Simple RAW for 3.5: 38 pages, and I still don't know how to play D&D

[Duke of Urrel]

Q 124b

Would Mind Seed work on a dragon polymorphed into a humanoid? Multiple people have argued that RAW Awaken can be applied to a Wizard Polymorphed into Animal, so it should be same process.

A 124b

Yes, it would work.

Every spell whose description refers back to the Polymorph spell changes the subject's creature type. Thus, a dragon polymorphed into any humanoid species gains the Humanoid type and becomes susceptible to any magic – or any psionic power – that affects Humanoids. Moreover, "a spell only checks to see if you are a legal target when it is cast. If you become an illegal target later […], the spell remains in effect." This rule appears on page 87 of the D&D 3.5 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (of the 30th of June 2008). Thus, any dragon that is a Humanoid at the moment you target it with the Mind Seed power is affected normally, and changing the creature back into a dragon does not reverse the effect.

Q 124c

Not related to original question, but instead to 124b. Will a corpse under Shrink Item - Permanency retain the effect once raised as undead, and if so, what size would be creature of initial Colossal or Medium size?

A 124c

Weirdly, yes.

Strangely enough, I think the aforementioned rule from the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, as well as all the rules I can find on pages 171 and 172 of the PLAYER'S HANDBOOK v. 3.5, lead us to conclude that, yes, if you start with a shrunken corpse, then you create a shrunken Undead creature. If you don't want this to happen, then you should first dispel the Permanency spell and then use the corpse to create an Undead creature.

According to the description of the Shrink Item spell, the spell's target shrinks "by four categories." However, this spell cannot affect any object whose volume is greater than two cubic feet per caster level. So you can't use this spell to shrink a Colossal corpse down to Medium size, but you can use it to shrink a Medium-sized corpse down to Fine size.

Q 125

Is there anything preventing projectiles from benefitting from all four types Quivers of Energy at once?
It seems like arrow taken out of one retains the charge forever(until it is used for attack), and it does not use word "spell"/"power" anywhere in the body so it should not overwrite one effect with another.
A malicious interpretation of my stance would claim it means arrow can benefit from two Quivers keyed to same element as well, however my counter-claim is that arrow charged with one Ice Quiver does not benefit from second because it is ALREADY dealing 1d6 extra cold damage, while same does not apply to cold-charged arrow inserted into acid Quiver.

A 125

One arrow cannot benefit from two or more Quivers of Energy at once.

The problem is this. Firstly, in order for an arrow to be imbued with the power to inflict an extra 1d6 Hit Points of some kind of energy damage, it must be stored inside a Quiver of Energy "for at least 1 round before being drawn." Secondly, the arrow "loses this extra damage after it is used in an attack, or 1 round after it is drawn (whichever comes first)." So if you have already stored an arrow inside a Quiver of Cold Energy long enough to imbue it with the power to inflict Cold damage, but then you transfer it to a Quiver of Fire Energy, the arrow needs to spend one round inside the Fire Quiver to gain the power to inflict Fire damage, but during this time, it must lose its power to inflict Cold damage.

It is possible to carry two or more Quivers of Energy at once, so that you are always prepared to shoot two or more kinds of magically imbued arrows that inflict two or more kinds of energy damage. (A quiver is not the kind of magic item that occupies a body slot.) However, each arrow can inflict only one kind of damage by itself.

It is possible to use the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat to imbue a single magic arrow with the power to inflict more than one kind of energy damage. For example, you can craft an arrow that is both a Flaming arrow and a Frost arrow, or even an arrow that is a Flaming, Frost, Shock, and Thundering arrow. Of course, a magic arrow of this kind costs a lot more to create and has a correspondingly much higher market price.

Q 126

Actually, I would like to put it to completion, once and for all. I am sorry if this appeared already, but my search genuinely did not bring up anything conclusive.

Can several castings of Extract Gift, at same CL and ability bonus magnitude, grant benefit simultaneously?

A 126

Every time you cast a spell, you get another chance to succeed; thus, all previous failures do become irrelevant.

For example, you can cast the Charm Person spell once and fail, but the next time you cast the Charm Person spell, you may succeed. Your current success effectively makes your previous failure irrelevant.

The same is true of the Entice Gift spell. (I think you meant to say "Entice Gift," right?)

The only problem is the word "simultaneously." The only way you can cast two spells simultaneously is to use the Twin Spell feat. (Refer to page 84 of COMPLETE ARCANE v. 3.5.) This requires you to use a spell slot four levels higher than the spell that you intend to cast twice simultaneously. If one twinned spell fails but the other spell succeeds, the result is a success.

[Auerkan]

A 126 I think you meant to say "Entice Gift," right?

As a matter of fact, no, I meant Extract, which "ability bonus magnitude" points to. Necromancy Sor/Wiz 5 spell that takes some essence of the demon(no actual game effect on it) and applies it to a target creature in form of ability bonus up to half demons ability modifier or CL/4, whichever is lower.

As alternative I am willing to accept judgement on (Greater) Bestow Curse, Ruin Delvers Fortune or un-augmented Animal Affinity also aimed at different abilities/saves(as appropriate), since the gist is about the same.

This is a long-living debate, and I am not against opening a separate thread dedicated to it if it means there is a definite answer either way, since nothing I could find makes it final enough for me.

[Bobur]

Q127:
After 8 years of DMing I suddenly ask myself:
When a monster entry gives you the treasure value (none/standart/double)
Does that include what the creature might carry in gear?

Like if a giant has a treasure value of 4k GP. I can then create treasure up to that value. Gold, art, potions, gear, other....
But do I also have to give out the gear he is wearing? Armor, weapons, rings....? Which are sometimes not really listed.
For example, I can calculate through if the club of a giant is a magical weapon or not or what kind of armor he is wearing, but in other examples (usually pre written adventures) it clearly states the entire gear for humanoid creatures and others.

[Auerkan]

A 127

The entries of War Troll (MM 3), 4th level Barbarian Ogre(SRD), Mind Flayer 9th level sorcerer(MM) and 7th-Level Fighter Harpy Archer(SRD) include their gear in treasure, so yes, equipment counts as part of it.

Troll Hunter does not follow this pattern but it seems to be an exception.

[St Fan]

The above question was 129; there were questions 128 and 127 on the previous page that went unanswered.

Q 130

A magical whip is adorned with a Lesser Crystal of Return.

Lesser: As the least crystal, and in addition you can call the weapon (if unattended) to your hand from up to 30 feet
away as a move action.

As I understand it, "unattended" means "not in the grip/possession of another creature". What happen if the whip is entangled or even tied up (with a knot) to an inanimate object (for example to cross a chasm by swinging). Can the original owner still call the whip back to hand thanks to the weapon crystal, and it will magically untie itself?

[pumpkaaboo]

Q 131:

If I have multiple meldshaper classes, and I take levels in a prestige class that opens additional chakras, can I bind melds from both classes to those chakras?

For example, say I'm a totemist 2/incarnate 3/ironsoul forgemaster x, and I'm using my ironsoul forgemaster levels to advance my incarnate meldshaping. When I reach ironsoul forgemaster level 4 and unlock my arms chakra, can I bind my totemist soulmelds to it?

[Rebel7284]

Q 132:

Are there any (non magazine) 3.0/3.5 spells that are both reflex save and a fear effect?

[Pezzo]

Q 133
Trap the soul is a summoning spell, what would happen if the caster releases a trapped creature in conjuction with summon augmenting feats? More precisely with the beckon the frozen feat from frostburn.

[St Fan]

Q 134

A Sorcerer who summoned a familiar has the beast unfortunately killed. According to the rule, "A slain or dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and day."

A) If the character then gain a first level of Wizard, and thus gain the summon familiar feature again, can he summon a new familiar even if it's been less than a year since the death of the first?

B) Even the answer to the above is "no", what if the first level of Wizard is with a variant that grants a different kind of familiar? For example Drakken Familiar (Dragon Magic), Deathwalker (gains an undead familiar), Fleshcrafter (gains a stitched flesh familiar) or Soul Reaper (gains a spiritual vassal) (all three from Dragon Magazine #312). Can he then summon immediately this new kind of familiar, even though it's been less than a year since the death of the Sorcerer's standard familiar?

[Duke of Urrel]

Q 133
Trap the soul is a summoning spell, what would happen if the caster releases a trapped creature in conjuction with summon augmenting feats? More precisely with the beckon the frozen feat from frostburn.

A 133

The Augment Summoning feat does not affect the Trap the Soul spell.

According to the description of the Augment Summoning feat, this feat bestows enhancement bonuses on each creature that you conjure "with any summon spell." This phrase does not refer to all spells of the Summoning subschool – which would be called summoning spells – but only to spells that have the word "summon" in their names. These include the Summon Monster spells, the Summon Nature's Ally spells, the Summon Swarm spell, and the Summon Undead spells. They don't include the Trap the Soul spell.

The description of the Beckon the Frozen feat (from page 47 of FROSTBURN) has the same wording. It applies to any creature or creatures that you summon "using any summon spell."

[Condé]

Q135

Are inherited template given traits considered racial traits?

For example, would a character with an inherited template would lose most of the template features by going through the rite of rebirth?

EDIT:

Q136

On character creation. You select a 2 hit dice race. You apply the necropolitan template on your character. It now has 1 racial hit dice.
It says on the SRD that humanoids with 1HD trade everything for a class level... But it seems to apply to every other type since even in some other entry, they all replace their first HD with a class level. (Exemple: Aasimar, first level warrior, no RHD)

Question is: Race with 2RHD, take necropolitan, now have only 1RHD. Can you trade if for a class level or not?

[Duke of Urrel]

Q 134

A Sorcerer who summoned a familiar has the beast unfortunately killed. According to the rule, "A slain or dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and day."

A) If the character then gain a first level of Wizard, and thus gain the summon familiar feature again, can he summon a new familiar even if it's been less than a year since the death of the first?

B) Even the answer to the above is "no", what if the first level of Wizard is with a variant that grants a different kind of familiar? For example Drakken Familiar (Dragon Magic), Deathwalker (gains an undead familiar), Fleshcrafter (gains a stitched flesh familiar) or Soul Reaper (gains a spiritual vassal) (all three from Dragon Magazine #312). Can he then summon immediately this new kind of familiar, even though it's been less than a year since the death of the Sorcerer's standard familiar?

A 134 A and B

Ask your dungeon master.


Suppose you are both a sorcerer and a wizard. When your familiar dies, do you lose it as a class feature of one of your familiar-granting classes? Or do you lose it as a character? If you lose it only as a class feature of one familiar-granting class, then adding a new level in another familiar-granting class should grant you the opportunity to gain a familiar as a feature of this class, without having to wait. But if you lose your familiar as a character, then your character must wait one year and one day, no matter how many familiar-granting classes your character has.

There are reasons we can give for either possibility.

Some special abilities of familiars are purely class-based. They depend not on your character level but on the number of levels that you have in "classes that grant familiars." These special abilities appear in the sidebar at the bottom of page 53 of the PLAYER'S HANDBOOK v. 3.5.

Other, more basic features of familiars, namely Hit Dice and Hit-Point level, Base Attack Bonus, Base Save Bonuses, and skill points, depend on your character level, which includes all classes you may have, not only those that grant familiars. There is also one rule about familiars that is clearly character-based rather than class-based: "A character with more than one class that grants a familiar may have only one familiar at a time."

So is the requirement to wait one year and one day a class-based requirement or a character-based one? I cannot say. I personally feel that this is a character-based rule and that you must wait one year and a day to replace a lost familiar, no matter how many familiar-granting classes you have.

But I am not your dungeon master, so ... ask your dungeon master.

[St Fan]

Yeah, not surprised this one would not have a RAW answer.

Q 137

A character with a Vow of Poverty masters Wild Shaping (a likely proposition).

The rules for Wild Shape include the one that, although you gain the Constitution score of your new form, your HP total doesn't change.

Said character puts most of the enhancement bonus to ability scores (an Ex ability) gained from the Vow of Poverty to Constitution, thus boosting her hit points total.

A) When Wild Shaped, her HP total being unchanged, it still includes the highest HP modifier from the enhancement bonus to Constitution, right?

B) On the other hand, these enhancement bonuses coming from a feat, they still apply and are added to the physical scores of the new form, including Constitution, correct?

[ShurikVch]

A 135

It may be up to DM, because, in general, Templates aren't Races - but, for example, Races of Faerûn, in the "Chapter 9: Minor Races", includes such Templates as Lycanthropes, Shades, and a Tainted Ones (the latter two aren't even inherited Templates!)

Also, some Templates give bonuses(/penalties) with the "racial" type; thus, even if the whole Template wouldn't be considered a Race - those bonuses may be removed specifically


A 136

It's unclear: at some tables, it would be required to regain racial HD (since RAW for Ritual of Crucimigration don't say it can't be regained)

[Duke of Urrel]

Q 137

A character with a Vow of Poverty masters Wild Shaping (a likely proposition).

The rules for Wild Shape include the one that, although you gain the Constitution score of your new form, your HP total doesn't change.

Said character puts most of the enhancement bonus to ability scores (an Ex ability) gained from the Vow of Poverty to Constitution, thus boosting her hit points total.

A) When Wild Shaped, her HP total being unchanged, it still includes the highest HP modifier from the enhancement bonus to Constitution, right?

A 137 A

Right. Your Hit Point total remains unchanged.

B) On the other hand, these enhancement bonuses coming from a feat, they still apply and are added to the physical scores of the new form, including Constitution, correct?

A 137 B

Ask your dungeon master.

The supernatural Wild Shape class feature mostly follows the rules of the supernatural Alternate Form ability, which is described on page 305 of the MONSTER MANUAL v. 3.5 (2012). Here are the relevant bits.

The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armor, and movement modes of its original form, as well as any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels (such as the barbarian’s rage class feature).

The creature gains the natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its new form.

The creature retains the special qualities of its original form. It does not gain any special qualities of its new form.

The creature gains the physical ability scores (Str, Dex, Con) of its new form. It retains the mental ability scores (Int, Wis, Cha) of its original form.

Except as described elsewhere, the creature retains all other game statistics of its original form, including but not necessarily limited to HD, hit points, skill ranks, feats, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses.

On the one hand, while you use the Wild Shape ability, you gain the physical ability scores (Str, Dex, Con) of your new form. On the other hand, you also retain the special qualities of your original form, as well as all of your feats.

But what happens if a feat – which you should retain – enhances an ability score – which you also should replace with that of the target form? What happens if a feat – which you should retain – enhances your natural armor – which you also should replace with that of the target form?

We can make judgement calls either way, I think.

The simpler judgement call is to say that replacing an ability score or a physical quality (such as natural armor) simply means to replace the whole thing, including all modifications (except for effects of ongoing magic, which persist).

The more complex judgement call is to split up attributes such as natural armor and ability scores into their components, so that any component of any attribute bestowed by a feat, as well as “all other game statistics of [your] original form,” must be retained, unless the rules specify otherwise.

The more complex judgement is usually more advantageous to you as a Wild Shaper, except that it also requires you to retain ability drain and aging penalties to your physical ability scores while you are in a Wild Shape. (In contrast, if you accept the simple judgement call and require ability scores, in one piece, to be replaced by those of the target form, ability drain and aging penalties are simply wiped away).

[Vaern]

On the one hand, while you use the Wild Shape ability, you gain the physical ability scores (Str, Dex, Con) of your new form. On the other hand, you also retain the special qualities of your original form, as well as all of your feats.

Anything marked as (Ex), (Sp), or (Su) is a special ability. Special abilities can be either special attacks (any offensive ability that can be used to harm or hinder something) or special qualities (defenses, vulnerabilities, and other abilities which are not a form of attack). The Monster Manual also calls special qualities a catch-all category for anything that a creature might have that doesn't logically belong anywhere else.
You retain all special qualities, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities of your original form when using the alternate form ability. The only thing you're passing up on is extraordinary attacks, except those granted by class levels. Since a bonus to ability scores is not a form of attack, it would be perfectly reasonable to say that your base ability scores change to match the base form and anything that would grant a bonus to an ability score is retained and applies to the new base score.

[St Fan]

Thanks for the insight.

Q 138

To take a feat, you need to meet its prerequisites.
The Martial Study feat (Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords) has a blank in the prerequisite entry.

However, in the text it specifies you must meet the prerequisite of the chosen martial maneuver, and that if you don't have martial adept levels, your initiator level is equal to 1/2 your character level.

A) Can you take the Martial Study feat (gaining the key skill of the discipline as a class skill) even if your initiator level is too low to normally select the chosen martial maneuver as a martial adept (for example at level 1, where your effective initiator level is 0)?

B) Can you use the selected martial maneuver if your initiator level is below what a martial adept would need to select it? (The RAI answer is certainly "NO!", but I'm unclear on the RAW...).