Cheiromancer
Adventurer
I'm the DM, but I might soon be assuming the role of a player. I allow almost any WotC published material, though I like to be warned well in advance so I can think if the rules are being applied correctly. I don't mind houseruling, but I don't like to do it unnecessarily, and I like to know when I'm doing it, as opposed to applying the rules as best as one can. This is a what-if example:
What if an aasimar0 (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) used alter self to transform into a minor xorn (MM p. 261)?
All xorn have two special abilities:
All-around vision: The description of all-around vision states that "a xorn's symmetrically placed eyes allow it to look in any directions, providing a +4 racial bonus on spot and search checks. A xorn can't be flanked."
Now, alter self gives racial skill bonuses, and it gives the symmetrical placement of eyes. Should I allow "cannot be flanked" as well, considering it a consequence of the placement of eyes? Alter self grants bonus feats, and this ability is on par with a (powerful) feat or feat chain. Or should one be stern and disallow it as a separate (Ex) ability not asociated with the gross physical qualities of the xorn?
Earth glide: A xorn has a burrowing speed of 20 (the same as its movement speed). There are two questions which need to be answered when a creature gets a burrow speed: what can be burrowed through, and how the burrowing disturbs/displaces the terrain (e.g. does it leave a tunnel). The monster manual glossary (under movement modes) says that "a creature with a burrow speed can tunnel through dirt but not through rock unless the descriptive text says otherwise. Creatures cannot charge or run while burrowing. Most burrowing creatures do not leave behind tunnels other creatures can use (either because the material they tunnel through fills in behind them or because they do not actually dislocate any material when burrowing); see the individual creature descriptions for details." The creature description, under earth glide, says that "a xorn can glide through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish swims through water. its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence."
Now alter self does grant the 20 burrow speed, and it does seem to be an effortless glide (as easy as its regular movement rate). Seeking an answer to the two questions in the text we see that it can burrow through stone (but not metal) without leaving a trace. However, if we exclude all the text under Earthglide as being not granted by the spell, the questions are unanswered; we can use a pessimistic reading in this case, but it seems perverse to do so.
Thoughts?
What if an aasimar0 (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) used alter self to transform into a minor xorn (MM p. 261)?
All xorn have two special abilities:
All-around vision: The description of all-around vision states that "a xorn's symmetrically placed eyes allow it to look in any directions, providing a +4 racial bonus on spot and search checks. A xorn can't be flanked."
Now, alter self gives racial skill bonuses, and it gives the symmetrical placement of eyes. Should I allow "cannot be flanked" as well, considering it a consequence of the placement of eyes? Alter self grants bonus feats, and this ability is on par with a (powerful) feat or feat chain. Or should one be stern and disallow it as a separate (Ex) ability not asociated with the gross physical qualities of the xorn?
Earth glide: A xorn has a burrowing speed of 20 (the same as its movement speed). There are two questions which need to be answered when a creature gets a burrow speed: what can be burrowed through, and how the burrowing disturbs/displaces the terrain (e.g. does it leave a tunnel). The monster manual glossary (under movement modes) says that "a creature with a burrow speed can tunnel through dirt but not through rock unless the descriptive text says otherwise. Creatures cannot charge or run while burrowing. Most burrowing creatures do not leave behind tunnels other creatures can use (either because the material they tunnel through fills in behind them or because they do not actually dislocate any material when burrowing); see the individual creature descriptions for details." The creature description, under earth glide, says that "a xorn can glide through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish swims through water. its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence."
Now alter self does grant the 20 burrow speed, and it does seem to be an effortless glide (as easy as its regular movement rate). Seeking an answer to the two questions in the text we see that it can burrow through stone (but not metal) without leaving a trace. However, if we exclude all the text under Earthglide as being not granted by the spell, the questions are unanswered; we can use a pessimistic reading in this case, but it seems perverse to do so.
Thoughts?
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