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

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Q 449

Since the cancerous companion from the cancer mage prestige class (in the Book of Vile Darkness) gets Int up to 14 does it get skills and feats?

Anyone...?

[Cog]

A 449
The companion gains no HD, and so gains neither skills nor feats.

[Jon_Dahl]

Q 508

Lycanthropes, such as werewolves and wererats, receive bonus to their Constitution when they change into their animal form or hybrid form, but their hp still doesn't change. Why?

For example.
Wererat, human form: 1d8+1 plus 1d8+2 (12 hp). Con 12.
Wererat, hybrid form: 1d8+1 plus 1d8+2 (12 hp). Con 14.

What's going on?

Edit: Source http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/l...pe.htm#wererat

[TuggyNE]

A508: Lycanthropes use the standard Alternate Form rules, which specify (among many other things) that the creature retains its own HP in other forms.

[Vaz]

Q509
Are Feats considered Extraordinary unless otherwise noted? If not, what classification are they?

[Amphetryon]

Q510
Do Shifters have any particular defensive benefit against Baleful Polymorph?

[Yora]

A509: By default feats don't have to be of any type unless specifically mentioned. Class features like Sneak Attack and Bardic Knowledge don't have a special type either.

A510: While shifters do have the shapeshifter subtype, they can't actually change forms. So they would not be able to return back to their "normal form" if under the effect of a polymorph spell, because they lack the ability to return to such a "normal form".

[rockdeworld]

Ninja'd.

A509
No, they are untyped unless otherwise noted. Note that individual abilities may inherently have a type. Bonuses like Skill Focus do not.

A510 dispute
Yes.

a creature with the shapechanger subtype (such as a lycanthrope or a doppelganger) can revert to its natural form as a standard action (which ends the spell’s effect).

[Karoht]

Q511: Ring of Spell Battle VS Orb of X
So the big bad mailman sorcerer decides to cast Orb of Fire [insert string of metamagic stuff] at me or my friends. I am within 60 feet of the caster, I successfully identify the spell (DC 15 + Spell Level, I make it on a 1 really). I activate the ring's power to change the target of the spell to "any legal target in range."
Assuming that the caster's range touch attack is high enough to hit his own touch AC, can I just choose the caster as the new target of the spell?

[rockdeworld]

A511 partial
Regardless of the caster's attack roll, you can choose the caster as the new target of the spell.

...change the target of the spell to any target within 60' of the ring wearer...

AFAIK, there are no rules for determining if a redirected touch attack spell hits.

[Karoht]

A511 partial
Regardless of the caster's attack roll, you can choose the caster as the new target of the spell.

AFAIK, there are no rules for determining if a redirected touch attack spell hits.

Follow-up question, Spell Turning, Spell Blade, and Rod of Absorbtion. Can they affect Orb of X spells and similar conjurations which ignore SR, provided they are still single target?

[rockdeworld]

A512
Spell Turning - No, because Orb of X doesn't have a target, but an effect.

The abjuration turns only spells that have you as a target. Effect and area spells are not affected.

Rod of Absorption - No, same reason.
Spell Blade - No, same reason.

If referring to spells that actually have a target, then Yes, because the abilities themselves don't reference SR at all.

Edit for the curious: this doesn't conflict with my previous post because the text of Orb of X includes the word "target," so a ring of spell battle can affect it. Orb of X is an effect spell. Rings of spell battle don't take into account if a spell is an effect spell or not. The items in this post do.

[Karoht]

A512
Spell Turning - No, because Orb of X doesn't have a target, but an effect.

Rod of Absorption - No, same reason.
Spell Blade - No, same reason.

If referring to spells that actually have a target, then Yes, because the abilities themselves don't reference SR at all.

Wow, that is excellent information to know. I knew the Orb of X spells were a bit tough to counter, didn't know they bipassed all of those effects.
It also means that our DM fudged that on a Ring of Spell Turning on a few occasions (though probably not intentionally).
Thanks for the speedy answers and the follow-up!

[Douglas]

Note: A Rod of Absorption explicitly does absorb rays, even though they are effect spells rather than targeted. This does not technically affect the interaction with Orb spells because the Orbs are not rays, but it's something to consider for house ruling because the Orbs do act like rays in every way except the name.

[cd4]

Q513 Is there any monsters that have a breath weapon that paralyzes those caught in it?
Or is there a way of making a monster with a breath weapon gain the ability to paralyzes with the weapon?

[Douglas]

A513

Silver dragons have a paralyzing breath weapon.

[A_S]

A 513, continued:

Giving any monster 15 levels of Dragonfire Adept could also grant it a paralyzing breath weapon (or, if you're the DM, just giving it the Paralyzing Breath effect from the DFA class, without the levels).

[Crinias]

Q514

When a targeted dispel magic is cast on someone with both Spell Turning active and a Ring of Counterspells (with dispel magic in it), what effect occurs first? Is the spell counterspelled or turned?

[Curmudgeon]

A 514 Ask your DM.

Precedence among these magical effects isn't specified in the rules. A nice DM might let the player choose which effect they wish to be expended, but this isn't a matter of RAW.

[Quintessence]

Q515
How many free actions can you take in a round?

[rockdeworld]

A515
Infinite, except for talking and other actions that are specifically called out as taking longer than a free action if done too much.

Free actions don’t take any time at all, though there may be limits to the number of free actions you can perform in a turn.

"Limits" like this one:

Speaking more than few sentences is generally beyond the limit of a free action.

Edit: I think mattie_p's answer and this one are the same.

[mattie_p]

A 515: Ask your DM.

You may also perform one or more free actions along with any other action, as your DM allows.

Free actions don’t take any time at all, though there may be limits to the number of free actions you can perform in a turn.

[Karoht]

Q514
When a targeted dispel magic is cast on someone with both Spell Turning active and a Ring of Counterspells (with dispel magic in it), what effect occurs first? Is the spell counterspelled or turned?

A 514 Ask your DM.
Precedence among these magical effects isn't specified in the rules. A nice DM might let the player choose which effect they wish to be expended, but this isn't a matter of RAW.

Continued.
The Ring of Counterspells requires you to see the caster and for the caster to be within 100 ft. You then make a spellcraft check to identify the spell. If you succeed, you CAN activate the Ring's ability to deal with the incoming spell. I believe it is an immediate action as opposed to a held standard action to counterspell normally.
Spell Turning is an automatic effect, it takes no action economy.

So order of operations could work as such.
Caster casts spell (spellcraft DC is 27 due to some feats and features), you get the chance to identify automatically. This occurs as the spell is being cast.
You succeed on the Spellcraft check. You can now decide if you want to take a specific action to counterspell (which in theory occurs before the spell is completely cast), or you can do nothing and allow the Spell Turning to do the work for you.

Just for fun, lets throw a Rod of Absorbtion into the mix. Now which activates first? The Rod, or the Spell Turning item/effect?

[willpell]

Q516
What is the lowest spell level, caster level, WBL or the like necessary to permanently change an object's color with magic (as can be done with Prestidigitation, but for more than the one hour)? It needs to work on both non-creature plants and living creatures (vermin, specifically), and have an indefinite duration. Bonus points if it's a Universal spell effect.

Q517
Assuming the campaign uses the optional Region of Dreams (MOTP), is Lucid Dreaming ever a class skill for anyone besides Factotums, Experts and Human Paragons?

[rockdeworld]

A516
Custom magic item: Spray Paint
Effect: A liquid that changes the color of whatever it is touches for as long as it touches it (possibly permanently, color change as per Prestidigitation). Comes in a spray can for ease of use.
Cost: 1000gp

You might also want to start a new thread for answers, as this is more of a knowledge question than a RAW question.

A517
Exemplar.

[JaronK]

Q517
Assuming the campaign uses the optional Region of Dreams (MOTP), is Lucid Dreaming ever a class skill for anyone besides Factotums, Experts and Human Paragons?

Exemplar (Complete Adventurer), Savant (Dragon Compendium).

JaronK

[Norin]

Q518:
As sorcerer at say lvl 12. I have both Heighten Spell feat and Fiery Blast reserve feat. I also have scorching ray, a 2nd lvl [Fire] spell, known.

Can i leave 1 2nd lvl spell slot open and "use" heighten spell on the scorching ray to decide it counts as max level and thus giving me a 6th level unused [Fire] spell that can fuel the Fiery Blast reserve, giving me a 6d6 damage blast all day?

At 18th level with the same sorcerer, the damage on the reserve blast will max out at 9d6 using the same method - heightening the 2nd lvl scorching ray (up to the max level of 9th = 9d6 damage reserve blast).

Is the above ok by RAW?

[Curmudgeon]

A 518 No.

From page 37 of Complete Mage:

The primary benefit can only be activated if the caster has a spell of an appropriate variety (of a particular school, subschool, or descriptor) available to cast. The definition of “available to cast” depends on whether the character prepares spells or casts spontaneously from a list of spells known.
...
A spellcaster who does not need to prepare spells (such as a sorcerer) must know an appropriate spell and must have at least one unused spell slot of that spell's level or higher. If the character has more than one appropriate spell known, he gains the benefit only from the highest-level spell for which he has an unused spell slot of that level or higher.

You would only receive the benefit of Fiery Burst for the spell slot you leave open. The Heighten Spell metamagic feat does nothing for you if you don't have the higher-level spell slots necessary for you to use it. There is no "max level" option for Heighten Spell; there is only the level of your actual spell slot. If you want the benefit of a 6th level spell slot, you must leave a 6th level spell slot available at all times.

[Vaz]

Q518
Is there any way for a non-Psionic Character to activate a Psi-Crown?

Q519
Can UMD be used to trick a Psi-Crown into activating for a non-Psionic Character?

[Xenogears]

Q520 The Bear Warrior from Complete Warrior has the ability Bear Form. The second sentence of this ability states that his bear transformation is only limited by how often he can rage but later on in the ability they start to say things like "at this level he can only enter bear form once" and "now he can enter bear form twice per day." So effectively the ability is contradicting itself. My thinking is that they meant to change it to work any time you raged but forgot to edit the other parts out (since the original version in OA did not include the line about it only being limited by rage/frenzy IIRC) but I was wondering if there is any Errata or other official stance on this.

Edit: Disregard this question. I found the errata. It was what I thought it was and the ability is useable every time you rage.