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

[Curmudgeon]

A 1616 No.

Infusions: An artificer is not a spellcaster, but he does have the ability to imbue items with magical infusions.

A prestige class which advances “+1 level of existing spellcasting class” cannot benefit an Artificer.

[Andezzar]

A 1616

No:

An artificer is not a spellcaster, but he does have the ability to imbue items with magical infusions.

So the artificer class is not a spellcasting class.

Swordsaged!

[Dusk Eclipse]

A 1616 No. A prestige class which advances “+1 level of existing spellcasting class” cannot benefit an Artificer.

A 1616

No:
So the artificer class is not a spellcasting class.

Swordsaged!

A1616 Correction I know I asked the question myself; but I found a sidebar in Magic of Eberron's page 53 that states than an Artificer can benefit from prestige classes that advance casting as long as they don't specify they advance an arcane or divine spellcasting class, so classes with +1 level of existing class do in fact benefit an Artificer.

[AttilaTheGeek]

Q 1625

Are "holy" and "unholy" valid damage types?

[Verditude]

Q 1626

Can a warlock Use Magic Device a bead of karma for +4 caster level to his invocations?

[Mongrel]

Q 1625

Are "holy" and "unholy" valid damage types?

A1625: No. The damage types you are thinking of are Positive Energy and Negative Energy, respectively. You may also be thinking of the divine/profane bonuses that some items and spells give, or possibly 4th edition's Radiant and Necrotic damage types. In 3.x, however, these are called Negative and Positive energy (although honestly you can rename them whatever you want).

[Cheiromancer]

A1617

How do you calculate the Caster Level of an Ur-Priest?

Wizard 10/Ur-Priest 10 is easy, that's 15.

a) What happens when you advance Ur-Priest? Say, Wizard 10/Ur-Priest 2/Full Divine advancement 8; is that also 15, or is it 11?

The caster level of a Wizard 10/Ur-Priest 2/Loremaster 8 would be 15 if Loremaster is used to advance Ur-Priest. A class that does not have its own spells/day chart is not a spellcasting class, and so is not counted by the (UP level) + ½ (other spellcasting levels) formula for CL. The general rule is that the spellcasting class level is incremented by the advancing class, and the modified number is used by the formula. See, for example the text for Loremaster:

… she adds the level of loremaster to the level of some other spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly.

b) What about Theurges? Wizard 10/Ur-Priest 2/Mystic Theurge 8? Is that 15, 11, 19, or something else?

The caster level of a Wizard 10/Ur-Priest 2/Mystic Theurge 8 would be 19. Increment the spellcasting classes by MT for everything to do with spellcasting, then apply the Ur-Priest’s caster level rule using the incremented class levels. MT is not a spellcasting class, for it does not have a spells/day chart. (2 + 8) (Incremented Ur-Priest) + 1/2 * (10 + 8) (Incremented Wizard) = 19.

c) How about Half-advancing Divine Casters? What about on the levels when they don't advance spellcasting? Do they add 1/2 on the dead levels, and full on the advancement, or half on all, or half on all AND full on the advancing levels (for 1 1/2)?

A class is a spellcasting class only if it has a spells/day chart. Otherwise follow the usual rule: increment the class or classes that are advanced, then substitute the resulting numbers into the Ur-Priest formula for CL.

d) What about late starting casters, like Hexblade? Are they considered Spellcasters prior to gaining Spellcasting levels?

Yes. Even though a low level Hexblade or Paladin cannot cast spells, they belong to a spellcasting class. Again, a class is a spellcasting class if it has its own spells/day list. Also, these low-level characters can use spell-trigger items like wands as long as the wand contains a spell on their spell-list.

[SciChronic]

A1625: No. The damage types you are thinking of are Positive Energy and Negative Energy, respectively. You may also be thinking of the divine/profane bonuses that some items and spells give, or possibly 4th edition's Radiant and Necrotic damage types. In 3.x, however, these are called Negative and Positive energy (although honestly you can rename them whatever you want).

A1625 Addition
If you mean the weapon enhancements, holy and unholy weapons become good and evil aligned respectively, for the purpose of bypassing DR

[Curmudgeon]

A 1626 No.

Anyone with sufficient Use Magic Device skill can activate a Bead of Karma. However, the property of that item is to increase the caster level of divine spells, and it can have no effect on invocations or other spell-like abilities.

Edit: Corrected.

[Dusk Eclipse]

A1626 Minor Correction According the SRD the bead of Karma gives a +4 CL boost to al spells, not just divine spells, having said that it wouldn't have effect on Invocations since they are SLA's.

[TuggyNE]

A1625: No. The damage types you are thinking of are Positive Energy and Negative Energy, respectively. You may also be thinking of the divine/profane bonuses that some items and spells give, or possibly 4th edition's Radiant and Necrotic damage types. In 3.x, however, these are called Negative and Positive energy (although honestly you can rename them whatever you want).

A1625 correction: The Holy and Unholy weapon specials do two things: add 2d6 untyped damage to qualifying targets, and make the weapon good-/evil-aligned to bypass the corresponding damage reduction. There is no connection to positive or negative energy, or divine or profane bonuses.

Whether damage that bypasses DR/evil is evil-typed damage is not especially clear, but it's probably most accurate to consider it a matter of weapon alignment only.

Note that there is also a type of damage called vile, which is not related to any of these.

[Ketiara]

Q1626
Are there another class or PrC that like the fighter gives a bonus feat at 1st level? All books allowed. No dragon mags.

[Vaz]

A1626
Yes.

Psychic Warrior (XPH); Fighter Feats and Psionic Featsonly
Wizard, swap "Scribe" and Metamagic Bonus feat list for Fighter Bonus Feat list (UA), Fighter Feats only
Rogue, swap SA Progression for Fighter Bonus Feat Progression (UA), Fighter Feats only
Monk, Monk variants (UA); several different choices of which feat you can get, but no flexibility in choices.
Swordsage (ToB); Weapon Focus in multiple weapons according to his School.

Other methods of attaining feats are available, but are rarely useable inside of a game as they rely on the DM saying "yes, here's a free bonus feat".

____

Q1627; Does Ability Focus have any effect on Supernatural Class Features? I.e a Binder using Ability Focus (Soul Binding), would that have a DC of (10+1/2 Binder Class Level+Cha Bonus+2)?

[Chronos]

A 1627:

Ability focus can be used with any special attacks with saving throws, including class abilities. However, "soul binding" is not an ability with a saving throw, so you can't take "ability focus (soul binding)". You could take it for one of the abilities you gain from a vestige, as long as the ability has a saving throw.

[Vaz]

Thank you. It was a bad example I gave, I must admit. Thanks, regardless!

[qwertyu63]

Q1628

With Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, a Dex of 24 and 2 +1 daggers, how many attack rolls do I get and at what bonuses?

[Bakkan]

A1628

If your Base Attack Bonus is 5 or less, your attack bonuses are BAB +6 with one dagger and BAB +6 with the other. (BAB + 7 Dex + 1 enhancement -2 Two Weapon Fighting with the feat and a light weapon in the off hand)

If your Base Attack Bonus is 6 or greater, you gain iterative attacks with one of your weapons. For example, if you have a BAB of +8, your full attack routine would be +14 (main)/+14(off)/+9 (main)

[Chronos]

A 1628 clarification:

Base Attack Bonus is only the portion of your attack bonus that you get from class levels (1 point from each level of Fighter, Barbarian, etc., 3 points from each 4 levels of Cleric, Rogue, etc., and 1 point from every 2 levels of Wizard, etc.). The bonus to attack rolls from Dexterity and from your weapons being magic doesn't affect the number of attacks you get at all.

[Verditude]

Q 1629

If I am under the effects of Invisibility and Entropic Shield, with the latter modified by the Invisible Spell metamagic feat, what is the miss chance of someone who shoots an arrow into my square? Do I roll once for total concealment (50%) and once for entropic shield (20%)?

[Urpriest]

A 1610

Spell Storing can only be triggered by the wielder. Once a weapon is thrown it is no longer wielded. The target of your ranged attack could then use it for a melee attack (against you, perhaps) and decide (as the new wielder) to discharge the spell after successfully dealing damage.

Q 1630

You have likely answered this before, but I seem to have forgotten the answer: most common definitions of wield include using a tool or weapon, not necessarily restricted to use in one's hand. Does D&D have a specific definition of wield, in a glossary entry or the like, that overrules common usage?

[Andezzar]

A 1630 Sort of

I know of no specific definition, but once a weapon or projectile is out of the hands of the wielder, it is no longer in his control and thus not wielded.

[INoKnowNames]

Q 1631

If one has the feat Two Weapon Fighting, Gloves of the Balanced Hand (with Dexterity Upgrades), and a Wand of (or Ability to buff themselves with) Heroics, could they act as if they had the full Greater Two Weapon Fighting Line?

[NeoPhoenix0]

A 1631

Yes, as long as you have a Dex of 19 and +11 BAB.

[Piggy Knowles]

Q 1632: Can a Supernatural ability be channeled through a project image?

(I know that Complete Arcane has some verbiage about SLAs subbing in for spells with similar abilities, but I don't know of any such ruling for Su abilities - but I thought I'd check, in case there's something I'm missing.)

[Vaz]

Q1633
Can a Free action be activated at the exact time as another action; such as Casting an Instantaneous effect spell?

[PrinceOfMadness]

Q 1634

Is there a feat and/or item that would allow a 5th level gnome wizard to pick up Bluff as a class skill? Don't want to multiclass if I can help it.

[Curmudgeon]

A 1632 No.

You get only the capabilities stated in the spell description.

A 1633 Ask your DM.

ACTIONS
Every round, on your character’s turn, you may take a standard action and a move action (in either order), two move actions, or one full-round action. You may also perform one or more free actions along with any other action, as your DM allows.

Exact details of how "along with any other action" works will be up to your individual DM.

A 1634 Maybe.

The feat Apprentice with a Criminal Mentor would work, if your DM supplied the appropriate mentor NPC. You would also need to use the feat retraining rules (Player's Handbook II), because this feat is available only at 1st level.

[NeoPhoenix0]

A 1634

two more very limited feats which you are probably going to have to multiclass to qualify for.

Greensinger Initiate: from Eberron Campaign Setting must be able to spontaneously cast Summon Nature's Ally.

Draconic Heritage (Chaos): from Races of the Dragon must be a sorcerer. (and sorcerers already have bluff)

[ben-zayb]

Q1624
Is encumberance/weight of grapplers not taken into account while grappling? That is, can a Fighter with STR 30 (1600lbs heavy load) move/drag a Dire Bear (8000lbs) that he successfully grappled?

Q1625
If it works, can one use it to travel using flying pets/familiar by grappling (or being grappled by) them?

Bump!

[ahenobarbi]

I posted answer in "Wait again, that didn't work right" - the Dysfunctional Rules Collection thread in case someone wants to discuss, please let's do it there:

A1624 Actually I think you can carry creatures without being slowed down at all


the bad news is every item you own counts for your encumbrance so bags of holding, mules and the likes are totally useless (as is leaving some items at home - they still are your items so they encumber you by RAW).

A1625Yes, but grappling is unnecessary, it could just carry you without penalty (because you are not it's item). Also remember that you can't grapple creature 2 sizes bigger than you.