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

[powerdemon]

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.

That's what I meant. Thank you for the clarification.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Q 420
Does the Racial Emulation feat (Races of Eberron) allow a changeling to qualify for racial substitution levels? If so, what happens when the changeling changes form?

Q 421
Can a Goliath combine Mountain Rage (both Races of Stone) and Whirling Frenzy (Unearthed Arcana). If so, does the +2 to strength from Mountain Rage get included on top of the Whirling Frenzy bonuses?

[Taverick]

So I was 'referred' here by someone answering a thread by throwing similar data at my question that didn't even come close to answering it at all. So here I am posting the actual question again in hopes that it can be answered correctly. A player in a campaign I'm running started with a low intelligence. He has since took some int drain dropping it from a 7 to a 4. My question is what is the minimum intelligence needed in order to comprehend language?

[powerdemon]

So I was 'referred' here by someone answering a thread by throwing similar data at my question that didn't even come close to answering it at all. So here I am posting the actual question again in hopes that it can be answered correctly. A player in a campaign I'm running started with a low intelligence. He has since took some int drain dropping it from a 7 to a 4. My question is what is the minimum intelligence needed in order to comprehend language?

That would be three. 1-2 INT is animal intelligence. You could theretically be tought tricks to understand certain words, but not full comprehension.

[Curmudgeon]

A 420 Maybe.

With Racial Emulation and Minor Change Shape a Changeling is "considered to be a member of that [emulated] race for all other purposes". If the Changeling PC has been emulating a particular race at the time the DM awards sufficient XP to go up a level, the PC would qualify for racial substitution levels dependent on being of that race. Note that there is no time to prepare for level advancement; it happens immediately upon receiving sufficient XP (see Player's Handbook on page 58). If the Changeling stops emulating that race it's still got the substitution level, though the PC would lose use of substituted abilities requiring that race.

A 421 No.

Both Mountain Rage and Whirling Frenzy are replacements for standard Barbarian rage. When you've replaced rage once you no longer have it available for a second replacement: Mountain Rage cannot be replaced by Whirling Frenzy, and vice versa.

[KillianHawkeye]

Q 422

So it came up today that apparently the bonus to damage from the Ranger's favored enemy isn't limited to a certain range like Sneak Attack or other forms of precision damage. Except I somehow had gotten convinced that it was, despite not being able to find any reference in the PHB or the errata'd online SRD.

So, is my mind playing tricks on me, or is there a limit to the range of favored enemy bonus damage mentioned somewhere? If not, then I've been seriously nerfing myself for over a year.

[Andezzar]

A 422

No, there is no such restriction.

[SillySymphonies]

Q 423
Is there any defense against or cure for the [stunned] condition, other than changing creature type (e.g. undead)?

[powerdemon]

Q 423
Is there any defense against or cure for the [stunned] condition, other than changing creature type (e.g. undead)?

A 423

Third Eye Clarity (MIC). 3000GP

Great item. Only 1/day, but you can buy several and swap them out when one is used. Not much goes in the face slot anyway. Also negates a few other things.

[Andezzar]

A 423

Iron Heart Surge (ToB Maneuver)

Repost

Q 334

Are there playable races besides humans and half-elves that have Favored Class: Any?

[willpell]

A334

Illumians for sure (although their Power Words mostly go to waste if you use non-core classes, unless the DM is willing to work with you on homebrew). I think some of the other human variants in Races of Destiny (Underfolk, Sea Kin, Mongrelfolk) do it too, but couldn't swear to it.

[Rickshaw]

Q424

A: if a player is playing a monstrous race (like a succubus) with 2 claw attacks, can she can attack with both of them as a standard action, or does she need to take multiattack?

B: if that same character begins taking class levels, how do the gained iterative attacks work with her natural attacks (does she make 3 attacks at 6/6/1, or 4/4/-1, or is she still limited to just the 6/1?)

[Duke of URL]

A 424

A. You can make one natural attack as a standard action, or use all of your natural attacks as a full-round action. Multiattack merely reduces the penalty for secondary natural weapons from -5 each to -2 each.

B. Natural attacks do not gain any iterative attacks with increased BAB; however, if you attack with a manufactured weapon (or unarmed strike) you can also attack with all of your natural attacks as secondary natural attacks (at -5, or -2 with Multiattack), unless that particular appendage is holding a weapon/shield/etc. E.g., a succubus with a BAB of +11 could make 3 attacks with a dagger (at full BAB/-5/-10) and one claw (since the other hand holds the dagger) at -5.

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 423 [correction]

Iron Heart Surge (ToB Maneuver)

That maneuver is useless to someone who is stunned.

Stunned

A stunned creature drops everything held, can’t take actions, takes a -2 penalty to AC, and loses his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).

To initiate a maneuver or a stance, you must be able to move. You do not need to be able to speak. You initiate a maneuver by taking the specified initiation action.

Iron Heart Surge is doubly ineligible to relieve the stunned condition: you cannot move, and you cannot take the initiation action.

[Ditto]

Q425

Do all undead have an aura of necromancy? Would this only apply to creatures created with a Create Undead spell? (Trying to determine the utility of Arcane Sight/Detect Magic for sensing the presence of undead. Many means of creating undead are magical, but not all...)

Q426

How does the enemy-sense described in the Nemesis feat (BoED) function? Is it always active, or does it require a standard action to activate (since it is a supernatural ability with no otherwise-listed activation time)?

[Curmudgeon]

A 425 No.

The Undead type does not specify any ongoing magical effects. Any spell will leave a residue. The residue of Create Undead is Moderate and remains for only 1d6 minutes.

A 426

Exalted feats like Nemesis are Supernatural (Book of Exalted Deeds, page 39).

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.

Nemesis gives no exception to this default, so its ability to sense a favored enemy is not always active.

[TheOasysMaster]

Q 427
*deep breath*

I just gave a marillith six +1 longswords of speed and Greater Multiweapon Fighting...
...based on what I'm reading, the speed weapons let it make one extra attack with that weapon, so it makes an initial six attacks with its primary hand...
...and then one extra attack each for its secondary hand, and thus, in a full-round attack action, sixteen attacks?

With Greater Multiweapon Fighting, it gets two extra attacks for each of its secondary attacks, for another ten attacks...

So, I'm coming up with twenty-six attacks with its hands in one round, not counting the tail slap.

Is my math/feat interpretation correct?

[Curmudgeon]

A 427 No.

The Speed weapon enhancement has a limitation:

(This benefit is not cumulative with similar effects, such as a haste spell.)

Speed is definitely similar to Speed.

With BAB of +16 the Marilith can make 4 primary hand attacks using a full attack action. With Greater Multiweapon Fighting the Marilith can add 3 off hand attacks with each non-primary hand (5x3=15). Speed or Haste adds 1 attack. The total is 20 longsword attacks.

[Tvtyrant]

Q428

Do the weapon augment crystals from the Magic Item Compendium bestow their effect on arrows if equipped to a bow?

[Curmudgeon]

A 428 No.

Non-numerical magical effects do not propagate from projectile weapon to ammunition unless that's explicitly stated. Example:

A flaming weapon deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the fire energy upon their ammunition.

The weapon augment crystals in Magic Item Compendium do not have any such propagation language.

[willpell]

A 428 No.

Non-numerical magical effects do not propagate from projectile weapon to ammunition unless that's explicitly stated.

Can you cite the source of this rule please? Not that I'm doubting you, I just want to look at the details and related rules, to see what else I should have known before.

[Andezzar]

He can't cite that which is not there. Unless a crystal has a sentence similar to hat of the flaming property, the bonuses of the crystal are not transfered from the weapon to the ammunition.

Q 429

Do the extra attacks granted by Pounce also get the bonus damage from Leap Attack and the valorous weapon property?

[Bronk]

A 424 Followup

If your example wasn't a succubus, but instead was of abberation, dragon, elemental, magical beast or plant type, you could take the 'rapidstrike' and 'improved rapidstrike' feats from the Draconomicon to make the iterative attacks you wanted.

[Curmudgeon]

A 429

Valorous doubles the damage "when used in a charge"; this would apply to all attack with pounce. For Leap Attack the matter would be decided by your individual DM, because Leap Attack specifies that you "combine a powerful charge and a mighty leap into one devastating attack." Some DMs will restrict this to the first attack after the Jump check; some DMs will extend the benefit to all pounce attacks. The former position has better RAW support, but not unambiguously so.

[willpell]

He can't cite that which is not there. Unless a crystal has a sentence similar to hat of the flaming property, the bonuses of the crystal are not transfered from the weapon to the ammunition.

But how do you and he know that? Or more specifically, how does he know that numerical bonuses do transfer while other effects don't?

[Andezzar]

But how do you and he know that? Or more specifically, how does he know that numerical bonuses do transfer while other effects don't?

No effect does, unless the rules tell us so. The crystals modify the properties of the weapon, not the ammunition. Unfortunately not the weapon but the projectile does the damage. If you used a bow with a crystal of energy assault as an improvised melee weapon, you would get the bonus damage. A masterwork throwing axe would get the bonus even on a ranged attack, as in this case the weapon is the projectile.

[Curmudgeon]

A 428 additional info

But how do you and he know that? Or more specifically, how does he know that numerical bonuses do transfer while other effects don't?

That's on Dungeon Master's Guide page 221: Ranged Weapons and Ammunition, which specifies that numerical bonuses are propagated to (but do not stack with separate enhancements from) ammunition.

I do need to add one correction, though. There is a single weapon augment crystal which will transfer a magical property to ammunition: Fiendslayer, in the Lesser or Greater versions. In addition to numerical enhancements, alignment is also automatically propagated. A Lesser Fiendslayer crystal used on a bow will make its arrows Good-aligned. The ammunition will not have additional Fiendslayer properties (no bonus damage, no Teleportation suppression), because there's no mention of other enhancement transfer in Fiendslayer; only the general (numerical enhancement/alignment) propagation rule applies.

[dextercorvia]

Q 430

If you use miracle to duplicate a spell that usually requires a focus, do you have to provide the focus?

Edit for coherence.

[Curmudgeon]

A 430

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.

Miracle does not provide any explicit exception to this standard rule. However, the spell allows for DM discretion.

You don’t so much cast a miracle as request one. You state what you would like to have happen and request that your deity (or the power you pray to for spells) intercede.

Depending on your DM's decision, a Miracle may work to duplicate a spell even when you lack the required components, or may fail even when you provide everything if the DM decides the deity/power wouldn't want to fulfill the request.

[killem2]

Q 431: Are there rules for snatching/disarming non weapon items? I have an encounter coming up with blind-fighting tieflings and I'd like to be able have these encounters knock out torches or steal the necklaces with light cast on the beads.