Simple Q&A (By RAW) III

[Curmudgeon]

A 540

There is no hard rule for this. I would assume it depends on the item itself, and its effect.

If the item replicates a spell that can be dismissed, it is a free action.

Edit: Curmudgeon, do you have a reference for that rule that I missed?

The basic rule is that activation and de-activation are both commands. An example from the flaming weapon special ability:

Flaming

Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given.

There's also a reference in the FAQ that all command word operations, including activation and deactivation, are the same standard action.

Since blink is a dismissible spell, you can use a standard action to deactivate the effect sooner if you like.

As a spell, Blink is freely dismissable. As a command word magic item, a Ring of Blinking requires a separate command to dismiss the effect.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 542 Correction

The skill checks, attack bonus, and HP will be modified by your new ability scores, instead of your old ones.

HP will not be modified by the changed constitution score, so it remains important what the original CON was. (You quoted the relevant part of the SRD yourself)

[Asmodeus]

A. 542 Correction



HP will not be modified by the changed constitution score, so it remains important what the original CON was. (You quoted the relevant part of the SRD yourself)

Typo on my part. I've corrected my original post.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

Typo on my part. I've corrected my original post.

I thought so.

[Velvet Elvis]

Q542 Cont.
Thanks Asmodeus. But what about the whole Con. thing. I keep reading that "only stats that matter to a Druid are Wis. and Con., thanks to the errata". What are these people referring too? Why is Con a big deal if I take the Con of the new shape?

Check this thread's post #1 for consolidated info and the thread, as a whole, for various relevant crosslinks to other related concepts regarding wild shaping:

Here

[The J Pizzel]

Asmodeus, Elvis, and Silvanos - thanks for clearing all that up. It was important to me because I had made Con my dump stat thinking when I wildshaped my HP would go up. Now I know it doens't. You guys all rock!!

ps - that link really helped Elvis. Thanks.

[The J Pizzel]

Q543
When using a "Hammersphere" (MIC pg 161) is says it "functions as a spiritual weapon except that it deals 3d6 points of damage..." My question is, does it still use the BAB of the person who summoned it (aka, used the item)? The spell uses the BAB of the caster. However, no one is casting this. It's an item. So, please explain how this would work.

pizzel

[brian c]

Q543
When using a "Hammersphere" (MIC pg 161) is says it "functions as a spiritual weapon except that it deals 3d6 points of damage..." My question is, does it still use the BAB of the person who summoned it (aka, used the item)? The spell uses the BAB of the caster. However, no one is casting this. It's an item. So, please explain how this would work.

pizzel

A. 543

As is usually the case with magic items, it uses the caster level of the person who made the item. Every magic item had to be made by someone, and if you don't know who made it then it's almost always at the minimum caster level.

Now, since it uses BAB of the caster, a bit more difficult. Spiritual Weapon is a 2nd level cleric spell, so the minimum level of the cleric to cast it is 3rd. A 3rd level cleric has BAB +2, so that's what I would go with.

[Rad]

A. 543
Now, since it uses BAB of the caster, a bit more difficult. Spiritual Weapon is a 2nd level cleric spell, so the minimum level of the cleric to cast it is 3rd. A 3rd level cleric has BAB +2, so that's what I would go with.

Spiritual weapon never does 3d6 (unless you picked your deity in a very weird custom set) so I would rule that the hammersphere has a minimum CL higher than 3. It should be stated explicitedly in the item description.

On a side note, this has the unfortunate effect of making the item useless almost always since 3/4 CL as AB, with no way to affect it by any mean, is not going to hit often, so the item is cooler than it's useful.

[Gralamin]

A. 543

As is usually the case with magic items, it uses the caster level of the person who made the item. Every magic item had to be made by someone, and if you don't know who made it then it's almost always at the minimum caster level.

Now, since it uses BAB of the caster, a bit more difficult. Spiritual Weapon is a 2nd level cleric spell, so the minimum level of the cleric to cast it is 3rd. A 3rd level cleric has BAB +2, so that's what I would go with.

A. 543 Correction

According to MIC Hammersphere was created by a 7th level caster, because of this it has a BAB of +5.
Due to it requiring greater magic weapon, we know the caster had a Wisdom of at least 14. We can Conclude it will likely have a +7 to hit.
Edit: according to the DMG, a Cleric 7 will have a Wis of 16. This means it likely has a +8 to hit.

[Zen Master]

Q. 544

I'm bothered about something concerning druids. See, as far as the rules go, I get special attacks but not special qualities etc.

Hence, I get constrict or poison. I'd say I also get stuff like trip or improved grab.

I do not however, as I read the rules, get scent, blindsight or skill bonuses.

So in other words, if I shapechange into a bat, I will be blind. If I change into a wolf, I gain the use of its jaws to trip opponents, but not its nose to follow scent. If I change into an eagle, I do not get its keen eyesight, but keep my weak druid eyes instead.

Is all of this correctly understood?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 544

Yes.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Re: 544

Except that bats are not blind. They have just fine eyesight. The blindsight is just to get around in total darkness or similar conditions.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Q 545
There are a few spells and items that operate on a range of "anywhere on the same plane of existence". Are items in bags of holding and similar extra-dimensional pockets considered "on the same plane of existence" as the plane onto which those pockets open?

[Asmodeus]

Q 545
There are a few spells and items that operate on a range of "anywhere on the same plane of existence". Are items in bags of holding and similar extra-dimensional pockets considered "on the same plane of existence" as the plane onto which those pockets open?

A 545

Afraid not. Extra-dimentional pockets are in a different plane.

[Alveanerle]

Q. 546
Would empowered searing scorching ray memorized by a caster with metamagic school focus (evocation) and arcane thesis (scorching ray) be able to pass through globe of invulnerability, lesser?

Q. 547
Globes
A. If an invisible magician casts a globe of invulnerability, is the effect, "an immobile, faintly shimmering magical sphere", visible?

B. The sphere is immobile, so is created at the place of casting and stays there, no matter where the caster moves, right? Or does it mean that it is immobile in a sense that it travels with the caster and cannot be parted from him?

C. Can a ray pass through the globe of invulnerability and affect target on the opposite side?

[Jasdoif]

A546 probably

I'm not familiar with metamagic school focus. However, an empowered searing scorching ray is still a 2nd level spell, even though it takes up a higher slot. You'd need to increase the effective spell level to 4th or higher, by using Heighten Spell or similar if metamagic school focus doesn't do so, in order to bypass the lesser globe.

A547

A. Since shimmering is a visual effect, yes, it's visible.

B. The sphere is immobile. The description does not state that the effect follows you. In fact, the description explicitly states that you can leave can reenter the sphere, which would be impossible to do if the sphere was attached to you. (See antimagic field for a sphere that moves with you.)

C. Yes. The description states that areas inside the sphere remain unaffected by the spells; and goes on to state that spells can be freely cast through or out of the sphere.

[Seffbasilisk]

Q. 548 Can you tumble on a charge? Aiming to charge a size large creature, and was considering tumbling through the first 5ft of it's reach to avoid AoO's. Is that possible?

[Asmodeus]

Q. 548 Can you tumble on a charge? Aiming to charge a size large creature, and was considering tumbling through the first 5ft of it's reach to avoid AoO's. Is that possible?

A. 548

Not by the RAW. According to the Tumble skill, you can only use it as part of a normal movement action.

If your DM is accommodating, you might get him to allow a Feat like the Leap Attack feat (allows you to Jump during a charge), and use the tumble skill instead. But that would be a house rule.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 548 Counter Opinion

Tumbling is part of movement.

The description of tumble does not specify that you can only tumble as part of a move action.
The reference to the move action is in the explaining part of the sentence.

Action: Not applicable. Tumbling is part of movement, so a Tumble check is part of a move action.

Charge requires that you pass through no square that slows movement.
Tumbling is what slows movement and not the square itself, but a strong case for requiring that you tumble at full speed does not seem inappropriate considering this.

[Asmodeus]

Counter-Counter-Opinion

Tumble DC Task
15 Treat a fall as if it were 10 feet shorter than it really is when determining damage.
15 Tumble at one-half speed as part of normal movement, provoking no attacks of opportunity while doing so. Failure means you provoke attacks of opportunity normally. Check separately for each opponent you move past, in the order in which you pass them (player’s choice of order in case of a tie). Each additional enemy after the first adds +2 to the Tumble DC.
25 Tumble at one-half speed through an area occupied by an enemy (over, under, or around the opponent) as part of normal movement, provoking no attacks of opportunity while doing so. Failure means you stop before entering the enemy-occupied area and provoke an attack of opportunity from that enemy. Check separately for each opponent. Each additional enemy after the first adds +2 to the Tumble DC.

Note the highlighted parts of the skill description all specify that it is to be used as part of a NORMAL movement. Not as part of a charging movement. I recall several debates about what a Normal Movement is, when related to Quick Draw, which typically concluded that a Normal Movement is only a movement up to your speed, as part of a move action.

Mostly, defining a Normal Movement is left up to the DM. Perosnally, I like my previous suggestion of adding a Feat that allows a tumbling charge.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

A 545

Afraid not. Extra-dimentional pockets are in a different plane.

Thanks... but in that case I have another question:

Q 549
Which plane of existence are extra-dimensional pockets in?

[Belkarseviltwin]

A.549
They're basically demiplanes off the Astral Plane. However, even on the Astral Plane you're not "on the same plane as" something in an extradimensional space- though you obviously are if you are inside that space yourself.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Ta!
A related question...

Q 550
In the DMG it specifically mentions the dangers of putting bags of holding in portable holes, and vice versa. There is, however, no mention of any danger from putting a bag of holding in another bag of holding.
Does this mean you could fully load 4 Type IV bags (containing 1500 lb each, but now weighing only 60 lb each) and put them all in a Type I bag (which can hold up to 250 lb)?

[Asmodeus]

Q 551

Handle Animal can be used to teach an animal tricks.

Suppose a Grey Render became attached to a PC, and the PC decided to train it for combat. What would the DC be for that?

Would 'rearing an animal' be required first?

[Awetugiw]

A 551.
Handle animal can only be used on animals and other creatures with an int of 1 or 2. A Gray Render has an int of 3, and thus cannot be handled as an animal.

-Edit: oops, typo.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 550

The RAW does not directly prevent this.

[Asmodeus]

A 551.
Handle animal can only be used on animals and other creatures with an int of 1 or 2. A Gray Render has an int of 3, and thus cannot be handled as an animal.

-Edit: oops, typo.

Got a reference for that?

Edit: nevermind, i found it.

[Jasdoif]

A548 more opinion!

I concur with the Popcorn Tyrant here. Tumbling doesn't require a separate action, it simply requires a check as part of the movement. It's worth noting that the FAQ states that you can make a Jump check as part of a charge, and Jump's action line is very similar to Tumble's:

Jump
...
Action: None. A Jump check is included in your movement, so it is part of a move action.

Tumble
...
Action: Not applicable. Tumbling is part of movement, so a Tumble check is part of a move action.

Not identical, but I think close enough for the sake of this situation.

I also concur that you will be forced to tumble at full speed and take the corresponding penalty, since reducing your speed counts as something that hinders your movement and would thus prevent the charge.


Note that you could not use Tumble to charge through an occupied square, since Tumble does nothing to alleviate the requirement that no square you charge through has a creature in it.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

Counter-Counter-Opinion

Note the highlighted parts of the skill description all specify that it is to be used as part of a NORMAL movement. Not as part of a charging movement. I recall several debates about what a Normal Movement is, when related to Quick Draw, which typically concluded that a Normal Movement is only a movement up to your speed, as part of a move action.

Mostly, defining a Normal Movement is left up to the DM. Perosnally, I like my previous suggestion of adding a Feat that allows a tumbling charge.

But the point is that there is no distinction between charging movement and move move-action movement and both kinds allow you to move up to your speed.

IMHO "normal" seems to exclude non-standard modes of movement like swimming, climbing or crawling (assuming you do not have a listed speed for these kinds of movement).