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

[mattie_p]

Q 349

Can a Level 13 Warblade use the Master Shadow Hands to get the use of Shadow Blink? Would he need an Initiator Level of 13?

A 349: No.

Prerequisite: Anyone can wear a crown of White Ravens (or Shadow Hands), but to gain any benefit from it, a wearer must meet the prerequisite of the desired maneuver.

Prerequisite
In addition to meeting the class and level requirements before you can learn a maneuver...

Based on the multiclass rules, your swordsage initiator level is 6, which is insufficient to qualify for a level 7 shadow hand maneuver.

[Andezzar]

A 349 Contention

You quoted it yourself. The White Raven Crown (and derivatives) only requires you to meet the prerequisites, which are in addition to the minimum Initiator level and thus separate from it. It does not require you to meet the minimum Initiator Level for a certain class. Additionally the user of the item does not learn the maneuver he merely gains access to that maneuver.

[mattie_p]

A 349: (rebuttal)

The fact that the maneuver prerequisite definition mentions class and level indicates that those are, in fact, prerequisites.

If they were not prerequisites, the separate class and level descriptor would be sufficient. This is the same reason why a level 1 fighter does not qualify for any maneuvers via martial study.

[Deaxsa]

Q 350:

i remember seeing rules that affect how expensive a magic item is depending on how long the base spell was designed to last. however, all i can find are these rules, which say nothing of the sort. does anyone know what i am talking about, and if they do, could they point me to it?

[BowStreetRunner]

A 350:

The page you linked does indeed include the section you referenced. Look at the third note at the bottom of the Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values and you will see what you are looking for.

[Andezzar]

A 350 Addendum

The multipliers (which are on footnote 3) only apply to items that are use activated or grant continuous benefits. Even an item that gives you the ability to use a spell at will would not incur this multiplier. But don't forget those are only guidelines.

[Rossebay]

Q 351
If you are Raging (+4 strength and con) and take 2 points of Strength and Con drain, does that simply reduce the bonuses from Rage and the drain doesn't affect you when the rage wears off, or does it bypass the bonuses provided by rage and directly reduce your base scores?

[Andezzar]

A 351

You get an unnamed bonus to your STR and CON score. Ability drain reduces your ability score. The bonus is totally unaffected by the drain. only the score matters.

Since the duration of the rage is determined on activation, but after increasing the attributes, the CON drain does not affect it.

[CyberThread]

Q352

Does a drow have to lower his/her own spell resistance, before he/she can buff himself/herself?

[NeoPhoenix0]

A 352

No, Spell resistance doesn't interfere with your own spells.

Spell Resistance

Spell resistance is the extraordinary ability to avoid being affected by spells. (Some spells also grant spell resistance.)

To affect a creature that has spell resistance, a spellcaster must make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) at least equal to the creature’s spell resistance. (The defender’s spell resistance is like an Armor Class against magical attacks.) If the caster fails the check, the spell doesn’t affect the creature. The possessor does not have to do anything special to use spell resistance. The creature need not even be aware of the threat for its spell resistance to operate.

Only spells and spell-like abilities are subject to spell resistance. Extraordinary and supernatural abilities (including enhancement bonuses on magic weapons) are not. A creature can have some abilities that are subject to spell resistance and some that are not. Even some spells ignore spell resistance; see When Spell Resistance Applies, below.

A creature can voluntarily lower its spell resistance. Doing so is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Once a creature lowers its resistance, it remains down until the creature’s next turn. At the beginning of the creature’s next turn, the creature’s spell resistance automatically returns unless the creature intentionally keeps it down (also a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity).

A creature’s spell resistance never interferes with its own spells, items, or abilities.

A creature with spell resistance cannot impart this power to others by touching them or standing in their midst. Only the rarest of creatures and a few magic items have the ability to bestow spell resistance upon another.

Spell resistance does not stack. It overlaps.

[Lateral]

Q 353

Are there any spells that allow you to find out who somebody is (but not necessarily what they are doing, as with Scrying) based on a face or image?

[CRtwenty]

Q 354

The Vital Recovery Feat from Tome of Battle allows you to regain HP when you recover your Maneuvers once per encounter. The book also explains that it takes one minute of being out of combat to recover your once per encounter abilities normally. Does this mean that I could fully regain my HP after each fight using this ability, so long as I rested one minute in between each use?

[Alokue]

Q355

Does the Feral template from Savage Species give characters who take no monster levels but have the appropriate HD Improved Grab, Pounce, Rake, and Rend?

[Crake]

Q356

If I charm or dominate someone (or use any ongoing mind affecting ability for that matter, such as suggestion) and then that person recieves a mind blank spell, does the immunity to mind affecting stop the spell from functioning? If so, does it merely suppress the effect until mind blank is over? Or does it remove the effect?

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Q 357
Short version: Does Dweomer of Transference effectively provide complete spell immunity to a psionic subject? If not, what are the exceptions?

Long Version:
I'm looking at Dweomer of Transference, and it appears unclear to me which spells (in various situations) are absorbed as temporary power points and which are not.

Spoiler

Show

For the duration of the spell, any spells cast at the subject don’t have their usual effect, instead converting themselves harmlessly into psionic energy that the subject can use as energy for psionic powers. You can cast any spell you like at the subject, even area spells, effect spells, and spells for whom the subject would ordinarily not be a legitimate target. The spells don’t do anything other than provide the subject with power points, but you must still cast them normally, obeying the component and range requirements listed in the description of each spell.

So, please explain whether the spell cast grants temporary PP instead of the regular effect in each of the following situations, starring Will the Wizard, Steve the Psion, Clark the Cleric, and EVULZ the Enemy Caster. In this scenario Will, Steve and Clark are allies fighting EVULZ, and Will just cast Dweomer of Transference on Steve. Then...

1. Will casts a targeted spell at Steve.
2. Clark ditto
3. EVULZ ditto

4. Will casts a ray spell at Steve, and wants it to work normally (i.e. the effect sans DoT).
5. Clark ditto
6. EVULZ ditto

7. Will casts an area spell that includes Steve, and wants it to work normally.
8. Clark ditto
9. EVULZ ditto

My initial thoughts are spoilered below to avoid bias, but might be helpful to explain what I'm talking about. Thoughts/clarifications?

Spoiler

Show

Steve gains temporary PP no matter what in situations 1-7, and experiences the normal spell effect in situations 8 and 9.

[Curmudgeon]

A 355 No.

Feral's HD-based benefits are broken into Special Attacks and Special Qualities. Special Qualities are granted based on (total) Hit Dice. Special Attacks, on the other hand, are only granted for monster Hit Dice.

Your character might be granted Improved Grab from Feral for having 1 HD of Monstrous Humanoid. The Humanoids and Class Levels 1 HD exchange rule doesn't apply to Monstrous Humanoids, just Humanoids. However, applying another inherited template after Feral might switch your type to Humanoid and allow you to have no racial Hit Dice.

[TuggyNE]

A357: All of them grant temporary PP. The spell goes back and forth between referring to the original caster and referring to any spell from any source; however, because the term "cast at" seems essentially unique, the defined limits ("any spell you like … even area spells, effect spells, and spells for whom the subject would ordinarily not be a legitimate target") should apply to all spells while dweomer of transference is in effect.

[OMG PONIES]

335: No. Fire Lance is not a weapon, but a psi-like ability. As such, it can't be enchanted like a weapon or otherwise changed. There is a specific exception for feats that affect whips:

A pyro can take Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization (if she otherwise meets the prerequisites) in conjunction with the fire lash, as well as any feats that apply to the use of a standard whip.

While at first blush this seems like great news and sends us scouring through sourcebooks for a feat that can change a weapon's damage type, as per the weapon table on page 117 of the Player's Handbook a whip already deals slashing damage. Therefore, since there is no way to use a feat to change the damage type of a whip to slashing, there is no way to change the damage type of a fire lash to slashing.

A336: Yes. According to page 294 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, gaseous form has the following limitations. Creatures in gaseous form can't:

• Run.
• Pass through solid matter.
• Attack physically.
• Cast spells with verbal, somatic, material, or focus components.
• Use supernatural abilities.
• Gain any benefit of material armor (including natural armor).
• Be affected by attacks involving breathing.
• Enter water or other liquid.

There is no such limitation on manifesting powers (or even casting spells, as long as they don't require any spell components).

346: The rings continue to function normally, but living flesh that touches the ring is partially pulled out of the time stream. As per the Expanded Psionics Handbook, the following are the effects of quintessence:

Objects sealed within quintessence are protected from the effects of time; in practical terms, they enter a state of stasis. Living flesh with only partial contact with quintessence is also partially pulled out of the time stream (the manifester is immune to this effect). This disruption deals 1 point of damage per round beginning 10 rounds after partial contact occurs.

353: Yes. Book of Vile Darkness contains the spell Identify Transgressor.

The caster is able to divine the answer to a single question, as long as the answer is a single person's name...The base chance for a correct answer is 70%+1% per caster level.

Given an image of the person, "Whose image is this?" would be a valid question. Other standard divination spells may assist, but this one seemed like the most direct application.

354: No. As per the DMG, an encounter can begin in one of three ways:

• One side becomes aware of the other side and thus can act first.
• Both sides become aware of each other at the same time.
• Some, but not all, creatures on one or both sides become aware of the other side.

Absent the above, there is no encounter. Therefore, Vital Recovery (usable 1/encounter) can not be used once per minute in downtime between encounters.

356: Yes, the effect is suppressed for the duration of Mind Blank. To provide the rationale:

The subject is protected from all devices and spells that detect, influence, or read emotions or thoughts.

Since charm/dominate spells fall into the "influence" camp, the subject is protected. There is no verbiage to the effect that Mind Blank dispels these spells, so it follows that the creature is protected for the duration of Mind Blank, after which time the effect of the spell resumes unless the subject receives another Mind Blank.

[Crake]

356: Yes, the effect is suppressed for the duration of Mind Blank. To provide the rationale:



Since charm/dominate spells fall into the "influence" camp, the subject is protected. There is no verbiage to the effect that Mind Blank dispels these spells, so it follows that the creature is protected for the duration of Mind Blank, after which time the effect of the spell resumes unless the subject receives another Mind Blank.

Q356 cont.

To continue the train of thought then, would a target with Mind Blank who gets targeted by a Dominate Person (or Charm Monster, or Suggestion, or any other spell that could potentially outlast Mind Blank) spell still potentially get affected by it, but merely not be affected until Mind Blank wore off, similar to how Protection from Evil doesn't stop the application of such spells, but merely stops them from affecting the subject? Or would a target with Mind Blank merely be unaffected by the spell in the first place unless it were applied before Mind Blank?

[Curmudgeon]

A 356 continued Yes.

Mind Blank protects the creature "from all devices and spells that detect, influence, or read emotions or thoughts" for the 24 hour duration. It doesn't make the creature invalid targets for spells like Dominate Person; it simply protects them from any such spells. A spell which outlasts Mind Blank would have its normal operation begin when Mind Blank ends; until that time, the creature would be unaffected by the other spell.

[Andezzar]

Q 358 I think

Is Heward's Handy Haversack a slotless item?

[Curmudgeon]

A 358 Yes.

The Magic Items On The Body list for humanoid creatures doesn't include any backpacks, quivers, Bags of Holding, or other carried containers in its list of body slots. As a consequence, these items do not occupy slots.

[Gargravarr]

Q 359

Since a dagger is both a ranged and a melee weapon, would "Point Blank Shot" apply if attacking with a dagger in melee?

The description doesn't say I need to attack from range, it just states:

You get a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at ranges of up to 30 feet.

Q 360

Can a wand with a wand chamber fit into a small dagger?

[CRtwenty]

A 359
Daggers and other thrown weapons only count as ranged when they are actually thrown. They count as melee weapons when wielded in melee even though they are usable as thrown weapons. In order to get the bonus at melee range you'd still have to throw the weapon.

Weapon Categories

Weapons are grouped into several interlocking sets of categories.

These categories pertain to what training is needed to become proficient in a weapon’s use (simple, martial, or exotic), the weapon’s usefulness either in close combat (melee) or at a distance (ranged, which includes both thrown and projectile weapons), its relative encumbrance (light, one-handed, or two-handed), and its size (Small, Medium, or Large).

[Cybris75]

Q 361

Which energy types can the Warlocks eldritch blast have?

[Zanos]

Q 362

Does using the Ward epic spell seed to make yourself specifically immune to dispel magic, disjunction, and antimagic field actually work?

[Gargravarr]

Q 363
Can 3.0 errata'd material automatically qualify for 3.5 or is it up to the DM if stated that all 3.5 sources are allowed? Skills like Iajutsu Focus or items like Eggshell grenades etc? or alternatively is there an updated version of Oriental Adventures that qualifies to be used as 3.5 material?

[_felagund]

Q 364

for a +1 range weapon and +1 ammunition. do enchantment bonuses stack both for attack and damage?

[Zanos]

A 364

No. You only use the higher of the two.

[Khedrac]

A 363 By RAW it is up to the DM to state if any material is allowed in their game - even Core! Unless the DM states otherwise it will work as written, but whether there are wizards or barbarians or samurai or homebrew class # in the game world is the DM's call.
As for 3.0 the DM should be using the offical errata or following the 3.0 to 3.5 guidelines in a RAW game. Oriental Adventures was upgraded in a Dragon Magazine, but that is not an official RAW update (though probably better than some official updates) so it definitely comes out as DM's call.

Edited due to Curmudgeon's point out WotC had clarified Dragon's status. That said, if the DM does not have the magazine they may not allow it.