Simple RAW thread for 3.5 #31. By now, your question has probably been answered.

[Andezzar]

A 637

Yes. Prerequisites do not care about sides. Nor do the gestalt rules, beyond not allowing PRCs on both sides of the same level. However a Druid//MoMF level is exactly the same as a MoMF//Druid level.

[Troacctid]

Q 634 : Is is possible to, rules as written, use any of the following combinations on a ranger?

Mystic and Wild Shape.

Mystic and Fang Shields.

Mystic and that Dungeonscape one that let's you replace Track with Trap Finding.

Unclear. The rules are silent on whether variant classes can use alternative class features and substitution levels intended for the standard class. Ask your DM.

Wild Shape and that Dungeonscape one that let's you replace Track with Trap Finding.

Fang Shields and that Dungeonscape one that let's you replace Track with Trap Finding.

Yes.

Fang Sheilds and Wild Shape.

Yes, but only if you don't take the 2nd level substitution. You cannot replace your combat style twice.

Q 635: Is there a Prestige Class that would allow someone to advance Druid Spell Casting, Wild Shaping and Cleric Spell Casting? (Bonus points if it happens to also advance animal companion and/or wild empathy, but not required. )

No.

Q 636: If someone has a gestalt build using Druid//Wildshape Ranger, can they burn Wildshape Ranger Wildshape uses per day to fuel Druid Wildshaping?

When a gestalt character's two classes have a class feature common to both classes, she uses only the better version, so the ranger's wild shape ability will be redundant. So, no.

Q 637: If a Gestalt build has Druid//Mystic Ranger and qualifies for Master of Many Forms (That Wild Shape Focused Prestige Class, I think in complete adventurer.) on the druid side, can they take there levels in it on the ranger side instead RAW?

There are no "sides" in gestalt. You pick two classes at each level and combine them as per the gestalt rules. She can choose the class as one of her two, and choose any other base class as the other.

[Darrin]

Q 630

Shadow Cloak from Drow of the Underdark - "If you are attacked, you can use the cloak three times per day to produce one or the other of the following effects."

What does "attacked" mean?

A. 630

This may require some interpretation, as the PHB defines "attack" in multiple places. First, the combat rules defines "attack" as various types of actions (standard, full, charge, etc.). The glossary also provides a definition:

"attack: Any of numerous actions intended to harm, disable, or neutralize an opponent. The outcome of an attack is determined by an attack roll."

As you are no doubt aware, there are many, many other ways to "attack" a creature that doesn't involve an attack roll. Area spells, magic missile, and so forth. The invisibility spell has a much broader definition of what constitutes an "attack", and is probably the best way to adjudicate what happens with the Shadow Cloak. Indirect attacks might not count, but the DM may have to rule in those situations as they come up. (There may be a more definitive list of what constitutes an "indirect attack", but the only one I can recall is summoning a monster to attack for you.)

Planning to make an attack roll?

There is no "planning" to make an attack roll. If you want to interrupt with an immediate action, then the attack roll happens first, you announce the immediate action, and the immediate action takes effect before the action that triggered it. Yes, it does sound completely stupid to do it that way, but that's the way the rules are written:

"Immediate: (Spell/Ability Keyword and Action Type) A type of swift action (see that entry, below) that a creature may trigger instantly at any time, even when it is not its turn. This action may interrupt other actions, taking effect just before they do. The last immediate action declared takes place first."

Stack order for immediate actions is LIFO ("Last In, First Out"). Odd tangent: This "interrupt" effect of immediate actions is only mentioned in one place... the Miniatures Handbook p. 121. You'd think they would have reprinted that somewhere... huh.

Is the attack wasted if I teleport out of the way?

This may also require some adjudication from the DM. If it's a melee attack and you teleport out of the melee range of the attacker, yes. If you're still within range (reach weapon, whip attack, really long tentacle, etc.) then the DM might rule that the attacker can still attack you at your new position. If it's a ranged attack or an area effect, and you're still within range of the effect without any intervening cover, you're most likely still going to get hit.

If the creature has all its actions, plans to attack as a full round action (or a standard action), if I move out of the way can it move/make a 5 foot step and still attack if it has reach?

After a creature makes its first attack roll, it can always decide to stop attacking and do something else with their remaining actions. A 5' step can be taken in between attacks, so yes, the first melee attack after you *BAMF* away could miss, then your enemy takes a 5' step towards you and if you're within reach continue to make iterative attacks. The key point for melee attacks is if your attacker has done any movement to get into melee range, that movement ENDS before he decides to attack, and before you decide to *BAMF*. If you *BAMF* away, a melee attacker can't decide to keep moving to get closer to you, even if he still had movement left. Likewise, if your attacker charged and you *BAMF* away, the charge is wasted and (hopefully) he has nothing to attack within range.

But wait, you say... if you can use a 5' step whenever (the rules list it as a "non-action", whatever that is), can't my attacker use it just after I *BAMF* but before he makes his first attack? I'd probably say no, because the attacker already stated he was going to attack, and there's nothing in the description of 5' steps that says that you can use it to interrupt your own actions. So the 5' step would have to happen after his first attack, because that's the first opportunity your attacker gets to respond to your *BAMF*.

What about ranged attacks?

DM's call. I'd say the first ranged attack misses, but subsequent ranged attacks could target your new location, if there's still LOS to your new position. Other DM's might rule that the archer sees you disappear and reappear somewhere else, and just sends all his arrows to your new location.

What about spells, are they wasted?

This depends a great deal on the spell. Magic missile, for example, autohits, so I'd say if you were still in the spell range and the caster has LOS, you still get hit. Area effects like fireball, you'd have to teleport outside the area of effect. For something like charm person or doom, where there's no attack roll... I'd probably allow the spell to work if the caster still has LOS.

Can I evade spells that require line of sight, but not an attack roll?

If you manage to teleport behind full cover, I'd probably say the spell misses or fizzles with no target.

[Morcleon]

Q631: The SRD states that deities of rank 1 or higher are immune to disintegration. Does this make them immune to the entirety of the disintegrate spell, or just the dusting when hitting 0 HP?

Deities of rank 1 or higher are immune to disease and poison, stunning, sleep, paralysis, and death effects, and disintegration.

[St Fan]

A 631
Immunity to an effect covers all of said effect, not part of it. A rank 1 deity would get no damage from a Disintegrate spell.

Q 632
The Planar Wizard substitution levels from the Planar Handbook allow Planar Spellcasting, which gives the alignment descriptor of the caster's choice to wizard spells.

It describes what happens when you use on a spell which has already the same alignment descriptor, making it more powerful. However, there's no word about what happen if you try giving the opposite alignment to a spell already having a descriptor. Is there any rule about it? Does the spell gets both alignment, do they counter each other, does it simply not work...?

[Andezzar]

A 631 Contention

A 631
Immunity to an effect covers all of said effect, not part of it. A rank 1 deity would get no damage from a Disintegrate spell.

The effect that the deity is immune to is disintegration, not (the) Disintergate (spell). The spell has several possible effects:2d6/caster level damage on a failed save, 5d6 damage on a successful save and disintegration if either damage reduces the target to 0 or fewer HP.
Rank 1 deities only ignore the disintegration effect. So you will end up with a deity's corpse instead of a pile of sand.

A 632

First of all spells don't have alignments, they may have alignment descriptors though. There is no rule against a spell having two "opposing" descriptors, so the spell simply has both. The wizard gets the +1 bonus against creatures opposed to either descriptor.

[zergling.exe]

Last two questions are 638 and 639, next question is 640

[Huldaerus]

Q640

Does a Wall of Fire only burns to one side and not the other?

[Andezzar]

A 640

From on side you can go right up to the wall without being burned, from the other side you are burned as soon as you come within 20 ft. Passing through the wall burns you no matter from which side you go through

[GeminiVeil]

Q641 Are spells that appear only in cleric domains (such as Armor of Darkness, SPC pg 15) considered 'cleric spells'?

Q642 I'm a little confused on the wording of the Miracle spell when it says "Duplicate any cleric spell of 8th level or lower (including spells to which you have access because of your domains)."
Does this mean me specifically, so I can only Miracle from my own domains? Or does this mean me as a cleric, and that I can Miracle from domains I do not possess?

[Troacctid]

Q641 Are spells that appear only in cleric domains (such as Armor of Darkness, SPC pg 15) considered 'cleric spells'?

No.

Q642 I'm a little confused on the wording of the Miracle spell when it says "Duplicate any cleric spell of 8th level or lower (including spells to which you have access because of your domains)."
Does this mean me specifically, so I can only Miracle from my own domains? Or does this mean me as a cleric, and that I can Miracle from domains I do not possess?

You specifically.

[Astralia123]

Q 643 Since when did this rule disappear, that "An attacker cannot damage a magic weapon that has an enhancement bonus unless etc."?
It is still there in 3.5 DMG, but not in d20srd.org . Currently it is like, "Hardness and Hit Points
Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to a weapon’s or shield’s hardness and +10 to its hit points."


I doubt anything but RAW can change published rules in Player's Handbook, though.

Hardness and Hit Points: An attacker cannot damage a magic
weapon that has an enhancement bonus unless his own weapon
has at least as high an enhancement bonus as the weapon or shield
struck. Each +1 of enhancement bonus also adds 1 to the weapon’s
or shield’s hardness and hit points. (See Table 8–8, page 158 of the
Player’s Handbook, for common weapon hardnesses and hit points.)

From DMG 3.5 Edition.

Hardness and Hit Points
Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to a weapon’s or shield’s hardness and +10 to its hit points.

From http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicWeapons.htm .

[dnscodcs]

Q 644

This is concerning hit dice when leveling up: Is there a rule against having "too bad" hit dice rolls consecutively?

In my case I'm playing a lv4 barbarian who has rolled a 1 on the hit die for every level so far, if this continues I might aswell reroll a wizard and probably end up with more hp...

Alternatively if there isn't a rule is there a way for me to change my previous hit dice rolls through ingame magic/items/quests etc.?

I know that the DM can think up quests for redistributing parts of your ability score/s but is the same thing true for hit dice?

[Andezzar]

A 644

There is no rule against having bad rolls, that's just tough luck. there is however a variant rule saying you get half of the maximum +1 +CON modifier (so 7+CON modifier for D12s) every time. Unfortunately I don't remember where it is from.

The only way to get a "reroll" I can think of is losing levels (death/resurrection, level drain etc.) and leveling up again.

[Scorponok]

Q 645

In the Staffs section of the d20srd site, it lists what spells you can cast with certain staffs.
Are these spells per day? (I'm guessing yes, or else they are ridiculously expensive.)
Also, if a sorcerer did not pick Charm Person as one of their spells known, but came across a Staff of Charming, could they still cast the spell?

[zergling.exe]

A 645

Staves have 50 charges when created and each spell uses a number of charges each time you cast thiem. Otherwise they are (mostly) identical to wands.

[Troacctid]

Q 645

In the Staffs section of the d20srd site, it lists what spells you can cast with certain staffs.
Are these spells per day? (I'm guessing yes, or else they are ridiculously expensive.)

No. The spells can be cast from the staff any number of times per day as long as the staff has charges remaining. Like a wand, a staff is created with 50 charges, and casting spells from it consumes charges.

Also, if a sorcerer did not pick Charm Person as one of their spells known, but came across a Staff of Charming, could they still cast the spell?

Yes. Staffs are spell trigger items, and anyone with a spell on her class spell list knows how to use a spell trigger item of that spell.

[Huldaerus]

Q 646

Is there any spell that let me change the appearance of others? Like a disguise self but with a creature touched as target.

[Darrin]

Q 646

Is there any spell that let me change the appearance of others? Like a disguise self but with a creature touched as target.

A. 646

Yes. Normally, the only type of illusion that can be cast over a creature to alter it's appearance is a glamer. However, most glamers only affect the caster or don't change appearances (outside of invisibility). In the Core rules, seeming and veil can be cast on other creatures, but is usually unavailable at lower levels. For a lower-level spell, try deceptive facade from Complete Mage p. 102.

[KillianHawkeye]

Q 643 Since when did this rule disappear, that "An attacker cannot damage a magic weapon that has an enhancement bonus unless etc."?
It is still there in 3.5 DMG, but not in d20srd.org . Currently it is like, "Hardness and Hit Points
Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to a weapon’s or shield’s hardness and +10 to its hit points."

A 643

The rule was changed via official errata. The version you found in the online SRD is complete and correct.

[ComaVision]

Q647

Does the Shadow Cloak (DoTU) only trigger on an attack roll? If not, how is an attack defined?

[Troacctid]

Q647

Does the Shadow Cloak (DoTU) only trigger on an attack roll? If not, how is an attack defined?

It doesn't trigger, it's activated—but yes, someone needs to be attacking you, i.e. making an attack roll against you.

Side note, the official abbreviation for Drow of the Underdark is DrU, not DotU.

[Darrin]

Q647

Does the Shadow Cloak (DoTU) only trigger on an attack roll? If not, how is an attack defined?

A. 647

See Answer A. 630 above.

[Scorponok]

No. The spells can be cast from the staff any number of times per day as long as the staff has charges remaining. Like a wand, a staff is created with 50 charges, and casting spells from it consumes charges.


Yes. Staffs are spell trigger items, and anyone with a spell on her class spell list knows how to use a spell trigger item of that spell.

Q645 (continued)
Hmm, ok, then here is where it gets confusing. Staff of Abjuration lists the following:

Shield (1 charge)
Resist energy (1 charge)
Dispel magic (1 charge)
Lesser globe of invulnerability (2 charges)
Dismissal (2 charges)
Repulsion (3 charges)

Is this 50 charges of each spell in total and only two charges of Dismissal can be used per day?

[Andezzar]

A 645

No, the staff has 50 charges in total, some spells consume one of those, the others two or three. So you could only cast Dismissal 25 times for example. When you cast those spells is irrelevant as long as you have the required action.

[Afgncaap5]

Q 648

Does the Child of Shadow stance from Tome of Battle confer its concealment to someone who teleports?

[Darrin]

Q 648

Does the Child of Shadow stance from Tome of Battle confer its concealment to someone who teleports?

A 648

This has come up before, usually with scouts trying to activate skirmish after a teleportation effect. The RAW as I understand it is teleport counts as movement for the purposes of skirmish, so YES, it should count here for the purposes of Child of Shadow.

However, there is not a clear consensus on RAW. In particular, Curmudgeon does not consider teleportation to count as movement. According to his interpretation, teleportation is instantaneously changing your location without movement. However, he relies on a dictionary definition to support this conclusion, and there are other definitions of "movement" that define it simply as a change in location. I don't agree with Curmudgeon here, as I don't see any particularly compelling reason to remove "instantaneous" methods of changing location from all the other non-instantaneous methods of changing your location.

[Dub_Fox]

Q#649: Is there a way to manipulate multiple extremely light weight items (deck of individual cards) with magic, in a rather effortless way (such as 0 level spells or skill check?) The visual representation/inspiration of what I am looking for would be along the lines of the Dealer from the "Hand of Fate" game. Right now I am looking for a way to without creating a new spell via DMG or making a homebrew use of a skill check (such as spellcraft or slight of hand)

[Thurbane]

A 649

Not certain this is a RAW answer, but I'm pretty sure this should be within the limits of what Prestidigitation can do.

[Eladrinblade]

Q 650

Can an arcane archer use their imbue arrow, seeker arrow, and/or phase arrow at the same time (an imbued phase arrow, for instance)?