Simple Q&A D&D 3.5 (by RAW) XXI

[willpell]

Q406 is only partially N/A; Necropolitan might not work but I still need an answer on what happens when you build a character which never existed before but now has meldshaping ability.

Q409
How do Share Pain and Shield Other interact with Damage Reduction?

Q410
Which do you apply first, Energy Resistance or Vulnerability? For instance, a Frostblood Orc with Fire Resistance 10 gets hit for 40 fire damage. Does it become 40 * 1.5 = 60, then 60 - 10 = 50? Or 40 - 10 = 30, then 30 * 1.5 = 45?

[Khedrac]

A410
Energy Resistance then Vulnerability
40 - 10 = 30, then 30 * 1.5 = 45 in your example.

As for 406 I'd start a new thread - you are playing with house-rules so this is not the right thread. Necropolitan is specific in that there is no LA because you pay a level +1000xp which means it cannot be taken before level 3.

[willpell]

Basically all Q406 is asking is "Can you take a level in a meldshaping class if you are not actually capable of meldshaping, provided that you take a feat at that level which makes you capable of it?" It seems necessary to ask since "Select class" precedes "Select feats" in the character creation process. By a strict reading (at least of the fluff) it looks like Undead Meldshaper might need to be taken at an earlier level in order to allow future levels to go into meldshaping classes.

[Khedrac]

A406 revised
Since "Select class" precedes "Select feats" in the character creation process you cannot take the feat that qualifies you for a class at the level you take the class, like all prerequisites (e.g. skills, BAB) it must be achieved before the class is taken.

[willpell]

A406 revised
Since "Select class" precedes "Select feats" in the character creation process you cannot take the feat that qualifies you for a class at the level you take the class, like all prerequisites (e.g. skills, BAB) it must be achieved before the class is taken.

The question then becomes whether having a Constitution score is actually a prerequisite of taking a level of, say, Incarnate. Without a feat to let you meldshape with Wisdom, you wouldn't be an effective meldshaper, but I'm unclear on whether the rules allow you to become one technically. Do base classes ever have prerequisites, or only PrCs?

[Andezzar]

Do base classes ever have prerequisites, or only PrCs?

For alignments they do: Barbarian, Bard, Paladin etc.

[Dark Kerman]

Does anyone know of a stealth-based class which possesses full BAB? I've already tried the fighter variant with sneak attack.

[Andezzar]

Does anyone know of a stealth-based class which possesses full BAB? I've already tried the fighter variant with sneak attack.

Invisible Blade. Blackguard is not exactly stealth based but also gives you sneak attack dice.

[powerdemon]

Does anyone know of a stealth-based class which possesses full BAB? I've already tried the fighter variant with sneak attack.

Ranger could be. Though your question is very broad.

[Dark Kerman]

Apologies, I will specify a little. I'm making a Grey Guard who has a bit of a past as a, well, rather bad person (He's hellbred). I wanted to reflect that with a few early levels in a class that was a bit more sneaky, yet still aggressive (think Rorschach of Watchmen fame). That's generally what I meant, something that can show he has some knowledge around being backhanded and stealthy when the time is appropriate. Thanks for the ideas btw. :)

[NeedsAnswersNao]

Q411: Is there any way RAW to force the house rule of allowing an animal companion to act on the master's turn or visa versa?

[KillianHawkeye]

A 411

There is obviously no way by the rules to force any person or group to adopt a house rule. The very thought is ridiculous.

You can, however, easily have the companion or the master (whichever acts first) delay their turn until the other's initiative so that they always act together.

[Siosilvar]

A406 You can take a level of Incarnate, Totemist, or Soulborn at any level; they have no requirements, only alignment restrictions. If you lack a Constitution score, you will not be able to shape any soulmelds without taking the Undead Meldshaper feat.

[Runestar]

Q412: Is there any consensus on what happens when you use wish or limited wish to replicate a spell with a focus? Is wish capable of creating that focus, or does the spell just fail? Or some weird scenario where the spell just works without the focus?

For example, if I use wish to replicate heart of stone (spell compendium), but lack the jewelled heart focus.

[Curmudgeon]

A 412

Spell Failure

If you ever try to cast a spell in conditions where the characteristics of the spell cannot be made to conform, the casting fails and the spell is wasted.

That's the standard rule, and Wish does not list any exception. Failing to have a necessary focus is not particularly different from failing to have the necessary XP for the spell: it just fails.

[willpell]

Q413
The Tooth of Dahlver-Nar of Savnok says "you move at your normal speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in those situations". Does that mean that a Barbarian's fast movement, which normally doesn't work if he's armored or encumbered past Light, remains effective while heavily armored if he has the Tooth?

[Rickshaw]

Q414

in the Book of Vile Darkness, the soul eater gets this at first level

Energy Drain (Su): A soul eater
gains the ability to drain energy, bestowing
negative levels upon its victims.
Beginning at 1st level, the
touch of a soul eater bestows one
negative level on its target.

there is no mention of save. nor is there mention of whether or not the soul eater gets a choice on the matter of souleating. has this been errata'd or explained? should I just treat it like any other level drain and calculate standard save DC?

[willpell]

Q415
Can a cleric prepare a metamagic version of a lower-level domain spell in one of his higher-level domain slots? For instance, if a cleric had Healing and Fire domains, his 3rd-level spell slot normally holds either Cure Serious Wounds or Resist Energy; could he instead prepare Silent Produce Flame?

[eggs]

A415
The Cleric's domain slots just have to be filled from one of the domain lists. That could be any one of these:
--The spell granted by the domain at that level
--Metamagicked versions of lower-leveled domain spells
--Lower-leveled domain spells prepared in the higher-level slot

[Curmudgeon]

A 414 No.

Supernatural Abilities (Su)

Supernatural abilities are magical and go away in an antimagic field but are not subject to spell resistance, counterspells, or to being dispelled by dispel magic. Using a supernatural ability is a standard action unless noted otherwise. Supernatural abilities may have a use limit or be usable at will, just like spell-like abilities. However, supernatural abilities do not provoke attacks of opportunity and never require Concentration checks. Unless otherwise noted, a supernatural ability has an effective caster level equal to the creature’s Hit Dice. The saving throw (if any) against a supernatural ability is:

10 + ½ the creature’s HD + the creature’s ability modifier (usually Charisma).

There is no exception to this given in the Energy Drain description. It takes a successful standard action melee attack (either unarmed or using the Soul Eater's natural weapon) to use Energy Drain.

There is neither an Errata file nor a 3.5 update for Book of Vile Darkness. You'll need to talk to your DM about any minor adjustments they require to use this class in a 3.5 D&D game.

[eggs]

A413
No. The Barbarian's Fast Movement only concerns what the character is wearing/carrying, not how efficiently the Barbarian wears/carries it.

(Even if the Barbarian can "move at [its] normal speed" while wearing heavy armor, its Fast Movement ability only pushes the Barbarian above its normal speed when "wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor and not carrying a heavy load.")

[Andezzar]

Q 416

What is the Tooth of Dahlver-Nar of Savnok and in which book is it?

[willpell]

Q 416

What is the Tooth of Dahlver-Nar of Savnok and in which book is it?

Teeth of Dahlver-Nar are in Tome of Magic, along with everything else having to do with Vestiges and Soul Binding (apart from some online content). They're magic items that don't take up a body slot, instead you replace one of your teeth with them. Each one has a different ability - some give enhancement bonuses to Attributes, others grant you use of a spell-like ability. Each one corresponds to a specific Vestige (calling it the "Tooth of Dahlver-Nar of" that vestige is not done in the book, but I don't see how else you could do it other than to drop the Dahlver-Nar part, which I didn't do because it's funnier this way); the ability granted is only loosely related to the Vestige the tooth is named after, but in every case it's assumed that "wearing" the tooth connects you to the Vestige, causing you to suffer the Influence and display the Sign of the Vestige, as if you had bound it and failed your binding check.

The Tooth corresponding to Savnok is far and away the cheapest of the bunch (2,000 gp with the next-cheapest being 5,400), and the ability it grants you is that you can move in medium or heavy armor without being slowed (an ability also granted by binding a different Vestige named Aym), like the dwarves' ability to wear armor without being slowed, but without starting out at slow movement the way a dwarf does (unless you're a halfling or gnome or something). The question I asked above was because I was unclear whether this ability granted an exemption to the usual limits on Barbarian fast movement, but thinking about it I suspect Eggs is right here, 3E rules are generally pretty big on defaulting to "no" unless something gives you an explicit "yes".

Still waiting on an answer to Q409, by the way.

[Dark Kerman]

Q417 What's the name of the feat that allows an someone to take a skill as a class skill even if there class does not know it?

[Curmudgeon]

A 417

Aereni Focus (Player's Guide to Eberron, page 20) will do the job ─ but you must be an Elf from Aerenal in Eberron. There is no general answer other than this. However, for particular desired skills there may be other solutions. Check this link for more.

[dob]

Q418 What happens if you cast revivify on someone slain in the last round by negative levels (conferred by enervation) equal to or greater than their current level?

[Khedrac]

A418
Nothing :( The spell description (SC p176) states that it functions like Raise Dead, which cannot bring back those killed by negative levels.

[Dark Kerman]

Q 419 Do racial levels also give a bonus to ability scores. Eg: If I play a Rakshasa, do I get the ability to raise an ability score from the 7 racial hit dice I possesses?

[powerdemon]

Q 419 Do racial levels also give a bonus to ability scores. Eg: If I play a Rakshasa, do I get the ability to raise an ability score from the 7 racial hit dice I possesses?

A 419

Yes. HD and class levels combine to decide the number of feats and ability score increases.

[Urpriest]

A 419

Yes. HD and class levels combine to decide the number of feats and ability score increases.

A 419 Correction

HD count towards your level for purposes of determining when you get ability score increases, but you do not get ability score increases from your initial RHD, as these are added into your racial ability adjustments. Your Rakshasa would not gain an ability increase from its fourth RHD, but upon taking a class level and gaining a total of 8 HD you would gain an ability increase.