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

[Cygnia]

A 695
Monster Manual III, pg 223

Traits: A yugoloth possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).

Immunity to acid and poison.
Resistance to cold 10, electricity 10, and fire 10.
Telepathy.

[St Fan]

Q 696

Is it just me, or does the “Flashing Sun” Desert Wind maneuver just not working as a strike?

Flashing Sun allows you to make an additional melee attack during this round. As part of this maneuver, you take a full attack action and make your normal melee attacks. However, you can make one additional attack this round at your highest attack bonus. All the attacks you make this round, including the extra attack granted by this maneuver, are made with a -2 penalty.

First and foremost, because it is contradicting some of the general rules for strikes:

Because strikes allow for a specific form of attack, you cannot benefit from spell or effects that grant you extra attacks when making a strike (such as the haste spell or a speed weapon). You are not taking a full attack action when you initiate a strike, even if its initiation action is 1-full round action. In addition, you cannot combine special attacks such as sunder or bull rush with strikes, even you have feats that make such special attacks more potent.

I know how specific trumps general, but even discounting the part about not being able to make a full attack action, this would make Flashing Sun pointless if you have haste, and even things like flurry of blows or two-weapon fighting become doubtful, making the maneuver pretty pointless to have.

Furthermore, by a strict reading, none of these attacks this round could be special attacks (so, no disarm, no trip, etc.), am I right?

Am I also correct to think that treating the whole maneuver as a boost instead of a strike would correct all these problems?

[AthasianWarlock]

Q 670

Can a protean use a free action each round to assume the same form? It says it needs to spend a move action to keep it's current form but it's a free action to assume a form. It also mentions making a full round attack in and assumed form which seems impossible it it needed a move action to keep a form.

Alter Shape (Ex)


A protean can assume the shape of any combination of physical nondeific creatures at the same time as a free action. In fact, a protean’s form constantly boils, and it requires a move-equivalent action each round for a protean to maintain a certain shape (even if that shape is a combination of several shapes). Whatever its present form, the protean retains all its own special qualities. Plus, it gains the advantage of up to four extraordinary abilities from the forms it mimics (but not spell-like or supernaturalpowers). The assumed form can be no smaller than a flea and no larger than 200 feet in its largest dimension (make sure to take into account rules for reach and size modifiers to AC and melee attacks). Incorporeal traits can also be assumed, which counts as a single extraordinary ability. If a hagunemnon assumes a partial form that confers an extraordinary ability already possessed by the creature, only the better of the two abilities is retained. No matter its form, the protean can never make more than five attacks using a full-round action. However, it may substitute a melee attack form for one of its slam attacks, using its own base attack bonus and Strength modifier to damage, but dealing base damage appropriate to the attack type.

[RoboEmperor]

Q 671

Can a flying creature with Trample(Ex) trample another flying creature?