Simple RAW Thread for 3.5: Score and Nine

[Andezzar]

A 305

Not sure what you are getting at. A ring of invisibility is a special case because the spell invisibility the item is based on stops working when you attack.

More general ways of turning continuously working items off is to take them off or to cast dispel magic (targeted dispel).

[St Fan]

Q 306
Can a Warshaper's Morphic Weapons ability can be used in conjunction with the psionic power Claws of the Beast to increase the damage to the larger category? If yes, does it affect both claws?

[bjoern]

A 305

Not sure what you are getting at. A ring of invisibility is a special case because the spell invisibility the item is based on stops working when you attack.

More general ways of turning continuously working items off is to take them off or to cast dispel magic (targeted dispel).

What I'm getting at is can you shut it off without attacking someone or taking it off. Is it dismissable? Some items take an action to activate, free, standard, or otherwise.

What I want to know is can I "will" my ring to turn it off without taking it off or attacking? What kind of action is takingnofff a ring anyway?

[Andezzar]

Generally continuous items provide their benefit continuously. You have to take them off to no longer be affected by them, as I said a ring of invisibility is a special case. Putting a ring away would most likely be a move action.

[Platymus Pus]

Q307 Is there a way to hide bodyheat with a spell so you cannot be seen while invisible?

[Chronos]

A 307:

What creature sees body heat?

In any event, if you're trying to hide from an animal or an undead creature, then the first-level spell Hide from Animals or Hide from Undead will work, as those block all senses. For other types, there's Superior Invisibility (Spell Compendium), which likewise blocks all senses.

Alternately, if you're willing to use something other than a spell, the Darkstalker feat will work if the heat vision is expressed as blindsight or blindsense.

[Telonius]

Q 308

Would a character with three levels of Reforged (Races of Eberron) qualify for any [Warforged] feats? Could they re-select any feats they'd "lost" getting the third level?

[Andezzar]

A 308

Generally yes. A Reforged does not cease to be a Warforged. However many of the [Warforged] feats require first level, a Reforged would not qualify for those.

[Dharack]

Q 309

Can I add armor spikes retroactively to my already forged and enchanted mithral full plate armor?

[Curmudgeon]

A 309 Yes.

Armor spikes are a weapon, not armor, and are crafted as such. Historically, the spikes were affixed to a leather harness and that harness was strapped over the armor.

[sakuuya]

Q 310

Do animal companions increase in size as they gain HD?

[Curmudgeon]

A 310 No.

An animal companion is different from a normal Animal of its kind in many ways. Their HD are gained as a class feature of their master, not through the normal advancement process. Only the normal advancement process includes an increase in size based on HD gain.

[bobthedragon]

311: If you cast shapechange followed by polymorph, can you effectively remain in your normal shape and size, while gaining all the supernatural and extraordinary abilities of pretty much anything?
(Looking for answers to mechanics, not responses of "Why bother?" or "Don't bother, polymorph is pointless when you have shapechange)

312: can you use metamagic item infusion from artificer to persist a schema of metamagic item?

[Man on Fire]

Q 313

Monk 2/Paladin 2 with feats Power Attack and Whirling Steel Strike is holding a longsword in two hands. Can she use Flurry of Blows with it. If yes do 1 1/2 STR bonus applies to those attacks. Can she apply Power Attack to it and if yes do the effects of power attack apply to entire flurry or just one attack?

[Andezzar]

A 313

Yes, that character can use a longsword wielded with both hands in the flurry, but he still only gets to add his STR bonus to the damage instead of 1.5*STR. He would however get the increased extra damage from Power Attack for wielding a one-handed weapon with two hands. As always the PA attack penalty and damage bonus applies until the start of his next turn.

[Curmudgeon]

A 311 No.

You gain the benefits of whatever magic was used to assume your shape, and any other magical shape-altering is irrelevant. Shapechange gives you the special abilities of the assumed form; Polymorph does not. If you assume a form with Shapechange and then assume a different form with Polymorph you've negated everything from the use of Shapechange (at least temporarily) and are limited by what Polymorph offers. The Shapechange spell (until it expires) provides a way to adopt a different form and make the Polymorph irrelevant instead. You can have either spell determine the form you take but (unless you get an extra body) you've only got one form at a time.

[Tarlek Flamehai]

A 306

Yes they stack, as to whether it applies to both claw attacks...ask your DM. The wording in Morphic Weapons is a bit vague. I would allow it but YMMV.

[Andezzar]

Q 314

What happens if a creature is hit with more ability damage/drain than it has of that ability? E.g. hitting a true dragon with 14 DEX damage? Is its DEX now 0 or -4?

Q 315

If an ally of the dragon cast Cat's Grace on it afterwards, would it be able to act again?

[Telonius]

A 314
An ability score can't go below zero. Getting a zero in an ability score incapacitates the creature:

Strength 0 means that the character cannot move at all. He lies helpless on the ground.
Dexterity 0 means that the character cannot move at all. He stands motionless, rigid, and helpless.
Constitution 0 means that the character is dead.
Intelligence 0 means that the character cannot think and is unconscious in a coma-like stupor, helpless.
Wisdom 0 means that the character is withdrawn into a deep sleep filled with nightmares, helpless.
Charisma 0 means that the character is withdrawn into a catatonic, coma-like stupor, helpless.
Keeping track of negative ability score points is never necessary. A character’s ability score can’t drop below 0.

[Mongrel]

Q316: I'm a little confused about the spell Control Winds. It says that you can alter wind patterns/strength in a certain area, and that by concentrating you can increase or decrease wind strength. My question is twofold:

a) The spell states "for every three caster levels, you can increase or decrease wind strength by one level" and then lists the various ranks of wind strength. Also, earlier it says "the new wind direction and strength persist until the spell ends or until you choose to alter your handiwork, which requires concentration." So is the "every three caster levels" thing about the limit of the strength that you can increase the wind to, or just the limit on the strength that it is increased to on casting? For example, if I were level 12 casting this spell I could make it go up four ranks max when I cast it. If I concentrate on the spell the next round, can I increase it further? Or does the "every three caster levels" restriction effectively cap it?

b) What action does it take to concentrate on the spell as mentioned in the above question? Standard?

[Curmudgeon]

A 316 a)

The text is plain; you adjust wind speed up or down, relative to the prevailing weather, by CL/3 steps. The table in the spell description lists only those speeds fast enough to have significant in-game effect. You can see the full table of wind speeds and effects here; the "Wind Effect on Creatures" column lists "None" for slower winds. Further concentration is required to maintain the effect, and does not allow exceeding the CL/3 maximum.

A 316 b) A standard action.

[Baphomet]

Q 317

Robilar's Gambit allows you to make an attack of opportunity when someone attacks you, but unlike Karmic Strike it doesn't require that the creature be in your threatened area. What happens if, say, you activate Robilar's Gambit and then are attacked by someone 15 feet away who is using a spiked chain, while you have a shortsword? What if you have a bow instead?

[Andezzar]

A 317

You cannot take the attack if you are not in range.

In return, they provoke attacks of opportunity from you each time they swing. Resolve your attack of opportunity after your foe's attack.

Provoking an AoO is not the same as being allowed to make an AoO. An AoO is still a melee attack. To perform it you must have enough reach to get to the target.

Think about it this way. Casting a spell always provokes an AoO (unless quickened), but if no one is in range to attack, the caster is not in any danger.

You cannot make AoOs with ranged weapons.

[Afgncaap5]

Q 318

What sort of damage is "drowning" damage? It says that on the first turn you have 0 hp, and that after that you're dying at -1, and then after that you're dead, but I can't see anything that says what kind of damage it is.

My assumption is that it's nonlethal, but I'd like to know if there's an official rule out there somewhere.

[Chronos]

A 318:

It's not damage at all; it just sets your HP directly to those values. It would be particularly difficult to characterize it as nonlethal, given that it kills you.

[Platymus Pus]

Q319: Is there a cheap way to negate entangle for more than a round that isn't freedom of movement, it's need to be ground speed

[Baphomet]

Thanks, Andezzar. One more.

Q 320:

More of a general question than a specific one, what happens if you have two abilities that both replace the same thing? For example, a feat that replaces the Dexterity bonus to AC with the Constitution bonus, and a class ability that replaces the Dexterity bonus to AC with the Wisdom bonus?

[Andezzar]

A 320

If two different things replace one thing, you can only do it once because as soon as you have replaced the thing with option A, the original thing does not exist any more. An example for such situation would be the Barbarian ACFs Spell Sense and Wasteland Trap Sense. Both replace Trap Sense, so once either is chosen the other cannot be chosen because there is no trap sense to be replaced.

More specifically though to your example, I'm not aware of abilities that replace the DEX bonus to AC with the CON or WIS bonus. Fist of the Forest adds the CON bonus to the AC and monk or swordsage (and probably some other classes) add the WIS bonus to the AC. So they both apply.

[Baphomet]

Ehn, I was basically just seeing if that was covered in the rules somewhere, because I was doing a homebrew where it might come up. From your answer, though, it sounds like whichever effect took place second wouldn't have any effect since there's nothing to replace anymore. Thanks.

Last thing I'ma do is repost a question from a few pages back because it never got answered.

Q 198:

The DC of the caster level check in the nondetection spell is variable based on the way it was cast. It is 15 + caster level if cast on yourself or an object in your possession, and 11 + caster level otherwise. Which formula are you supposed to use for creatures who have the effects of a nondetection spell from a creature special quality or class feature? For example, the traits for Abominations include "abominations resist detection, and are all treated as if affected by a nondetection spell of a caster level equal to the abomination’s HD".

Made even more confusing because I just looked at Amulet of Proof Against Detection and Location, which has this gem:

This silver amulet protects the wearer from scrying and magical location just as a nondetection spell does. If a divination spell is attempted against the wearer, the caster of the divination must succeed on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against a DC of 19 (as if the caster had cast nondetection on herself ).

Moderate abjuration; CL 8th; Craft Wondrous Item, nondetection; Price 35,000 gp.

Emphasis mine. I should probably just take the fact that the DC isn't 23 as another sign that Wizard's doesn't proofread their examples, but I thought I'd add that in there in case there's something else at work here that I'm missing.

[Jowgen]

Q 321

The Girlde of Hate from Dragon Compendium "doubles all bonuses the wearer gains against the chosen racial or favored enemy". Does this in any way interact with the feat Favored Power Attack?