Simple RAW Thread for 3.5 #33: Doesn't everything popular die when 33?

[Afgncaap5]

Q 33

A) Does the Acrobatic Recovery ability of the Combat Acrobat feat (PH2) work against trip attempts? It says that you can make it against "an effect that causes you to fall prone" while the definition of tripped at the SRD says "A tripped character is prone." This is probably an unnecessary hair for me to split, but I like being certain; Is "is prone" the same as "caused to fall prone", basically. [As a DM I'd definitely let a player use that definition, but, as I said above, I like bein' sure.]

B) Assuming the answer to A is correct and given the 9 ranks in Balance already required, does this make a character who can manage a +11 bonus to Balance checks by virtue of feats, items, and the like more or less untrippable? (Barring things like enemies using spells or teamwork to impose negatives, of course.)

[Kaleph]

A 33

Yes and yes.

[Yael]

Q34
Sun Devotion states

...
The illumination radius is the same as that of a torch, but the light is true sunlight and affects creatures within a 10-foot radius as such. This effect lasts for 1 minute.
...

Per its wording, it is true sunlight, should it affect undead with sun vulnerabilities as Vampires as if it were natural sunlight?

[Kaleph]

A34
Unfortunately true sunlight is nowhere defined, so one can only assume by RAI that it works exactly as you mention.

PS: your Quote is from Complete Champion.

[Yael]

PS: your Quote is from Complete Champion.

Fixed for future reviews.
Thanks.

[Niwrad]

Q 35

Can a bag containing 10 flasks of alchemist fire be thrown all at once as an improvised weapon, dealing 10x the damage of a normal flask of alchemist fire?

[Hish]

A35

Not by RAW, no.

[WhamBamSam]

Q36 If a poison deals flat damage to an ability score (as opposed to or alongside dice of damage) is that multiplied on a critical hit or similar?

Q37 The weapon rules say this with regard to inappropriately sized weapons.

Inappropriately Sized Weapons
A creature can’t make optimum use of a weapon that isn’t properly sized for it. A cumulative -2 penalty applies on attack rolls for each size category of difference between the size of its intended wielder and the size of its actual wielder. If the creature isn’t proficient with the weapon a -4 nonproficiency penalty also applies.

The measure of how much effort it takes to use a weapon (whether the weapon is designated as a light, one-handed, or two-handed weapon for a particular wielder) is altered by one step for each size category of difference between the wielder’s size and the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed. If a weapon’s designation would be changed to something other than light, one-handed, or two-handed by this alteration, the creature can’t wield the weapon at all.

How does the latter part interact with the Powerful Build ability? Could a Goliath wield a light weapon designed for a Huge creature as a one-handed weapon or one designed for a Gargantuan creature as a two-handed weapon? What would the penalty on attack rolls be for doing so?

[Andezzar]

A 36

Yes. Only extra damage dice are not multiplied

A 37

It does not interact. Powerful build only modifies the use of weapons of one size and that is those that are one size larger than the Goliath. So unless the Goliath becomes large or huge the ability gives no benefit for wielding huge or gargantuan weapons.

[Debatra]

Q 38

Can a caster with the Shadow Weave Magic feat use Shadow Evocation or similar to emulate spells with the Light descriptor?

[Kaleph]

A 38
According to the description of Shadow evocation/invocation, it doesn't get the descriptor of the spell it's emulating, so RAW it's possible.

[Debatra]

Q 39

Is there any RAW way to get a Worg as an Animal Companion?

[Kaleph]

A 39

The leadership feat. It needs agreeing with your master about its advancement, though. There could be other ways, but none that I know.

[heavyfuel]

A34

"True sunlight" doesn't need to be defined. It's just a normal word (sunlight) preceded by an adjective (true). You don't need in game definitions of every single word.

So yes, it can be used to slay a vampire.


Q 40

Is there a way to Take 20 in Knowledge checks?

This isn't as obvious though. I remember a splat book that gave some character the ability to use a library to this effect and it took a pretty long time. (or I'm remembering wrong)

[unseenmage]

Q41
Would dwarven Stonecunning still detect a stone trapdoor if the stone trapdoor were an animated object? What if the entire building were an animated object?

[Hish]

A41
Yes and yes. Stone animated objects probably count either as "unusual stonework" or "something that isn't stone but is disguised as stone."

[ksbsnowowl]

Q13
Can a summoned Elysian Thrush (BoED) charge the Energy Transformation Field (SC) which summoned it with it's healing song Su ability?

If so how long does it have to sing before the ETF eats the ability and the bird has to start again?

The Elysian Thrush is from the Planar Handbook, not BoED.

A13: Yes, any Supernatural ability will be consumed by the ETF and fuel it. The ETF will consume the Supernatural song the moment the Elysian Thrush starts singing it (using the Thrush's standard action to start a Supernatural ability). The thrush could start singing again the very next round (and may try to, if it can notice that its song isn't functioning normally [maybe it sounds different without the magical component?]).

The times listed in the ability are times before the listeners gain any benefit; the supernatural song has been produced the entire time. In the case of the ETF, it would consume the magic the moment it is created, fueling the ETF with one spell level (due to the thrush's 1 hit die).

Q26

A vampire has a Dominate special attack. A vampire lord has a Domination special attack. Does the vampire becoming a vampire lord get a new Domination ability or does his Dominate attack become Domination?

A26: Addendum:

The Vampire Lord is a 3.0 prestige class (publish date of 2002). In 3.0 the base vampire's ability was called Domination; for some reason they changed the name to Dominate in 3.5. The discrepancy is merely an edition change oddity. Regardless, mattie_p's answer is absolutely correct.

[VoxRationis]

If you're hit multiple times during the same spell (as when a group of archers all have readied actions to fire at spellcasters), does the damage stack for a single Concentration check, or do you make multiple Concentration checks?
E.g.: If four archers fire at the same wizard, and do 3, 4, 4, and 5 damage respectively, does the wizard make one Concentration check at DC 26, or four checks at DC 13, 14, 14, and 15?

[Debatra]

Q 42 If you're hit multiple times during the same spell (as when a group of archers all have readied actions to fire at spellcasters), does the damage stack for a single Concentration check, or do you make multiple Concentration checks?
E.g.: If four archers fire at the same wizard, and do 3, 4, 4, and 5 damage respectively, does the wizard make one Concentration check at DC 26, or four checks at DC 13, 14, 14, and 15?

A 42 Multiple.

[VoxRationis]

Thank you. Shame, though.

[Thurbane]

Q 39

Is there any RAW way to get a Worg as an Animal Companion?

A 039 continued

Closest I can think of is the Beast Heart Adept PrC (Dungeonscape p.48), which can have a Worg as a Monstrous Companion. This is not an Animal Companion as such, but follows many of the same rules.

The Improved Familiar feat can also grant a Worg as a Familiar (CW, p.100).

Q 40

Is there a way to Take 20 in Knowledge checks?

This isn't as obvious though. I remember a splat book that gave some character the ability to use a library to this effect and it took a pretty long time. (or I'm remembering wrong)

A 040 partial

The only reference I can currently find on taking 20 on Knowledge checks is Astral Caravan, which specifically calls out that you cannot take 20 on your Knowledge (the planes) check.

This could be interpreted as saying that on other checks such a stipulation does not apply, but I hesitate to call that RAW.

[Kaleph]

A 40 addendum

Knowledge allows no retry, while taking 20 implies multuple uses of the same ability - this is another clue to rule this option out for knowledge checks.

[mattie_p]

Q 40

Is there a way to Take 20 in Knowledge checks?

This isn't as obvious though. I remember a splat book that gave some character the ability to use a library to this effect and it took a pretty long time. (or I'm remembering wrong)

A 40: Yes. According to this nifty guide I just found.

The Favored in Guild feat will permit this under limited circumstances.

[zlefin]

Q42

does raw have rules one way or the other on changing the base feats a monster has? (ie if you're not using advancement to give it extra HD, but are just changing its selection of feats, is that something you're not supposed to do, or are free to do, or is it unmentioned whether you should or not)

[KillianHawkeye]

A 42

You are free to alter the Feats that a monster has by virtue of its Hit Dice. The stat blocks simply show an example of a typical Feat selection for each creature. The exception is racial bonus feats, which are marked with a superscript B. These cannot be changed except through extraordinary means.

[Chester]

Q 43

Hello again:

Eberron Campaign Setting p. 13: "When using [Minor Shape Change] to create a disguise, a changeling receives a +10 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks."

SRD:

Spoiler: Disguise Self

Show

Disguise Self
Illusion (Glamer)
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1, Trickery 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level (D)
You make yourself—including clothing, armor, weapons, and equipment—look different. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller, thin, fat, or in between. You cannot change your body type. Otherwise, the extent of the apparent change is up to you. You could add or obscure a minor feature or look like an entirely different person.

The spell does not provide the abilities or mannerisms of the chosen form, nor does it alter the perceived tactile (touch) or audible (sound) properties of you or your equipment.

If you use this spell to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on the Disguise check.

A creature that interacts with the glamer gets a Will save to recognize it as an illusion.

Do the bonuses on a disguise check stack if you use both abilities at once?

For instance, let's say a changeling uses the Minor Shape Change ability to physically change his face, and he also uses Disguise Self to create the illusion of different clothing, etc. Is the bonus on the disguise check +10, or +20?

[Kaleph]

A 43

From the SRD: "Circumstance bonuses stack with all other bonuses, including other circumstance bonuses, unless they arise from essentially the same source."

Emphasis mine. Do you judge that minor shape change and disguise self are "essentially the same source"? I personally do, since combining the two effects gives the same result as using a single effect.

[Chester]

A 43

From the SRD: "Circumstance bonuses stack with all other bonuses, including other circumstance bonuses, unless they arise from essentially the same source."

Emphasis mine. Do you judge that minor shape change and disguise self are "essentially the same source"? I personally do, since combining the two effects gives the same result as using a single effect.

The thing is, the bonus from Disguise Self is not specified as a circumstance bonus. That's part of my uncertainty.

[Kaleph]

The thing is, the bonus from Disguise Self is not specified as a circumstance bonus. That's part of my uncertainty.

Yes, but minor disguise is, and therefore it won't stack.

Read the whole sentence. A circumstance bonus stacks with ANY (not only those flagged as "circustance") bonus, unless they do basically the same thing.

EDIT
Still, master's call (but in this case heavily biased).

[mattie_p]

Q 43: They do not stack.

Minor shape Change for changelings is a specific ability which specifies:

Changelings have the supernatural ability to alter their appearance as though using a disguise self spell

Emphasis mine. A source of bonus, even untyped, never stacks with itself (unless it explicitly says it does). The fact that the Changelings supernatural ability changes the bonus from untyped to circumstance doesn't change the source of disguise self .