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

[Duke of Urrel]

Q 1110

Do (Evard's) Black Tentacles work against hidden/invisible opponents?

A 1110

I would say yes.

According to the description of the Black Tentacles spell in the SRD, "Every creature within the area of the spell must make a grapple check, opposed by the grapple check of the tentacles." The word "every" implies that the tentacles don't have to make mêlée touch attacks to grab before they make opposed grapple checks to hold creatures; instead, they automatically grab every creature in the spell's area of effect, but make opposed grapple checks to determine how many creatures they also hold. Since the tentacles don't have to make attack rolls, I reason that their targets can't avoid being grabbed by either hiding or being invisible.

Of course, the tentacles can't attack creatures anywhere outside the spell's area of effect, whether the latter are visible or not.

[Kornaki]

A 1111

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/hide.htm

Action
Usually none. Normally, you make a Hide check as part of movement, so it doesn’t take a separate action. However, hiding immediately after a ranged attack (see Sniping, above) is a move action.

It's not explicitly spelled out but I think it's very close to saying that trying to do hide in plain sight either takes place during a move action, or takes up a move action if you don't want to move while doing it

[Qc Storm]

Q1112

If a rogue gains a natural attack ( a bite in this case ), can it use it as part of a full attack? With TWF and all. What would be the malus? (-5 from being a secondary weapon or -7 because of the TWF?)

Q1113

If this bite deals no HP damage, can it still sneak attack?

[Keld Denar]

A 1112

It is a natural weapon. Per the rules for natural weapons, manufactured weapons are always primary. Thus, any other natural weapon attacks are all made at full BAB -5 (-2 with Multiattack). The natural weapon attack is not affected by your TWF penalties, since TWF penalties only apply to main hand and off hand attacks, of which a natural weapon is neither. It would be affected by abilities that give penalties to all attacks in a round such as Flurry of Blows, Snap Kick, Rapid Shot or similar.

If your BAB was +6 with ITWF, you would have:
+4 main hand
+4 offhand
+1 bite
-1 main hand
-1 offhand

A 1113

It does do damage, just ability damage rather than hp. That it's fine. It will deal con damage + the sneak attack damage that will be "weapon" type damage of the sort that a bite delivers (P, S, and B).

[Curmudgeon]

A 1111

You've got a basic misunderstanding of the action involved with Hide checks. Part of the confusion is because the skill description is poorly organized, and part of the confusion is because the RAW is just counter-intuitive, You normally Hide while moving in D&D, which (in the real world) makes you more noticeable. There is no opportunity to Hide without taking any action in D&D; the skill is not included on the "No Action" list (Rules Compendium, page 8). Instead, there are a limited set of actions which allow a Hide check.

• You can move up to one-half your normal speed and hide at no penalty
• When moving at a speed greater than one-half but less than your normal speed, you take a -5 penalty.
• You can use Bluff to help you hide. ... While the others turn their attention from you, you can attempt a Hide check if you can get to a hiding place of some kind. This check, however, is made at a -10 penalty because you have to move fast.
• It’s practically impossible (-20 penalty) to hide while attacking,
• running, or
• charging.

(With Hide in Plain Sight there is no reason to use Sniping, which is the only Hide check which can be made without piggy-backing on another action.)

So your initial scenario is RAW impossible, because you took no action which permitted a Hide check. All opportunities to Hide, including your next, would occur when you take one of the actions which allow a Hide check, as I've listed above with reorganized rules excerpts.

[Andezzar]

Q 1114

The description of the fiendish summoning specialist (Planar handbook p. 39) implies that you can exchange creatures on the lists for Summon Monster I-IX. Where is that rule?

Q 1115

Does the Invisible Spell Metamagic make summoned creatures invisible? What about called creatures?

[NeedsAnswersNao]

Q 1116:
Can a creature augment a PLA from its own power points if it purposely wanted to drain its reservoir of PP from a psionic class, assuming it didn't break the manifestor level cap?

[Andezzar]

Q 1117

Can you prepare a domain spell in a higher level domain spell slot? For example could a cleric with the Fate domain prepare true strike in the 2nd level domain spell slot?

Q 1118

Can you perform spellcasting gestures with a hand that wears a spiked gauntlet?

[willpell]

Q 1117

Can you prepare a domain spell in a higher level domain spell slot? For example could a cleric with the Fate domain prepare true strike in the 2nd level domain spell slot?

Yes, this is explicitly allowed in the proper section of the rulebook.

A 1113

It does do damage, just ability damage rather than hp. That it's fine. It will deal con damage + the sneak attack damage that will be "weapon" type damage of the sort that a bite delivers (P, S, and B).

He never said that it did, and I've never heard of a bite attack that does anything other than standard damage, so I'm curious what he was talking about and how you knew what it was.

[Curmudgeon]

A 1118

Somatic (S)

A somatic component is a measured and precise movement of the hand. You must have at least one hand free to provide a somatic component.

A hand wearing a spiked gauntlet is capable of holding a weapon, but it is not free. In particular, movements which would involve passing the back of the hand near any non-fluid material would be impossible while wearing a gauntlet with spikes sprouting there.

[killem2]

Q 1119: Can a warblade's ability Weapon Aptitude allow a Cleric to swap out the weapon granted weapon focus by the War Domain?

[Andezzar]

A 1118 A hand wearing a spiked gauntlet is capable of holding a weapon, but it is not free. In particular, movements which would involve passing the back of the hand near any non-fluid material would be impossible while wearing a gauntlet with spikes sprouting there.

Isn't that a bit vague for the RAW thread? Is there a concrete rule forbidding it? What about regular gauntlets? Shouldn't they also restrict the gestures beyond ASF, especially if the character wears a pair in addition to a suit of armor that does not normally include gauntlets (e.g. Breastplate+Gauntlets)?

A 1119

I don't see why not.

[willpell]

Isn't that a bit vague for the RAW thread?

Agreed; I agree with saying that a gauntleted (spiked or otherwise) hand doesn't count as "free" because it's occupied by something, but the logic that Curmudgeon is using here strikes me as...well, too logical for D&D RAW. If you're going to try and figure this one out with reason, the exact length of the spikes is pure fluff, as is the exact pattern of motions required for a somatic component, so there are any number of spells where the somatic component might not involve any impediment that common-sensically follows as being consistent (gd'it why am I talking like this?) with the risk of the spikes catching on something and screwing up your gesture.

A 1119

I don't see why not.

One of these days I'd like to hear what your background is, that you seem able to answer some very obscure questions in seconds, and then ask others which I would have thought were absurdly obvious. You clearly have been exposed to the rules in a very different order than I have, and it makes me idly curious. Feel free to bring it up in one of my threads someday, since I'm always receptive to off-topicking.

[MrLemon]

A 1119
War Domain's WF is not a bonus feat. Weapon Aptitude by RAW let's you shift around feats.
So, by RAW: No.

Also, with me as the DM, there would be repercussions for the Cleric who tried that by his god. That's kind of strait Ur-Priest fluff (take something from the gods)

[Keld Denar]

He never said that it did, and I've never heard of a bite attack that does anything other than standard damage, so I'm curious what he was talking about and how you knew what it was.

The ability in question is Animal Devotion, if you want the reference. Doesn't do any HP damage, but does ability damage.

[Planar]

Q 1120

Does a druid's animal companion gain bonus HD even if it doesn't have an advancement entry in its stat block? Example: dog, riding dog, hawk etc.

[killem2]

Re: q1119 is now its own thread. I think it'll make a great topic.

[Duke of Urrel]

A 1120

Most certainly yes!

The description of the druid's animal companion in the SRD begins with the following sentence: "A druid’s animal companion is different from a normal animal of its kind in many ways." So everything that follows does not refer to "normal" Animals as described in the Monster Manual. It refers to divinely empowered Animals with extraordinary (but not supernatural) capabilities.

[Jon_Dahl]

Q 1121

From Sleep-spell:
"Awakening a creature is a standard action (an application of the aid another action). "

How close do you have to be?

[Duke of Urrel]

Q 1022

Some standard actions are non-repeatable standard actions that you can take only once during your turn under normal conditions. Other standard actions are repeatable "attack" actions that you can take several times as part of a full attack action if your character level allows it.

Usually, the RAW are clear about whether a standard action is non-repeatable or repeatable, but sometimes, they're not clear at all, at least not to me.

Particularly the "Special Attacks" section of the SRD throws me off, because it lists the Feint action together with "Special Attacks," even though this action is non-repeatable unless you have the Improved Feint feat (which makes it a move action). This has me questioning all of my assumptions, such as my assumption that the Turn Undead action is attack-like rather than spell-like (that is, repeatable in a full attack action rather than non-repeatable).

So to dispel my confusion, I'd like to ask you all to help me put the following actions in the right category.

Are the following standard actions non-repeatable or repeatable (attack) actions?

Aid Another
Bull Rush
Draw a Hidden Weapon (with Sleight of Hand skill)
Throw a Splash Weapon
Turn Undead

[Andezzar]

Q 1123

Besides through the description of individual creatures and the rules in Unearthed Arcana, what ways are there to replace/add creatures to a caster's Summon Monster spells?

[Duke of Urrel]

Q 1121

From Sleep-spell:
"Awakening a creature is a standard action (an application of the aid another action). "

How close do you have to be?

A 1121

I believe it's a safe assumption that you must be close enough to hit the creature you want to awaken with a mêlée attack – though of course you don't have to inflict any damage with this "attack." This follows both from the description of the Sleep spell, which states that "slapping or wounding" a sleeper ends the spell's effect, and from the fact that the success of the Aid Another action is determined by a simple mêlée attack that inflicts no damage.

We can also offer the argument that the Sleep spell would never be very effective in combat if mere noise, such as a shout from 30 feet away, were sufficient to break the spell.

The only difference between the ordinary use of the Aid Another action and the act of awakening a sleeping creature is that in the former case, you must generally be within reach of an enemy, whereas in the latter case, you must generally be within reach of a comrade.

[Andezzar]

Q 1124

Does a character wearing a ring of sustenance still need to breathe?

[Douglas]

A1122

The location of something in the "Special attacks" section has nothing at all to do with whether it is "repeatable" in the manner you describe. Further, if something is a standard action then it is never "repeatable". There is no such thing as a "repeatable" standard action. You can attack multiple times in one round not because the attack standard action is repeatable, but because the full attack full round action gives you multiple attacks - completely unrelated to the standard action that gives just one.

For each special attack, check the wording for something similar to "As a _____, you can do _____". If it says "As a standard action", it takes a standard action. You do it once, and you have a move action and swift action left. If it says "As a melee/ranged attack", you can do it any time you get an attack, including each of the attacks in a full attack as well as attacks of opportunity.

For the specific ones you listed:
Aid Another: you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action
Bull Rush: You can make a bull rush as a standard action
Draw a Hidden Weapon (with Sleight of Hand skill): Drawing a hidden weapon is a standard action
Throw a Splash Weapon: A splash weapon is a ranged weapon. None of the details and exceptions spelled out in the rest of the entry address action cost, so splash weapons can be used in a full attack just the same as any other ranged weapon.
Turn Undead: Turning undead is a supernatural ability that a character can perform as a standard action.

Some other examples to clarify the difference:
Trip: You can try to trip an opponent as an unarmed melee attack.
Sunder: You can use a melee attack...
Disarm: As a melee attack, you may attempt to disarm your opponent.

[Andezzar]

Q 1125

What skill would be needed to write a watertight contract? Is it Craft: Contract or Profession: Lawyer or something else altogether?

[willpell]

A 1120

Most certainly yes!

The description of the druid's animal companion in the SRD begins with the following sentence: "A druid’s animal companion is different from a normal animal of its kind in many ways." So everything that follows does not refer to "normal" Animals as described in the Monster Manual. It refers to divinely empowered Animals with extraordinary (but not supernatural) capabilities.

What Planar might have been getting at is that, if there's no advancement entry, the creature never increases in size due to HD increase. Can you picture an 18-HD Tiny housecat?

[Victor von Dunk]

hopefully doing this right

Q 1126

If a Beholder Mage uses Polymorph Any Object to turn into a different race, can it still cast its spells using free actions, once per turn per spell level, with no material components?

[inexorabletruth]

A 1126:
No, if it loses it's spell stalks during the polymorph.

Lords of Madness, pg. 43:

As with its eye rays, casting a spell from a spell-stalk is a free action...

Q 1127:
Soulbound Weapon Feat ACF

Do you have to take that at 1st, 1st level (like you do with Aristocrat), or just first level for that class?

[Curmudgeon]

A 1124 Yes.

Magic items have the properties specified in their description, and no others. The dictionary definitions of "sustenance" and "nourishment" only refer to sustaining life by food. Breathing is a separate need, which the Ring does not address.

A 1125 Ask your DM.

That's not something covered in the rules of the game, so the abilities, skills, DCs, and other requirements will be up to your individual DM.

A 1127

In the context of a class description, references to "level" mean levels in that class. Only outside of the context of class levels does "1st level" refer to character level; that would be the case in feat descriptions, for instance. Since Soulbound Weapon is a class character theme, the reference is to levels in the Psychic Warrior class.

I don't see how the reference to Aristocrat ties into this question, though; that NPC class has no special 1st level requirements.

[Seharvepernfan]

Q 1128

Can a greatsword and armor spikes both be used in the same full attack with the Two Weapon Fighting feat? As in, the greatsword used two-handed?

If so, what are the total attack penalties?

How about a longsword and a heavy shield, where the shield is not used as a weapon, but the armor spikes are?