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So you can get nonlethal sneak attack damage when using a sap, but a sap is a light weapon, which you can't power attack with. Are there any weapons or ways of doing nonlethal damage, getting your sneak attack damage, and using power attack? It is possible just to get the power attack by taking...

Thanks for the replies folks. I've taken a look through most of those classes. For a dungeon crawl beginning at 1st level, it looks like Rogue remains my preferred option. Artificer would be of interest in a campaign that had a bit of downtime. Ninja is a more viable option from 2nd level...

Which non-core base classes have trapfinding? I'm looking specifically for those published in 3.5E books from Wizards of the Coast.

I would recommend taking levels up to Fighter 4, Weapon Specialization (Shortsword), and Weapon Mastery (Piercing). +4 damage and +2 to attack is nice if you're wielding two shortswords.

Weapon Finesse requires +1 base attack bonus, so a Rogue cannot take it at 1st level. Thus the difference in attack scores is not as much until 3rd level. That said, I think either Rogue build should take Weapon Finesse, as +2 or +3 to attack is definitely worth a feat, and I presume Dexterity...

I thought a number of monsters were balanced with the assumption that the party would buff with protection magics. For example, without the party buffing beforehand or having Mass Resist Energy / Protection from Energy spells, dragons are likely to be higher CR than that stated in their...

It was a design mistake. This why all the animals et al. with 0 base attack bonus and better Dexterity than Strength have to be given Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat, because they couldn't select it otherwise.

Arcane Sight doesn't really help scouting, except for detecting magical stuff within 120'. In addition, the caster's eyes glow blue, so enemies will detect the caster. Arcane Eye is an invisible sensor. If it is stationary, the Spot check to notice it is DC 40 - maybe better than the Hide check...

Haldrik had some threads on Wizards of the Coasts boards pricing feats and so forth, which were very good. Unfortunately, the link I had to those threads is not working, though a bit of info is in Google's cache. I've also seen some homebrew systems. I don't know of any published systems with...

When I DM, I intend most significant threats to have both warning signs and be recognizable. Undead are distinct from non-undead, because undead represent an above average threat - players need some guide to their intution as to how to treat an encounter (e.g. apes we can take them, or undead...

Yes, but not necessarily a bad thing. With all the random splat books, new base classes, 3rd party material (e.g. Arcana Evolved), there has been a lot of opportunity to explore alternatives and possible improvements to the system. The same thing occurred in 2nd edition AD&D with Skills & Powers...

The idea is nice. Price is too low. That said, abilities like Ghost Touch are probably over-priced in the DMG (if you are considering enchanting say a +5 weapon) - I'd prefer they were a flat additional cost, rather than an increase in the weapon plus.

Your secretary is toast. Sure you might get an exchange for her, but you will lose more in that exchange (e.g. the funky armor that will make the bad guy uber powerful). Faking your own deaths might be a good option if you can do it in a fool proof way. It saves your families and friends. Your...

One way of removing spell resistance and replacing it with high savings throws would be to have finer grained results from savings throw. For example, if you make the save by 10 or more then you are unaffected by the spell. So Fireball would work like: normal damage if you fail the save, 1/2...

What is to stop me hitting with the club to do subdual damage and still getting the benefit of Cure Light Wounds healing lethal damage?

Not in my experience and I am playing a character that is a high level Spymaster. The Disguise Self, Alter Self, etc. spells give +10 to Diguise - that's a nice bonus, but on its own is not enough for a disguise to hold up for long. Keep in mind the disguise penalties: -2 for difference race, -2...

Correct on the BAB, it is +16 at 20th level, attacks at +30/+30/+25/+20/+15. I am not including flurry, but I am assuming that Speed is one of the weapon enhancements chosen for the Kensai signature weapon.

Dwarven Monk 2/Fighter 8/Kensai 10 32 point buy: STR 16, DEX 14, CON 16+2=18, INT 14, WIS 8, CHA 8-2=6 Put all ability increases into Strength. 1 Monk 1: Dodge, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike 2 Fighter 1: Weapon Focus (Guisarme) 3 Fighter 2: Combat Expertise, Improved Trip 4 Monk 2...

It really depends on how much you want a party to be able to recharge before resting. I agree with Merric, some boosting would not go astray. Another option would be to make the standard healing spells range close rather than touch and have lower level or same level versions that heal more at...

It depends on the campaign and the character. I would generally prefer that a character die in an iconic, heroic fashion rather than a meaningless one. For example, I have no objections to the high AC party tank going down in melee battle versus the BBEG, or perhaps holding the line versus...