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

[Kafana]

Q 34 Does monk's ki strike (which he gets at 4th level) bypass the DR/+1 damage reduction, or only the DR/magic one?

[Curmudgeon]

A 034 A None.

"Air Element" is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal creature of the following base types: Aberration, Animal, Magical Beast, Plant, or Vermin. (Note: There is no "Beast" type in D&D 3.5.) Whisper Gnome is of Humanoid type. An inherited template is added before any HD, which means no feats are available yet at that stage of building the creature. (The +4 level adjustment of the template grants no HD, so no feats from that, either.) I don't know of any single feat which would change type from Humanoid to one of these others in any case.

Spoiler: Inherited vs. Acquired Templates with respect to 3.0 rules sources

Show

Following the convention used in 3.0 rules, Manual of the Planes doesn't distinguish between inherited and acquired templates directly; instead, you have to discern any such distinctions in context. We do that for the "Air Element" template as follows, by starting with the 3.5 update for the book.

Make the following changes to the templates in Chapter 9 of Manual of the Planes. If a particular aspect of the template isn’t mentioned, it functions as described in Chapter 9.

Chapter 9 has this directive:

The following rules explain how to build a templated creature.

In the 3.5 Monster Manual, "build" is used as follows:

Before you get too far into designing your monster, you should decide about how tough a monster you’re trying to build by picking a target CR.

Consequently, all the templates in Manual of the Planes are those used to build monsters before any feat choices are available. The feats before such choices are limited to those specified in the templated creature, and the feats for Air Element template are:

Feats: Same as the base creature, with the added feat of Flyby Attack.

Whisper Gnome has no racial bonus feats, and thus no option for a feat which would change their type.

A 034 B partial

There are several other races you could choose to exceed the Whisper Gnome's racial bonus to Hide checks. For instance, the Skulk (Races of Destiny) has a +15 Hide bonus, at the expense of racial HD and a +1 level adjustment; it's also a Humanoid. Getting to a type suitable for Air Element template is easily accomplished via another inherited template applied first. One possibility is Feral (Savage Species, page 115); that will alter a Humanoid base creature to Monstrous Humanoid.

Your resultant creature will have a fairly high ECL, with at least +5 level adjustment and at least 1 racial HD before you can add the first class level.

I think your goal exceeds what's easily accomplished via simple questions, so you might have better luck creating your own thread specific to the purpose.

A 035

There is no "DR/+1" in 3.5 D&D; all 3.0 DR numbers in the +1 to +5 range are translated into "DR/magic". The Monk's Ki Strike (magic) bypasses all such damage reduction.

[Metahuman1]

Q 35: Other then Sacred, Profane, Exalted, Vile, Enchantment, Competence, Circumstance, Insight, luck and untyped, are there any other types of bonuses?

[nyjastul69]

Re: Q36: Are you looking for all types of modifiers or only those that are bonuses? Also, are you only looking for those that give a bonus to attack rolls? For example, armor is a bonus and circumstance is a modifier. Circumstances can result in a penalty. Here is the SRD list of modifiers. I know it's picking nits, but there is no enchantment bonus, it's an enhancement bonus.

[Metahuman1]

Just bonuses and bonuses that can be applied to attack rolls.

[St Fan]

Q 37 ('cause there's already two Q35 above)

A Master of Many Forms (prestige class from the Complete Adventurer) can Wild Shape into humanoids at first level.

As with regular Wild Shape, he gains extraordinary special attacks, but no other special quality (at least not before level 7 of MoMF).

If such a character turns into a troglodyte, he gains its stench, which is an extraordinary special attack. However, does he also gains a troglodyte's immunity to his own stench, or does he run the risk of being affected too?

[Curmudgeon]

A 037

Troglodyte immunity to Stench is part of the Stench ability description. While in Troglodyte form the Master of Many Forms is not affected.

[Gildedragon]

Q38
Is there a PC-playable template that reduces a creature's size category?

[Chronos]

A 36 partial:

There's also Morale, which is granted by a bard's Inspire Courage or by the Bless spell, and Size, from being smaller than Medium. There may be others.

[Mongrel]

Q39: So about damaging magic items. If a magic item is "unattended," it essentially makes all saves unless it is specifically targeted. My question is what exactly does "unattended" mean? Specifically, if a group of adventurers on a Carpet of Flying get hit with a fireball, does the carpet automatically survive, or does it need to make a save? Basically, is the fact that it currently has people on it enough to qualify it as being "unattended?"

[AlanBruce]

Q.40

I was reading through the Phantom Stag spell (SpC) and its Phantom X counterparts and they all, for the most part, provide a statistic block for the creature, including AC, HP, attack and damage...

But I noted that it doesn't give saves, such as the stag's Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.

Does this mean that the stag and its Phantom X cousins cannot be affected by a spell that atrgets saves and merely killed/dispelled?

[TuggyNE]

A039:

An item attended by a character (being grasped, touched, or worn) makes saving throws as the character (that is, using the character’s saving throw bonus).

(object)
The spell can be cast on objects, which receive saving throws only if they are magical or if they are attended (held, worn, grasped, or the like) by a creature resisting the spell, in which case the object uses the creature’s saving throw bonus unless its own bonus is greater.

Therefore, the flying carpet is considered attended. (It is also magical, and thus would make saving throws as appropriate even if unattended, but that's a separate issue.)

[torrasque666]

Q41: Can a creature make attacks and/or target spells through a portal, such as one created by Shadowfade?

[Ruethgar]

Q 42: Are there any rules for building Strongholds for smaller or larger creatures?

[Drathric]

Q43: What happens to a character's class levels when they take on a level adjusted template such as vampire? Technically they no longer have enough experience to support their ECL.

[Curmudgeon]

A 041

The answer depends on the particulars of the spell used and the planes themselves. For instance, magical attacks cannot cross from the Ethereal Plane into the Material Plane unless they have the [Force] descriptor. Nonmagical attacks can cross as long as the opening is big enough to allow the attack. Your DM's specification of line of sight and line of effect across the boundary will determine the possibilities.

A 043

Nothing happens to the existing class levels unless there's a particular effect specified by the template (example: Necropolitan forces the loss of the last level). An increased ECL means the character will need much more XP to attain their next class level, however.

[torrasque666]

Q44: How large does a creature need to be to block line of sight?

[Curmudgeon]

A 044

Excepting special circumstances, creatures don't block line of sight no matter how big they are. They provide only "soft" cover, which is not even enough visual screening to allow a Hide check.

Soft Cover
Creatures, even your enemies, can provide you with cover against ranged attacks, giving you a +4 bonus to AC. However, such soft cover provides no bonus on Reflex saves, nor does soft cover allow you to make a Hide check.

The exceptions are creatures which fully fill their space, such as Gelatinous Cubes.

[heavyfuel]

Q 45

The spell Vision of the Omniscient Eye (Dragon Magic) has an addendum that says "a character who learns this spell gains a +1 competence bonus to spot checks". Do clerics, who automatically get all spells in his list also very this bonus?

Q 46 The spell Vision of the Omniscient Eye (Dragon Magic) has an addendum that says "a character who learns this spell gains a +1 competence bonus to spot checks". Do clerics, who automatically get all spells in his list also very this bonus?

Can you chain spells (with the feat) to targets the spell doesn't allow? Say, a Chain Reach Daylight spell: Daylight normally allows objects only, but the language of Chain Spell is ambiguous as to whether or not i can target creatures with it too. The ambiguous part from the feat is the "Each arc affects one secondary target chosen by you"

Emphasis added

[Dusk Eclipse]

Q47 Can you use Power Attack with an unarmed strike?

[Kazudo]

A 47.

You can’t add the bonus from Power Attack to the damage dealt with a light weapon (except with unarmed strikes or natural weapon attacks), even though the penalty on attack rolls still applies.

This implies that you can.

[Chronos]

A 46:

You can choose the secondary targets, just as you can choose the primary (or only, if not using Chain) target. Nothing in the feat overrides the need for the target to be valid.

[Curmudgeon]

A 045 No.

The statement "clerics, who automatically get all spells in his list" is not backed up by the RAW. Most divine casters don't know the spells on their class list; they acquire them daily via strength of faith, as divine inspiration, or from the power of nature — not from study or prior records. Their knowledge is limited to just those spells which they have prepared for the day.

known spell

A spell that an arcane spellcaster has learned and can prepare. For wizards, knowing a spell means having it in their spellbooks. For sorcerers and bards, knowing a spell means having selected it when acquiring new spells as a benefit of level advancement.

Clerics do not acquire their spells from books or scrolls, nor do they prepare them through study. Instead, they meditate or pray for their spells, receiving them through their own strength of faith or as divine inspiration.

Vision of the Omniscient Eye is also on the Druid spell list.

Druids cast divine spells much the same way clerics do, though most get their spells from the power of nature rather than from deities.

There is a place in the rules which (indirectly) specifies when a divine spellcaster "knows" a spell: if they're ready to cast it.

Benefit: You can create a scroll of any spell that you know.

We know that divine spellcasters can create scrolls, and that the magic item creation process requires casting the necessary spell each day while that item is being created. Consequently, if they are ready to cast a spell, then (at least for the purposes of Scribe Scroll) they "know" that spell. Accordingly, if a Cleric or Druid has Vision of the Omniscient Eye prepared (but not yet cast) they will receive the benefit of learning that spell.

A 046 No.

There's nothing in Chain Spell that overrides the basic requirement for a target to be of the correct type for the spell.

Target or Targets

Some spells have a target or targets. You cast these spells on creatures or objects, as defined by the spell itself.

Vision of the Omniscient Eye specifies the only valid target:

Target: You

This spell cannot be altered with the metamagic feat Chain Spell in any case:

Benefit: Any spell that specifies a single target and has a range greater than touch can be chained so as to affect that primary target normally, then arc ...

Attempting to do so will cause the spell to fail at casting.

Spell Failure

If you ever try to cast a spell in conditions where the characteristics of the spell cannot be made to conform, the casting fails and the spell is wasted.

[No brains]

Q 48 A As per the ruling on Q 44, does this mean that if a creature squeezes through a space (even an exceptionally small space as in the case of Escape Artist or Oozes) it still doesn't block line of sight?

Q 48 B What about line of effect?

[torrasque666]

Q49: Are spells that change from Figment to Shadow still mind effecting?

[Curmudgeon]

A 048 A No.

Varying Degrees of Cover

In some cases, cover may provide a greater bonus to AC and Reflex saves. In such situations the normal cover bonuses to AC and Reflex saves can be doubled (to +8 and +4, respectively). A creature with this improved cover effectively gains improved evasion against any attack to which the Reflex save bonus applies.

It's better cover, but still counts as "soft" and thus doesn't completely block line of sight.

A 048 B Maybe.

An otherwise solid barrier with a hole of at least 1 square foot through it does not block a spell’s line of effect. Such an opening means that the 5-foot length of wall containing the hole is no longer considered a barrier for purposes of a spell’s line of effect.

If the creature is filling the space so tightly that there's less than 1 square foot of open line of sight, this in turn could block line of effect. Your individual DM will need to make that determination.

A 049 Probably not.

Assuming you're referring to something akin to the Shadowcraft Mage's Shadow Illusion class feature, the Illusion spell changed from Figment to Shadow subschool will only remain mind-affecting if it has the [Mind-Affecting] descriptor. Shadow subschool spells affect the senses by being partly real, rather than being imaginary and affecting the mind.

[Chronos]

A 49 addendum:

So far as I can tell, there are zero spells in the game of the figment subschool which are mind-effecting. The same is true for the glamer subschool, for what it's worth. Phantasms and patterns are all mind-effecting, but Shadow Illusion doesn't work on those, so it appears that the question is completely irrelevant.

[Eaglejarl]

Q50a

Am I correct that a 10th level Control Water spell (Raise Water version) will turn a single drop of water into a 100' x 100' x 20' lake?

Q50b

If the original water is holy water, will the resulting 200,000 ft^3 of water also be holy water?

[Umbranar]

Q51a
With the Sudden Leap maneuver from Tome of Battle, do you incur the penalty for not making a running start?

Q51b
Does tumbling during Sudden Leap reduce the distance jumped?

[Eaglejarl]

Q52

Wall of Fire says that it deals damage to creatures. Does it also deal damage to objects? Specifically, will it melt a Wall of Ice?

Q53

Wall of Ice says: "Suddenly melting a wall of ice creates a great cloud of steamy fog that lasts for 10 minutes." What happens after 10 minutes? Does the steam simply vanish, or condense, or what?