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

[Debatra]

I don't see anything saying that spell resistance applies to it at all. But the general rule is that you use the caster level of the effect to determine whether that effect can beat spell resistance, and the caster level of a spell-like ability is equal to your character level unless otherwise specified.

OK thanks. All I had was that it was a spell like ability (so SR often applies) and that the SAVE (not spell resistance), is based on the prestige class level. If spell resistance were based on prestige class, however, you'd never be able to overcome it.

(Luckstealers lose one caster level upon entry).

The section on SLAs says they're affected by Spell Resistance, with no note on ones that mimic spells that usually aren't.

Q88
For the purpose of Miracle replicating spells, would sanctified and or corrupt spells count as being on the cleric list or on the "any other list".

A 88

Despite prepared casters having access to them, Sanctified and Corrupt spells don't actually appear on those classes spell lists.

[Venger]

A 88 correction Any prepared caster can cast them. Clerics are prepared casters. You treat them as being on the cleric list.

[Debatra]

A 88 correction Any prepared caster can cast them. Clerics are prepared casters. You treat them as being on the cleric list.

As per the thread procedure, I will simply ask flappeercraft to make a thread for it if he wants instead of debating it here.

[RoboEmperor]

A 88 correction Any prepared caster can cast them. Clerics are prepared casters. You treat them as being on the cleric list.

A 88 correction
Debatra is right, Venger is wrong.

http://archive.wizards.com/default.a...d/ex/20031004c

Sanctified spells are specific to no character class. They are neither inherently arcane nor divine spells. A divine caster casting a sanctified spell casts it as a divine spell, while an arcane caster casts it as an arcane spell.

While wizards, druids, rangers, and paladins can all prepare sanctified spells, clerics have a special advantage: they can spontaneously cast any sanctified spell, just as they can spontaneously cast cure wounds spells.

They're no different than domain spells. Clerics get access to domain spells but they are not cleric spells and therefore the higher level sanctified spells are unreplicatable by miracle. Especially since only GOOD characters have access to sanctified spells, not neutral or evil clerics.

[Venger]

I agree with Debatra in that if you want to argue about this, you should make a separate thread, in keeping with thread procedure.

[St Fan]

Q 89

Just a matter of wording clarification: When something is described as happening "on your action", it means during your turn of the initiative, right?

The (very stupid, IMHO) argument I've seen is that, if you have any ability resolved as an immediate action, you can piggyback anything that's resolved "on your action" alongside it, even if it's not your turn.

The specific thing they were trying to do is to change the target of the Dodge feat during an immediate action (without the Combat Defense feat), because the Dodge feat say you pick the target "During you action".

(I've seen the Dodge feat clarified as using a free action, and free actions are usable only during your turn, but it isn't part of the original feat's description.)

[Debatra]

A 89

A strict reading of RAW actually does allow for that, though it's obviously not what was intended. There's a good reason the phrase "RAW and logic aren't exactly on speaking terms" is so popular here.

That said, you can also get around it by pointing out cases like Dodge which require certain actions which can't be taken alongside Immediate Actions.

[Thurbane]

Q 090

Would a Grease spell targeted at an opponent's weapon that they are wielding break an Invisibility spell on the caster?

The spell can also be used to create a greasy coating on an item. Material objects not in use are always affected by this spell, while an object wielded or employed by a creature receives a Reflex saving throw to avoid the effect.

For purposes of this spell, an attack includes any spell targeting a foe or whose area or effect includes a foe.

[deadseid]

Q91
If a character dies of ghoul fever, they rise as a ghoul the following midnight. What can be done, if anything, between character death and midnight to prevent rising? Would decapitation of the corpse suffice as my players are hoping? I'm thinking no. If not, do all dismembered body parts reanimate individually? Does the corpse reform? Not finding anything that defines ghoul fever better than the mm.

[Troacctid]

Q 090

Would a Grease spell targeted at an opponent's weapon that they are wielding break an Invisibility spell on the caster?

No. It doesn't target an enemy. Interestingly, Invisibility does say that targeting an unattended object doesn't end the spell, which may signal that the intent was that targeting an attended object DOES end the spell; however, that's RAI, which is outside the scope of this thread.

Q91
If a character dies of ghoul fever, they rise as a ghoul the following midnight. What can be done, if anything, between character death and midnight to prevent rising? Would decapitation of the corpse suffice as my players are hoping? I'm thinking no. If not, do all dismembered body parts reanimate individually? Does the corpse reform? Not finding anything that defines ghoul fever better than the mm.

I'm not aware of any special rules for what happens to dismembered corpses when they're supposed to rise as ghouls, so expect table variation. There are, of course, magical effects that can prevent corpses from becoming undead.

[St Fan]

Q 92

Just out of morbid curiosity:

For classes that have a special restriction to multiclassing (Paladin and Monk), by a very strict reading of RAW, wouldn't Gestalt Characters be restricted to only 1 level in those classes, since they automatically raise another class by a level alongside the Monk/Paladin level? (Well, maybe 2 levels if you consider the first other-class level taken at the same time to not count [i.e. taken before]...)

And would the feat Monastic Training help?

[Troacctid]

Q 92

Just out of morbid curiosity:

For classes that have a special restriction to multiclassing (Paladin and Monk), by a very strict reading of RAW, wouldn't Gestalt Characters be restricted to only 1 level in those classes, since they automatically raise another class by a level alongside the Monk/Paladin level? (Well, maybe 2 levels if you consider the first other-class level taken at the same time to not count [i.e. taken before]...)

And would the feat Monastic Training help?

Gestalt is similar to multiclassing, but it is not multiclassing. As long as you continue taking monk levels, you have not left the class.

[St Fan]

Gestalt is similar to multiclassing, but it is not multiclassing. As long as you continue taking monk levels, you have not left the class.

Good point. Not that I expected anybody to have ever done otherwise.

Q 93

Correct me if I'm mistaken: feats are by default Extraordinary (Ex) unless they are part of a subgroup explicitly described otherwise (like Exalted or Psionic feats, which are supernatural)...

So, does that mean that Item Creation feats are Extraordinary?

Could you (theoretically) start a magic item creation process inside a dead magic zone?

[Wacky89]

Q94
By RAW, If i have knowledge devotion and wild shape into something with poison.
Does knowledge devotion add more ability damage on the poison?

[Venger]

A 93 Yes and yes.

A 94 By RAW, yes, same as factotum's cunning insight. A damage roll is a damage roll.

[King of Nowhere]

Q95: Is hardness subtracted from any damage source?
Because I have an epic armor made of living plant that absorbs any fire or acid damage taken by the user, protecting him but taking damage itself (if it is destroyed that way, it leaves behind a seed from which it regrows over time, so no panic). And I'm not 100% sure if hardness should apply to that damage.
Also, I have an epic diamond golem that reflects part of the weapon damage dealt to it back to the weapon (the golem counts as epic and adamantine for the purpose of overcoming DR), and I'm not 100% sure if/when hardness should apply

[Troacctid]

Q95: Is hardness subtracted from any damage source?
Because I have an epic armor made of living plant that absorbs any fire or acid damage taken by the user, protecting him but taking damage itself (if it is destroyed that way, it leaves behind a seed from which it regrows over time, so no panic). And I'm not 100% sure if hardness should apply to that damage.
Also, I have an epic diamond golem that reflects part of the weapon damage dealt to it back to the weapon (the golem counts as epic and adamantine for the purpose of overcoming DR), and I'm not 100% sure if/when hardness should apply

Any damage dealt to an object (or animated object) is reduced by hardness unless otherwise stated. Certain types of damage may ignore hardness and even deal double damage, at the DM's discretion; other types may deal reduced damage or no damage at all. Fire and electricity deal half damage to most objects; cold deals 1/4 damage; and acid and sonic deal damage as if the object were a creature.

[Hish]

Q96
Could I theoretically purchase a rod of rulership (from the DMG) that is 99.8% depleted (only one minute left) for .2% of the cost?

I'm aware that it wouldn't be worth 5000 gp, it would just look like it is.

Q97
A rod of wonder may reduce the wielder to 1/12 of his height. This seems to have absolutely no mechanical effects. Is that the case?

[Venger]

A 96 Rods don't work the same way as wands, so can't be bought partially charged using the same formula.

A 97 Mechanically, no. The DMG is silent on any mechanical alterations this may give. The srd takes it upon itself to hotlink reduce person in the description, but there doesn't seem to be any basis for this. Reduce person reduces height by 1/2, not by 1/12 (though it's possible 1/12th was a typo, and it was intended as 1/2, as reduce person.) Rod of wonder, unlike reduce person, does nothing to reduce your weight, depth, or width, so you will be super weird looking.

[Thurbane]

Just a general point of interest in regards to Rod of Wonder: the 1E version of the item (Wand of Wonder) had an effect "diminish wand wielder to 1/12' height". I don't believe the 3E version of the item is a typo, just a rather ill-defined attempt to stay faithful to the older item effects.

[Venger]

Just a general point of interest in regards to Rod of Wonder: the 1E version of the item (Wand of Wonder) had an effect "diminish wand wielder to 1/12' height". I don't believe the 3E version of the item is a typo, just a rather ill-defined attempt to stay faithful to the older item effects.

That's interesting. Was the ' in there? (e.g. it reduces the wielder to 1 inch in height?) That's even odder.

[unseenmage]

Q98
How does one go about finding a heroic NPC with a specific PC class to retrain with?
Or is this entirely GM specific?

[Troacctid]

Q98
How does one go about finding a heroic NPC with a specific PC class to retrain with?
Or is this entirely GM specific?

The retraining rules do not require this.

[St Fan]

Q 99

I just realized this case is not directly covered by the rules:

What happen when a spellcaster busy casting a spell (or concentrating on maintaining one) is hit by a stunning fist and fails his For save?

Does that count as an automatic failed concentration check?

There's also the fact he drops anything held in hand (bye material components...).

[Venger]

A 99 Is the spellcaster casting a spell that requires a full round or something? In that case, he'd be unable to finish casting it.

[St Fan]

A 99 Is the spellcaster casting a spell that requires a full round or something? In that case, he'd be unable to finish casting it.

That's the clear-cut case, but I was thinking about a spellcaster hit by the stunning fist as a readied action, precisely to increase the chance of disturbing spellcasting.

Now that I said it, the rule about readied actions might indeed provide the answer...

If the triggered action is part of another character’s activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action.

And concentrating to maintain a cast spell largely follows the same rules as casting...

[Thurbane]

A 099

Stunned
A stunned creature drops everything held, can’t take actions, takes a -2 penalty to AC, and loses his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).

Concentration
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.

Action
None. Making a Concentration check doesn’t take an action; it is either a free action (when attempted reactively) or part of another action (when attempted actively).

Looking at the rules above, anything that requires an action is impossible when you're stunned, including maintaining a spell or completing the casting of a full round spell.

Stunning doesn't preclude making a Concentration check in and of itself, however, unless that use of Concentration requires some kind of action.

[Thurbane]

Q 100

How do the feats Combat Expertise and Stone Colossus (RoF) interact?

Say I have both feats, and take a -5 penalty to hit. Do I gain a +5 dodge bonus and +5 natural armor bonus to AC?

[King of Nowhere]

Q101: I have a monk and would like to take the benefit of thicket of blades. I do not want to multiclass because I want the spell resistance at higher level (for story reasons). I could consider getting a single level in something else, no more. do I have ways to get thicket of blades?

[Venger]

A 101 Take martial study with some other devoted spirit maneuver, then take martial stance to get thicket of blades when your IL is high enough.