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

[Curmudgeon]

A 1484

The Factotum's IP total is renewed at the start of every encounter. Unspent IPs are available until they run out. Your individual DM may decide that some non-combat situations constitute encounters, but otherwise an encounter starts when you roll for initiative.

[G.Cube]

Q1485

Are players entitled to search, spot, listen checks, and the like, or do they have to make the calls to do them themselves?

[rweird]

Q 1486

Improved Familiar's familiar list is based on arcane spellcaster level. Does that mean a wizard 5/loremaster 2 or the like be able to get a Formian Worker (requires 7th level), or would it be restricted to a 5th level one (like a Shocker Lizard).

[TuggyNE]

A1485

Every time you have a chance to spot something in a reactive manner you can make a Spot check without using an action. Trying to spot something you failed to see previously is a move action.

Listen is similar. Search, however, is inherently active, and requires a full-round action.

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 1485

There are a couple of things you might want to note about Spot and Listen checks:

• You can elect to "take 10" on these. That way, the DM can determine your passive perceptions always, without you needing to speak up or roll.

• Trying to spot something you failed to see previously is a move action.

  Trying to hear something you failed to hear previously is a move action.

  It's the DM's responsibility to interpret the scope of "something" in these skill rules. It could be any of the following:
  
  • the same creature/object/sound
  • the same creature/object/sound in the same location
  • the same creature/object/sound in the same location repeating an action (or no action)
  You'll want to find out where your individual DM comes in on this spectrum of possibilities, to know when it might be advisable to spend a move action or two rechecking things around your character.

[classy one]

Q1487
Soulbound warrior in RoE let's you form your mind blade as a swift action while free draw lets you draw your mind blade as a free action once a turn. What's the mechanical difference between them other than free draw saving you a swift action? Is there a difference between forming a mind blade and drawing it?

[SciChronic]

Q1488
When a factotum heals using his Opportunistic Piety, does it heal 2x Factotum level + int modifier or 2(factotum + int modifier)?

[Curmudgeon]

A 1488 The former.

Standard rules for arithmetic expression bind multiplication more tightly than addition. Absent any parentheses or verbal equivalents, "twice your factotum level + your Int modifier" is to be read as "(twice your factotum level) + your Int modifier".

[dangerginger]

Q 1489

Can a spellthief choose any spell on a target of his Steal Spell ability or only ones he has witnessed or believes the target to have. In other words, does that ability allow the spellthief to scan the target's entire spell list for the day to make a choice?

[Curmudgeon]

A 1489

The Spellthief chooses in advance which spell to steal — or can elect not to choose, and the DM will select a random spell. The Spellthief has no access to the list of spells their target has available. Two quotes from page 16 of Complete Adventurer:

A spellthief can choose which spell to steal; otherwise, the DM determines the stolen spell randomly.

For example, a 1st-level spellthief who uses this ability against a 1st-level sorcerer could choose to steal magic missile. Assuming the sorcerer knew that spell, a successful steal spell attack would eliminate one 1st-level spell slot and temporarily prevent her from casting magic missile.

[ahenobarbi]

Q 1490a Let's say a Adult Black Dragon tried to use double movement action to move 300ft in a round but a Handsome Conjurer uses celerity to put Wall of Stone in it's way. The dragon has poor maneuverability and no way to avoid the wall that suddenly appeared 5ft in front of it. Are there any rules saying what happens?

Q 1490b Let's say the handsome conjurer surrounded the dragon with solid fog. Can dragon do any movement besides falling down 5ft/round?

[classy one]

Q1491
If I drop or throw my mind blade with the lucky special ability and reform it can I use the lucky ability again afterwards? On other words, is another forged mind blade considered a different weapon?

[Curmudgeon]

A 1490a

If the Dragon has Hover they can simply stop in mid-air, then fly in any direction at half speed. Poor maneuverability limits the flying creature to a 45 degree change of direction within 5', so the Dragon could turn 45 degrees in any direction other than up before stopping at the Wall of Stone. If the Dragon has already moved at least their speed in that round, they do not stall that round. If the Dragon has not moved that distance they will stall. Because Wall of Stone can only be conjured adjacent to existing stone surfaces, the Dragon likely will fall to the ground in that round.

A 1490b

A Dragon with Hover can simply stop in mid-air, then fly in any direction at half speed. Because Solid Flog temporarily makes any creature's speed 5', it would need a double move to fly 5' in any direction.
Flying straight down with Hover is, I think, the only way to obtain the result you posited. A Dragon with poor maneuverability and without Hover could fly horizontally or upward or downward at up to a 45 degree angle. A double move would be required to move upward at a diagonal 5' in the round. A double move would afford 10' of horizontal movement, or 15' of movement downward at a diagonal. (Upward movement costs double; downward movement costs half.) Because the Dragon's speed is reduced to 5', they would not stall if they moved any horizontal distance at all (minimum 2.5').

A creature or object that falls into solid fog is slowed, so that each 10 feet of vapor that it passes through reduces falling damage by 1d6.

Falling is independent of your speed, and Solid Fog does not posit any specific change to falling speed. Thus, regardless of how the spell impedes voluntary movement, a creature who elects to fall would do so at close to normal speed and would be out of the area of effect within a round. Because the effect of falling normally is +1d6 damage per 10' of distance you fall, distance dropped through Solid Fog does not add to falling damage.

A 1491 No.

Each instance of Mind Blade is a new weapon.

[classy one]

A 1491 No.

Each instance of Mind Blade is a new weapon.

Q1491 follow up
So if it is a new weapon I can use lucky since it is like I just picked up a new weapon? Or did you mean it is not considered a new weapon unless I spend 8 hours reforging it?

[Flame of Anor]

A 1484

The Factotum's IP total is renewed at the start of every encounter. Unspent IPs are available until they run out. Your individual DM may decide that some non-combat situations constitute encounters, but otherwise an encounter starts when you roll for initiative.

A 1484 additional

And if you really need an encounter, just have another party member slap you or something. Encounters are so nebulously defined that the fact of making an attack roll should count.

[Curmudgeon]

A 1491 follow up

The weapon ability or abilities remain the same every time the soulknife materializes his mind blade (unless he decides to reassign its abilities; see below). The ability or abilities apply to any form the mind blade takes, including the use of the shape mind blade or bladewind class abilities.

I apologize; my initial answer was insufficiently clear without the above quote. It's a new weapon every time the Mind Blade is formed, but the Lucky weapon ability remains the same. Lucky is usable only once per day.

[Valwyn]

Q1492

What happens to skills when you multiclass? If I start as a Rogue at level 1 and take Sorcerer at level 2, can I still maximize my Rogue skills as usual or do they become cross-class skills even though I am trained in them? Could I buy a Rogue skill I didn't have before?

[Urpriest]

Q1492

What happens to skills when you multiclass? If I start as a Rogue at level 1 and take Sorcerer at level 2, can I still maximize my Rogue skills as usual or do they become cross-class skills even though I am trained in them? Could I buy a Rogue skill I didn't have before?

A1492

The skills become cross-class, so it takes two skill points to buy one point. Note that regardless,

Regardless of whether a skill is purchased as a class skill or a cross-class skill, if it is a class skill for any of your classes, your maximum rank equals your total character level + 3.

Whether or not you have taken the skill before is irrelevant.

[Jon_Dahl]

Q1493

Can you use the withdraw action while you are under the Fly spell? Your character is normally unable to fly (in other words, has no fly speed).

[Douglas]

A1492 clarification

You can continue to max out your Rogue skills (or even pick up new ones), at the same maximums as if you were still pure Rogue, it just costs twice as many skill points.

[Curmudgeon]

A 1493 No.

The Fly spell does not grant you a standard fly speed, wherein any load above light prevents any flight. So you get just exactly what the spell specifies, and no more.

[Jon_Dahl]

A 1493 No.

The Fly spell does not grant you a standard fly speed, wherein any load above light prevents any flight. So you get just exactly what the spell specifies, and no more.

I'm sorry to spam this thread with a useless comment, but you, my good sir, are a genius. Thank you and always keep on posting here.

[rweird]

Q 1486

Improved Familiar's familiar list is based on arcane spellcaster level. Does that mean a wizard 5/loremaster 2 or the like be able to get a Formian Worker (requires 7th level), or would it be restricted to a 5th level one (like a Shocker Lizard).

Apparently this was missed. Reposting it.

[Curmudgeon]

A 1486 5th level.

The rule is that prestige classes only improve your spellcaster level (level in a class which grants spellcasting) when they say so explicitly. An example:

Improved Caster Level (Ex): A Green Star adept adds his class level to his caster level in another arcane spellcasting class to determine his effective spellcaster level.

The Loremaster PrC adds to a spellcasting class's Spells per Day, but not to their spellcaster level.

[Sith_Happens]

Q 1494

What is the caster level of a major artifact, should it somehow become relevant?

[qwertyu63]

Q 1495

Can a Wizard/Sorcerer/Psion select the feat their familiar/psicrystal has?

[Curmudgeon]

A 1494 Ask your DM.

There is no answer to this except in a specific campaign if your DM decides it becomes relevant. As such, that DM gets to decide the answer.

A 1495 No.

Familiars and psicrystals are NPCs, and the DM makes decisions for all NPCs. Players may, of course, make suggestions to their DM. Failing that, their characters can get rid of the familiar or psicrystal through the normal means (death, dismissal, & c.) and try again.

[Andezzar]

Q 1496
The Archmage PrC (and most other PrCs that advance spellcasting) have the following rule:

When a new archmage level is gained, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in whatever arcane spellcasting class in which he could cast 7th-level spells before he added the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained.

The Archmage PRC however lacks the following line common to most other PrCs that advance casting:

This essentially means that she adds the level of eldritch knight to the level of whatever other arcane spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day and caster level accordingly.

Does that mean the the Archmage's caster Level stagnates while the character takes levels in that class?

[Curmudgeon]

A 1496 Yes.

Note, however, the class has their Spell Power ability, which can help alleviate the CL stagnation. The Practiced Spellcaster feat may be beneficial to an Archmage character.

[cd4]

Q1497 A phrenic creature with 5+ HD has the ability Body Adjustment. However the power is Psion/wilder 3, Psychic Warrior 2 so the base power points are 5 or 3. How many power points does the phrenic creature use for the base power to determine its augmenting?