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

[rockdeworld]

A290
Yes, swapping a class feature only affects the class you get the feature in.

A291
No, because it is cast as a higher-level spell.

In all ways, a metamagic spell operates at its original spell level, even though it is prepared and cast as a higher-level spell. Saving throw modifications are not changed unless stated otherwise in the feat description.

As your quote is in the fluff area and directly contradicts this latter ruling, it presumably only refers to the "operates at its original spell level" part.

[Douglas]

A291 dispute

Kumori's quote happens to be in the same paragraph as some fluff, but it is still crunch. Further, rockdeworld's quote can reasonably be interpreted to be strictly a rephrasing of metamagic using a higher level spell slot. This interpretation allows both rules to coexist without conflict, and should therefore be the preferred interpretation in my opinion - especially given their close proximity in the same section of the same book.

An Empowered Fireball is still a level 3 spell, and would therefore be affected by Automatic Quicken Spell.

[JaronK]

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):

You can always choose the order in which you metamagic a spell. Just quicken it first. Problem solved.

JaronK

[silverwolfer]

Q292 Do items that raise your intellgence, also give you extra skill points?

[Kumori]

A 292 No. The number of skills points you gain is determined by your permanent Intelligence score and any change to your intelligence does not give skill points retroactively.

6. Skill Points: [..]
Your character's Intelligence modifier aggects the number of skill points he or she gets at each level (see Table 1-1: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells, page 8). This rule represents an intelligent character's ability to learn faster over time. Use your character's current Intelligence score, including all permanent changes (such as inherent bonuses, ability drains, or an Intelligence increase gained at step 4, above) but not any temporary changes (such as ability damage, or enhancement bonuses gained from spells or magic items, such as a headband of intellect), to determine the number of skill points you gain.

[silverwolfer]

@Kumori Thank you

Q 293 Where can I find a source dealing with the rules that skills 30 and under for rings are forge ring while 31 and above are epic rings ( Book and page if possible, having problems finding it.

[Kumori]

A 293

Here it is on the SRD. I'll look for book/page and edit that in:

Epic Magic Items

While not truly an artifact, the epic magic item is a creation of such power that it surpasses other magic items. Epic magic items are objects of great power and value. The following are typical characteristics of an epic magic item. In general, an item with even one of these characteristics is an epic magic item.

• Grants a bonus on attacks or damage greater than +5.
• Grants an enhancement bonus to armor higher than +5.
• Has a special ability with a market price modifier greater than +5.
• Grants an armor bonus of greater than +10 (not including magic armor’s enhancement bonus).
• Grants a natural armor, deflection, or resistance bonus greater than +5.
• Grants an enhancement bonus to an ability score greater than +6.
• Grants an enhancement bonus on a skill check greater than +30.
• Mimics a spell of an effective level higher than 9th.
• Has a caster level above 20th.
• Has a market price above 200,000 gp, not including material costs for armor or weapons, material component- or experience point-based costs, or additional value for intelligent items.

An epic magic item that grants a bonus beyond those allowed for normal magic items has a higher market price than indicated by the formulas for non-epic items.

Edit: Epic Level Handbook, page 123. Note that the ELH is 3.0 and not 3.5.

[willpell]

A 292 No. The number of skills points you gain is determined by your permanent Intelligence score and any change to your intelligence does not give skill points retroactively.

One exception, noted for the sake of pedantry though probably not applicable to the original question. When playing a True Dragon PC, if you advance an Age Category and thereby gain Intelligence, you DO gain retroactive extra skill points for your previous dragon HD (though not any class levels, IIRC). This is an explicit divergence from the usual rules.

[JaronK]

One exception, noted for the sake of pedantry though probably not applicable to the original question. When playing a True Dragon PC, if you advance an Age Category and thereby gain Intelligence, you DO gain retroactive extra skill points for your previous dragon HD (though not any class levels, IIRC). This is an explicit divergence from the usual rules.

Whoa, where's that rule?

JaronK

[willpell]

Whoa, where's that rule?

JaronK

Draconomicon, page 142. (Note that the part about "across the board" increases is not true of any of the lower-level dragons I've personally studied, including blacks and coppers rising to Very Young and whites and brasses rising to Young; in both cases the only gains I saw were Strength. Still this information probably applies at higher ECLs, especially if you go epic; I just haven't personally verified any of that.)

When a dragon reaches a new age category, its ability scores improve across the board. When a dragon’s Intelligence score increases due to aging, it gains additional skill points for its new Intelligence score retroactively, in contrast to the standard rules governing character advancement. Each +2 increase in Intelligence gives the character an additional 1 skill point per dragon HD, which translates to a new skill at 1 rank per dragon HD (if it is a class skill) or 1/2 rank per dragon HD (for cross-class skills). The dragon does not get additional skill points for any class levels it possesses, nor does it gain retroactive skill points when its Intelligence increases through other means (such as a headband of intellect or an ability score increase gained as part of character advancement).

[MrRigger]

Q 294

What rules are there for pricing spell research, specifically of existing spells. If an Archivist wanted to research a divine version of Fox's Cunning (instead of tracking down a Divine Bard that has it as a spell known), what sort of rules govern that process?

MrRigger

[Curmudgeon]

A 294 None.

There are no rules for custom spell research. Doing so is entirely at the whim of your individual DM, and many DMs just say "no" to avoid having to spend time and effort figuring out an appropriate penalty (time, money) to offset the gain in power the character would receive.

[willpell]

Q295
If an Aasimar (a Native Outsider) becomes a Ghost, does he lose the Darkvision and Resistances (Acid, Cold and Electricity) which he possesses as a result of having the Outsider type? There's something about Traits and Features in the Monster Manual which gives the answer but I'm not up to straightening it out, and thought I'd just ask people who might know the answer off the top of their heads.

[TuggyNE]

Q295
If an Aasimar (a Native Outsider) becomes a Ghost, does he lose the Darkvision and Resistances (Acid, Cold and Electricity) which he possesses as a result of having the Outsider type? There's something about Traits and Features in the Monster Manual which gives the answer but I'm not up to straightening it out, and thought I'd just ask people who might know the answer off the top of their heads.

A295 An Aasimar does not receive energy resistances from its type (nor even from its subtype). Therefore, those are retained as special qualities per the Ghost template. Darkvision is a trait of the Outsider type, and, according to the Augmented subtype, would not be retained in a switch to another (only HD features can be retained). Fortunately, Undead have 60' Darkvision as a trait.

So you still have 60' Darkvision and the appropriate resistances.

[willpell]

A295 An Aasimar does not receive energy resistances from its type (nor even from its subtype).

Hm. Guess that was a goof on my part, sorry.

Therefore, those are retained as special qualities per the Ghost template. Darkvision is a trait of the Outsider type, and, according to the Augmented subtype, would not be retained in a switch to another (only HD features can be retained). Fortunately, Undead have 60' Darkvision as a trait.

So you still have 60' Darkvision and the appropriate resistances.

Do-se-do-se-do. Thanks.

[rockdeworld]

A295 Clarification

"Ghost" is an acquired template that can be added to any aberration, animal, dragon, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or plant. The creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature) must have a Charisma score of at least 6.

Aasimar can't take the Ghost template. Tuggyne's answer would be appropriate for another race.

[Morcleon]

Q295
If an Aasimar (a Native Outsider) becomes a Ghost, does he lose the Darkvision and Resistances (Acid, Cold and Electricity) which he possesses as a result of having the Outsider type? There's something about Traits and Features in the Monster Manual which gives the answer but I'm not up to straightening it out, and thought I'd just ask people who might know the answer off the top of their heads.

A295 Clarification

Aasimar can't take the Ghost template. Tuggyne's answer would be appropriate for another race.

A295 Addition

Lesser aasimar may, however, being Humanoid (planetouched) rather than Outsider (native).

[Artillery]

Q296 What martial study, (Tome of Battle), do the core reach weapons belong to? The only listed reach weapon is the Spiked Chain. Glaives, long spear,etc are missing.

Q297 If you have the feat Throw Anything can you throw Unarmed Strikes? This is on an unarmed swordsage.

[killem2]

Q296 What martial study, (Tome of Battle), do the core reach weapons belong to? The only listed reach weapon is the Spiked Chain. Glaives, long spear,etc are missing.

A 296: Strict R.A.W, I would say, they don't fall into any category, but that seems like a really big oversight. Considering the White Raven has Halberd, I'd throw Glaive there, and since Desert Wind has Spear, I would throw Long Spear there.


I would be curious to hear what others have to say on this, this is quite a large oversight.

[Phelix-Mu]

Q298
I've just read somewhere that temporary hit points don't stack. Is this correct? Please clarify and source me, if you please.

[killem2]

Q298
I've just read somewhere that temporary hit points don't stack. Is this correct? Please clarify and source me, if you please.

A 298: According to the SRD, there is NO mention of it not stacking: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/injuryandDeath.htm (scroll down a bit)

[Curmudgeon]

A 297 No.

Benefit: You can throw a melee weapon you are proficient with as if it were a ranged weapon.

You can't throw anything but a melee weapon.

unarmed strike

A successful blow, typically dealing nonlethal damage, from a character attacking without weapons.

While an unarmed strike acts as a melee weapon for categorization purposes, it doesn't entail any actual weapons.

A 298

The basic stacking rule:

Stacking

In most cases, modifiers to a given check or roll stack (combine for a cumulative effect) if they come from different sources and have different types (or no type at all), but do not stack if they have the same type or come from the same source (such as the same spell cast twice in succession). If the modifiers to a particular roll do not stack, only the best bonus and worst penalty applies.

Temporary hit points are not modifiers to a given check or roll. However, temporary hit points usually come from spells, which have their own stacking limits. You cannot stack multiple instances of the same spell or other magical effect, so you cannot get temporary hit points from multiple such spells.

According to the SRD, there is NO mention of it not stacking

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. That is, failing to find a rule when you've looked in one place is not proof that such a rule does not exist someplace else, so it's not really an answer by the RAW. While it would be nice if that were the case, there is no guarantee that a rule will be in the most reasonable place for it. (As an example, you'll find the default rule for ranged attacks against grapplers inside the Improved Precise Shot feat.)

[mattie_p]

Q296 What martial study, (Tome of Battle), do the core reach weapons belong to? The only listed reach weapon is the Spiked Chain. Glaives, long spear,etc are missing.

A 296: Strict R.A.W, I would say, they don't fall into any category, but that seems like a really big oversight. Considering the White Raven has Halberd, I'd throw Glaive there, and since Desert Wind has Spear, I would throw Long Spear there.

I would be curious to hear what others have to say on this, this is quite a large oversight.

Regarding 296: This sounds like a topic for a new thread. Speculation on what martial disciplines certain weapons fall into should not be entertained in the RAW thread. If RAW is silent, it is silent (for whatever reason).

[Phelix-Mu]

Q299
To narrow the scope of my previous inquiry, when a vampire uses its energy drain special attack, it gains 5 temporary hit points for each level it drains. Do multiple uses of this ability continue to add temporary hit points? Is there any limit? Do I have to determine separately for each monster that has an ability to gain temporary hp in a similar manner (i.e., through some kind of successful attack)?

Sorry if this is too many questions under one heading.

[Douglas]

A299

From Rules Compendium page 72:

Temporary hit points gained from multiple applications of the same effect don’t stack. Instead, the highest number of temporary hit points gained from that effect apply.

So no, a vampire cannot pile on a huge number of temporary hit points by using energy drain many times. Each use of energy drain merely resets the temporary hit points to full (with the occasional crit temporarily boosting it to double).

Temporary hit points from multiple different sources do stack, such as from a vampire's energy drain and the Vampiric Touch spell, but only the highest amount from each individual effect.

[Artillery]

A 297 No.

You can't throw anything but a melee weapon. While an unarmed strike acts as a melee weapon for categorization purposes, it doesn't entail any actual weapons.

Thank you I was unsure of this due to this

A monk's unarmed strikes can be treated as either manufactured or natural weapons when applying spells or effects that enhance either manufactured or natural weapons. For example, either a magic weapon spell or a magic fang spell can enhance a monk's unarmed attacks.

But what you said makes sense seeing as that for only for enhancement and not all types of effects like manuevers etc.

[killem2]

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. That is, failing to find a rule when you've looked in one place is not proof that such a rule does not exist someplace else, so it's not really an answer by the RAW. While it would be nice if that were the case, there is no guarantee that a rule will be in the most reasonable place for it. (As an example, you'll find the default rule for ranged attacks against grapplers inside the Improved Precise Shot feat.)

Fair enough, though, in a rules as written thread, I was only going by what was written under the given section: temporary hit points. I'm not going to go dumpster diving as a DM trying to navigate through the poor writing skills of the entire Wizards of the Coast team. I do want to have the right answers of course, but if nothing stands out in the normal methods of researching a given topic as the general population of the world has agreed upon, that's on the creators, and I wouldn't fault anyone for taking a lot of things as they are given first time around.

[Sith_Happens]

Q 300

Can potions contain "Personal, You" spells?

[Douglas]

A300

No, they cannot. Reference (third paragraph, second sentence).

[Fyermind]

Q301
Is there a feat other than combat expertise that meets the requirements for Improved trip? I recall having seen something about it on a forum once, but couldn't remember where.

Hyena tribe hunter from shining south. It is a regional feat.

Edit: Bolded

Edit: Slashed and answered