Hilarious things you've found in RAW?

[RexDart]

I don't know if it's hilarious so much as "annoying, and probably a sign that your god hates you:"

The Ordained Champion prestige class is generally pretty nifty for a melee-oriented cleric, but:

1. Upon entry into the class, you gain the War Domain. Nice.
2. Also upon entry, you can exchange any Domain-granted power for a Fighter Bonus Feat. Also nice, particularly as the power of my character's Good domain is pretty useless. You specifically cannot exchange the War Domain-granted power, however.
3. So what is the War Domain-granted power? Proficiency in your deity's chosen weapon and Weapon Focus in it.
4. What are among the prerequisites for class entry? Proficiency in your deity's chosen weapon and Weapon Focus in it. So the War Domain power, which you specifically can't trade in, is literally useless.

(My DM agreed that the above is BS and let me take Greater Weapon Focus for free upon class entry.)

[Inevitability]

The idea behind Ordained Champion seems to be that you enter having already taken the War domain, get a different domain in its place, and trade the granted power of that one. You're using War to qualify in the first place, rather than taking Weapon Focus and then obtaining War with the class.

Of course 'any bonus domain' as a class feature is both more restrictive and less flavorful than 'war domain, or any bonus domain if you have war already', so it's not weird to see why they went with the second one.

[Darg]

Indeed. Personally, I consider Iaijutsu Focus too restricted for a single skill to put ranks into, and about no 3.5 class would have it as a class skill, so I solved it with this homebrew:

I solved it by giving more skill points to mundanes. They are weak when it comes to skills in two ways: limited number of ranks AND even more limited class skills. A fighter with 8 ranks to distribute every level can either specialize in their few class skills or has enough to branch out into other skills as desired to improve their utility and flavor. I find it works out well to give a more personalized touch to character creation without actually stepping on the toes of a skill focused class because cross-class skills are such a huge cost sink. Then again I don't play in high op environments.

No casting (fighter, barbarian, monk, etc)= 8 ranks per level
crappy/limited casting progression/PRC caster class (ranger, warlock, beguiler, knight of the weave, divine crusader etc) = 6 ranks
skilled based full caster/caster progression PRC (druid, arcane hierophant etc) = 4 ranks
Full casters (wizard, cleric, ur-priest, etc

[Nat20]

Spells made permanent with the permanency spell can be unmade permanent. Made unpermanent. Unperminated.

[St Fan]

I don't know if it's hilarious so much as "annoying, and probably a sign that your god hates you:"

The Ordained Champion prestige class is generally pretty nifty for a melee-oriented cleric, but:

1. Upon entry into the class, you gain the War Domain. Nice.
2. Also upon entry, you can exchange any Domain-granted power for a Fighter Bonus Feat. Also nice, particularly as the power of my character's Good domain is pretty useless. You specifically cannot exchange the War Domain-granted power, however.
3. So what is the War Domain-granted power? Proficiency in your deity's chosen weapon and Weapon Focus in it.
4. What are among the prerequisites for class entry? Proficiency in your deity's chosen weapon and Weapon Focus in it. So the War Domain power, which you specifically can't trade in, is literally useless.

(My DM agreed that the above is BS and let me take Greater Weapon Focus for free upon class entry.)

That's what the Player's Handbook II's retraining rules are for. Once you've qualified for a prestige class that grants you, in any way or form, part of its own prerequisites as class features, you can retrain the feats which allowed access to the prestige class without losing anything.

[ShurikVch]

Kaiju template (Dragon #289) - unlike the similar Titanic Creature template - doesn't explicitly add any extra natural attacks; which means: Bat or Toad Kaiju for attacking would be forced to use their Unarmed Strike...

[Chronos]

Although, the unarmed strike of a colossal creature wouldn't be anything to sneeze at.

(I'm assuming the template sets size to colossal. And could it be applied to a Giant Bat or a Giant Toad?)

[Beni-Kujaku]

Although, the unarmed strike of a colossal creature wouldn't be anything to sneeze at.

(I'm assuming the template sets size to colossal. And could it be applied to a Giant Bat or a Giant Toad?)

Well‚ it's 2d6+18 nonlethal damage‚ so the Kaiju Toad couldn't even kill any Commoner‚ much less destroy a building.

[InvisibleBison]

As far as I can tell, the coup de grace rules don't require that the weapon you use deal lethal damage. Thus, while a kaiju toad could only knock out a commoner with a normal attack, it could subsequently kill the commoner by stepping on her.

[Darg]

You can choose to deal lethal damage at -4 to attack with your UAS. Automatically hitting doesn't mean you can't make your UAS lethal. Though commoners are almost always level 1 with a d4 and between 6 and 12 con. 5 HP is not enough to stop a 2d6+18 from straight up one shotting.

[ShurikVch]

Actually, I meant: objects are immune to nonlethal damage - so Kaiju wouldn't be able to break anything
But - yes, the "-4" does work for that

[Metastachydium]

Actually, I meant: objects are immune to nonlethal damage - so Kaiju wouldn't be able to break anything
But - yes, the "-4" does work for that

For that, you didn't even need such a workaround. Objects (unlike, sadly, Commoners) can be broken with simple STR checks, on which the Kaiju Toad could even get a hefty bonus for size rather than a -4 penalty.

[Darg]

For that, you didn't even need such a workaround. Objects (unlike, sadly, Commoners) can be broken with simple STR checks, on which the Kaiju Toad could even get a hefty bonus for size rather than a -4 penalty.

If you treat the commoners like the objects they are, life is simply much easier.

[Promethean]

If you treat the commoners like the objects they are, life is simply much easier.

That logic comes with a large amount of rules weirdness, not the least of which coming from spells intended to work on objects, but not creatures.

The "Hardening" spell being used to give creatures a hardness rating comes to mind...

[Darg]

That logic comes with a large amount of rules weirdness, not the least of which coming from spells intended to work on objects, but not creatures.

The "Hardening" spell being used to give creatures a hardness rating comes to mind...

I could take the joke further but it would go right into the gutter.

That said, shatter would be an interesting interaction with flesh but wouldn't be so bad on skeletal creatures.

[Metastachydium]

If you treat the commoners like the objects they are, life is simply much easier.

That logic comes with a large amount of rules weirdness, not the least of which coming from spells intended to work on objects, but not creatures.

The "Hardening" spell being used to give creatures a hardness rating comes to mind...

It's a good thing, then, that the STR check route doesn't care about hardness! DIE, Commoners, DIE!

[ShurikVch]

For that, you didn't even need such a workaround. Objects (unlike, sadly, Commoners) can be broken with simple STR checks, on which the Kaiju Toad could even get a hefty bonus for size rather than a -4 penalty.

Aren't those Str checks just 1/round? It may slow our Kaiju considerably (even considering its 20' base speed)

Also, Commoners are not a problem: Kaiju have Trample - thus, unless it's Colossal-sized Commoners, Kaiju can just run over them...

[Tzardok]

So, to stop a kaiju from trampling, we need a tarrasque with commoner levels.

[noob]

So, to stop a kaiju from trampling, we need a tarrasque with commoner levels.

A great wyrm gold dragon with commoner levels would work fine too.

[Promethean]

It's a good thing, then, that the STR check route doesn't care about hardness! DIE, Commoners, DIE!

Yeah, that's one of the weirder rules. The core lets you break an adamantine gate that's been hardened by a 40th level spell from a circle magic wizard... at the same break DC as a shoddy wooden fence.

I don't think the writers thought that one through.

[ShurikVch]

Yeah, that's one of the weirder rules. The core lets you break an adamantine gate that's been hardened by a 40th level spell from a circle magic wizard... at the same break DC as a shoddy wooden fence.

I don't think the writers thought that one through.

Eh?
Epic Obstacles:
6" wooden wall is DC 20 (the second easiest DC - after the paper)
2" adamantine door is DC 60 (the most difficult of them all - sans Force constructs, which are just unbreakable)

But the Hardening spell have a problem: it says "Paper becomes harder to tear, glass becomes harder to break" - but no, it doesn't, actually, make it any harder to break than before the spell

[Promethean]

Eh?
Epic Obstacles:
6" wooden wall is DC 20 (the second easiest DC - after the paper)
2" adamantine door is DC 60 (the most difficult of them all - sans Force constructs, which are just unbreakable)

Huh, didn't know they made epic rules for break DCs.

But the Hardening spell have a problem: it says "Paper becomes harder to tear, glass becomes harder to break" - but no, it doesn't, actually, make it any harder to break than before the spell

Yeah. I get the intention of trying to separate material hardness from engineering strength, but the rules as they are make it vague and overcomplicated(not to mention that if someone has taken the time to invest in the best materials and spell-work, they've most likely foot the bill to make it secure mechanically as well).

A better rule should probably be to make it a hardness based calc. I'd put it at 10 + hardness with circumstance a bonus or penalty for construction instead. For example: People fail to tear paper all the time(roll the die), but literally anyone can tear paper if the put in any actual effort(Take 10).

The above also leaves it realistic that a vanilla level 20 barbarian could tear down an adamantine wall(18 strength base + 5 for levels + 5 inherent from wish/manual + 6 from enhancement + 8 from rage = 42 strength/ +16 bonus. requires a 14+ roll) without diminishing it as an incredible feat(before size bonuses, in which case a level 1 barbarian at medium size can accomplish this by becoming colossal and getting slightly annoyed. As always, Wizards are BS).

[ShurikVch]

3.5 update booklet for Monster Manual II:

Bone Naga: ... Damage reduction 5/bludgeoning or piercing replaces "half damage from piercing weapons."

Why they replaced Bone Naga's resistance to piercing damage with DR against slashing attacks?..

[Darg]

3.5 update booklet for Monster Manual II:

Why they replaced Bone Naga's resistance to piercing damage with DR against slashing attacks?..

WotC thought they deserved a fulfilling private (un)life?

Edit: The bone naga template was updated in the serpent kingdoms book and it's just DR 5/bludgeoning.

[loky1109]

I saw somewhere monster described as protected from all but bludgeoning, but has DR x/piercing or slashing.

[Tzardok]

That's what happens when authors get confused about the Definition of damage reduction. Sure, it is kinda confusing that resistence tells you what it protects from, but DR tells you what it doesn't protect from, but still...

[truemane]

Metamagic Mod: Thread re-opened

[ShurikVch]

Nar Demonbinder don't required to be Evil (or even non-Good)
It's amusing by itself - but it's get better: Fiendish Familiar class feature allow to call Imp or Quasit as Familiar
And then - we can zap em with Planar Familiar for Celestial template
Oh, it doesn't works on Outsiders?
Well, then we take a dip in Fleshwarper (which don't required to be non-Good)
Now we get Aberrant Fiendish Familiar - and hit 'em with Planar Familiar - to get Celestial Aberrant Fiendish Familiar...
So, we get creature which is literally made of Evil - and turned them Good, all it without using not just any [exalted] stuff, but anything inherently Good too!
(Yes, and without the Helm of Opposite Alignment...)