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

[DeltaEmil]

A 274

Only if the GM uses the variant rules on page 150 of Races of Destiny. Else, the half-elf must take the human heritage feat found in the same book.

[Lateral]

Q 278

Say a Rogue/Incarnate makes a sneak attack using the Dissolving Spittle soulmeld, bound to his throat chakra. When the damage recurs on the next round, does it include the sneak attack dice? What about other forms of bonus damage?

[Nettlekid]

Q279
A question about Bloodline Levels. I know that normally Bloodline levels don't make you count as a higher level character for the purposes of class features, but they do increase your effective class level for existing class features. Raising Caster Level even though they don't grant new spells, for example.

For this example, imagine a Rogue 3/Scout/3. They have 2d6 sneak attack, and 1d6/1 AC skirmish. If they also had two bloodline levels, that wouldn't improve sneak attack or skirmish, but it would boost their effective rogue/scout level for purposes of Uncanny Dodge, for example. But then let's say they take the Swift Ambusher feat, allowing rogue and scout levels to stack for sneak attack and skirmish. Without the bloodline levels, they'd have 3d6 sneak attack and 2d6/1 AC skirmish. But since you're adding together scout and rogue levels to find an effective rogue level, and then using that to determine sneak attack (and likewise for the scout's skirmish), would the two bloodline levels play in there? If, due to bloodline levels, you counted as a 5th level rogue and a 5th level scout, would Swift Ambusher give you the sneak attack and skirmish of a 10th level rogue and a 10th level scout?


On a related note, how do Bloodline Levels interact with ToB initiator levels? If you had one level in Fighter and one in Barbarian, then three bloodline levels (making you for level-based effects a 4th level Fighter and 4th level Barbarian), if you then took a level in Warblade would your Initiator Level be 1/2(1 Fighter+3 Bloodline+1 Barb+3 Bloodline)+1 Warblade(+3 Bloodline) for a total of either 5th or 8th at level 6? (Or lower, because of how Bloodline levels work). Could you choose maneuvers of an 8th level Initiator with this?

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 274

Only if the GM uses the variant rules on page 150 of Races of Destiny. Else, the half-elf must take the human heritage feat found in the same book.

Human Heritage provides only the benefit of the human subtype. Outside of the RoD section VARIANT: HALF-HUMANS AND HUMANLIKE RACES, the human subtype does not qualify a character as being of Human race. Able Learner's qualification is by race, not by subtype.

A 278

The rogue’s attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target.

The damage on the subsequent round is not specific to the Rogue's attack, and extra damage specific to the time of the attack does not qualify.

Other damage bonuses need to be examined on a case-by-case basis.

Strength Bonus

When you hit with a melee or thrown weapon, including a sling, add your Strength modifier to the damage result.

The damage on the following round is not when you hit with your attack, so Strength Bonus is not added either.

You then receive an insight bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls against that creature type for the remainder of the combat.

Knowledge Devotion's bonus applies until the end of the combat, so as long as the fight has not ended that bonus will also apply in the next round.

[rockdeworld]

A276
Yes. "The caster causes a flat, vertical wall of woven, spiked chains to spring into being." It doesn't require you to be underground or near a wall.

A277
No, as the spell specifies "two daggers in your possession" that furthermore are the focus for the spell.

A spell’s components are what you must do or possess to cast it.

That includes a focus, the daggers in this case.

[willpell]

Q280
What are the starting Age and Gold for a Swashbuckler? If a RAW answer doesn't exist I'll happily accept a reasonable suggestion.

[DeltaEmil]

Re: A 274

The variant rule on half-humans and humanlike races states the following:

At the DM’s discretion, halfhuman and humanlike races can be grouped together with humans as humanoids with the human subtype (rather than their own subtype). This means that such races qualify as human for the purpose of meeting a prerequisite for a feat or prestige class, for activating a human-only magic item, for adjudicating effects that treat humans differently from other races, and the like.

The human heritage feat again points to that rule.
The able learner feat has as a prerequisite being a human or a doppleganger.

[Lisselys]

Q 281

I didn't have the chance to reply to my previous question, so...

If a familiar has my HD for everything, does it obtain something HD related? If not, why? The Srd is terribly generic and forgots to mention tons of things.. Like feats, for example.
And, please, could you give me source?

[Kumori]

A281

Your Familiar does not have your HD. It keeps the original HD that a generic creature of it's type would have. If a spell or effect (such as Sleep references the number of HD the familiar has, you use your Character Level (not your HD) in it's stead.

Familiars
[..]
Hit Dice

For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master’s character level or the familiar’s normal HD total, whichever is higher.

[Kred]

Q282

You can use iterative attacks with a ranged weapon only if don't need to use an action to reload or otherwise recharge your ranged weapon.

So i can use iterative attacks only with thrown weapons?

And another question about iterative attack: I must d20 for for each of attacks?

[Kumori]

A 282
Not always. You can use iterative attacks with thrown weapons only if you can draw them as a free action, as you can with the Quick Draw feat.

Yes, you roll each attack separately to determine if it hits.

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 274

The variant rule on half-humans and humanlike races states the following:

I believe I see your confusion. You're under the impression that the variant entails only a single rule change. However, there are two variant rules in the variant section. There's the main part (grouping together of Humanlike races) and the dependent subsidiary part (human subtype qualifies as Human race):

This means that such races qualify as human ...

That's a second variant rule, required in order for the first variant rule to have the desired outcome. The leading pronoun refers to the first variant rule.

The human heritage feat again points to that rule.
The able learner feat has as a prerequisite being a human or a doppleganger.

The reason Human Heritage points to the variant section (again, note that it does not specify it as a single rule) is that the DM must adopt the subsidiary rule of the variant in order for Human Heritage to have a similar effect. As stated, the feat's benefit (human subtype) does not qualify the character for human race; these are separate creature categorizations absent that secondary variant rule.

Your advice for a Half-Elf to take Human Heritage to qualify for Able Learner is only good if the DM uses that subsidiary part of the variant, but not the main section.

[Sith_Happens]

A277
No, as the spell specifies "two daggers in your possession" that furthermore are the focus for the spell.

That includes a focus, the daggers in this case.

Q 283

Then what is achieved by the spell having Medium range?

[rockdeworld]

A283 partial
Dunno about SpC. In MoF it doesn't.

Steeldance
<snip>
Range: Touch

SpC does have medium range. This would allow you to cast the spell on daggers that are in your possession, but not physically on your person, such as if they are on a bookshelf across the room. However, you still cannot target enemy's weapons. Also, the animated weapons can't move beyond that range or the spell fails.

[willpell]

A283 partial
SpC does have medium range. This would allow you to cast the spell on daggers that are in your possession, but not physically on your person, such as if they are on a bookshelf across the room.

How exactly is "in possession" determined if not by presence on person?

However, you still cannot target enemy's weapons. Also, the animated weapons can't move beyond that range or the spell fails.

As far as I can tell from having read the spell, they can't move at all, they always hover over your head and slash at those in adjacent squares. Which is interesting given that as far as I can tell, nothing other than the spell's flavor text (which says you have the daggers in your palm, but it's flavor text rather than rules text so I don't think that's binding; it'd be tricky to do with normal-sized longswords anyway, and the spell explicitly allows those) that would stop you from using Colossal longswords which are like 30 feet long (they could be "in your possession" if they were lying on the ground and you had a hand on the pommel of each one), yet still can only attack into spaces within 5 feet of you. (One for the Dysfunctional Rules thread?)

[Artillery]

Q284: The Prestige class Bloodstorm Blade at level 2 gains an ability called thunderous throw. It says to treat ranged attacks with thrown weapons as melee attacks for the rest of your turn. Do you threaten with ranged weapons due to this and if so does this mean you can make ranged AOOs, flank from range, etc...

If the above do happen, does that allow you to use Punishing Stance with ranged attacks while using the ability.

[Curmudgeon]

A 284 No.

While you treat ranged attacks as melee attacks, it's not a substitution with respect to anything but what happens while you're making a ranged attack. In particular, there's nothing in the Bloodstorm Blade class which changes which squares you threaten, which necessarily occurs before any AoOs. You still only threaten squares into which you can make actual melee attacks.

[Duke of Urrel]

Q 285

Can you grope to touch an invisible creature and then attack it during the same turn if you take a full-round attack action to do this?

Here's what the SRD says:

"A creature can grope about to find an invisible creature. A character can make a touch attack with his hands or a weapon into two adjacent 5-foot squares using a standard action."

I've been confused about this kind of thing before. When can you take a standard action only once during your turn, and when does it count as an attack that you can make several times by taking a full-attack action?

[Curmudgeon]

A 285 No.

Feeling around uses touch attacks, but specifically states that this groping uses a standard action rather than them being simply attacks. As such, you have no other option than to use the standard action as stated. After you touch something any actual (non-groping) attacks will have to be in a later round, and won't necessarily be into a square that's still occupied.

[Fyermind]

Q286
Is there a domain that grants mounted combat as a bonus feat?

[JaronK]

Q286
Is there a domain that grants mounted combat as a bonus feat?

No, though there are a few that give bonuses that could be applied to your mount?

JaronK

[PetterTomBos]

Q287

Reincarnation. How does it work? You remove your old race and all it's bonuses, and add a new one with all its bonuses?

[Kumori]

Q 288

An Archmage/Wizard has a Ring of Epic Wizardry. Does the ring count spell slots sacrificed to High Arcana?

Example:
Wizard 19 / Archmage 1 with Spell Power High Arcana and a Ring of Epic Wizardry V.
Does he have:

• 7 available 5th level slots, plus bonus spells (4 base slots, +4 for the ring, -1 for High Arcana), or
• 6 available 5th level slots, plus bonus spells (4 base slots, -1 for High Arcana, +3 for the ring.

[rockdeworld]

A287
Basically, as the Raise Dead spell (come back to life at level -1), except:
* roll a % die for your new race.
* your Str/Dex/Con racial modifiers are swapped for those of the new race.
* your abilities associated with your form, eg forms of movement and speeds, natural armor, natural attacks, extraordinary abilities, and the like are swapped for those of the new race.

A288
It depends. The ring is activated when you put it on.

To use a magic item, it must be activated, although sometimes activation simply means putting a ring on your finger. Some items, once donned, function constantly.

This means if you have already activated the ring before levelling up and taking the High Arcana, you double first and subtract one second.
On the other hand, if you already have the high arcana and gain the item later (or take it off and put it back on), then it only doubles the reduced number of spell slots.
In your example, presumably you got the Epic Ring after getting the Archmage level, so you would have 6 available 5th level slots.

[willpell]

Q289
Can a warblade use Sudden Leap to move as a swift action before taking a full-round action to charge from the position he Leaped to? This includes a regular charge as well as a Charging Minotaur strike.

[Bakkan]

A289

Yes.

[willpell]

Q290
Is it legitimate for a multiclass character to replace an ability he already has, and is about to gain redundantly, with an Alternate Class Feature, or does the ACF has to replace all instances of the ability it's replacing? For instance, I'm a level 2 Rogue so I have Evasion. I gain two levels of Monk, getting Evasion again; can I ditch it to gain Spell Reflection (Complete Mage),? I strongly suspect the answer is "yes", and will houserule it so in my game regardless unless someone has a strong argument why I shouldn't, but I always like to know when I'm breaking a rule even if I don't hesitate to do so. So, per RAW, is this Rogue/Monk trick legit?

[Fyermind]

A290
Players Handbook II provides rules for retraining class features. If you gain levels off camera, you can presumably retrain off camera at the same time.

Edit: Yes

[Kumori]

Q 291
An epic level spellcaster has taken Automatic Quicken Spell. If he casts level 3 spell that has been metamagiced by something other than Heighten, can he quicken it for free?

Relevant quote (emphasis mine):

Metamagic Feats

As a spellcaster’s knowledge of magic grows, she can learn to cast spells in ways slightly different from the ways in which the spells were originally designed or learned. Preparing and casting a spell in such a way is harder than normal but, thanks to metamagic feats, at least it is possible. Spells modified by a metamagic feat use a spell slot higher than normal. This does not change the level of the spell, so the DC for saving throws against it does not go up.

[willpell]

A290
Players Handbook II provides rules for retraining class features. If you gain levels off camera, you can presumably retrain off camera at the same time.

Edit: Yes

Pre-edit at least, you misunderstood what I meant. I wasn't saying to trade the Rogue-gained Evasion away, but the new, duplicate Evasion gained from subsequent Monk levels. I assume that your edit means this is okay.