Simple Raw Thread for 3.5 #28

[Curmudgeon]

A 424

Your scenario is impossible; you can't Sunder an opponent's worn armor, and thus there would not be an AoO for the attempt.

Sundering a Carried or Worn Object

You don’t use an opposed attack roll to damage a carried or worn object. Instead, just make an attack roll against the object’s AC. A carried or worn object’s AC is equal to 10 + its size modifier + the Dexterity modifier of the carrying or wearing character. Attacking a carried or worn object provokes an attack of opportunity just as attacking a held object does. To attempt to snatch away an item worn by a defender rather than damage it, see Disarm. You can’t sunder armor worn by another character.

Should you attempt to Sunder their shield instead, they only get AoOs in squares they threaten, and all melee attacks are adjudicated in the attacker's space (thus outside of their threatened range). Even though you would be attempting to Sunder their shield, you're taking that action in your own space.

Threatened Squares

You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your action. Generally, that means everything in all squares adjacent to your space (including diagonally). An enemy that takes certain actions while in a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity from you.

A "melee basic attack" is a 4E term, and does not apply to D&D 3.5.

Making an Attack of Opportunity

An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and you can only make one per round. You don’t have to make an attack of opportunity if you don’t want to.

That's all you're normally allowed to do as an attack of opportunity, but there are options in the game for other responses. Examples: the Sidestep feat (Miniatures Handbook, page 28) allows a 5' step after making the AoO; Hindering Opportunist (Player's Handbook II, page 79) allows you to use Aid Another instead of making an AoO; and Stand Still allows you to attempt to keep an opponent from moving.

[Ryuuk]

Q426 Holy Star is a cleric spell found in the Spell Compendium, page 115. How does the Fire Bolt function work in terms of action? Is the bolt a free action to fire? Does it require a standard action?

[Curmudgeon]

A 426

It's a ranged touch attack using your attack bonus. Thus you can use a standard action attack to release a single Fire Bolt, or a full attack and release as many as your BAB permits.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Q427 Can someone who lacks Improved Unarmed Strike use Power Attack with an Unarmed Attack?
Q428 dditionally, if someone is using an Unarmed Attack on an Object (and lacks IUS), would they need to take the -4 Penalty for the Unarmed Strike deal Lethal damage?

[Curmudgeon]

A 427 Yes.

A 428 No.

There's no such option.

Normal: Without this feat, you are considered unarmed when attacking with an unarmed strike, and you can deal only nonlethal damage with such an attack.

You can deal nonlethal damage from a weapon which normally deals lethal damage (with a -4 penalty), but not lethal damage from a weapon which normally deals nonlethal damage. A gauntlet attack instead of an unarmed strike would accomplish your goal.

[Heliomance]

Q 408 If you use Shape Soulmeld to pick up a soulmeld that has an ability with a save attached, which stat does the ability's DC key off?

Reposting.

[Khedrac]

A 424 No - one must threaten the target to make an attack of opportunity.

Note - this is often house-ruled as the worst example is probably Close Quarters Fighting without reach against a creature with natural reach and Improved Grab (it can bite you but you cannot reach any part of its body to hit it).

[Chronos]

A 426 contention:

From the spell description:

This star has the following three functions, and you can designate which function to activate as a free action on your turn

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 426 contention

What exactly are you contending? Designating which function of Holy Star to activate is a free action. Actually activating the designated function of Fire Bolt was the subject of the question.

[Belkarseviltwin]

Q425 20 large flying creatures (say spider eaters) are flying towards you in a cluster, up, down, and all around (that is, 3dimensionally). They are each about 10 feet apart.You launch a fireball at them. About how many spider eaters could you hit inside the radius of your fireball?

A 425 7.
Let's assume that by "10 feet apart", you mean that there are two empty 5' squares between any given pair of "adjacent" monsters. Also, to make it simple, let's say that they're in straight lines north-south, east-west and up and down.

We also assume that you are targeting the spell so it is centred on the middle monster of the cluster, for maximum effect.

It is 15 feet directly north, south, east, west, up or down from the centre of the spell to another monster. So that's another 6 monsters hit.

However, to the monsters diagonally closest to the centre (e.g. the first one directly northwest) have their closest corner 21 feet from the centre so are not hit.

Any remaining monsters are further away so are not hit.

[Ditto]

Q429

The psionic power Disable is confusing me a bit. This is a cone emanation that lasts for 1 minute per level. Does this affect a max of 4HD worth of enemies, through the entire duration of the power? So you just turn it on like a headlight before combat, then charge in and hope that the first 4HD worth of goblins you see fail the save - then the emanation remains on, but does nothing further because the 4HD of magic power is drained? Or could this affect an infinite number of 1HD goblins who arrive one per round, for 1 minute/level?

Does the spell keep trying, like Dispel Magic, if someone in the cone is tagged but passes the save? The word 'affected' is used a few times in the description, but from context it may mean 'anyone targeted by this spell, a.k.a. within the cone, whether or not they pass the save' or 'someone who is targeted and fails the save'.

You broadcast a mental compulsion that convinces one or more creatures of 4 Hit Dice or less that they are disabled. Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first. Among creatures with equal Hit Dice, those who are closest to the power’s point of origin are affected first. Hit Dice that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted. Creatures that are rendered helpless or are destroyed when they reach 0 hit points cannot be affected.

Creatures affected by this power believe that they have somehow been brought to the brink of unconsciousness and must act accordingly. While it’s possible for an important nonplayer character to attempt some sort of “heroic” action, common NPCs and creatures under the effect of this power typically cower or retreat.

[thethird]

Q 430 Cooperative Spellcasting

A) If two spellcasters with cooperative spellcasting cast spells using the feat, will two spells go of or only one?

B) Can an artificer (or another crafter) create several wands with spells modified with cooperative spellcasting?

C) If B is yes can those wands be used "cooperatively" by people without the feat at a later point?

[Sigh]

I'm back with an actual RAW question this time.

Q 431

I'm attempting to create an Elvencraft Energy Bow with Splitting, but the calculations for all of this is leaving me a bit frazzled. How much is this thing going to cost me and is it even possible to have all of these things at the same time in the same bow?

[Andezzar]

A 429

The emanation affects any and all creatures with 4 or fewer HD in the area. The total HD of multiple creatures is irrelevant.

A 431

Hank's Energy Bow is a specific weapon. There is no rule how to reverse engineer the cost for its enchantments.

[Curmudgeon]

A 431 Ask your DM.

Custom magic items always require DM approval. Hank's Energy Bow has no cost formula, and without a cost formula you can't add a +3 bonus cost enhancement. Your individual DM will tell you if it's possible, and if so they'll come up with a formula (good only for their game).

[Ranting Fool]

Q432

How many attacks does a half dragon barbarian have if using main weapon + natural.

With Base attack 7.
Bite Attack,
Two Claws,
Tail slam (I let him have the feat)

According to him he can hit twice with his sword, then bite, then claw, then slam (All with a minus because of multi attack) is this correct and what page should I be looking up to find out? cheers

[Andezzar]

A 432

I'm not familiar with the Tail Slam feat, but if it just provides another natural attack he is mostly correct. Assuming no STR bonus or other bonuses he would have: +7 sword, +5 bite, +5 claw, +5 tail slam, +2 sword in that order.

He only gets one claw attack because one arm is occupied with the sword. If it were a two-handed weapon, he would not get a claw attack.

If you get multiple attacks because your base attack bonus is high enough, you must make the attacks in order from highest bonus to lowest. If you are using two weapons, you can strike with either weapon first. If you are using a double weapon, you can strike with either part of the weapon first.

That's why he cannot make all weapon attacks first.

Full Attack

A half-dragon fighting without weapons uses both claws and its bite when making a full attack. If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack and its bite as a natural secondary attack. If it has a hand free, it uses a claw as an additional natural secondary attack.

[Chronos]

Re: 426

The spell does the attacking, not you. The only action the spell specifies for you to take is the free action to tell the spell what to do.

A 432 expanded:

Note that the rules for how half-dragons attack is just a restated example of how the rules work for how any creature with a weapon and natural weapons combines them. It's the same for, e.g., a lizardfolk.

[Andezzar]

A 432 Addendum

I found the general rule:

Some creatures combine attacks with natural and manufactured weapons when they make a full attack. When they do so, the manufactured weapon attack is considered the primary attack unless the creature’s description indicates otherwise and any natural weapons the creature also uses are considered secondary natural attacks. These secondary attacks do not interfere with the primary attack as attacking with an off-hand weapon does, but they take the usual -5 penalty (or -2 with the Multiattack feat) for such attacks, even if the natural weapon used is normally the creature’s primary natural weapon.

Interestingly this rule does not mention the blocking of claws on arms that wield weapons.

Q 433

Is there such a general rule or are there only a bunch of specific rules that a claw on an arm that wields a weapon cannot be used?

Q 434

What's the attack bonus on the fire bolt application of Holy Star?

[DeltaEmil]

A 428 Contention
You can use unarmed strikes to deal damage to objects by taking a -4 penalty on the attack roll.

Lethal Damage with a Weapon that Deals Nonlethal Damage

You can use a weapon that deals nonlethal damage, including an unarmed strike, to deal lethal damage instead, but you take a -4 penalty on your attack roll.

[Curmudgeon]

Re: A 428 Contention

You can use unarmed strikes to deal damage to objects by taking a -4 penalty on the attack roll.

Interesting find. We now have two rules to deal with, because the Improved Unarmed Strike feat says that you can deal only nonlethal damage with an unarmed strike unless you have the feat. The only way to make them not conflict is if the "Injury and Death" rule refers to an unarmed strike as modified by Improved Unarmed Strike.

A 434

This attack uses your attack bonus and deals fire damage equal to 1d6 points per two caster levels (maximum 10d6).

Your attack bonus varies, with the first attack of a ranged full attack at your BAB + modifiers (Dexterity, size, & c.), the second at your BAB-5 + modifiers, ... (more if your BAB is +11 or more).

[KillianHawkeye]

A 433

To my knowledge, this is never explicitly stated. It is a generalization drawn from the fact that every single instance of a monster who has both claws and manufactured weapons is shown to be unable to attack with one or both claws when also wielding a one- or two-handed weapon in the stat block.

This is one instance where the actual RAW may be silent, but the RAI is demonstrably clear.

[Osiris]

Q 435: If you have, say, an extended Mage Armor spell prepared, and you use the Arcanist's gloves, does it:
a) add 2, then extend (cl 3 minimum, +2 = 5, *2 = 10), OR
b) extend, then add 2 (cl 3 minimum, *2 = 6, +2 = 8)

This is normal extend, not sudden extend, in case it matters. I believe it to be B, but obviously A is better. Anybody have a solution to this?

[KillianHawkeye]

A 435

The duration would be 10 hours, because the Caster Level is not set until you actually cast the spell.

The duration of an Extended Mage Armor is 2 hours per Caster Level. During the casting of the spell, you use the gloves to increase your Caster Level for the spell from 3 to 5. At no point during the existence of the spell effect is your CL 3. You use the higher value of your CL for all purposes, including if somebody tries to dispel it. In other words, the spell does not know your natural caster level, only your effective caster level (with modifiers, if any) at the time you cast the spell.

[AvatarVecna]

Q436

If a prepared caster possesses the ability to cast spells spontaneously, they obviously count as having the ability to cast spell spontaneously, but do they count as being a spontaneous caster?

[Heliomance]

Re: A 428 Contention
Interesting find. We now have two rules to deal with, because the Improved Unarmed Strike feat says that you can deal only nonlethal damage with an unarmed strike unless you have the feat. The only way to make them not conflict is if the "Injury and Death" rule refers to an unarmed strike as modified by Improved Unarmed Strike.

I'd be inclined to invoke Primary vs Secondary, and say that the Normal: entry in IUS is simply a note for clarification, and while the feat text is the primary rule on what the feat does, it cannot be considered the primary rule for what happens without it - that is not its primary scope.

[jimthepocket]

Q437

Can a large PC use a small PC as an improvised weapon?

[Curmudgeon]

A 437

Yes, with the Fling Ally feat (Races of Stone).

[TheCrowing1432]

Q438

Can you dimensional lock a maze?

What happens when maze runs out and its still dimension locked?

[Curmudgeon]

A 438 Ask your DM.

Maze places one creature within a personal extradimensional labyrinth, whereas Dimensional Lock affects an area. To cast Dimensional Lock inside a Maze you would need to have line of effect there, which means you would necessarily have to be the creature trapped in the Maze. Your individual DM would have to decide where the creature ends up if they place themselves within a Dimensional Lock effect while trapped in a Maze.