Brother MacLaren
Explorer
Inspired by the "Literalist/Interpretationist" poll thread.
If you're a DM starting a campaign, what are some of the most important rulings to make and let the players know about ahead of time? Things that are unclear, often provoke debates, are exploitable loopholes (Cleave/AOO, Balor sword mining), seem to contradict the game's design principles (Prot Good asymmetry to Prot Evil), or are just nonsensical (the Shillelagh paradox)?
Here's what I can come up with to start. Some of these I consider very clear (such as 12-14) but often mistaken by DMs and players. What else would you add to this list?
Core rules only. The splatbooks seem to have more poorly-worded material and, because there is so much more material in general, so many more confusing interactions of class features, feats, spells, etc.
I'm really not looking for debate on HOW DMs should rule on each one of these, just consensus on a list of things that should be considered before a campaign starts.
Combat and Characters
1. Can a monk take Improved Natural Attack to increase the damage of their unarmed strike?
2. Can an unarmed monk use Two-Weapon Fighting to increase their number of attacks per round?
3. Can you Cleave if you drop a foe with an Attack of Opportunity?
4. Can you Sunder on an Attack of Opportunity?
5. If you initiate a grapple as an Attack of Opportunity, can you take the free actions required to establish the hold?
6. If using a lance 1-handed while mounted, do you gain bonus damage from Strength and Power Attack as normal for a 2-handed weapon?
7. Should a wearer’s Deflection and Dodge bonuses apply to the AC of worn items?
8. If two sides are parleying, and one initiates combat, does that side automatically win initiative?
9. If using Total Defense, do you take a penalty on opposed attack rolls (such as for Disarm or Sunder attempts)?
10. Can rogues gain flanking bonuses when using ranged weapons?
11. How do you determine which combatant is struck when a ranged weapon is fired into a grapple? Are the probabilities equal or are they size-weighted in some way?
12. If you make a melee attack into a grapple, is there a chance to strike the wrong combatant?
13. Do modifiers that apply to attack rolls apply to grapple checks (Combat Expertise, Inspire Courage, etc.)?
14. Does Taking 10 represent taking multiple attempts and so take more time than an ordinary skill check?
Magic and Spells
15. How can a creature identify a given set of actions (speaking and waving arms or screeching and waving paws) as spellcasting (as opposed to recognizing that a specific spell is being cast)?
16. Does Darkness provide shadowy illumination if cast in an area devoid of light?
17. Is there any interaction between interdimensional spaces other than that spelled out in the descriptions of the Bag of Holding and the Portable Hole?
18. Can you Cleave through Mirror Images?
19. What happens if you cast Magic Missile at a target protected by Mirror Image?
20. Do you gain racial Hit Dice if Reincarnated into a form that normally has them?
21. Do you gain the benefits of a Ring of Evasion if wearing medium or heavy armor?
22. Are the caster levels for magic items in the DMG requisites, or simply assumed default caster levels (excluding items such as Ioun Stones)?
23. Are evil summoned creatures able to touch a subject protected by Protection from Good?
24. Does Shillelagh work, even though after it is cast the affected weapon ceases to be a valid target for the spell?
25. Does Break Enchantment remove a Feeblemind effect?
26. Does the minimum caster level requirement for casting spells mean that a 6th-level sorcerer with two negative levels and no other caster level adjustments CANNOT cast Fireball?
Monsters
27. How many Attacks of Opportunity can a hydra take in one round? How many heads attack on each AOO?
28. Do monsters that normally attack exclusively with natural weapons receive iterative grapple checks if their BAB is +6 or higher?
29. Which creatures can be tripped or knocked prone?
30. Are elementals (other than water elementals) affected by Horrid Wilting?
31. Does Shapechanging into a balor demon provide the caster with a Balor's sword?
32. Can a monster have more than one "Half-" template, such as being a half-dragon half-fiend minotaur?
33. Do monsters with the Pounce ability gain a single attack (as normal for a charge) PLUS a full attack, or does the full attack replace the single attack?
I'm not certain how to word the question of which squares you must move to for a charge attack.
If you're a DM starting a campaign, what are some of the most important rulings to make and let the players know about ahead of time? Things that are unclear, often provoke debates, are exploitable loopholes (Cleave/AOO, Balor sword mining), seem to contradict the game's design principles (Prot Good asymmetry to Prot Evil), or are just nonsensical (the Shillelagh paradox)?
Here's what I can come up with to start. Some of these I consider very clear (such as 12-14) but often mistaken by DMs and players. What else would you add to this list?
Core rules only. The splatbooks seem to have more poorly-worded material and, because there is so much more material in general, so many more confusing interactions of class features, feats, spells, etc.
I'm really not looking for debate on HOW DMs should rule on each one of these, just consensus on a list of things that should be considered before a campaign starts.
Combat and Characters
1. Can a monk take Improved Natural Attack to increase the damage of their unarmed strike?
2. Can an unarmed monk use Two-Weapon Fighting to increase their number of attacks per round?
3. Can you Cleave if you drop a foe with an Attack of Opportunity?
4. Can you Sunder on an Attack of Opportunity?
5. If you initiate a grapple as an Attack of Opportunity, can you take the free actions required to establish the hold?
6. If using a lance 1-handed while mounted, do you gain bonus damage from Strength and Power Attack as normal for a 2-handed weapon?
7. Should a wearer’s Deflection and Dodge bonuses apply to the AC of worn items?
8. If two sides are parleying, and one initiates combat, does that side automatically win initiative?
9. If using Total Defense, do you take a penalty on opposed attack rolls (such as for Disarm or Sunder attempts)?
10. Can rogues gain flanking bonuses when using ranged weapons?
11. How do you determine which combatant is struck when a ranged weapon is fired into a grapple? Are the probabilities equal or are they size-weighted in some way?
12. If you make a melee attack into a grapple, is there a chance to strike the wrong combatant?
13. Do modifiers that apply to attack rolls apply to grapple checks (Combat Expertise, Inspire Courage, etc.)?
14. Does Taking 10 represent taking multiple attempts and so take more time than an ordinary skill check?
Magic and Spells
15. How can a creature identify a given set of actions (speaking and waving arms or screeching and waving paws) as spellcasting (as opposed to recognizing that a specific spell is being cast)?
16. Does Darkness provide shadowy illumination if cast in an area devoid of light?
17. Is there any interaction between interdimensional spaces other than that spelled out in the descriptions of the Bag of Holding and the Portable Hole?
18. Can you Cleave through Mirror Images?
19. What happens if you cast Magic Missile at a target protected by Mirror Image?
20. Do you gain racial Hit Dice if Reincarnated into a form that normally has them?
21. Do you gain the benefits of a Ring of Evasion if wearing medium or heavy armor?
22. Are the caster levels for magic items in the DMG requisites, or simply assumed default caster levels (excluding items such as Ioun Stones)?
23. Are evil summoned creatures able to touch a subject protected by Protection from Good?
24. Does Shillelagh work, even though after it is cast the affected weapon ceases to be a valid target for the spell?
25. Does Break Enchantment remove a Feeblemind effect?
26. Does the minimum caster level requirement for casting spells mean that a 6th-level sorcerer with two negative levels and no other caster level adjustments CANNOT cast Fireball?
Monsters
27. How many Attacks of Opportunity can a hydra take in one round? How many heads attack on each AOO?
28. Do monsters that normally attack exclusively with natural weapons receive iterative grapple checks if their BAB is +6 or higher?
29. Which creatures can be tripped or knocked prone?
30. Are elementals (other than water elementals) affected by Horrid Wilting?
31. Does Shapechanging into a balor demon provide the caster with a Balor's sword?
32. Can a monster have more than one "Half-" template, such as being a half-dragon half-fiend minotaur?
33. Do monsters with the Pounce ability gain a single attack (as normal for a charge) PLUS a full attack, or does the full attack replace the single attack?
I'm not certain how to word the question of which squares you must move to for a charge attack.
