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

[Curmudgeon]

This may have been forgotten:

No, those questions were answered by rockdeworld here.

A 215 No.

Choose a spellcasting class that you possess. Your spells cast from that class are more powerful.

The feat is specific to spellcasting classes and spells, and has no benefit for non-class casting or spell-like abilities.

[Story]

Q218: If an undead cast Alter Self, can they only turn into other undead creatures? Does having an augmented subtype matter?

[DeltaEmil]

Q 219

How does magic and psionic interact in Faerûn? The Player's Guide to Faerûn says there is no magic-psionic-transparency, but then lists examples of how magic does interact with psionic effects, and then states that psionic interacts exactly like magic interacts with other magic. Is the sentence that there is no psionic-magic-transparency simply typo?

[TuggyNE]

Q218: If an undead cast Alter Self, can they only turn into other undead creatures? Does having an augmented subtype matter?

A218 Yes*. Subtypes are not taken into account, as evidenced both by the text of the spell** and the text of the Augmented subtype***.

No exception is present, so the usual rules are followed, and only in-type changes are allowed.

*"You assume the form of a creature of the same type as your normal form."
**"Your creature type and subtype (if any) remain the same regardless of your new form. You cannot take the form of any creature with a template, even if that template doesn’t change the creature type or subtype." is the only mention
***"A creature with the augmented subtype usually has the traits of its current type, but the features of its original type."

[Akto]

Q220

If i was a level 3 wizard and took the mageslayer feat, would my caster level then be -1, 0 or 1 (considering the minimmum 1 clause that often follow certain similiar rules)

[wala]

i have a ghostwise halfling however he is a mute. i have items which require me to utter a command word/phrase. my question is are there any magical items people know of homebrew or published that would allow my character to speak?

[Curmudgeon]

A 220 -1.

"Minimum 1" is an exception in some places to the normal rules of D&D arithmetic. Neither Mage Slayer nor the Wizard class have such an exception, so your caster level would be -1.

[Kumori]

Q 221a
Feycraft weapons have to be made from Cold Iron. Does the price for a Cold Iron weapon have to be added to the weapon as well, or is that subsumed by the cost of the weapon being Feycraft?

Q 221b
Does the extra 2000gp cost of magical enhancements for Cold Iron have to paid if an item is Feycraft?

[_felagund]

Question 222 Which combat round is stated correctly?

A:
1. Players roll for init.
2. Highest init monsters & chars take action and hit & damage enemy
3. conditions (stun etc.) applied for the next action of char/monster

B:
1. Players roll for init.
2. Highest init monsters & chars define their actions
3. dm resolves everything acording to selection of chars etc..
3. conditions (stun etc.) applied for the next round of char/monster

[Kumori]

@wala: If you are looking for homebrewed responses, this isn't the thread for that. I'd suggest creating a new thread that poses that question.

A 222
The (almost) correct combat round is the first one. I say 'almost' for two reasons:
1. Initiative is not usually rolled each round. To do so is an optional rule, but generally it rolled at the start of combat and maintained for the whole encounter, adjusting for delayed/readied actions and such.
2. It is unclear from your description when status effects and conditions are being applied. If a player successfully casts Sleep on a monster who acts on a later in the round, the monster should fall asleep immediately, thereby losing his action this round. The way you have posed your question implies that the monster would act this round and fall asleep for the next.

[rockdeworld]

A211
Inclusive. You get 3+Cha Greater Turnings.

A212
No. They only get 1 extra slot.

When you select this feat, you gain one spell slot per day of any level up to one level higher than the highest level spell you can already cast in a particular class.

A213
For the creature in question, a DC16 Knowledge(The Planes) check could give you that information, as you could recall that Succubuses have an Energy Drain attack that causes the effect that person is under. Otherwise you're talking about identifying Negative Levels, which has either no check or falls under the "30 or higher" check for Spellcraft to identify strange or unique magical effects.

A216
No, because the text of Speed says that haste is a similar effect (whether it actually is or not because of Perpetual Options), and that speed is not cumulative with haste, so
you can't use the effects of Speed while being hasted (whatever being hasted may mean for a swiftblade).


A217
The +2 enhancement does not stack (because it's "+2 better than normal"), but the +2d6 does.
In your example, you would get +2 enhancement and +4d6 damage.

A219 partial
I don't have that sourcebook, just want to point out that no PMT has only the following effects:
1. Spell resistance is ineffective against powers, and vice versa.
2. Spells that dispel magic have no effect against powers, and vice versa.
3. The spell detect magic does not detect powers, and vice versa.
4. Dead magic areas are not dead psionics areas, and vice versa.

A221
Yes, the cost to become Feycraft is in addition to the cost to be Cold Iron.

Yes, the extra 2000gp cost of magical enhancements must be paid, because the item is both Cold Iron and Feycraft.

[matten17]

Q 223

If a Medium creature uses a Small version of a weapon that has reach, such as a Guisarme. Does that weapon still provide reach?
If no, what if a Small creature, uses a Guisarme that is right for its size, does that creature still get the benefits of the reach weapon?

[Douglas]

A223

Yes, it does. Mismatched size categories do not affect the functionality of the reach property, provided that the difference is small enough that the weapon is still wieldable.

[rockdeworld]

Q224
Can you "cast" spells from magic items, for the purposes of abilities that reference "casting" spells? I thought yes, until I saw this:

This is the activation method for scrolls. A scroll is a spell that is mostly finished. The preparation is done for the caster, so no preparation time is needed beforehand as with normal spellcasting. All that’s left to do is perform the finishing parts of the spellcasting (the final gestures, words, and so on). To use a spell completion item safely, a character must be of high enough level in the right class to cast the spell already. If he can’t already cast the spell, there’s a chance he’ll make a mistake. Activating a spell completion item is a standard action and provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does.

To be clear, I am thinking of these examples:
224.a. Do artificers qualify for PrCs that require the ability to cast 1st level arcane/divine spells? Edit: I see they do not, per Magic of Eberron.
224.b. Can an Archmage use Mastery of Elements on a scroll of Fireball? 224.c. What about a wand of Fireball?

[Curmudgeon]

A 223 [correction] No.

The Player's Handbook is a bit unclear on this. From page 113:

A typical Large character wielding a reach weapon of the appropriate size can attack a creature 15 or 20 feet away, but not adjacent creatures or creatures up to 10 feet away.
...
Inappropriately Sized Weapons: A creature can’t make optimum use of a weapon that isn’t properly sized for it.

There's a clearer answer in Rules Compendium on page 151:

A wielder gains no reach from a reach weapon that is too small. No additional reach is granted by a reach weapon that is too big.

A Medium creature using a Small reach weapon gains no reach from it. A Small creature using that same Small reach weapon does gain reach while using it. A Small creature would also gain reach from a Medium reach weapon (if it were still wieldable, such as a kusari-gama would be) while incurring the associated penalties.

[mucco]

Q 225
A creature has Darkstalker and the ability to turn invisible. An opponent has Blindsight. If the creature turns invisible, can it use its darkstalker feat to avoid detection? Or does blindsight negate the concealment provided by invisibility, thus making it impossible for the creature to hide and use the feat in the first place?

[Phelix-Mu]

Q226
I seem to remember reading somewhere that racial bonuses from different sources stack. Was I hallucinating?

[TheMogget]

Q 227

I feel kind of silly for needing to ask this question, but what exactly does Level Adjustment actually do? From what I've seen, it's a racial bonus to caster level, but it can also be negative for some reason, or something. I've looked around a lot, but I still haven't been able to find an answer in plain English and I'd really appreciate one.

[rockdeworld]

A225
No, Darkstalker doesn't interact with Invisibility. Blindsight makes invisibility irrelevant (so it grants no bonus), and Darkstalker does not make it relevant again. Darkstalker still allows you to hide from a creature with Blindsight, you just get no bonus from being invisible.

A226 partial
Maybe. When you change races, you lose the benefits of the old one. OTOH, templates stack. When you add multiple templates, they are applied 1 at a time, so that the "base creature" is whatever you have before you add a template.
Eg. You make a Half-Celestial Half-Dragon Human, and apply the templates in reverse order. Then to determine Str bonus:
1. You apply the Half-Dragon template. The base creature is now "Human." The Half-Dragon template adds +8 Str, for a new base +8.
2. You apply the Half-Celestial template. The base creature is now "Half-Dragon Human." The Half-Celestial template adds +4 Str, for a new base +12.

A227
No need to feel silly, this is the place for questions
Level Adjustment increases the number of experience points required to level up. It provides no benefits (it's supposed to be a penalty). It does not increase caster level.
LA+1 means you treat your character as 1 level higher for determining how much EXP they need to level up.
LA+2 means you treat your character as 2 levels higher for determining how much EXP they need to level up.
Etc.
For example:
1. An Aasimar Fighter 1 is a 2nd level PC because he has 1 class level with a race that gives LA+1. He is essentially 1st level, but needs the same XP as a level 2 character to level up (2000 XP).
2. A Minotaur Fighter 1 is a 9th level PC because he has 1 class level with a race that gives 6 RHD and LA+2. He is essentially 7th level, but needs the same XP as a level 9 character to level up (9000 XP).

[Douglas]

A227

Absolutely nothing. It is a measure of how powerful the bonuses and abilities a race grants are, expressed in the number of class levels the designers think those bonuses and abilities are equivalent to.

For purposes of experience, expected quantity and quality of gear, and what level party you are supposed to be adventuring with, each point of level adjustment is equivalent to one additional level. For anything else, level adjustment is irrelevant.

In most games, the DM chooses a particular level and has everyone make characters of that level. Because each point of level adjustment counts towards that (this falls under "what level party you are supposed to be adventuring with"), choosing a race with a level adjustment forces you to have fewer class levels to compensate. For a level 8 game, for example, if you made a half-dragon (level adjustment +3) your character would only have 5 actual levels.

[Curmudgeon]

A 226

No, you weren't hallucinating. From page 171 of Player's Handbook:

The important aspect of bonus types is that two bonuses of the same type don’t generally stack. With the exception of dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses, and racial bonuses, only the better bonus works

(Note that the Glossary definition of stack mentions dodge and circumstance bonuses, but not racial bonuses, as stacking exceptions. This often confuses people who jump to the conclusion that those examples are actually a complete list.)

[Duke of Urrel]

Q224
Can you "cast" spells from magic items, for the purposes of abilities that reference "casting" spells?

To be clear, I am thinking of these examples:
224.a. Do artificers qualify for PrCs that require the ability to cast 1st level arcane/divine spells?
224.b. Can an Archmage use Mastery of Elements on a scroll of Fireball? 224.c. What about a wand of Fireball?

A 224

Generally, the answer to this question is no. The only magic items that you definitely have the power to activate because you are able to cast the spells they contain are magic scrolls, staffs, and wands. But you can activate a spell with a magic staff or wand (that is, with a "spell-trigger" item) even if this spell is merely on your class list; you don't have to be able to cast the spell itself. Moreover, anybody can drink a potion, and anybody can utter a command word that he or she knows, which is all that activating a "command-word" magic item requires.

So there generally isn't a one-to-one correspondence between spells you can cast and spells you can activate with magic items. That happens only with magic scrolls. However, as you correctly observe, even activating a magic scroll, which is very similar to casting a spell, is not quite the same. (For one thing, the time required to activate a scroll is never more than one standard action, whereas casting a spell may take much longer; for another, retrieving a magic scroll is a move action, whereas preparing spell components is a free action.)

I can also answer 224b and 224c; I'll leave 224a to somebody who knows the Artificer class better than I do.

You can't use a metamagic feat to alter the effect of a magic item, because metamagic feats can alter only spellcasting actions. This rule applies to the Archmage's Mastery of Elements ability as well. A magic item always works the way its creator designed it to work (unless it has developed a flaw or a curse). If a magic staff or wand of Fireballs is designed to shape its own effect, then you can certainly use it according to its design, but designing a magic item in this way would have to entail a serious cost that would be reflected in its market price.

[alanek2002]

Q 228
Can a kensai change the enhancements on his/her weapon at after selecting them earlier?

[Nightpenguin]

Q229
Does being encumbered with greater than a Light load interfere with the somatic components of spellcasting in the same way that armor does?

[mattie_p]

A 228: Indirectly, yes, but normally, no. A Kensai cannot change the enhancements or special abilities of his signature weapon so long as he or she possesses it (changing the abilities is not part of the signature weapon class ability).

However, if a Kensai loses his signature weapon, atones for the loss, adopts a new signature weapon, loses that one (and atones for it), then recovers the original signature weapon (which is no longer signature), the kensai can then imbue that weapon (the original, lost, and recovered weapon) as a signature weapon anew, and choose new enhancements/special abilities per the signature weapon special ability, with normal loss of XP.

A229: Yes. From the SRD:

A medium or heavy load counts as medium or heavy armor for the purpose of abilities or skills that are restricted by armor. Carrying a light load does not encumber a character.

Spellcasting is an ability granted by a class, and is therefore restricted by a medium or heavy load. Your DM would have to assign the specific arcane spell failure percentage, as there is no generic ASF for medium or heavy armor.

[TuggyNE]

A229: Yes. From the SRD:

A medium or heavy load counts as medium or heavy armor for the purpose of abilities or skills that are restricted by armor. Carrying a light load does not encumber a character.

Spellcasting is an ability granted by a class, and is therefore restricted by a medium or heavy load. Your DM would have to assign the specific arcane spell failure percentage, as there is no generic ASF for medium or heavy armor.

A229 dispute Spellcasting is not "restricted" by armor, as other class abilities are. Rather, it can be penalized by certain armor choices.

Compare the text from the Sorcerer's or Wizard's Weapon and Armor Proficiencies class feature (notably, not their Spells feature), "They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a sorcerer’s gestures, which can cause his spells with somatic components to fail", with the Ranger's Combat Style feature ("The benefits of the ranger’s chosen style apply only when he wears light or no armor. He loses all benefits of his combat style when wearing medium or heavy armor."), the Monk's AC Bonus ("She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load."), which makes the medium/heavy load penalty explicit, or the Barbarian's Fast Movement ("This benefit applies only when he is wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor and not carrying a heavy load."), which modifies the conditions.

Since it is entirely possible to cast certain spells all the time in any armor, to make any spell freely castable in any armor, or to select armor that will never cause a spell to fail, there's another strong argument against spells being "restricted" by armor. Finally, the fact that no ASF is stated or directly available for medium or heavy loads indicates that this is probably not the correct interpretation of the rules as written. So no, there is no ASF for a medium or heavy load.

[rockdeworld]

This rule applies to the Archmage's Mastery of Elements ability as well.

Q224 Addendum
Thanks. Can you provide a source for this?

[Andezzar]

Q 230

Is there a way to get outsiders as one of the favorite forms for Master Transmogrifist?

Q 231

Is there a class that lets you change into an outsider at will besides the Warlock with Word of Changing? [Edit]Dang, I confused Neverwinter Nights 2 with actual D&D.[/Edit]

[Kred]

Q232

At 1st level players get maximum hp according to their HD or not?

[Kumori]

A232 Yes

I don't think that's covered under the OGL, so I'll direct you to page 23 of the PHB, under the Game Rule Information section:

For his or her first Hit Die, a 1st-level character gets the maximum hit points rather than rolling (although Constitution modifiers, positive or negative, still apply).