Ultimate Guide to Ambiguous/Problem Rules

[Archer]

3. Paladin's mount

Argument against the sage: The windrider gets 5x the mount that the paladin does while still get feats for both himself and his mount all in 10 levels. The paladin doesn't get much other than his mount and to be at all useful at higher levels it should be treated as a magical beast for all HD, BAB, feats, skills and saves. This is a balance issue.

4) Monk Shields

Why does the best advice go against all rulings and spirit of the rules? Calling the rules dicey is not accurate. 99.9% clear is better.

11) Gauntlets as armor

I'd have to say since gauntlets are the gloves slot (not armor slot)for magic items and as they have no characteristics of armor they are not armor. How a shield can not be armor and gauntlets be armor is beyond me.

12) rules and sage exactly mirror best advice

14) Argument against: This is just insane and a clear abuse.

18) Is the purpose of using a weapon to initiate trip to use its enhancement bonus? I'd say you can't use an ordinary weapon to trip because trip weapons are explicitly declared to be able to trip which they wouldn't do if any weapon could. Things like daggers don't even come close to someone's feet.

19) Rules and sage mirror best advice.

20) Rules and sage say the first example

21) Sage says combine the empowers as a single metamagic and then apply them. Rules don't even say you can stack the same metamagic.

22) If you give tiny creatures AoO do you also give fine creatures an AoO? They both have the same reach after all. Running through a cloud of bees should not entitle every bee to a free attack on you so how is running through a carpet of rats different?

23) How is the best advice not exactly? Isn't the answer just NO? You don't have to have TWF to take a throwing attack with your off hand at full penalties.

26) Sage agrees with best advice

28) Add to argument against: There are feats and class abilities that let you do this. If anyone could do it, why have feats that specifically allow such things?

 

[Artoomis]

Hey Artoomis, could you put an index or table of contents on your site? I was looking for info on the "evil" descriptor for animate dead spells and its like, and had too scroll through the whole page. I am lazy and do not have one of those cool mouses that have the scroll roller. My wrist is tired now. Thanks.

Good point. THis WEB site is only a holding area to get my act together until I publish it in a nice format. Don't forget you can use the "find" feature of your browser to find what you want.

I don't think there is any real issue in how the rules work with animate dead. It has the Evil descriptor, so Good clerics can't use it. Is there an issue of which I am unaware?

 

[Artoomis]

This will be pretty long, as I'm going to address each of Archer's comments. I'll be updating the WEb site later (today?) based on your comments, Archer. Lot's of good stuff in there - thank you very much for helping, Archer!

I've put the item number in my answers so that anyone could quote only my answer for comments and we'd be able to put it in context.

3. Paladin's mount

Argument against the sage: The windrider gets 5x the mount that the paladin does while still get feats for both himself and his mount all in 10 levels. The paladin doesn't get much other than his mount and to be at all useful at higher levels it should be treated as a magical beast for all HD, BAB, feats, skills and saves. This is a balance issue.

3. I didn't know about the Windrider. What book is that in?

4) Monk Shields

Why does the best advice go against all rulings and spirit of the rules? Calling the rules dicey is not accurate. 99.9% clear is better.

4. Tne rules are nowhere near 99.9% clear as witnessed by earlier discussion on this point. The "Best Advice" is against the Sage's ruling because I get to decide what the "Best Advice." The rules can be interpreted either way quite easily, and both sides of the argument see the rules as clearly supporting their side.

11) Gauntlets as armor

I'd have to say since gauntlets are the gloves slot (not armor slot)for magic items and as they have no characteristics of armor they are not armor. How a shield can not be armor and gauntlets be armor is beyond me.

11. Well, then, what about helms? They take up the "hat" slot - does that mean they aren't armor either?

12) rules and sage exactly mirror best advice

12. Thanks. I haven't gotten around to looking up the rules citation or looking for the Sage's ruling (which I know was sent by e-mail).

14) Argument against: This is just insane and a clear abuse.

14. Fair enough - I'll add that in.

18) Is the purpose of using a weapon to initiate trip to use its enhancement bonus? I'd say you can't use an ordinary weapon to trip because trip weapons are explicitly declared to be able to trip which they wouldn't do if any weapon could. Things like daggers don't even come close to someone's feet.

18. Good input. I'll add it in.

19) Rules and sage mirror best advice.

19. I agree - but the rules are not quite crystal clear and I need to capture that. I haven't gone back to look for the opposing argument yet.

20) Rules and sage say the first example

20. Thanks. Any references?

21) Sage says combine the empowers as a single metamagic and then apply them. Rules don't even say you can stack the same metamagic.

21. Are you sure about the Sage's advice? And, if so, how do you combine them? You are partially correct about the rules - it is probably better to simply say that the rules are silent on the issue, and also quote the rules for multiple metamagics on a spell.

22) If you give tiny creatures AoO do you also give fine creatures an AoO? They both have the same reach after all. Running through a cloud of bees should not entitle every bee to a free attack on you so how is running through a carpet of rats different?

22. I'll add yout thoughts.

23) How is the best advice not exactly? Isn't the answer just NO? You don't have to have TWF to take a throwing attack with your off hand at full penalties.

23. It's "not exactly" because you do get something for thrown weapons with the feat - you get to draw a second weapon in the time it takes to draw one weapon. Do you have a better suggestion for how to state that fact?

26) Sage agrees with best advice

26. Are you sure? I am certain that folks have said the opposite, but I don't have any quotes from the Sage. Perhaps you do?

28) Add to argument against: There are feats and class abilities that let you do this. If anyone could do it, why have feats that specifically allow such things?

28. Don't the feats or abilities that let you change direction mean you can change direction during a charge? This is different from using a readied action to attempt to do that - sometimes you'll get no action at all when trying to use a readied action for a charge in a new direction. Nonetheless, I'll have to update to add your comment in the "Argument Against" section.

 

[Artoomis]

I'll try and post an update in a few hours or so. Meantime, this is a small plea for any further input.

For those who have been so kind as to comment on this work or to add their own input, please review the list after the update (I'll post here when it's done). I'm most concerned about making sure I fairly present both sides of each argument - I think that's what will give the final guide the most value.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Archer]

3: Windrider is in Master of the Wild. See examples of the windrider in sultans of smack and best PrC threads.

11: I would not consider helmets armor for purposes of monks because they have no characteristics of armor and take the hat slot.

21: The sage was asked if a spell did 21 damage and you used empower twice would you add 10 for each empower or 21 for them together and the sage said combine the empowers and apply the total bonus once.

28: Yes, the feat allow you to change direction in a charge. Readying an action should not substitute for those feats.

 

[SpikeyFreak]

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnD_PH_Glossary_GG.asp#2

If you have a 21 point fireball that is double-empowered, you add the empowers together and multiply the final multiplier for 21 additional points, not each one individually.

--Fire Fueling Spikey

 

[Voadam]

#2 Mind Blank

For number two on mind blanks:

Best advice: you forgot emotions and thoughts which are explicitly protected.

Rules: "The subject is protected from all devices and spells that detect, influence, or read emotions or thoughts. This spell protects against all mind-affecting spells and effects as well as information gathering by divination spells or effects. Mind blank even foils limited wish, miracle, and wish when they are used in such a way as to affect the subject’s mind or to gain information about him. In the case of scrying that scans an area that the creature is in, such as arcane eye, the spell works but the creature simply isn’t detected. Scrying attempts that are targeted specifically at the subject do not work at all."

Argument against:

The spell says it protects against "information gathering by divination spells or effects. Mind blank even foils limited wish, miracle, and wish when they are used in such a way as to . . . gain information about him." This does not seem to be limited to scrying, thoughts and emotions.

Ristamar's quote from the Sage:

R You recently answered a question regarding the Mind Blank spell vs. the effects of True Strike, stating that Mind Blank does not affect True Strike. Many people resting on both sides of the issue we're hoping you could offer an explanation as to why it does not.

S True strike doesn't reveal anything about a particular creature, so mind blank has no effect on the spell.

R In addition, there have been questions raised concerning how Mind Blank functions in conjunction with other spells. For example, lets say a wizard casts Mind Blank and Improved Invisibility on himself. Does the invisibilty now count as part of the caster, or is it considered a seperate entity in regards to spells like See Invisibility?

S Mind blank is not effective against see invisibility (non detection is). Mind blank protects against devices and spells that detect, influence, or read emotions or thoughts. And against scrying, which is magical information gathering conducted remotely. See invisibility is not scrying.

R In other words, is the Mind Blanked/Invisible wizard protected from See Invisibility? Detect Magic? True Seeing?

S No in all three cases.

 

[Artoomis]

I still have a bunch of content updates to do, but I've fixed up some formatting problems and added an index at the beginning so you can jump to any item and then back to the list.

 

[Artoomis]

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnD_PH_Glossary_GG.asp#2

If you have a 21 point fireball that is double-empowered, you add the empowers together and multiply the final multiplier for 21 additional points, not each one individually.

--Fire Fueling Spikey

Okay - I see your point. It took me a minute to get it - but I see it now. Each empower is a 1.5 multiplier, so you add the multipliers together to get 2 (DnD multiplier addition) rather than add the .5 twice to get 10 + 10 extra damage (thus losing .5 damage twice due to rounding down).

It still means you apply the empower to the base spell, for you get:

1x + (.5x + .5x) for a total of 2x

rather than

(1x + .5x) = 1.5x[results of the first empower]
1.5x + .5(1.5x) = 2.25x [results if you applied first empower on top of the second empower]

So there are really two issues here -

1. If you "double empower" do you apply the second one to the results of the first one or to the base spell?

2. If you apply the results to the base spell, do you add the multipliers together and then apply them, or apply them individually and then add them?

I think I've got it now. I'll change that item around when I next update.

 

[Artoomis]

3: Windrider is in Master of the Wild. See examples of the windrider in sultans of smack and best PrC threads.

11: I would not consider helmets armor for purposes of monks because they have no characteristics of armor and take the hat slot.

21: The sage was asked if a spell did 21 damage and you used empower twice would you add 10 for each empower or 21 for them together and the sage said combine the empowers and apply the total bonus once.

28: Yes, the feat allow you to change direction in a charge. Readying an action should not substitute for those feats.

I was suprised by your answer on the helm, but it is consistent with your answer on gauntlets.

Thanks. I'll be sure to include your point of view when I do the next update.