Simple Raw Thread for 3.5 #28

[Chronos]

A 177 continued:
According to the core rules as linked to by nyjastul69, all enchantment spells are in fact mind-effecting. Some enchantment spells in other books were printed without the [Mind-Effecting] tag, however, none explicitly states that it is not mind-effecting. Absent such an explicit statement, there is no conflict, and so the general rule (that enchantment spells are mind-effecting) stands.

[heavyfuel]

RE A 177

A 177 continued:
According to the core rules as linked to by nyjastul69, all enchantment spells are in fact mind-effecting. Some enchantment spells in other books were printed without the [Mind-Effecting] tag, however, none explicitly states that it is not mind-effecting. Absent such an explicit statement, there is no conflict, and so the general rule (that enchantment spells are mind-effecting) stands.

Fair enough. I was AFB then and didn't think to check the SRD (if this is even there). I just went on D&D tools to see which had the Mind Affecting tag

[Niwrad]

Q 187: Can a caster with see invisibility and true strike automatically bypass the 50% miss chance from blink on a targeted ranged touch attack? Or is it still 20% miss chance?

[heavyfuel]

A187

No, since the 20% miss chance if you can see the invisible target isn't based off concealment, but based on the fact that the creature might be on the Ethereal Plane when the attack hits, which isn't negated by True Strike.

[zergling.exe]

Q 188 A
Can the Suppression weapon property from the Expanded Psionics Handbook be used if it was neither reprinted nor listed in the Magic Item Compendium?

Q 188 B
If it can be used, is the property able to be used an infinite number of times per day unless it is placed on a bow, crossbow, or sling?

[heavyfuel]

A 188 A

Yes. The XPH is part of the SRD, which makes it legal in a 3.5 game. Only the Psionics Handbook is 3.0 material.

A 188 B

Yes.

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 174b

Both spells originated in Savage Species. While the spells' text was updated when the spells were included in the Spell Compendium, it is my understanding that since no errata was published to say otherwise, and since the Spell Compendium does not specifically say otherwise, the table on page 60 of Savage Species (listing the spells for which Permanency can by applied) would still be in effect, and therefore, both Fuse Arms and Garillon's Blessing would still be able to have Permanency cast unto them.

That would be the PERMANENCY AND SAVAGE SPECIES SPELLS section on page 60. Neither of these are Savage Species spells after being updated to 3.5 rules in Spell Compendium. An individual DM could decide to make a minor adjustment to the text in that section, from "Here is how the spells in Savage Species interact with permanency" to "Here is how the spells originally appearing in Savage Species interact with permanency" for their 3.5 game. However, absent that DM adjustment, the rule as written only applies if their game is still using Savage Species spells (i.e., has no 3.5 updates for them).

[OMG PONIES]

A184: Wild Talent is enough. The darklight functions simply by imbuing it with power points; there is no mention of the need to manifest powers.

Prerequisite: A darklight must be imbued with psionic energy in order to function.

Activation: Imbuing a darklight with psionic power is a standard action. Controlling a darklight is a free action for the character holding it. A darklight can be used for 24 hours per power point imbued into it, and it can hold a maximum of 7 power points at any time.

A185: Ask your DM. As per the below, the level of light can be adjusted with only a mental command, but the rules do not specify if the item must be held/worn or not.

Imbuing a darklight with psionic power is a standard action. Controlling a darklight is a free action for the character holding it. A darklight can be used for 24 hours per power point imbued into it, and it can hold a maximum of 7 power points at any time. The level of light can be adjusted (or the darklight disabled or enabled) with a mental command.

However, there are also rules indicating that use-activated psionic items like this one should be worn. From the SRD section on psionic items:

This type of psionic item simply has to be used to activate. Use activation is generally straightforward and self-explanatory. Many use-activated items are objects that a character wears.

Whether the darklight falls into this category (and whether you have to wear it or not) are up to your DM.

[heavyfuel]

Q 189 Racially named weapons such as the Elven Thinblade and the Gnome Quickrazor. Do the races treat these weapons as martial instead of exotic?

[KillianHawkeye]

A 189

Not outside of the few mentioned in their racial descriptions, no. But they can take the feat Improved Weapon Familiarity to gain that ability.

[AvatarVecna]

Q190

Are animals restricted to taking monster feats when their HD increase, and if so, why?

[Curmudgeon]

A 190 No.

The DM can pick any feat for which the Animal meets the prerequisites.

[Kred]

Q 191
Me (Diminutive size) + Ally (small size)
Can i occupy an ally's square?
if yes: What will happen if a foe try to hit me? Will i get any cover bonus?

[OMG PONIES]

A191: Yes, you can share spaces. From the DMG:

Creatures two size categories apart can occupy the same space without special circumstances.

A191b: You will get a bonus for soft cover (assuming the attack is a ranged or non-adjacent melee attack). From the SRD:

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.

When making a melee attack against an adjacent target, your target has cover if any line from your square to the target’s square goes through a wall (including a low wall). When making a melee attack against a target that isn’t adjacent to you (such as with a reach weapon), use the rules for determining cover from ranged attacks.

Emphases mine.

[Jowgen]

Q193

What qualifies as 'Full Daylight' for the purposes of creatures with the blend into shadows Su ability (e.g. Shadow dragon), or 'direct sunlight' for the purposes of affecting Vampires?

[Curmudgeon]

A 193

There is no in-game special definition, so the standard meaning of the word would apply.

Daylight or the light of day is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight outdoors during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected from the Earth and terrestrial objects.

Direct sunlight is a subset of daylight, whenever any rays from the sun strike directly. Non-full daylight would be daylight when the sun is partly risen or partly set.

[ben-zayb]

I just discovered something unusual...

Q194a
Is Sense Motive actually not viable for use in combat (for various purposes, including opposing Bluff checks)?

Action
Trying to gain information with Sense Motive generally takes at least 1 minute, and you could spend a whole evening trying to get a sense of the people around you.

This is the same with my old PHB. There are no listed action requirement (or lack thereof) for opposing Bluff checks, so I assume this type of check is also under the 1 minute minimum.

Q194b
How about Sense Motive in Baffling Defense? Must the initiator actually take 1 minute or more, by RAW? In comparison, Concentration checks doesn't take a separate non-free action, Stalker in the Night has no actual Hide / Move Silently check being done, and relevant Tiger Claw maneuvers have the "as part of this maneuver" clause when stating the need for a Jump Check.

Q195
Can the Seeking weapon ability bypass the miss chance of hitting:
a.) an incorporeal foe?
b.) anyone while you are under the Ring of Blinking's effect?
c.) anyone who is under the Ring of Blinking's effect?
d.) anyone with full cover, while your weapon also has the Blood Seeking ability?
e.) someone invisible, provided you target its square?

[Skevvix]

A194a The standard use it to oppose a bluff check with a secondary use to "gather Information". This secondary use is what generally takes one minute.

Check

A successful check lets you avoid being bluffed. You can also use this skill to determine when “something is up” (that is, something odd is going on) or to assess someone’s trustworthiness.

Action

Trying to gain information with Sense Motive generally takes at least 1 minute, and you could spend a whole evening trying to get a sense of the people around you.

A195 a) no
b) no
c) no
d) yes
e) no

[Andezzar]

A 194

b)Specific overrides general

If your opponent strikes you on his turn, you can replace your AC with the result of a Sense Motive check as an immediate action.

[ben-zayb]

Re: Q194/195
May I request RAW citations of the proof, please? Because otherwise, I wouldn't even be asking.

@Andezzar
So you use an Immediate action to initiate maneuver, and then another Immediate action to make a skill check? Because it's not labeled "as part of this maneuver". I'm asking because it seems like a dysfunction.

[Andezzar]

Re: Q194/195
May I request RAW citations of the proof, please? Because otherwise, I wouldn't even be asking.

194 should already have all the citations you need.

@Andezzar
So you use an Immediate action to initiate maneuver, and then another Immediate action to make a skill check? Because it's not labeled "as part of this maneuver". I'm asking because it seems like a dysfunction.

Why would the description of the maneuver contains something that is not part of the maneuver? It is not abundantly clear but I guess the "as an immediate action" is included to discourage anyone saying that the sense motive check takes 1 minute. I don't think it is an additional immediate action. If it were, the maneuver would indeed be dysfunctional because you generally only get one immediate action per turn.

Additionally as per part a) this sense motive check is not used to gather information and thus does not fall under the 1 minute time frame.

[Sian]

Q196: Do you take penalties for Two Weapon Fighting, it you only use your offhand weapon, both in terms of to-hit and lower extra damage from strength? Say by having a reach weapon and armor spikes, only fighting with one or the other

[Andezzar]

Q 196

No.

[ben-zayb]

194 should already have all the citations you need.

There are no actual provided details as to what type of action is needed for that use of Sense Motive. And barring some citation that I'm not aware of, such absence of detail doesn't automatically mean that such skill requires a non-action or a free action. That's the entire main point of my initial query.

[Skevvix]

There are no actual provided details as to what type of action is needed for that use of Sense Motive. And barring some citation that I'm not aware of, such absence of detail doesn't automatically mean that such skill requires a non-action or a free action. That's the entire main point of my initial query.

I actually quoted the SRD, that is the citation.

Edit: And for 195, it is based on whether the effect in question is a concealment miss chance.

[HurinTheCursed]

Q197 a
Can you bullrush an ally ?

Spoiler: Bull Rush

Show

Bull Rush

You can make a bull rush as a standard action (an attack) or as part of a charge. When you make a bull rush, you attempt to push an opponent straight back instead of damaging him. You can only bull rush an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller.
Initiating a Bull Rush

First, you move into the defender’s space. Doing this provokes an attack of opportunity from each opponent that threatens you, including the defender. (If you have the Improved Bull Rush feat, you don’t provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender.) Any attack of opportunity made by anyone other than the defender against you during a bull rush has a 25% chance of accidentally targeting the defender instead, and any attack of opportunity by anyone other than you against the defender likewise has a 25% chance of accidentally targeting you. (When someone makes an attack of opportunity, make the attack roll and then roll to see whether the attack went astray.)

Second, you and the defender make opposed Strength checks. You each add a +4 bonus for each size category you are larger than Medium or a -4 penalty for each size category you are smaller than Medium. You get a +2 bonus if you are charging. The defender gets a +4 bonus if he has more than two legs or is otherwise exceptionally stable.
Bull Rush Results

If you beat the defender’s Strength check result, you push him back 5 feet. If you wish to move with the defender, you can push him back an additional 5 feet for each 5 points by which your check result is greater than the defender’s check result. You can’t, however, exceed your normal movement limit. (Note: The defender provokes attacks of opportunity if he is moved. So do you, if you move with him. The two of you do not provoke attacks of opportunity from each other, however.)

If you fail to beat the defender’s Strength check result, you move 5 feet straight back to where you were before you moved into his space. If that space is occupied, you fall prone in that space.

Q197 b
Does anything happen if you push an enemy into another ? And with Dungean Crasher ? What happens if they end your turn in the same space ?

Spoiler: Dungeon Crasher substition level

Show

Dungeon Crasher substition level

Level: 2nd.
Replaces: If you select this alternative class feature, you do not gain the fighter bonus feats at 2nd level and at 6th level.
Benefit: You excel at overwhelming traps, smashing through doors, and pushing aside your enemies. At 2nd level, you gain a +2 competence bonus on saves and to your Armor Class when attacked by traps. You also gain a +5 bonus on Strength checks to break a door, wall, or similar obstacle.
In addition, you gain a special benefit when making a bull rush. If you force an opponent to move into a wall or other solid object, he stops as normal. However, your momentum crushes him against it, dealing an amount of bludgeoning damage equal to 4d6 points + twice your Strength bonus (if any).
At 6th level, the bonuses when dealing with traps increase to +4, and the bonus on Strength checks to break objects increases to +10. The damage you deal when bull rushing an opponent into a wall increases to 8d6 points + three times your Strength bonus.

Q197 c
Using Knockback, can you push an enemy further than 5ft ?

Spoiler: Knockback

Show

Knockback

If you score a hit while you are using the Power Attack feat, you can make a free bull rush attempt against the foe you hit, applying the number by which you reduced your attack roll as a bonus on the opposed Strength check (as well as on the damage you deal). If you hit with a twohanded weapon, you can apply double that number on the opposed Strength check. Unlike standard bull rush attempts, knockback attempts don't provoke attacks of opportunity, and you don't move with the enemy you knock backward. Bull rush rules can be found on page 154 of the Player's Handbook..

[ben-zayb]

I actually quoted the SRD, that is the citation.

Edit: And for 195, it is based on whether the effect in question is a concealment miss chance.

Yes, you quoted something that doesn't really answer my query.

Here is your relevant quote:

A successful check lets you avoid being bluffed.

Ok. So... what now? What action is needed to make that "successful check"?

And for 195, it is NOT based on whether the effect in question is a concealment miss chance, as far as RAW is concerned. It simply ignores miss chances. That's why I asked for clarification of RAW, not RAI.

[Chronos]

The action needed for you to make that Sense Motive check is the action your opponent takes to Bluff you.

[Fax Celestis]

That's because it's a responsive non action made as part of the Bluff check to feint.

You can also use Bluff to mislead an opponent in melee combat (so that it can’t dodge your next attack effectively). To feint, make a Bluff check opposed by your target’s Sense Motive check, but in this case, the target may add its base attack bonus to the roll along with any other applicable modifiers.

Opposed checks take no action from the defender.

[Curmudgeon]

A 197 a No.

As you quoted the rules text, you'll note that you can only bull rush an opponent.

A 197 b

Ending Your Movement

You can’t end your movement in the same square as another creature unless it is helpless.

Accidentally Ending Movement in an Illegal Space

Sometimes a character ends its movement while moving through a space where it’s not allowed to stop. When that happens, put your miniature in the last legal position you occupied, or the closest legal position, if there’s a legal position that’s closer.

It's impossible for you to push one enemy into another, or for them to end up in the same space. Because of this rule the enemy ends up just short of the illegal position. If you're moving while bull rushing them, you also stop short of any occupied squares. Dungeon Crasher only lets you bull rush enemies into walls, and does not apply when you're dealing with creatures as obstacles.

A 197 c Yes.

Except for the changes specified in Knockback, standard bull rush rules apply.

If you wish to move with the defender, you can push him back an additional 5 feet for each 5 points by which your check result is greater than the defender’s check result.

While Knockback states that you don't move with the enemy you knock backward, the bull rush rule is not dependent on actually moving, but on wishing to do so. If you wish to move with the enemy while using Knockback, you can push them back further if your Strength check is sufficient.