Simple Raw Thread for 3.5 #28

[Andezzar]

A 29

The duration is doubled to 14 rounds with extend spell. Since there is no effect for rounds 7-13 unfortunately nothing happens then. Neither spell can be persisted because they are neither fixed nor personal range.

[Curmudgeon]

A 029

The duration of each spell with Extend Spell becomes 14 rounds instead of 7. Beyond that, the particular temperature effects each round will be up to the individual DM to decide because the spells make no allowance for an increased duration. A DM could decide the duration is doubled period-wise (so Heat Metal would make the metal Warm in rounds 1-2, Hot in rounds 3-4, and so on), doubled in the cycle (repeat the full cycle in rounds 8-14), or persist the effect in round 7 through the additional 7 rounds.

There is no interaction between these spells and Persistent Spell because they are not valid spells for that feat (i.e., they have neither personal nor fixed range).

Edit: Ninja strike.

[Fax Celestis]

A29Cont Operating under the ruling that touch = fixed range, there still would be no effect after round 7, correct?

[Curmudgeon]

A 029 cont N/A.

Neither of these spells have a range of touch.

[Fax Celestis]

A29 Durrr, my bad. Thanks.

[unseenmage]

Q30

Would you lose a charge from a Staff if you failed a Use Magic Device check? Cleric trying to use a staff with Wizard spells in it, if it matters.

[Curmudgeon]

A 030 Possibly.

You cannot use the Use a Wand function of Use Magic Device unless you have identified the spells contained in the staff first. A Cleric without either of the Magic or Oracle domains does not have Identify on their spell list. If the UMD attempt then involves the Activate Blindly function, there is a mishap chance which could use up one or more charges depending on the particular magical energy which gets released.

If you fail by 9 or less, you can’t activate the device. If you fail by 10 or more, you suffer a mishap. A mishap means that magical energy gets released but it doesn’t do what you wanted it to do.

[Quiet Wizard]

A 024 -- Thank you, Curmudgeon!

-----------------------------------

Q 031 -- Continuing on with more Wind Wall rulings! :-)

Can a Wind Wall spell be cast either right on top of ... or bisecting ... the 10' square space of a Swarm Creature (say, a flying Hellwasp Swarm)?

If so, what would happen to that Swarm creature?

[Curmudgeon]

A 031 Yes.

The point of origin of a spell is always a grid intersection.

Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds such as that created by a gust of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures.

An invisible vertical curtain of wind appears. It is 2 feet thick and of considerable strength. It is a roaring blast sufficient to blow away any bird smaller than an eagle, or tear papers and similar materials from unsuspecting hands. (A Reflex save allows a creature to maintain its grasp on an object.) Tiny and Small flying creatures cannot pass through the barrier.

Wind Wall is a barrier to Tiny and Small flying creatures, but only swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds. Consequently, while you can place the spell either on the periphery or through a swarm, Wind Wall has no effect on a swarm made of Diminutive or Fine flying creatures. A normal wind of comparable strength would be capable of blowing away the creatures in a flying swarm, but Wind Wall's effect spans only 2' (its thickness); that's not enough even to blow swarm elements out of a single square.

[titans4ever]

Q32

What happens to skills maxes when multi classing.

Say you take a rogue at levels one and two. The next 5 levels you go bard. The max skills for a level 7 character are 10 in class and 5 cross. What happens to a skill like disable device? It was a class skill for you as rogue but not the bard. Is the max still 10 since you have learned it as a rogue but as you progress as a bard it would take 2 skill points to move it up one rank since it is a cross class skill for a bard. If you take the able learner feat then it would move that back down to 1 for 1 instead of 2 for 1?

Thanks.

[Andezzar]

A 32

If a skill was ever a class skill its maximum is level+3, regardless which class you level up in. However if the skill is not a class skill for the class you are leveling up in, raising the skill by one rank will cost two skill points. If the character has the able learner feat raising a skill by one rank will always cost one skill point, however if that skill never was a class skill the maximum number of ranks the character can have in it is (level+3)/2.
Able learner cannot reimburse spent skill points and since feats are selected after skills you will always pay two skill points to raise a cross class skill on the first level. Able Learner can only be taken at 1st level.

Q 33

Is there anything clarifying whether Able Learner (and all other feats with a similar requirement) can only be taken at 1st character level or 1st class level?

[7th son of sons]

q34:

Is there any way to use a magic item in a slot in which you've placed a soulmeld?

[Curmudgeon]

A 033

While many feats are unclear on this matter ("must be taken at 1st level", or "1st level only"), all the ones I have found which are clear follow this pattern:

Special: You may select this feat only as a 1st-level character.

Prerequisite: Int 13, wizard level 1st.
Special: You can take this feat only as a 1st level character.

Special: You can only take this feat as a 1st-level character.

Special: You can take this feat only as a 1st level character.

Also consider that 1st character level always guarantees a feat slot, whereas 1st class level (example: 3 RHD + 1 class level) does not. Collegiate Wizard requires both 1st character level and 1st Wizard level.

[Andezzar]

Q 35

Is a character with more than one RHD ever a 1st level character?

[Curmudgeon]

A 035

In a playable form, no. However, the assignment of hit points, skill points, and feats takes place at each of those levels even if there is no opportunity to play the character until those racial hit dice are fully assigned.

[Fitz10019]

Q36
A warshaper can add a natural weapon to his form, such as a bear form also having horns for goring.
A warshaper's class features only apply when he is in an alternate form.
The art on page 91 shows a halfling with one beastial claw. The warshaper class does not allow for this, as far I can tell. This is just bad art, right?

[Andezzar]

A 36

A Halfling Warshaper indeed could not grow a single claw, but who's to say that the creature in the picture is a halfling warshaper? It could for example be a creature of any type polymorphed into a halfling which then got a claw through its warshaper levels.

[Fax Celestis]

A34 try the Double Chakra feat.

[Chronos]

A 34:

Simply having a soulmeld in a slot in no way interferes with any magic item. If you have access to a chakra (such as from levels in an incarnum class), then you may optionally choose to bind a soulmeld to a chakra when you shape it. This ordinarily prevents you from using a magic item in that slot, but you can take the Split Chakra feat to enable a single body slot to use both a magic item and a bound soulmeld. Alternately, one can wear an Incarnum Focus item, which does not interfere with a bound soulmeld (but rather in fact improves it), and which could in principle have other magical effects.

EDIT: The Double Chakra feat is for using two soulmelds in the same slot. I double-checked that before posting, as they're easy to get mixed up.

[Nettlekid]

Q37

The spell Monstrous Thrall as found in the Spell Compendium seems to suggest that the effects are permanent, but the duration listed is 24 hours/level, like True Domination. What's the deal there?

[Curmudgeon]

A 037

The duration is permanent, as stated in the text. This is reinforced by the short description of the spell (see the Domination domain, page 273).

[No brains]

A 27
As much as I would like to answer this question, there are a few areas where that answer would neither be simple nor RAW based upon the vague grey area interactions between incorporeal creatures and extra-dimensional space. If you make a new thread I'll be happy to help you there.

The simplest explanation I can give is at least six, given how many medium creatures can fit into a 30 foot cube. More may be possible depending on the DM and exploitation of the rules.

[Psyren]

Q38a: Can Clerics and Druids take Versatile Spellcaster?
Q38b: If yes - can they use it to cast spells above the highest level to which they have access?

[Chronos]

A 38a:

Yes, the only requirement is being able to cast spells spontaneously, and both of those classes can (Cure spells for the cleric and Summon Nature's Ally spells for the druid).

A 38b:

This one is a bit more tricky, since it isn't defined what "a spell you know" means for a cleric or druid. They certainly can know spells, since that's a requirement for scribing scrolls, which they are known to be able to do. The simplest explanation is that the spells they know at any given moment are those which they currently have prepared, which would make Versatile Spellcaster of very limited usefulness to them.

[Psyren]

Well, even if it doesn't go above your maximum - I don't know that I'd call it "limited usefulness," since it seems like it would still let you convert lower level spell slots into higher level ones. Regardless, thanks for your response

[Curmudgeon]

A 038a Yes.

A 038b No.

Benefit: You can use two spell slots of the same level to cast a spell you know that is one level higher.

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.

Divine spellcasters don't know their spell list; instead, they receive spells through strength of faith, as divine inspiration, or from the power of nature — not from study or prior records. If a divine spellcaster has the same strength of faith or power of nature at work each time they meditate or pray for their spells, they'll get the same spells for the same needs. That doesn't mean they retain a list of what those particular spells are other than when they're preparing and casting them.

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.

Putting this together, a Cleric or Druid can use Versatile Spellcaster as specified, but only if the resulting higher-level spell duplicates one that the Cleric/Druid already has ready to cast. Spells of higher level than that cannot be known.

[Nettlekid]

Q039
Does the Hand of the Adama's Divination Enhancement affect the d% roll of Contact Other Plane? What about that of the Divine Oracle?

[St Fan]

Q 040
Is it just me, or the feat Paralyzing Fists just can't work as written?

It says it needs two or more of your stunning fist attacks succeding on a single foe in the same round. However, Stunning Fist clearly specify that you can't make more than one attempt per round.

[Fax Celestis]

A40 yup, sure doesn't. Post it in the dysfunctions thread.

[bjoern]

Q41

Scorching Ray
Evocation [Fire]
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One or more rays
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

You blast your enemies with fiery rays. You may fire one ray, plus one additional ray for every four levels beyond 3rd (to a maximum of three rays at 11th level). Each ray requires a ranged touch attack to hit and deals 4d6 points of fire damage.
The rays may be fired at the same or different targets, but all bolts must be aimed at targets within 30 feet of each other and fired simultaneously.

If you have multiple rays, you have to make attack rolls for each one, even if against the same target . Does each ray have to make a spell resistance roll, or is it one SR roll per target?