Simple RAW Thread for 3.5 #34: Mere mortal, not immortal, not starcrossed, anymore

[Tamior]

No. You are considered to be concentrating on an active spell for the entire duration of the spell. If you cease concentration at any time, the spell immediately ends.

Is this explicitly stated anywhere in the rules or in some official source? I've been searching core rules for quite some time now, but nothing concrete showed up.
This line (from srd):

The spell lasts as long as you concentrate on it. Concentrating to maintain a spell is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Anything that could break your concentration when casting a spell can also break your concentration while you’re maintaining one, causing the spell to end.

specifically says that "Concentrating to maintain a spell is a standard action", and it is not clear at all (to me, anyway) if "while you’re maintaining one" part should refer to the standard action that is mentioned right before it or to ANY time during the round.

[unseenmage]

Q450
What page on the DMG does it say that plants count as objects for spell effects?

[Troacctid]

Is this explicitly stated anywhere in the rules or in some official source? I've been searching core rules for quite some time now, but nothing concrete showed up.
This line (from srd):

specifically says that "Concentrating to maintain a spell is a standard action", and it is not clear at all (to me, anyway) if "while you’re maintaining one" part should refer to the standard action that is mentioned right before it or to ANY time during the round.

The passage you quoted would be sufficient by itself, as it establishes that the spell lasts only as long as you concentrate, and therefore ceasing to concentrate after the end of your turn would cause the spell to end. However, if you want an additional citation, the Actions in Combat section reiterates that concentration must be maintained continuously rather than intermittently.

[Blue Jay]

Is this explicitly stated anywhere in the rules or in some official source? I've been searching core rules for quite some time now, but nothing concrete showed up.
This line (from srd):

specifically says that "Concentrating to maintain a spell is a standard action", and it is not clear at all (to me, anyway) if "while you’re maintaining one" part should refer to the standard action that is mentioned right before it or to ANY time during the round.

A 449 (Addendum)

Troacctid has it right: it's any time during the round. The alternate reading you propose is internally inconsistent. The spell lasts only as long as the caster is concentrating on it, right? So, if the spell continues after his standard action is complete, then he must still be concentrating on it, otherwise, the spell would have ended when his standard action ended. And, if he's still concentrating on it outside of his one standard action, then it must be possible to disrupt his concentration outside of that one standard action.

[Tamior]

A 449 (Addendum)

Troacctid has it right: it's any time during the round. The alternate reading you propose is internally inconsistent. The spell lasts only as long as the caster is concentrating on it, right? So, if the spell continues after his standard action is complete, then he must still be concentrating on it, otherwise, the spell would have ended when his standard action ended. And, if he's still concentrating on it outside of his one standard action, then it must be possible to disrupt his concentration outside of that one standard action.

Thank you both for answers. I was also leaning to this kind of interpretation.
What irks me, however, it that it's never EXPLICITLY stated in RAW. I guess you kind of have to infer it from the minor inconsistencies this alternate reading brings?
Anyway, I would be very happy if someone could give me some official or semi-official source where this was at least used one way or the other (if it was never explicitly stated as a rule, that is).

[Thurbane]

Q 451

Question(s) about the Rod of Surprises (MIC p.58) - can it be enchanted with additional properties such as Everbright or Slow Burst? If yes, do these properties apply to all weapon forms of the rod?

[Tamior]

Q 452a
What exactly can you do with psionic Control Flames at manifester level 1?
Let's say an enemy has been hit with Alchemist’s Fire (or equivalent), or simply set on fire otherwise. Since that fire deals 1d6, does it means that lvl 1 psion can't do anything with that flame via Control Flames (as it's "too large")?
Or can a psion take under control a tiny bit of that flame, dealing flat 1 point of damage per round (+ a chance to set the target of fire)?


Q 452b
In this passage, what exactly does the bold part refer to?

An animated fire can enter any square, even if a creature already occupies it. If an animated fire enters a square occupied by a creature, that creature can make a Reflex save to get out of the way (DC 11 + the number of dice of damage the fire does + your Int modifier if you are a psion or your Cha modifier if you are a wilder). A successful Reflex save moves the creature to the nearest unoccupied square. The flames deal the indicated damage to any creature that is either on fire or surrounded by the flames (in the fire’s space); see the accompanying table).

As far as I understand a creature isn't "on fire" with the same fire that is being animated, even if they share space. And there is no way for a creature to be set on fire simply because your animated fire occupies the same space as the creature in the same turn as the fire moved, since that's' what happens at the start of your turn, not after the fire has been moved. So what exactly is the bold part referring to? A creature that has already been on fire BEFORE your animated fire moved?

Q 452c
In this passage:

At the start of your turn, the animated fire deals damage to any creature in its space, and the creature catches on fire unless it makes a Reflex save (DC as noted above).

which of the "above noticed DC" is it?
The DC 25 from the first paragraph or (DC 11 + the number of dice of damage the fire does + your Int modifier) from the third?


Q 452d
Can any creature be "set on fire" from interacting with a fire you control (both animated and the one you keeping)? I.e. can a skeleton be set on fire? A zombie? A wolf?
Or does it need to be naturally "flammable"?

[Troacctid]

Q 451

Question(s) about the Rod of Surprises (MIC p.58) - can it be enchanted with additional properties such as Everbright or Slow Burst? If yes, do these properties apply to all weapon forms of the rod?

DM discretion. RAW only gives express allowance to do that with Specific Weapons and Armor. Rod of surprises may be similar, but it isn't listed under that category. Strictly speaking, any upgrade to it would be under the purview of the custom item rules, which are very flexible, but require buy-in from the DM.

Q 452a
What exactly can you do with psionic Control Flames at manifester level 1?
Let's say an enemy has been hit with Alchemist’s Fire (or equivalent), or simply set on fire otherwise. Since that fire deals 1d6, does it means that lvl 1 psion can't do anything with that flame via Control Flames (as it's "too large")?
Or can a psion take under control a tiny bit of that flame, dealing flat 1 point of damage per round (+ a chance to set the target of fire)?

You cannot control it at all, as it is outside the size limit.

Q 452b
In this passage, what exactly does the bold part refer to?

As far as I understand a creature isn't "on fire" with the same fire that is being animated, even if they share space. And there is no way for a creature to be set on fire simply because your animated fire occupies the same space as the creature in the same turn as the fire moved, since that's' what happens at the start of your turn, not after the fire has been moved. So what exactly is the bold part referring to? A creature that has already been on fire BEFORE your animated fire moved?

If a creature was on fire and you then subsequently cast control flames on them, perhaps. It could also be in addition to the 1d6 damage per round normally taken from being on fire.

Q 452c
In this passage:

which of the "above noticed DC" is it?
The DC 25 from the first paragraph or (DC 11 + the number of dice of damage the fire does + your Int modifier) from the third?

The latter. The DC 25 is to put out the fire after you're on fire.

Q 452d
Can any creature be "set on fire" from interacting with a fire you control (both animated and the one you keeping)? I.e. can a skeleton be set on fire? A zombie? A wolf?
Or does it need to be naturally "flammable"?

Normally, a creature without clothes, hair, or equipment will not be set on fire. See Catching on Fire.

[St Fan]

Q 453

Can you keep the benefit of the martial stance Absolute Steel for the round even if you switch to a different stance?

It says "If you move at least 10 feet during your turn, you gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC until the beginning of your next turn."

After moving 10 feet, if you use a swift action at the end of your turn to switch to another stance (for example, Pearl of Black Doubt), do you still keep the dodge bonus until the beginning of your next turn?

[Troacctid]

Q 453

Can you keep the benefit of the martial stance Absolute Steel for the round even if you switch to a different stance?

It says "If you move at least 10 feet during your turn, you gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC until the beginning of your next turn."

After moving 10 feet, if you use a swift action at the end of your turn to switch to another stance (for example, Pearl of Black Doubt), do you still keep the dodge bonus until the beginning of your next turn?

No. A stance's benefits end when you switch to another stance.

[King of Nowhere]

Q454: checking for confirmation: when you have foresight active, you cannot be flat-footed and therefore a hidden rogue attacking you sudddenly does not get first strike damage.
But, you can still take sneak attacks for being flanked.

Is that right?

[Tamior]

Q455
How exactly does crafting with special materials work?
Do you still pay 1/3 of the price of special materials?
Do they increase the crafting time (beyond that of a masterworked item)?
Let's say I'm crafting a Mithral chain shirt.
100 base price, + 150 for being masterworked, + 850 for being Mithral.
Do I pay 1/3 of 1100 gp in raw materials?
Do I craft masterworked components at DC 20 and 150 gp price and then craft the rest at DC 14 and 950 gp price?

[Khedrac]

A454: Correct the ability of a rogue to sneak attack someone flanked and their ability to sneak attack someone flat-footed are seperate abilities and being immune to the "flat-footed" state has no effect on flanking sneak attacks (and vice-versa).

Note: certain abilities trigger of being flat-footed and others (such as rogue's sneak attack) trigger off being denied dexterity bonus - it is possible to keep one's dexterity bonus while still being flat-footed, and in this case a rogue cannot sneak attack without some other justification.

[Hyperversum]

Q456

Which effects (arcane spells, magic items, feats, whatever) can a wizard use to make his elemental FAMILIAR hit incorporeal beings?
Edit: Didn't bold the code

[Falontani]

Q456

Which effects (arcane spells, magic items, feats, whatever) can a wizard use to make his elemental FAMILIAR hit incorporeal beings?

There are many ways to do this, from a necklace of natural attacks (+1 ghost touch works on slams) to casting etherealness on yourself and sharing the spell with your familiar.
As this is a RAW thread: you must make your familiar's weapons be considered magic. To do this you must arm them with a magical weapon, enhance their natural weaponry (though ways like the above, or spells like magic fang), or by giving them Dr/magic.
Then you must deal with their incorporealness. You can do this by making them incorporeal, making their attacks ghost touch or a force effect, or finally just dealing with the miss chance.

There is the Shadowform familiar feat that requires a race that most dms have never heard of that turns your familiar incororeal that solves your problem most easily.

[magic9mushroom]

Q457

There is a problem with the statblock of the Colossal monstrous centipede in the D&D 3.5 Monster Manual and SRD. Specifically, the monster's AC line includes a +2 Dexterity bonus (both in the breakdown, and in the total), while its Abilities line reads that it has 13 Dexterity.

The WotC errata for the 3.5 Monster Manual does not mention the Colossal monstrous centipede, and as I've already noted the problem is also there in the SRD (which, indeed, has the same issue with the fiendish Colossal monstrous centipede).

Is there a RAW answer for which of these lines overrides the other?

[Troacctid]

Q457

There is a problem with the statblock of the Colossal monstrous centipede in the D&D 3.5 Monster Manual and SRD. Specifically, the monster's AC line includes a +2 Dexterity bonus (both in the breakdown, and in the total), while its Abilities line reads that it has 13 Dexterity.

The WotC errata for the 3.5 Monster Manual does not mention the Colossal monstrous centipede, and as I've already noted the problem is also there in the SRD (which, indeed, has the same issue with the fiendish Colossal monstrous centipede).

Is there a RAW answer for which of these lines overrides the other?

Not specifically, but based on the topic precedence rules in the errata documents, when determining AC, the AC entry should take precedence over other sections of a statblock. There's also a general principle that GMs should be able to use a monster's statblock as written without having to meticulously proofread and correct it.

[ezekielraiden]

Q458
Hope this qualifies as a sufficiently simple question. Is there any other prestige class (besides Stormsinger) that:

1. you can qualify for taking as your 6th character level (or earlier),
2. advances arcane (or general) casting in (at least) 2 of the first 3 levels,
3. allows characters to be Good alignment, and
4. (ideally) advances Inspire Courage, even partially?

Several otherwise-possible options, like Dirgesinger or a one-level Mindbender dip, require non-Good and that's a no-go for me. Stormsinger has possibilities, but the thing I'm going for is a bit tight on skill points as it is, so spending more on "wasted" skills like K(Geography) is decidedly un-ideal.

[Hyperversum]

There are many ways to do this, from a necklace of natural attacks (+1 ghost touch works on slams) to casting etherealness on yourself and sharing the spell with your familiar.
As this is a RAW thread: you must make your familiar's weapons be considered magic. To do this you must arm them with a magical weapon, enhance their natural weaponry (though ways like the above, or spells like magic fang), or by giving them Dr/magic.
Then you must deal with their incorporealness. You can do this by making them incorporeal, making their attacks ghost touch or a force effect, or finally just dealing with the miss chance.

There is the Shadowform familiar feat that requires a race that most dms have never heard of that turns your familiar incororeal that solves your problem most easily.

The first should do the trick, thanks! It was not even for me but for a fellow player playing his first spellcaster, but he just made his life harder by playing a Bonded Summoner, and honestly, I was not expert enough about familiars/companions to find and easy solution. Magic Fang is obviously the easiest choice, but as he can't cast It I was searching a more easy solution than having another player cast It for him at the start of every fight.

[Jon_Dahl]

Q459

Can you use Scrying on intelligent magic items?

[RoboEmperor]

Q459

Can you use Scrying on intelligent magic items?

Yes. The rules directly say intelligent magic items are creatures.

[St Fan]

Q 460

The martial art benefit for the Temerad Mastery I in Dragon #309 is the following:

The dodge bonus you gain from the Dodge feat rises to +2. You can choose to apply the entire bonus against a single attacker or split it between two designated attackers, gaining a +1 dodge bonus against each.

How does this combine with feats or class feature that increase the dodge bonus of your Dodge feat? For instance, levels in Shou Disciple or Mantis Mercenary, or feats such as Titan Fighting, Circle Student and Combat Defense (+2 other combat form feats)...

Does the full bonuses from these feats/features apply to both targets? Or is the total split in half?

[Troacctid]

Q458
Hope this qualifies as a sufficiently simple question. Is there any other prestige class (besides Stormsinger) that:

1. you can qualify for taking as your 6th character level (or earlier),
2. advances arcane (or general) casting in (at least) 2 of the first 3 levels,
3. allows characters to be Good alignment, and
4. (ideally) advances Inspire Courage, even partially?

Several otherwise-possible options, like Dirgesinger or a one-level Mindbender dip, require non-Good and that's a no-go for me. Stormsinger has possibilities, but the thing I'm going for is a bit tight on skill points as it is, so spending more on "wasted" skills like K(Geography) is decidedly un-ideal.

Yes.

Q 460

The martial art benefit for the Temerad Mastery I in Dragon #309 is the following:



How does this combine with feats or class feature that increase the dodge bonus of your Dodge feat? For instance, levels in Shou Disciple or Mantis Mercenary, or feats such as Titan Fighting, Circle Student and Combat Defense (+2 other combat form feats)...

Does the full bonuses from these feats/features apply to both targets? Or is the total split in half?

Temerad Master I does two things. It increases your dodge bonus by 1, and it gives you the option to split your bonus between two attackers. If your bonus increases by another 1 somehow, then you would have a +3 bonus that you could apply to one attacker or split between two (one getting +2, the other getting +1).

[ezekielraiden]

Yes.

I was hoping for one or more names; I tried sifting through your spreadsheet of PrCs but it was rather tedious to check for this particular combination of abilities. I've already checked the Bard guides I could find, and came up empty.

[Troacctid]

I was hoping for one or more names; I tried sifting through your spreadsheet of PrCs but it was rather tedious to check for this particular combination of abilities. I've already checked the Bard guides I could find, and came up empty.

Try this filter. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...vid=1818780061

[RoboEmperor]

Q 461

If you polymorph into a creature with more arms, you CAN'T use those arms for more weapon attacks.

But what about Girallon's Blessing? Can you add weapons to each arm and make additional attacks in a full attack?

[Grim Reader]

Q458
Hope this qualifies as a sufficiently simple question. Is there any other prestige class (besides Stormsinger) that:

1. you can qualify for taking as your 6th character level (or earlier),
2. advances arcane (or general) casting in (at least) 2 of the first 3 levels,
3. allows characters to be Good alignment, and
4. (ideally) advances Inspire Courage, even partially?

Several otherwise-possible options, like Dirgesinger or a one-level Mindbender dip, require non-Good and that's a no-go for me. Stormsinger has possibilities, but the thing I'm going for is a bit tight on skill points as it is, so spending more on "wasted" skills like K(Geography) is decidedly un-ideal.

Examples include many racial paragon classes and Abjurant Champion. Does not advance inspire courage.

Q462:

A Sorcerer needs a Charisma equal to 10 + the spells level to learn or cast a Sorcerer spell. If a Sorcerer has somehow mooched his way to a level well above his competence and acquires the requisite Charisma temporarily, what happens? Example: Roddart the Charmless has managed to get to Sorcerer level 11 with a 12 Charisma. He casts Eagles Splendor on himself (or dons a Cloak of Charisma +4). Does he get to pick spells known now, or does it only happen at level-up? If he gets to pick spells, can he pick different ones by taking off and redonning the Cloak?

Q463:

Do you lose experience if you lose a familiar through losing a feat? I am planning a Silverbrow Hexblade into Chameleon and using the floating feat for a different improved familiar each day.

[Tamior]

Q462:

A Sorcerer needs a Charisma equal to 10 + the spells level to learn or cast a Sorcerer spell. If a Sorcerer has somehow mooched his way to a level well above his competence and acquires the requisite Charisma temporarily, what happens? Example: Roddart the Charmless has managed to get to Sorcerer level 11 with a 12 Charisma. He casts Eagles Splendor on himself (or dons a Cloak of Charisma +4). Does he get to pick spells known now, or does it only happen at level-up? If he gets to pick spells, can he pick different ones by taking off and redonning the Cloak?

A462:

To learn or cast a spell, a sorcerer must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level.

+

At each new sorcerer level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known.

=
Ability to learn spells depends on his Charisma score when level up took place.
If he later drops below that Charisma, spells are still known.

Sorcerer also needs Charisma of (10+ level of spell) to cast the spell at the moment of casting.

Thus:

He casts Eagles Splendor on himself (or dons a Cloak of Charisma +4). Does he get to pick spells known now, or does it only happen at level-up?

Only at level-up.

[Tamior]

Q464:
How is charge resolved if the target of said charge readied a move action to move sideways (one move action, not just 5' step) once you have moved within, say, 10 ft of it (assuming the charge started 15+ ft from it)?

[Blue Jay]

Examples include many racial paragon classes and Abjurant Champion. Does not advance inspire courage.

Q462:

A Sorcerer needs a Charisma equal to 10 + the spells level to learn or cast a Sorcerer spell. If a Sorcerer has somehow mooched his way to a level well above his competence and acquires the requisite Charisma temporarily, what happens? Example: Roddart the Charmless has managed to get to Sorcerer level 11 with a 12 Charisma. He casts Eagles Splendor on himself (or dons a Cloak of Charisma +4). Does he get to pick spells known now, or does it only happen at level-up? If he gets to pick spells, can he pick different ones by taking off and redonning the Cloak?

A 462 (Addendum)

There's also this line in the Sorcerer entry:

Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a sorcerer knows is not affected by his Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known are fixed.

Source

That seems to contradict the statement that he requires a minimum Charisma score to learn a spell. It's not strictly RAW, but personally, I'd probably defer to this line and ignore that part about needing a minimum Charisma score to learn a spell, because it's simpler this way.