Simple Q&A (By RAW) III

[Charity]

The Eye tyrrant recommending leniency whatever next?

[my_evil_twin]

Q. 462
What happens when a light source producing shadowy illumination is brought into a space that is already shadowy?

[Curmudgeon]

A. 462

The light remains shadowy. In the real world adding enough candles will eventually get you to bright illumination, but in the simplified world of D&D that doesn't happen. (To be fair, we're talking a lot of candles before that happens IRL.)

[cupkeyk]

q463
What book/s should I purchase/consult for fluff regarding the anauroch desert and the Bedines?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 463 Partial

There is a brief mention in this article by Ed Greenwood.

The northern part of the desert is briefly mentioned in Frostburn.

There is also a short wiki article about Anauroch, possibly with a few references.

[Matthew]

A 463

There are also a number of 2e Supplements you can pick up (such as Anauroch). Try Wizards Old Edition Downloads Page for a few ancillary mentions.

[Inyssius Tor]

Q 464

Do racial HD contribute to your initiator level?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 464

Racial HD (monster class levels) are interchangeable with levels in character classes for such purposes.

Your initiator level increase by one for every two racial HD you have as well as for other non-martial adept classes.

[Duke of URL]

Q 465

The 1st-level-only feat Precocious Apprentice provides earlier access to a single 2nd-level spell, which then converts into an extra spell slot once you are able to cast 2nd-level spells in that class. For a caster with a restricted list of "known" spells (e.g., bard or Sorcerer), does the spell learned with this feat count toward the number of known spells you have at 2nd level, or do you effectively get to learn one extra 2nd-level spell?

Q 466

What is the minimum level adjustment for metamagic enhancements on a spell for which you have selected the feat Arcane Thesis?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 465

The feat does not affect your spells known, it only grants an additional spell slot, so you cannot learn an extra 2nd level spell with this feat.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 466

0, a metamagic feat that raises the level by one can be reduced to zero.

[Duke of URL]

Thanks for the answer! One (ok, three) more to follow-up:

Q 467a

With the metamagic level reduction granted by Arcane Thesis, the text as written would lead one to believe that the benefits apply to each metamagic applied to the spell, e.g., Empower (normally +2) and Maximize (normally +3) combined would yield a +3 adjustment since each is reduced by one. Is this correct, or is there a limit on how many simultaneous metamagic applications receive the benefit from the feat?

Q 467b

Same question, but as applies to the Incantatrix's Improved Metamagic ability.

Q 467c

Do the benefits from Arcane Thesis, the Incantatrix's Improved Metamagic ability, and feats such as Easy Metamagic stack? If so, can they be applied in the most advantageous order, i.e., to use Improved Metamagic, et. al., to lower the adjustment to +1 and then use Arcane Thesis to lower the adjustment to +0?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

Thanks for the answer! One (ok, three) more to follow-up:

Q 467a

With the metamagic level reduction granted by Arcane Thesis, the text as written would lead one to believe that the benefits apply to each metamagic applied to the spell, e.g., Empower (normally +2) and Maximize (normally +3) combined would yield a +3 adjustment since each is reduced by one. Is this correct, or is there a limit on how many simultaneous metamagic applications receive the benefit from the feat?

A. 467 C

The feat works on the spell, not on each application of metamagic. This means it only reduces the overall spell slot by one regardless of number of metamagic feats applied.

Q 467b

Same question, but as applies to the Incantatrix's Improved Metamagic ability.

b

Improved Metamagic on the other hand works for each application.

Q 467c

Do the benefits from Arcane Thesis, the Incantatrix's Improved Metamagic ability, and feats such as Easy Metamagic stack? If so, can they be applied in the most advantageous order, i.e., to use Improved Metamagic, et. al., to lower the adjustment to +1 and then use Arcane Thesis to lower the adjustment to +0?

C

There is no order of application, so you cannot use that to circumvent the restrictions of Improved Metamagic, but otherwise they do stack. See also the link below.

This was also partially answered earlier in this thread.

[Duke of URL]

Thanks for the clarifications... I had done a thread search on Precocious Apprentice, but not Arcane Thesis. Bad Duke, bad!

[my_evil_twin]

Q. 468
How do different sources of damage reduction interact? For example, if a creature with DR 10/cold iron gains DR 5/magic from a template, what does their new DR become?

[daggaz]

Q. 469

If a monster can pinpoint you within a five foot square using a sense other than sight.... and you are hidden... do you still get the miss chance because it cannot see you? Specifically, a dinosaur has pinpointed a hidden PC in a five foot square... does it have to roll a miss chance when it attacks now?

[Zherog]

Q. 468
How do different sources of damage reduction interact? For example, if a creature with DR 10/cold iron gains DR 5/magic from a template, what does their new DR become?

DR doesn't stack; when a creature has more than one source of DR, only the best applies to any given attack. In your example, the creature would have "DR 10/cold iron and 5/magic."

If you attacked that creature with an adamantine weapon (magical or not), the 10/cold iron would kick in and damage would be reduced by 10.

If you attacked that creature with a nonmagical cold iron weapon, the 5/magic would kick and reduce damage by 5.

If you attacked with magical cold iron weapon, both DRs would be bypassed and you would do full damage.

[Zherog]

Q. 469

If a monster can pinpoint you within a five foot square using a sense other than sight.... and you are hidden... do you still get the miss chance because it cannot see you? Specifically, a dinosaur has pinpointed a hidden PC in a five foot square... does it have to roll a miss chance when it attacks now?

Did you pick dinos because they have scent, or another reason?

In the proper conditions, the scent ability can in fact remove the miss chance.

Scent (Ex): This extraordinary ability allows a creature to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights.

A creature with the scent ability can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range.

When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The creature can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. If the creature moves within 5 feet of the source, the creature can pinpoint the source.

>>snip<<

So as long as the creature with scent is within 5' of the hidden target (including invisible targets), it would not have a miss chance.

[-Cor-]

Q470

A Charging (Magic Item Compendium) weapon deals an extra 2d6 damage on a successful mounted charge. How does this weapon effect stack with abilities like Spirited Charge and the Cavalier's (CW) Deadly Charge?

For example, William (Fighter 8 / Cavalier 2) has a +1 Charging Light Lance that does 1d6+4 + 2d6 damage on a successful mounted charge. He declares and succeeds on a Deadly Charge which means he does quadruple damage. Now, is the damage:

4(1d6+4 + 2d6)

or is the damage:

4(1d6+4) + 2d6


What if William crits? Is it:

2(4(1d6+4 + 2d6))

or:

2(4(1d6+4) + 2d6)

or:

2(4(1d6+4)) + 2d6

or simply:

8(1d6+4 + 2d6) or 8(1d6+4) + 2d6


Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

[Zherog]

My hunches:

Q470

A Charging (Magic Item Compendium) weapon deals an extra 2d6 damage on a successful mounted charge. How does this weapon effect stack with abilities like Spirited Charge and the Cavalier's (CW) Deadly Charge?

For example, William (Fighter 8 / Cavalier 2) has a +1 Charging Light Lance that does 1d6+4 + 2d6 damage on a successful mounted charge. He declares and succeeds on a Deadly Charge which means he does quadruple damage. Now, is the damage:

4(1d6+4 + 2d6)

or is the damage:

4(1d6+4) + 2d6

The damage would be 4(1d6+4) +2d6.

What if William crits? Is it:

2(4(1d6+4 + 2d6))

or:

2(4(1d6+4) + 2d6)

or:

2(4(1d6+4)) + 2d6

or simply:

8(1d6+4 + 2d6) or 8(1d6+4) + 2d6


Thanks in advance for any help or advice?

bonus damage expressed in dice never multiplies on a critical. So we know the extra 2d6 doesn't multiply. So that part is easy. The question remains how much the quadrupled crit does, however.

I think this is one of those cases where "WotC math" differs drastically from "real world" math. In the real world, if you quadruple something and then double something, you've done 8x the original damage.

But WotC doesn't work that way. WotC tends to make multipliers additive rather than multiplicative. I've never been particularly good at figuring it out, to be honest, but I think your example does:

5(1d6+4) + 2d6

However, I'm not 100% certain, so we'll see what sort of fun answers others come up with.

[Alveanerle]

Q. 471
Prestige classes and auto-learning new spells.

When one gains level in an Incantatrix prestige class, does he gain the usual 2 free spells for scribing? The class description (PGtF) states that he gains new spells per day and spells known (if applicable) as if he gained a new level of his primary spellcasting class, but gains no other class related benefits.

Does it mean that this prestige class does not gain 2 bonus spells per levelup?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 469 Correction

In the proper conditions, the scent ability can in fact remove the miss chance.


So as long as the creature with scent is within 5' of the hidden target (including invisible targets), it would not have a miss chance.

Scent can detect an invisible creature and pinpoint the location, but it does not negate the miss chance.

To negate the miss chance the creature would have to have Blindsight.

If a character tries to attack an invisible creature whose location he has pinpointed, he attacks normally, but the invisible creature still benefits from full concealment (and thus a 50% miss chance). A particularly large and slow creature might get a smaller miss chance.

[Douglas]

A469 correction
Unless specifically stated otherwise, "pinpointing" an invisible target means discovering which 5' square it is in. A creature with scent that is 5' away from an invisible target can tell which square the invisible foe is in without having to guess. The target still has total concealment and its 50% miss chance, however.

In a similar vein, the Blindsense and Tremorsense abilities can tell a creature where an invisible opponent is, but it still suffers the miss chance. Pinpointing an opponent by a sufficiently high spot or listen check works the same. In each case, you know which 5' square to attack but your information is not precise enough to negate the miss chance. Blindsight and certain other abilities do negate concealment as well as telling you what square to attack, but these abilities specifically note that fact.

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

A. 471

That is my understanding.

It was discussed earlier in this thread.
Initial answer, follow up.

[-Cor-]

A470

But WotC doesn't work that way. WotC tends to make multipliers additive rather than multiplicative. I've never been particularly good at figuring it out, to be honest, but I think your example does:

5(1d6+4) + 2d6

Sorry, first off a lance is x3, not x2, so I'm dumb there and should pay attention to what I'm doing, but anyway.

Let's see if I can wrap my tiny little brain around this. If it was additive, something like:

2(A) + 4(A) + 2d6 = damage from a Charging Lance on a successful Deadly Charge and Crit, where A is the initial base damage of the weapon.

And it's only 2(A) because the initial A is included with the 4(A).

Am I right?

[BDEYE]

Q472

What is the hit die for the Dragon Shaman base class?

[Fax Celestis]

Q472

What is the hit die for the Dragon Shaman base class?

A472 Its above the class table. d8.

[Fax Celestis]

A470



Sorry, first off a lance is x3, not x2, so I'm dumb there and should pay attention to what I'm doing, but anyway.

Let's see if I can wrap my tiny little brain around this. If it was additive, something like:

2(A) + 4(A) + 2d6 = damage from a Charging Lance on a successful Deadly Charge and Crit, where A is the initial base damage of the weapon.

And it's only 2(A) because the initial A is included with the 4(A).

Am I right?

A470 William does 1d6+4 regular damage. On a Deadly Charge, he will do (1d6+4 damage)*(2 [Lance Charge] + 1 [Spirited Charge] + 1 [Deadly Charge]) +2d6.

This is more simply expressed as (1d6+4)*4 + 2d6 [Average 37 damage].

On a critical hit, the formula changes slightly:

(1d6+4 damage)*(2 [Lance Charge] + 2 [Critical Multiplier] + 1 [Spirited Charge] + 1 [Deadly Charge]) +2d6.

This is more simply expressed as (1d6+4)*6 + 2d6 [Average 52 damage].

Should William perform this as a diving charge from a flying mount and get a critical, the formula changes slightly again:

(1d6+4 damage)*(2 [Lance Charge] + 2 [Critical Multiplier] + 1 [Spirited Charge] + 1 [Deadly Charge] + 1 [Diving Charge]) +2d6.

This is more simply expressed as (1d6+4)*7 + 2d6 [Average 59 damage].

EDIT: A good plug and play formula is as follows:

([Weapon Damage] + [Non-Dice Modifiers¹])*([Sum of Multipliers²])+[Dice Modifiers³]

¹These are extra points of damage. Modifiers like your Strength modifier, Power Attack bonus damage, and Smite Evil bonus damage.
²These are multipliers. Any multiplier--critical or otherwise--goes into this slot. Remember, additive multipliers means that 2 + 2 = 3, and that 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 6. Basically, all multipliers but the first subtract one before adding together (so that 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 would actually be 2 + 1 + 2 + 1, totaling six).
³These are extra dice of damage. Sneak Attack, the Charging enhancement, and similar go into this category.

[Citizen Joe]

A470 supplemental

It may be easier in cases of multipliers to think of it as +100% base (double) or +200% base (triple).

[Lord Xaedien]

Q473

Is there a move action to disengage from an opponent (or multiple opponents) without incurring an attack of opportunity? I had thought there was a DC 20 tumble check to do so, but now I fear my first DM may have house ruled it and never informed me... and now I feel like suck a fool! a fool!