the person dominating you leaves room for you to take a standard action in your orders.
Eg they say don't move.
Iron heart surge is mental so you can do it without moving.
would it shake it?

Dominate Person
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 4, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One humanoid
Duration: One day/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You can control the actions of any humanoid creature through a telepathic link that you establish with the subject’s mind.

If you and the subject have a common language, you can generally force the subject to perform as you desire, within the limits of its abilities. If no common language exists, you can communicate only basic commands, such as “Come here,” “Go there,” “Fight,” and “Stand still.” You know what the subject is experiencing, but you do not receive direct sensory input from it, nor can it communicate with you telepathically.

Once you have given a dominated creature a command, it continues to attempt to carry out that command to the exclusion of all other activities except those necessary for day-to-day survival (such as sleeping, eating, and so forth). Because of this limited range of activity, a Sense Motive check against DC 15 (rather than DC 25) can determine that the subject’s behavior is being influenced by an enchantment effect (see the Sense Motive skill description).

Changing your instructions or giving a dominated creature a new command is the equivalent of redirecting a spell, so it is a move action.

By concentrating fully on the spell (a standard action), you can receive full sensory input as interpreted by the mind of the subject, though it still can’t communicate with you. You can’t actually see through the subject’s eyes, so it’s not as good as being there yourself, but you still get a good idea of what’s going on.

Subjects resist this control, and any subject forced to take actions against its nature receives a new saving throw with a +2 bonus. Obviously self-destructive orders are not carried out. Once control is established, the range at which it can be exercised is unlimited, as long as you and the subject are on the same plane. You need not see the subject to control it.

If you don’t spend at least 1 round concentrating on the spell each day, the subject receives a new saving throw to throw off the domination.

Protection from evil or a similar spell can prevent you from exercising control or using the telepathic link while the subject is so warded, but such an effect neither prevents the establishment of domination nor dispels it.

[Curmudgeon]

Q 408 Clarification.
sorry i ment Dominate Person.
1/day per lvl is greater than one round per lvl?
since one round is just another way of saying 6 seconds.

Yes, it's greater; however, that is irrelevant because of the specific language used. The Surge is limited to effects with a duration listed in rounds. If they had specified "1 round or longer" an effect with a duration of 1 day/level would be affected; however, they specified "1 or more rounds". The language used does not allow for numeric equivalencies, and thus Iron Heart Surge can do nothing to Dominate Person.

For an analogy, consider names. Enrique is the Spanish equivalent of Henry. However, there was no king Enrique VIII with six wives in England; there was only Henry VIII.

[Random832]

I've started a new thread. There's a ruling from The Sage that it doesn't matter how the duration is measured and that the language in question simply means it does not apply to instantaneous effects. (No comment on whether you could end it for more than one person or for an AOE that doesn't target you like antimagic field)

Q 409

RAW: You make a Use Rope check +10 to oppose someone's Escape Artist check who you have tied up. You make the check at the time they attempt to escape, not at the time you tied them up.

My question: if your Use Rope bonus has changed in any way between when you tied them up and when they try to escape, which bonus applies?

[Curmudgeon]

A 409

You use the modifiers in place at the time of the check.

You don’t even make your Use Rope check until someone tries to escape.

(Just because it doesn't make sense is irrelevant. That's the RAW.)

[Claudius Maximus]

Q 410

Do spell effects on a creature end when the creature dies? A spell like Owl's Wisdom targets only creatures, so does it end if you die? (I'm assuming a corpse is an object and not a valid target for Owl's Wisdom, correct me if I'm wrong in this regard). What if the creature is resurrected before the duration of the effect expires? What if the creature has a contingent resurrection spell that triggers the instant they die?

[Curmudgeon]

A 410

Unless specified otherwise, the spell continues. The target for a spell is only required to be valid at the time of casting.

[Samb]

Q411
Could someone clarify how a warblade regains manuvers? The text is a bit confusing it sounds like you can do a do a regular attack and then use a swift action to recover all your manuvers OR you can spend a standard and swift action to recover them.

Like I said the text was a bit confusing but that was what I got out of it.

[Cedrass]

A 411

As a Warblade, the only thing you have to do to recover your maneuvers is to do a full-attack. You can then recover them as a swift action. Do note that you cannot change which maneuvers you ready, you only recover the maneuvers you had readied.

[Claudius Maximus]

A 411 Correction

A Warblade must use a swift action to recover all his maneuvers, which must be followed by either a melee attack or a standard action to do nothing. You can not recover maneuvers after making a full attack in the same round. You must take the swift action first.

Q 412

For the purposes of Persistent Spell, what constitutes a "fixed range"? Does it have to be a non-variable number like 30 feet or 1 mile? What about Touch range?

[Curmudgeon]

A 412

Fixed is fixed; i.e., specified exactly in the spell description without any computation or external reference required. "Touch" works at your reach (a variable distance based on size, normally from 0' to 30') and thus it does not qualify for Persistent Spell.

[Random832]

A 412

Cannot be applied with Touch range - but you can stack Reach Spell to give it a fixed range of 30'.

Fixed range means just that - a number that doesn't change. It doesn't apply to the range categories like Long or any X ft./level range.

Q 413

Inspired by Curmudgeon's A412

Can Touch spells be cast with a Reach weapon (and gain the benefit of the weapon's reach)? If not normally so, is there a feat to allow this?

[Douglas]

A412

RAW is unclear on whether Touch range qualifies, and I've seen quite a number of people argue each side of it.

Other than that, yes it has to be a non-variable number. If a spell's range could be different depending on your caster level, it doesn't qualify. In particular, the Close, Medium, and Long ranges do not qualify.

[Thurbane]

A 406 No.

Use Magic Device cannot use a charge from a device if the check is insufficient to use the device. Nothing happens.

A 406 continued

Unless you get a mishap result on the "activate blindly" usage of the skill, which states that "magical energy gets released but it doesn’t do what you wanted it to do".

[Curmudgeon]

A 413

A metamagic feat to do so is Smiting Spell (Players Handbook II). There's also the Duskblade's Arcane Channeling ability, which does exactly what you want.

[Curmudgeon]

A 406 continued

Unless you get a mishap result on the "activate blindly" usage of the skill, which states that "magical energy gets released but it doesn’t do what you wanted it to do".

This is true, but Activate Blindly doesn't actually state if a single charge or charges are used up in the process, or if the magical energy comes from the structure of the device independent of the charges it holds. (You could destroy a scroll with Activate Blindly in any case, because on failure you can incur the normal scroll failure mishap.)