Simple RAW Thread for 3.5 #35: 3/2 Score And Four Threads Ago

[Vaern]

A 184
As an alternative hypothetical, let's say that you had a high enough wisdom score to prepare and the spell normally and somehow took enough wisdom damage during the casting time that you no longer meet the requirements.
While you are in the process of casting the spell you become unable to cast the spell; you can not proceed with casting the spell at this point, causing it to fail.

[Jon_Dahl]

Q 185

Is it possible to use Major Image spell to create a sound that sounds completely identical to Summon Monster V's verbal component?
I was thinking about using Programmed Image to create a situation where the PCs think that an invisible flying caster is above them and casting Summon Monster V every round, but the thing is that the created sound must sound exactly like the spell's verbal component so that it will register when the PCs use their Spellcraft skill.

[Troacctid]

Q 185

Is it possible to use Major Image spell to create a sound that sounds completely identical to Summon Monster V's verbal component?
I was thinking about using Programmed Image to create a situation where the PCs think that an invisible flying caster is above them and casting Summon Monster V every round, but the thing is that the created sound must sound exactly like the spell's verbal component so that it will register when the PCs use their Spellcraft skill.

RAW doesn't address this except to say that the figment can include sound. I suggest that if players ask to roll Spellcraft, you secretly roll a saving throw for them to disbelieve instead.

[Jon_Dahl]

Thank you.

Q 186

You try to use a Rod of Cancellation against Person B. Person B has a magic full plate and a magic ring.
Which of the following statements is true?
A. You select which one you want to hit (i.e make contact with). If you hit Person B's touch AC, you will hit the selected magic item.
B. Full plate is bigger and thus easier to hit. Its touch AC is 10. Ring's touch AC is 18.

[Troacctid]

Thank you.

Q 186

You try to use a Rod of Cancellation against Person B. Person B has a magic full plate and a magic ring.
Which of the following statements is true?
A. You select which one you want to hit (i.e make contact with). If you hit Person B's touch AC, you will hit the selected magic item.
B. Full plate is bigger and thus easier to hit. Its touch AC is 10. Ring's touch AC is 18.

You make the attack roll against the object, not the wielder. An object's AC is equal to 10 + size modifier + wielder's Dexterity modifier.

[Elves]

Q 187

In the SRD entry for "death effects", it says "Death Ward protects against this kind of attack". However, Death Ward only says it protects against "magical death effects".

Does Death Ward protect against nonmagical death effects, such as the Feral Death Blow maneuver?

[Vaern]

A 187

Death ward specifically states that it protects against death spells and magical death effects, and does not protect against other sorts of attacks even if those attacks might be lethal. Therefore, as a non-magical effect, death ward would not protect against Feral Death Blow.
To be sure, I've done a bit of digging elsewhere in the forum to double-check and it seems to be almost unanimously agreed upon that non-magical effects that result in instant death like a coup de grace or an assassin's death attack are not blocked by death ward.

[ChudoJogurt]

Q188

Bloodstorm blade has an ability "Thunderous throw."
It reads:

Beginning at 2nd level, you build up incredible tension as you ready yourself to throw your weapon, which becomes visible around you like heat waves. When you release your weapon, that power rushes out with your weapon. As a swift action, you can choose to treat your ranged attack rolls with thrown weapons as melee attacks for the rest of your turn. You use your melee attack bonus, including Strength bonus, feats, and so forth, to determine your attack bonus for each attack as normal, but you apply the standard modifiers for range penalties. Attacking into melee, through cover, and so forth incurs the standard penalties.

Would Point Blank Shot apply to this attack?
Could one choose to still use their Dexterity, rather than Strength bonus for attack rolls?

[Jon_Dahl]

Q189

I don't quite understand Polymorph in D&D 3.5. If you use Summon Monster IV to summon a Shadow Mastiff and then polymorph it into a Guardian Naga, does the summoned monster retain its special attacks and special qualities (i.e. Darkvision 60 ft., shadow blend, scent and Bay, trip)?

[Saintheart]

Q188

Bloodstorm blade has an ability "Thunderous throw."
It reads:

Would Point Blank Shot apply to this attack?
Could one choose to still use their Dexterity, rather than Strength bonus for attack rolls?

A188
(a) Yes. Point Blank Shot applies to ranged weapon rolls. Ranged weapons, per the PHB, are thrown weapons or projectile weapons unsuitable for melee. Since your thrown weapon is, by RAW, a ranged weapon, Point Blank Shot applies to it.
(b) Yes. If one has a feat that allows one to substitute Dexterity for Strength on a given weapon, Dexterity can reasonably be substituted for mentions of Strength in this regard. Thunderous Throw indicates you may apply STR bonus, feats, "and so forth" to the attack roll in any event.

[pabelfly]

Q190 - being invisible denies an opponent DEX to AC, but is this the same as being flat-footed? A link to the relevant rule would be helpful.

[Andezzar]

A 190

No, they are two separate conditions. However many abilities require the target to be denied their DEX bonus to AC and as such work on both conditions (e.g. Sneak Attack). At the moment I do not recall an ability that requires the target to be flat-footed, but if such an ability exists, it will not work when the target loses its DEX bonus through other conditions.

[pabelfly]

A 190

No, they are two separate conditions. However many abilities require the target to be denied their DEX bonus to AC and as such work on both conditions (e.g. Sneak Attack). At the moment I do not recall an ability that requires the target to be flat-footed, but if such an ability exists, it will not work when the target loses its DEX bonus through other conditions.

I thought as much. If I need to reference this ruling where would I find it?

[Andezzar]

I cannot give you a direct quote, but Flat-Footed =/= Lost the DEX bonus to AC. So unless there is a rule which says one works as the other, they are different. Since Flat-Footed causes the target to lose its Dex bonus it can stand in for the condition lost its DEX bonus but not the other way around, as there is no rule (to my knowledge) that saysthat having lost the DEX bonus means flat-footed. Being flat-footed denies the target the right to make AoOs in addition to losing the DEX bonus.

[Elves]

Q 191

Can you shield bash with an animated shield?

The only argument I saw on searching this was that animated's wording says it "protects" you, but I'm wondering if there's anything less RAI.

[ChudoJogurt]

Q192
A spell

Once each round, as a free action, you can sacrifice up to 10 of your hit points (doing this does not trigger an attack of
opportunity).
For every 2 hit points you sacrifice, on your next successful attack you deal +1d6 damage, to a maximum of +5d6 on that attack.
Your ability to deal this additional damage ends when you successfully attack or when the spell duration ends.
You can make as many sacrifices as the spell duration allows.
Sacrificed hit points count as normal damage.

Does the last sentence imply that DR would work against this damage?

[Andezzar]

A 192

No. DR only works against weapon damage.

[Jon_Dahl]

Q193

Enlarge Person spell. What if there is insufficient space and you choose not to burst through enclosures, so that your growth is somewhat irrelevant, will you still gain the benefits and penalties? Or do you have to double in size etc. to gain the benefits?

Edit: I fixed the number. Sorry about that. Any answers?

[martixy]

A193:
It doesn't explicitly say, but you can make inferences.
a) Based on the fact that the Str bonus starts working for the purposes of breaking the enclosure even before the creature attains full new size, you could say it works. It also says it attains the maximum possible size, with the Str check an optional part of the process. It does not say it HAS to attain the max possible size for the spell bonuses to start working.
b) Another way I see interpreting it, is that the growth process accounts for the str bonus when bursting the enclosure, and general purpose bonuses and penalties only apply if the process completes.
a is closer to RAW, more player-friendly and straight-forward, b maintains more verisimilitude for me. At the table I'd go with a.


Q194

Blind fight: Says a ranged invisible attacker gets his bonuses. That means the +2 to attack, certainly. Does that also extend to denying you your dex bonus? Which is not a bonus for the attacker, but a penalty for you.

Q195
Can other creatures act after a Dimension Door? DimDoor says you can't act anymore, but what if you brought someone along who readied an action?

[St Fan]

Q195
Can other creatures act after a Dimension Door? DimDoor says you can't act anymore, but what if you brought someone along who readied an action?

A 195
Not clear; the sentence "After using this spell, you can’t take any other actions until your next turn." can be interpreted as a plural, thus concerning everybody teleported. It depends mainly on how you explain that the caster cannot act after using the spell. If it's because a dimension door results in mild disorientation, then it stands to reason that all the subjects will be affected.

Please note, though, that there is a feat that allows attacking after a dimension door, the Sun School tactical feat (from Complete Warrior).

[pabelfly]

Q196 - Does the Feral Template add its abilities like Improved Grab, Pounce, etc, to a character who only has levels in classes? The abilities state that you need Monster Hit Dice, do class levels and their hit dice count as Monster Hit Dice?

[Elves]

A196

No.

From various points in SS (ctrl-Fing and copypasting):

Spoiler

Show

"The monster does not get four times the normal skill points for its first class level unless it had 1 or fewer monster Hit Dice."

"your monster character is not a 1st-level character if you kept its monster Hit Dice"

"the change applies to skill points gained from monster Hit Dice and not to skill points gained from classes."

"all the master’s levels (including all class levels and monster Hit Dice)."

"Gnarsht has the following base save bonuses for his monster Hit Dice"

"(monster Hit Dice plus class levels) "

&etc

[jdizzlean]

A196 (again)

note that only the special attacks section applies to monster HD, special qualities still scale w/ regular HD.


and as always, ask your DM, they may allow the attacks to scale w/ normal HD.

[ZamielVanWeber]

Q 197
There is a paladin spell whose name I cannot remember: it trades out paladin levels of lay on hands for healing ability damage. Does anyone know what spell that is and where it is from?

Edit: A 197 Touch of Restoration from Complete Champion.

[Vaern]

Q 198
Point Blank Shot grants a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with ranged weapons at ranges of up to 30 feet.
Does this apply to all attacks made with ranged weapons?
For example: Thrown weapons are considered ranged weapons. A dagger is a thrown weapon, and therefore a ranged weapon. If I stab someone in melee combat with a dagger, do I get a bonus to the attack and damage roll by nature of the fact that it happens to be a ranged weapon?

[Saintheart]

Q 198
Point Blank Shot grants a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with ranged weapons at ranges of up to 30 feet.
Does this apply to all attacks made with ranged weapons?
For example: Thrown weapons are considered ranged weapons. A dagger is a thrown weapon, and therefore a ranged weapon. If I stab someone in melee combat with a dagger, do I get a bonus to the attack and damage roll by nature of the fact that it happens to be a ranged weapon?

A198
Yes.
There is a difference between a bonus that applies to a ranged weapon and a bonus that applies to a ranged attack roll. Ranged weapons have an explicit definition in the PHB: a thrown weapon or a projectile weapon unsuitable for use in melee. That definition does not confine a ranged weapon being used for a ranged attack. Daggers are specifically mentioned in the thrown weapon category. Just because they are useable in melee does not mean they fall outside the definition of a ranged weapon. Or to put it more facetiously: a melee attack is being made at less than 30 feet of range, and thus qualifies.

[pabelfly]

A196

No....

A196 (again)

note that only the special attacks section applies to monster HD, special qualities still scale w/ regular HD.


and as always, ask your DM, they may allow the attacks to scale w/ normal HD.

Thought this was the case, was after confirmation. Thank you both for the quick responses.

[Cygnia]

Also A 198

It will also apply to a warlock's Eldritch Blast

[Thurbane]

Q 199

How exactly does the Death Rock work, with regard to spells known?

Anyone possessing the Death Rock gains the spellcasting abilities of a sorcerer of a level equal to his own. The character knows only spells of the Necromancy school, if the character is already a sorcerer, the new spells known and extra spells per day are in addition to his own.

So, assuming a non-Sorcerer: does the character get spells known as a Sorcerer of equivalent level to his own, which must only be chosen from the school of Necromancy? And they select new spells known as they level up? Or are the spells known pre-set by the Rock?

[Drephos]

Q 200

How does damage reduction interact with damage multipliers such as from Spirited Charge? Is the Damage Reduction applied before or after the damage multiplication?