Simple RAW Thread for 3.5: Score and Nine

[Jowgen]

A 043 minor clarification request

Do Sage FAQ's or the Dragon Mag Sage answers fit into this anywhere, or is their unreputability matched by their lack of influence?

[Curmudgeon]

A 043 clarification

Those answers are the personal opinions of people working for Wizards of the Coast, just like their Customer Service answers. No rule published by WotC gives them any greater status than the personal opinions of others.

[zergling.exe]

It appears I was too vague with my previous question, I should have asked what I meant to. I apologize.

Q 044

Does a Mindbender that has used its Dominate class feature on a Frenzied Berseker before they frenzy maintain full dominate control when they enter a frenzy? If so, does this get around the frenzy's requirement to attack nearby targets at all times?


Q 045

Do the Seul Arcanamach Ignore Spell Failure Chance and the Spellblades Ignore Spell Failure class feature's stack?

[heavyfuel]

A 45

Spellsword's ability is called "Ignore Spell Failure (Ex)" and the Arcanamach's is called "Ignore Spell Failure Change (Ex)". While very similar, they have different names and, therefore, are from different sources, so they stack.

[JDL]

Q 046

What penalties, if any, does an Elf incur by RAW for their 4 hour meditation or "trance" to rest each day? Can an Elf perform Spot or Listen checks during this trance, and if so at what penalty (if any)?

[Curmudgeon]

A 044 No.

Dominate (which operates as Dominate Person) gives commands, but does not change the views of the dominated creature. Frenzy has a requirement based on the Frenzied Berserker's viewpoint:

During a frenzy, the frenzied berserker must attack those she perceives as foes to the best of her ability. Should she run out of enemies before her frenzy expires, her rampage continues. She must then attack the nearest creature ...

Dominate could force the FB to enter a Frenzy on their next turn; or make a Will save to try to avoid entering a Frenzy; or make a Will save to try to end a Frenzy. No command will change the requirements of Frenzy (make the FB perceive friends as enemies, or vice-versa) while the FB is in it.

[Ruethgar]

Q 47

What is the spell level of the Spellpool class feature from Magic of Faerun? Was it ever delineated, is there a general rule that could cover it, or is there at least a similar spell or ability to switch spells that does have a spell level to base it on?

[TheSethGrey]

Q 48: How do Metamagic feats work? Do you apply them to spells when you cast them or pick out a single spell when you select the feat?

[eggynack]

A 48

Depends on the casting mechanic. Prepared casters apply metamagic to their spells as they prepare them at the beginning of the day. Spontaneous casters apply metamagic to their spells as they cast them, lengthening casting time to a full round action in the process. In neither case is there a limit to the number of spells you can apply the metamagic to, or to the amount of metamagic you can have on a given spell (as long as you can still cast the spell after the adjustment).

[Tarlek Flamehai]

A046 There is no crunch for elven trances in PHB, PHB II, DMG, DMG II, MM, FRCS, RoF, or RotW. Fall back and punt this one to your DM.

[Tarvus]

Is it cool to re-ask this if I didn't get an answer? I also tweaked the question a bit for clarity.

Q 26: Are there established rules for swimming in poisoned water, whether its been done normally or by effects such as the Venom Ooze's Corrupt Water or the spell Water to Poison?

[kkplx]

Q 49

If you're under the effect of Blink, do you have a 20% failure chance not just for your own spells, but also for spell completion and spell trigger items?

[Curmudgeon]

A 049 Yes.

Your own spells have a 20% chance to activate just as you go ethereal, in which case they typically do not affect the Material Plane.

Using items does not change this chance, because the time to complete or trigger a spell is a standard action: the same as the casting time for most spells, and also a longer period than the "very quickly and at random" plane changes associated with Blink.

[JDL]

A 26

Poisons come in four RAW varieties: contact, inhaled, ingested and injury.

When swimming in water or another liquid, it is reasonable to assume that any contact or inhaled poison will reliably force the character to make a save. If the character is able to safely avoid submerging their head underwater (avoid failing their swim check by 5 or more or are in water so shallow it does not go above their head) it is reasonable to assume they can avoid the effects of ingested poison. Injury poison by RAW must be delivered through a wound. Unless the character sustains damage when swimming, they would not be subject to injury poison.

A 49 additional

The Blink spell states the following:

"Your own attacks have a 20% miss chance, since you sometimes go ethereal just as you are about to strike."

"Your own spells have a 20% chance to activate just as you go ethereal, in which case they typically do not affect the Material Plane."

If your scroll or wand is not an attack or a spell that affects the material plane, it works normally. Otherwise, it has a 20% risk of failure. Note that this definition doesn't mean all spells fail, since some may not affect the material plane (for example, spells with Target: You).

[Crake]

Q50

Is casting an SLA a standard action, or does it use the casting time of the spell? I'm finding conflicting answers to this question, but it also makes some SLAs that are useful as immediate actions useless. The SRD on dandwiki says standard action, on d20srd.com it says same casting time as the spell. Normally I use d20srd over dandwiki, but upon checking the books, they all support dandwiki, and not d20srd.

Which is correct? And if the dandwiki one is, does that make SLAs of immediate actions useless?

A50

To answer my own question, rules compendium ammends the 1 standard action casting time to 1 standard action, or the spell's casting time, whichever is lower, so immediate action SLAs are still useful.

[Andezzar]

A 50

Technically dandwiki is correct, because the newest printing of the Core books overwrites everything in any previously published supplemental. However the RC does state:

Using a spell-like ability usually takes 1 standard action and provokes attacks of opportunity unless otherwise noted. If the spell-like ability duplicates a spell that has a casting time of less than 1 standard action, the spell-like ability has that casting time.

Note that it does not adjust the casting time for SLAs based on spells with a casting time longer than a standard action.

[Troacctid]

A 26 additional

According to Stormwrack page 12, inhaled poisons do not function underwater unless they specifically say otherwise.

[Andezzar]

Well dihydrogen monoxide is an inhalation poison in its own right. SCNR.

Q 51

What is the damage of a maximized empowered fireball (CL9)? 54+4d6 or 54+(9d6)/2? I always thought it is the former, but the rules say this:

An empowered, maximized spell gains the separate benefits of each feat: the maximum result plus one-half the normally rolled result.

The normally rolled result can only be halved after the dice have been rolled.

[Khedrac]

A 51 54+(9d6)/2 - as you said, that's that the rules say (it also flattens the distribution).

[FrznTear]

Q 52
How does the Crusader's steely resolve ability and the armor enchantment Retaliation[MIC pg 14] interact?
Does the damage that goes into the delayed damage pool count towards the 10 damage threshhold for the Retaliation armor to deal damage to the attacker?
What about when enough damage would have been dealt to the crusader to reduce it to lower than 0 but the damage pool results in that damage being taken later?

[Curmudgeon]

A 052

Steely Resolve's delayed damage pool delays when the Crusader takes damage. With Retaliation armor this would give the opponent a round between when they attack the Crusader for 10+ points and when they take 1d6 damage from Retaliation (or 3d6 if the Crusader drops to negative HP when they absorb the delayed damage). Steely Resolve has a provision to resolve special effects tied to an attack immediately, but Retaliation is not a special effect in the manner of energy drain or stun (conditions that affect the character on an ongoing basis).

[FrznTear]

Q 53
Following up question 52
If a Crusader wearing armor with the Retaliation enchantment with an empty steely resolve pool of maximum 10 takes 20 damage from a single melee attack would the attacker take 1d6 damage from the 10 damage that reduces the Crusader's actual hit points and then another 1d6 damage at the end of the Crusader's turn when the 10 from the pool reduces Crusader's hit points further?

[kkplx]

Q 54

If a mount is in the Island of Blades stance, does its rider profit from the flanking?

[Curmudgeon]

A 053 Yes.

While wearing retaliation armor, each time you take 10 or more points of damage from a single melee attack, the armor deals 1d6 points of damage to the attacker.

Normally you would only take damage one time from a single melee attack. In your scenario you would take it twice in halves.

A 054 Yes.

If your DM somehow allows a mount to have a martial stance (and the mount is friendly to its rider), the stance works as stated.

[Andezzar]

Q 55

Is there another class that provides fast progression cleric casting similar to the Ur-Priest?

Q 56

A) Is there a way to get a cleric to use CHA as casting stat?

B) Are there classes that use cleric casting (i.e. prepared divine casting from the entire cleric list) with CHA as casting stat

[Khedrac]

A 55 Partially yes - the Divine Crusader (from Complete Divine), but it only gives the accelerated progression for a single domain.

[Andezzar]

A 55 Partially yes - the Divine Crusader (from Complete Divine), but it only gives the accelerated progression for a single domain.

The various domain spells are not on the cleric list - at least not until the cleric picks that domain.

[Khedrac]

The various domain spells are not on the cleric list - at least not until the cleric picks that domain.

That would depend on the domain, for example the Healing domain spells are all on the cleric list. Anyway I did say "partial" as it only partly covered your question.

[Andezzar]

Q 57

A) Can you combine Hellfire Blast with Eldritch Glaive?

B) If A is true, how much CON damage does the warlock take if he has BAB 11?

[MilesTiden]

A57: No. Hellfire Blast is a separate SU ability, and thus takes a standard action to activate and is incompatible with any sort of Eldritch Blast modification, such as a Blast Shape (like Eldritch Glaive), an Eldritch Essence, or something like Eldritch Claws or Grappling Blast.