(Psi)SeveredHead
Adventurer
It's just anti-3.5 ranting/flaming/spam rather than anything important.
3.5 Little Changes, big effects
- Thread starter Garmorn
- Start date
It's just anti-3.5 ranting/flaming/spam rather than anything important.
That does change things. As it is now, familiars also get Spot and Listen checks. Since they are in constant mental contact with their master, familiars can transmit any information from a successful check pretty quickly. This means that an elf wizard with Wis 10 and a snake familiar riding on his shoulder essentially gets two checks, one at +4 (elf bonus and virtual Alertness) and one at +8 (the snake's Spot check).
This change in 3.5 (if it indeed works this way) cuts down considerably on the perceptions of characters with familiars, since they will only get +2 to one roll, rather than the virtual two rolls. Being able to stack the real Alertness feat will not make up for it. This is especially true since most familiar animals have naturally high Spot and Listen checks.
It seems strange that they are addressing this point in the rules "update". I have never seen anyone actually take advantage of this rules' loophole that allows first level wizards to have Spot and Listen checks that exceed the rogue's. The way they are doing it makes sense to me, though.
You know, when I heard about the changes to weapon size rules, I have decided that Version 3.5 is not. There are going to be SO MANY tweaks and twists to the rules that backwards compatibility is going to be a big issue.
This change in 3.5 (if it indeed works this way) cuts down considerably on the perceptions of characters with familiars, since they will only get +2 to one roll, rather than the virtual two rolls. Being able to stack the real Alertness feat will not make up for it. This is especially true since most familiar animals have naturally high Spot and Listen checks.
It seems strange that they are addressing this point in the rules "update". I have never seen anyone actually take advantage of this rules' loophole that allows first level wizards to have Spot and Listen checks that exceed the rogue's. The way they are doing it makes sense to me, though.
You know, when I heard about the changes to weapon size rules, I have decided that Version 3.5 is not. There are going to be SO MANY tweaks and twists to the rules that backwards compatibility is going to be a big issue.
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Zweischneid
First Post
A 4th Edition, especially one that would officially not be 100% compatible, would cause severe Problems with other Companies doing doing D20 Products who might want to press issues with "lost money" of their 3rd Edition products and a WoTC 4th Edition.
That 3.5 is just a tweak around possible OGL lawsuits... or have you ever before heard of such stupidty.
It´s not for or against 3.5 (or 4th) Edition, infact I will hold my Opinion till the books are on the shelfs. Its just an observation on how "normal" companies would herald it as a 4th Edition without even thinking of pulling some Windows Edition Numbers.
MeepoTheMighty
First Post
Zweischneid said:
That's absurd. WoTC owns the rights to D&D and can put out as many editions as they feel like, and other d20 companies wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.
It's not a 4th edition. It's barely a 3.5 edition. The changes are way smaller than the changes, say from 2nd edition to Skills and Powers, and definitely smaller than the changes from 2nd edition to 3rd edition.
Besides, the product was originally called 3rd edition, revised. You can blame us internet geeks for coming up with the 3.5 moniker.
Saeviomagy
Adventurer
Hmm. Let me see.
Take 10. You can take 10 when not under stress.
Aid another. You can aid other people in tasks unless the GM says otherwise. There may be an upper limit to the number of contributing parties.
Looks to me like this was alreay in the rules. In fact the wizard is actually LOSING the free alertness feat.
In fact I (ab)used those rules with an animal cleric of mine. My animal companions were all rats, and once I could speak with them, I had them assist me in search and wilderness lore checks. At 5th level (minimum for speak with animals I believe) that was an average of about +14 or so to search checks and more to wilderness lore (we were using the original, unerrata'd rules, so you got twice your level in hd for animal companions, and a rat is 1/4 of a hd). With a continuous speak with animals, I dare say I could have gotten bonuses to spot and listen in that way.
Take 10. You can take 10 when not under stress.
Aid another. You can aid other people in tasks unless the GM says otherwise. There may be an upper limit to the number of contributing parties.
Looks to me like this was alreay in the rules. In fact the wizard is actually LOSING the free alertness feat.
In fact I (ab)used those rules with an animal cleric of mine. My animal companions were all rats, and once I could speak with them, I had them assist me in search and wilderness lore checks. At 5th level (minimum for speak with animals I believe) that was an average of about +14 or so to search checks and more to wilderness lore (we were using the original, unerrata'd rules, so you got twice your level in hd for animal companions, and a rat is 1/4 of a hd). With a continuous speak with animals, I dare say I could have gotten bonuses to spot and listen in that way.
