Simple Q&A D&D 3.5 (by RAW) XX

[Curmudgeon]

A 1067

No, body slots for nonhumanoid creatures are different. Magic Item Compendium has the details on page 219. That's not Open Gaming Content, so I can't go into specifics.

[mattie_p]

A1067: Basically the same, yes (with some exceptions); and yes (with some exceptions).

Magic Item Compendium (p219) makes it clear that body slots are basically the same and treated the same way, and the default assumption is that regardless of body shape, all slots should be available, with some exceptions. No creature gets additional body slots for having extra body parts.

For example, creatures without fingers (like horses) cannot wear rings, but a dog can wear a ring on a toe of its forelimb. It does make clear, though, that the suggestions there are guidelines for the DM. You would have to ask your DM for any specifics regarding a particular creature.

[willpell]

A1067 additional
There's also some discussion of this in Magic of Incarnum, where it mostly applies to soulmelds, but those use the same body slots as magic items (except there aren't any that use the Rings slots).

1068
The vestige Chupoclops has this ability:

Ethereal Watcher: At will as a move action, you can become ethereal (as if using the ethereal jaunt spell; caster level equals your effective binder level). You can remain on the Ethereal Plane indefinitely if you take no actions, but you return to the Material Plane immediately after taking a move action, a standard action, or a full-round action. Once you have returned to the Material Plane, you cannot use this ability again for 5 rounds.

While using this ability, can you take 5-foot steps to move every round while remaining on the Ethereal Plane? Can you use quickened spells or other swift or immediate actions? What else are you allowed to do that doesn't count as one of these actions (apart from something like talking or twiddling your thumbs)?

[Fitz10019]

A1068
You can watch.

Q1069

"If struck, creatures along this line take damage from your shot, though any extra damage (such as from a sneak attack or a flaming weapon) is applied only against the first creature struck."

Is there a RAW definition of 'extra damage'? My primary thought is the ranger's bonus damage v. favored enemies. It would be good to have an 'in' list and an 'out' list. Would the exclusion pattern follow the critical hit example, or something else?

[Curmudgeon]

A 1068 additional

You can take 5' steps; those are listed as "no action". Also in the "no action" category:

• make attacks of opportunity
• take cover from your mount (if they're also ethereal)
• engage in an Intimdate duel of wills, if initiative hasn't been rolled yet

A 1069

The primary specification of Damage in the Combat chapter stipulates the following necessary damage components:

• damage from the type of weapon used
• STR modifier

Using the standard dictionary definition, extra would be anything beyond what is necessary.

[mattie_p]

A 1068 more additional

Extraordinary Abilities (Ex)

Using an extraordinary ability is usually not an action because most extraordinary abilities automatically happen in a reactive fashion. Those extraordinary abilities that are actions are standard actions unless otherwise noted.

Extraordinary actions that are no action include uncanny dodge, evasion, and other reactive abilities. Note that although you can watch, you cannot make active spot or listen checks for something you failed to observe earlier, as those are counted as move actions.

Also no action: Delay.

[willpell]

Q1070
Say I'm a really strong Binder 3. I've got Ronove bound and I'm using Far Hand:

The force manipulating the object...has a Strength score equal to your effective binder level. During the swift action, you can move the object up to 5 feet per effective binder level. If the object weighs enough to constitute a medium or heavy load for an individual of the force’s Strength, you can move it only half the normal distance. If the object to be moved would constitute a medium or heavy load for you, activating this ability is a move action. If the item could only be pushed or dragged by such a person (that is, it weighs up to five times the maximum load), you can move it just 5 feet per move action.

It seems likely that the second bolded sentence is meant to refer to the first. However, if I'm strong enough that I could carry the object, I don't need a move action to move it, so can I move it 7.5 feet during my swift action?

[mattie_p]

A1070 Unclear.

You have not provided enough information regarding the object to be moved (specifically, its weight and your strength score) to answer your question. I suspect I know which direction you are headed, but I hesitate to answer without knowing for sure.

[willpell]

I don't wanna look up the exact Strength amounts and do math. The point is, if you have enough Strength to lift and carry the object but "the force" only has enough strength to drag it, you're allowed to move it "5 feet per move action", but you don't need a move action to move it. This is not mentioned in any kind of errata for the book (there hardly is any errata for the book).

It seems likely that RAI was for there to be three categories: "I can lift it and so can the force, so I move it easily with just a thought", "I can't lift it but the force can, so I move it slowly with a move action", and "Not even the force can do more than drag it 5 feet as a move action". But there's at least a fourth category (and there might actually be as many as 8, my brain is a little shot right now so I'm not sure if the "move half distance" should be distinct from the swift action thing), which they failed to address. As a DM I'd think about whether the Far Hand is a function of Ronove or of the character, try to imagine whether his own muscles could be flexing as he mystically exerts the vestige's power, but RAW doesn't provide any guidance that I can see.

[mattie_p]

I don't wanna look up the exact Strength amounts and do math. The point is, if you have enough Strength to lift and carry the object but "the force" only has enough strength to drag it, you're allowed to move it "5 feet per move action", but you don't need a move action to move it. This is not mentioned in any kind of errata for the book (there hardly is any errata for the book).

It seems likely that RAI was for there to be three categories: "I can lift it and so can the force, so I move it easily with just a thought", "I can't lift it but the force can, so I move it slowly with a move action", and "Not even the force can do more than drag it 5 feet as a move action". But there's at least a fourth category (and there might actually be as many as 8, my brain is a little shot right now so I'm not sure if the "move half distance" should be distinct from the swift action thing), which they failed to address. As a DM I'd think about whether the Far Hand is a function of Ronove or of the character, try to imagine whether his own muscles could be flexing as he mystically exerts the vestige's power, but RAW doesn't provide any guidance that I can see.

A 1070 followup Without quantifying your question, it is difficult to interpret the RAW. I will attempt to portray, by example:

You already indicated Binder Level 3 (let's assume no modifiers). You indicate a "strong" binder, I'll interpret that as strength 16. Let us assume an object of 100 pounds.

The strength of the "force" is 3, meaning light is 10 lb, medium is 20 lbs, heavy is 30 lbs. The object to be moved exceeds the criteria of "meets the criteria of "the object weighs enough to constitute a medium or heavy load for an individual of the force’s Strength" therefore, it must be construed as half the normal distance as a swift action (we're still talking about swift actions here), assuming the next sentence does not activate.

"If the object to be moved would constitute a medium or heavy load for you, activating this ability is a move action," therefore this is considered a move action instead of a swift action. We activate the next sentence of the rules (move action), invalidating anything referring to a swift action.

A character can push or drag an object up to five times their maximum weight, nothing in the rules indicates this is any different for the "force." Thus, the force can push or drag an object of up to 150 pounds (which is sufficient to push or drag the 'object' in question) 5 feet per move action.

EDIT - there are other 'corner' cases, in which a swift action could be used to move an object of 60 pounds 7.5 feet as a swift action, you could potentially (with a sufficiently high binder level) move an object that you could not carry, and other cases. If you desire further clarification, please quantify the exact amounts you wish to move, the binder level, and the binder's strength. Clarified and expounded upon below.

[willpell]

A 1070 followup Without quantifying your question, it is difficult to interpret the RAW. I will attempt to portray, by example:

Okay fine, I'll look up the Strength table. Say the object is 50 pounds. That's drag-weight for the Strength 3 force, but carry-weight for a Strength 14 character. The character is entitled to move it as a swift action, but the force is not entitled to move it more than 5 feet per move action taken. This could be read as saying the force has no ability to move the object as a swift action at all, regardless of your own capabilities; the more natural assumption seems to be that you can move it 5 feet as a swift action, but the text doesn't appear to actually allow that, as far as I can determine.

exceeds the criteria of "meets the criteria of

jaw hangs open slackly

the object weighs enough to constitute a medium or heavy load for an individual of the force’s Strength" therefore, it must be construed as half the normal distance as a swift action (we're still talking about swift actions here)

But are we? That's the whole point, the text does not indicate anything about swift actions and objects that are drag-weight for the Force. It gives no specifications whatsoever for that option, as if the author simply assumed that could never happen. So I don't see any way of adjudicating with certain correctness that you treat the object as "too heavy to move more than 5 feet" or "light enough to move as a swift action", and you're given no option to treat it as both.

Oh, and I meant to follow up on this:

A 1066
Yes, of course.
There are ways of getting in earlier, but without doing more complicated things then yes, you'd need to be level 8 and have lost a mess of caster levels to enter. Arcane Trickster isn't very good, but that has no bearing on the rules.

My thought was that "ability to cast 3rd-level arcane spells" might be a misprint and it could be meant to say "ability to cast 2nd-level arcane spells"; that would make it an ECL 6 class just like most of the PrCs. Also in the section on how to design PrCs for your own campaign, it says that they should never be enterable before 5th level, but I'm pretty sure I found at least one exception: the Illithid Slayer from the EPH calls for a BAB of +4 and doesn't require any Skills or Feats you couldn't have at level 1. The only other requirement (apart from the need to have killed an illithid in-game) is for having Power Points, but any character of a psionic race, such as the Githyanki pictured in the book, satisfies that with no effort, as does a human who spends his bonus feat on Wild Talent. So you can take the PrC on top of just 4 levels of Fighter, unless I've missed something.

[mattie_p]

exceeds the criteria of "meets the criteria of

jaw hangs open slackly

My apologies. My previous post was proof-read and approved by WOTC. They observed your confusion, and apologize. They state that the errata for that comment will be forthcoming with the true Tome of Battle Errata. Also, they say to hold your breath for it.

Okay fine, I'll look up the Strength table. Say the object is 50 pounds. That's drag-weight for the Strength 3 force, but carry-weight for a Strength 14 character. The character is entitled to move it as a swift action, but the force is not entitled to move it more than 5 feet per move action taken. This could be read as saying the force has no ability to move the object as a swift action at all, regardless of your own capabilities; the more natural assumption seems to be that you can move it 5 feet as a swift action, but the text doesn't appear to actually allow that, as far as I can determine.

The character is not the force. If the character were to move it by him/her/self, it would be a move action, if not the equivalent of a full round action, to pick it up (standard), move it (move), and drop it (free), or to push it(depends).

Using this ability of the vestige is a swift action or a move action, depending on various criteria. I am used to computer programming, so I see things as an if-then-else. You could also view it as "keep reading, and as long as you see criteria that apply, apply the result". WOTC is not a programming company, so I assume that the latter applies.

In this instance - "During the swift action, you can move the object up to 5 feet per effective binder level." OK, so we acknowledge that the maximum distance is 15 feet in your scenario. If we stop there, the answer is 15 feet as a swift action. But of course, we must keep on going, as the paragraph is not done.

"If the object weighs enough to constitute a medium or heavy load for an individual of the force’s Strength, you can move it only half the normal distance." Technically, any object that exceeds a heavy load does not trigger this, so a 31-58 pound item can be moved further than a 30 pound item as a swift action - I digress. We are still talking about a swift action. Move action has not yet been brought up. So if an item is a medium or heavy load for the force, the answer is 7.5 feet, as a swift action.

"If the object to be moved would constitute a medium or heavy load for you, activating this ability is a move action." Now we get to the statistics of the PC. This sentence is the only time the PC is actually mentioned or referred to. As above, if the PC strength is 14, a 50 pound item does not trigger the move action requirement in this sentence. But keep reading.

Let's say that the item weighs 60 pounds. It is clear to me that this is now considered a move action. So you could move it 15 feet, as a move action, If you stop reading here. But keep going.

"If the item could only be pushed or dragged by such a person (that is, it weighs up to five times the maximum load), you can move it just 5 feet per move action." We now come to the last criteria. "Such a person" refers to the 'force,' not to 'you' (the PC). (The PC was already referred to as 'you,' thus such a person refers to the force). Thus, if you keep reading to here, anything that exceeds a heavy load can only be moved 5 feet as a move action.

I hope this helps to clarify my earlier post.

[Lateral]

Q 1064

How does the Blindsight wild feat (Masters of the Wild) work? As far as I can tell, it doesn't have any requirements for its use- [Wild] feats usually require you to spend a use of wild shape and only last for one minute per hit die, but I don't think that's an explicit rule (it certainly isn't always true) and it doesn't say anything on that in the text. Does it just constantly give you 120-foot blindsight, or is there some caveat that I'm not seeing?

Also, Q 1071

How do you determine the dimensions of a creature? Do they always just take up as many squares across as behind, or do some take up space in different shapes?

[Curmudgeon]

A 1071

From Reading The Monster Entries:

Space/Reach

This line describes how much space the creature takes up on the battle grid and thereby needs to fight effectively, as well as how close it has to be to threaten an opponent. The number before the slash is the creature’s space, or how many feet one side of the creature occupies. The number after the slash is the creature’s natural reach.

The actual creature dimensions aren't necessary information in the simplified D&D combat mechanics. The "space" and "reach" numbers apply in all three dimensions.

[Elric VIII]

Q 1072

Are there any outsiders that represent guardians/spirits/forces of nature or animals that have druid casting or SLAs of Druid-esque spells?

[averagejoe]

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