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

[Andezzar]

A 195

Blink does that and more.

[Seharvepernfan]

Q 196

If one becomes a lich in old age, do they retain their aging penalties/bonuses?

[Thurbane]

Q 197

Where can I find the section on alignment (book and page ref please) that says "always" a certain alignment in a monster entry doesn't actually mean always?

[Shaynythyryas]

Q 198

When using an Empower Metamagic/psionic feat on a spell/power that deals, for example, 20D6, should I roll 1.5 x 20D6 (35D6) or roll 20D6 then multiply the result by 1.5 ?

[Gargravarr]

Q 199
When playing with level adjustment, do I get the same XP as those in the group without level adjustment or do I go by my ECL?


Q 200
When playing an evil cleric and summoning undead, can I cast Heroism on the summoned or does the alignment prevent it?

[eggynack]

A 200
Your alignment wouldn't prevent you from casting heroism on summoned undead, because heroism isn't a [good] spell. Unfortunately, the fact that heroism isn't on the cleric list, and that the spell is mind effecting, meaning that it doesn't work on undead, would prevent an evil cleric from casting heroism on summoned undead.

[SciChronic]

A199
The experience you get, and the amount needed to level is based off ECL

[mattie_p]

A 197: Monster Manual 1, p 305. There it says

Always: The creature is born with the indicated alignment. The creature may have a hereditary predisposition to the alignment or come from a plane that predetermines it. It is possible for individuals to change alignment, but such individuals are either unique or rare exceptions.

[Gargravarr]

A 200
Your alignment wouldn't prevent you from casting heroism on summoned undead, because heroism isn't a [good] spell. Unfortunately, the fact that heroism isn't on the cleric list, and that the spell is mind effecting, meaning that it doesn't work on undead, would prevent an evil cleric from casting heroism on summoned undead.

Lol! Thank you :D
For some reason I thought I can cast it as cleric...

[Andezzar]

Lol! Thank you :D
For some reason I thought I can cast it as cleric...

You can, with the Courage Domain or Extra Spell. [Nitpick]Nothing prevents you from casting Heroism on undead, summoned or otherwise, but their immunity from mind-affecting effects prevents them from getting the bonuses.[/Nitpick]

A 196

Sure, why not? As I understand it those are not bonuses/penalties but changes to ability scores just as if you had rolled/allocated differently.

With age, a character’s physical ability scores decrease and his or her mental ability scores increase (see Table: Aging Effects). The effects of each aging step are cumulative. However, none of a character’s ability scores can be reduced below 1 in this way.

[OMG PONIES]

Q201: How does a swordsage's Action Before Thought maneuver interact (if at all) with her evasion & improved evasion class features? I'm particularly interested in what counts as a "Reflex save" or "Reflex saving throw" for purposes of triggering Evasion.

Relevant rule citations:

Spoiler

Show

Evasion:...If you make a successful Reflex saving throw...

Improved Evasion:...You still take no damage if you make a successful Reflex save against an attack, and even if you fail the Reflex save, you take only half damage from the attack.

Action Before Thought:...You can use this maneuver any time you would be required to make a Reflex save. Roll a Concentration check instead of the Reflex save and use the result of that check to determine the save's success.

If I'm reading correctly, the success or failure of your Concentration check determines the success or failure of the save as per the last line of the quoted text fom page 62. Because of that, I'd argue that you're still making a successful Reflex save or failing a Reflex save, and can thus use Improved Evasion. Is my line of thought accurate?

Extra credit: to nitpick, Improved Evasion talks only about the save, while Evasion specifies a "Reflex saving throw." Does this mean that I can use the ability in conjunction with Improved Evasion but not Evasion (as the Concentration check replaces the save, but not the saving throw)?

[Curmudgeon]

A 201 There is no interaction.

If the Swordsage decides to make a Concentration check instead of a Reflex save, neither evasion nor improved evasion apply.

[OMG PONIES]

Q201 continuation

To put a laser focus on it, the reason I asked the question is because of the following clause from the text.

Action Before Thought:...use the result of [Concentration] check to determine the save's success.

That made me think that, while you roll Concentration instead of Reflex, it's written so that Successful Concentration Check=Successful Reflex Save. If Improved Evasion reads "Successful Reflex Save=No damage," I'd think that Successful Concentration Check=Successful Reflex Save=No damage in this scenario. Does that hold up?

EDIT: I don't know if it bears any relevance to this situation, but the Kensai's very similar Withstand ability specifically highlights the interaction:

When a kensai of 5th level or higher is forced to make a Reflex save to avoid damage from an area effect spell (such as fireball), he can make a Concentration check instead of a Reflex save to resist taking full damage. If a kensai has the evasion or improved evasion ability, those benefits apply on this Concentration check as well.

So basically, I'm hoping that the swordsage is better than the kensai .

[Curmudgeon]

A 201 continuation

EDIT: I don't know if it bears any relevance to this situation, but the Kensai's very similar Withstand ability specifically highlights the interaction

Yes, this narrows the focus very well. Because the maneuver text lacks language similar to that in the Kensai class feature, you only get the stated ability: the option to make a Concentration check instead of a Reflex save. You get something that you can use in place of the save result, but both evasion and improved evasion require you to make a successful Reflex save. You cannot get the benefit of either ability if you simply substitute a successful result without actually making the required save.

[unseenmage]

Q202

If I apply the Augmented Intelligence from Dragon 327 page 73 to an Effigy of a 1 RHD creature and have it take the Open Minded feat what would it's class skills be?

[Urpriest]

Q202

If I apply the Augmented Intelligence from Dragon 327 page 73 to an Effigy of a 1 RHD creature and have it take the Open Minded feat what would it's class skills be?

A 202

Effigy does not change which skills are considered class skills. The class skills are as the base creature.

[unseenmage]

Q203

Is there a feat that can allow an Effigy to use a Horn of Blasting?

Q204

How much for an item of at-will Magic Mouth?

[Curmudgeon]

A 204 Ask your DM.

All custom item creation parameters are at the whim of your individual DM.

[Andezzar]

A 204

That's up to your DM. Guidelines are here.

[unseenmage]

Q204 Retraction

My apologies.

[unseenmage]

Q205

What is the Use Magic Device DC for a creature incapable of speech to use a command word activated item?

[OMG PONIES]

A201 clarification

Yes, this narrows the focus very well. Because the maneuver text lacks language similar to that in the Kensai class feature, you only get the stated ability: the option to make a Concentration check instead of a Reflex save. You get something that you can use in place of the save result, but both evasion and improved evasion require you to make a successful Reflex save. You cannot get the benefit of either ability if you simply substitute a successful result without actually making the required save.

Is the stated ability of the maneuver only the option to make a Concentration check instead of a Reflex save? The text of the maneuver itself includes more information that caused my initial confusion. Since it includes the clause "...use the result of [the Concentration] check to determine the save's success," are you supposed to treat the result of the Concentration check as a Reflex save? It seemed that way on my intial reading, especially since no DC for the Concentration check is listed as one usually is for flat skill checks. I can start a new thread if the discussion has gone too far in this thread (or if I'm delving too far into the realm of interpretation vs. RAW).

[GilesTheCleric]

Q205

What is the Use Magic Device DC for a creature incapable of speech to use a command word activated item?

A 205 Partial: The item Amulet of Freedom of Speech will do what you want for 5k, no UMD. Find it in Icy Heart pg 6.

I assume that the UMD would be the same as emulating a race with speech, so 25.

Q 206: If you have immunity to x effect (eg fear), then when forced to make a save against x, do you still attempt the save (in regards to effects with the text "whenever you succeed on a save against a (fear) effect")?

[JohnDaBarr]

Q 207

All Mithril armor counts as if it's one armor class lower, but if you want to wear a Mithril fullplate armor you still need heavy armor proficiency, is that correct?

[Vaz]

A207; No. Mithril Full Plate Armour is Medium Armour, so you only need Medium Armour Proficiency to use it without penalty.

____________________

Q208; what type of damage does an Incarnum Dragon do? Is it just d8 untyped damage (per age category)? Is there anything which resists it (outside of a save)?

[GilesTheCleric]

Q208; what type of damage does an Incarnum Dragon do? Is it just d8 untyped damage (per age category)? Is there anything which resists it (outside of a save)?

A 208: It's "essentia drain" damage. "cone of resonating energy that separates incarnum from living matter and deals damage to creatures (but not objects)." "A successful Fortitude save halves both the damage dealt and the essentia drained.The save DC is Constitution-based."

[Sith_Happens]

Q194 Clarification

I was under the impression (meaning I can't remember where I read it) that an Enveloping Pit had considerably more space than a Portable Hole because one is square and the other is diameter...?

A 194 (cont.)

Upon checking, the Enveloping Pit appears to be cylindrical like the Portable Hole, though the former has a ten foot diameter to the latter's six (I remembered wrong and thought they were the same) in addition to the extra depth.

In which case, the Enveloping Pit actually holds ~13.9 times as much.

[OMG PONIES]

A205 correction: According to the Magic Item Compendium, you cannot activate the item. I don't know about the Amulet of Freedom of Speech listed above; it may be from a third-party source.

You cannot activate a command word item in the area of a silence spell or if you are unable to speak.

[tyckspoon]

A205 Continuance
There is a difference between 'mute' and 'unable to speak'. If you can make a speech-like sound (ie, vocalize in any way) then you could use the 'Activate Blindly' option of Use Magic Device. That's a DC 25 check. If you cannot make a sound at all, then you cannot use this option, since you must perform an action similar to that which would activate the item normally in order to use Active Blindly. You would require further magical assistance to be able to speak a command word or generate an equivalent sound at that point.

(Amulet of Freedom of Speech is found in the Icy Heart adventure module on the Wizards website.)

[Vaz]

A 208: It's "essentia drain" damage. "cone of resonating energy that separates incarnum from living matter and deals damage to creatures (but not objects)." "A successful Fortitude save halves both the damage dealt and the essentia drained.The save DC is Constitution-based."

This it does, but it is an additional effect. Here is the full text.

Breath Weapon (Su): An incarnum dragon’s breath weapon is a cone of resonating energy that separates incarnum from living matter and deals damage to creatures (but not to objects). Every creature within the area must make a Reflex save or be temporarily drained of essentia. This effect reduces the essentia pool of each target by a number of points equal to the dragon’s age category for 1 hour. A successful Fortitude save halves both the damage dealt and the essentia drained. The save DC is Constitution-based.

The bolded part is the essentia drain; this is the bit "that separates incarnum from living matter"; 1/age category. The Breath Weapon in the stat block deals damage of 1d8/age category; what I'm trying to work out is what kind of damage it is. It is untyped, so cannot be resisted by anything short of being ethereal by my reckoning. The example dragon deals 6d8 damage plus 6 essentia.

I have just answered this myself, so okay.