Comments and questions on 3.5 from a Newbie

[Voadam]

Drow are no longer naturally ambidextrous? IT'S AN OUTRAGE!

Yes it is. And they are no longer Chaotic Evil either. Now they are neutral evil.

 

[Particle_Man]

Ah, but good clerics can't use Evil Spells? And evil clerics can't use Good spells? GOOD. Because they SHOULDN'T BE. (Moral relativism aside!)
Evil clerics can't download their spells into cure spells? They must take cause wound spells? GOOD. THAT'S HOW IT SHOULD BE. Evil is EVIL, not expedient. If the evil cleric has a problem with that, then he shouldn't have followed the Vile Ways, should he?

1) One thing 3.5 does not contain is moral relativism. Good and Evil are as much a part of the objective, physical nature of the average D&D universe as gravity and electromagnetism is a part of our own.

2) Technically, evil clerics can prepare cure spells. But they cannot "automatically" change any of their prepared spells on the fly into cure spells. Similarly, good clerics cannot automatically change any of their prepared spells on the fly into inflict spells, but could prepare inflict spells for the day, if need be.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Is anyone else just having a complete ball reading Edena's reactions? It's totally taking me back to when I first cracked open the 3.0 PHB. "They changed this? Holy cow! Ooh! Look at that! Shiney!"

Thanks for a very entertaining thread, Edena!

 

[Jdvn1]

Is anyone else just having a complete ball reading Edena's reactions? It's totally taking me back to when I first cracked open the 3.0 PHB. "They changed this? Holy cow! Ooh! Look at that! Shiney!"

Thanks for a very entertaining thread, Edena!

I am!

And a character can be naturally ambidextrous as a matter of color, arguably (all these long posts, I didn't see if that was addressed).

 

[kenobi65]

See page 220 of the DMG (and the really great picture {of Elven Chain} by Todd Lockwood).

Oooh, yah! I've got a signed print of that picture hanging on the wall right here. Purty!

 

[kenobi65]

And a character can be naturally ambidextrous as a matter of color, arguably (all these long posts, I didn't see if that was addressed).

Technically, since Ambidexterity is no longer a feat in 3.5, I suppose you're right. However, if a player tried to get any mechanical advantage out of this "flavor" ambidexterity, I'd have to slap 'em.

 

[BeauNiddle]

So the Neutral Good Druid could choose to be super-good, as it were (or, slightly good, just above the neutral line.) She could choose to be super-evil, too. Just as long as she reveres nature, she's fine.

Yep that's one of the main 'features' of 3.x ed D&D - there are a lot more options available.

Some people argue that it takes a lot of the personality of the game away but I've always felt its the job of the DM to supply personality, it's the job of the rules to make sense

Like others have said - it's great seeing somebody enjoying the spirit of the new rules. (even if the mechanics take a while to learn!)

 

[Flyspeck23]

I noticed in skimming the Combat Rules that if you are dying (- 1 to - 9 hit points) even 1 point of magical healing would stabilize you and completely prevent any chance of your dying.
A cleric gets 3 0 level spells at 1st level. That's three party members saved.
A party's best friend, indeed!!

Yes, indeed! And that's the very reason why a cleric's level 0 spells are useful, why other classes' level 0 spells are not (or at least much, much less useful).

Good catch!

 

[kenobi65]

I noticed in skimming the Combat Rules that if you are dying (- 1 to - 9 hit points) even 1 point of magical healing would stabilize you and completely prevent any chance of your dying.

Also good for stabilizing dying bad guys, whom you might want to question later...

 

[sniffles]

Technically, since Ambidexterity is no longer a feat in 3.5, I suppose you're right. However, if a player tried to get any mechanical advantage out of this "flavor" ambidexterity, I'd have to slap 'em.

There is an ambidexterity special ability in the Tempest prestige class... But that's probably too much information for Edena, since she hasn't got through clerics yet!

This thread has been fun to read. I was involved in a 2e campaign when 3e was released, but it was my first D&D game and I never bothered to read the rules thoroughly. I just let the GM and other more experienced players tell me how things worked. Once 3e arrived I started reading rules. I find reading the 3e rules much more entertaining than 2e. The possibilities seem endless.