Comments and questions on 3.5 from a Newbie

[kenobi65]

The advantage of double weapons is that you can decide from round to round whether to treat it as one two-handed weapon or as a onehanded/light weapon combo. That means that if you're prevented from making a full attack (such as when moving), you will get the 1.5x Str bonus to damage on the one attack you do make.

A couple of other advantages of double weapons (esp. compared to using a different weapon in each hand, such as longsword + shortsword):

- Weapon feats, such as Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, and Improved Critical, work on both heads of the weapon. Thus, if you take Weapon Focus (two-bladed sword), you get +1 on attack rolls with both blades.

- In a few cases (two-bladed sword, dire flail, orc double axe), you get more damage out of the "off-hand" (1d8) than you would with any light weapon that you would be able to wield in your off hand.

 

[kenobi65]

I'm far from the rules master that kenobi65 and others are, and I'm sure they'll explain it better, but in order to flank someone you must have any ally working with you. Shelob couldn't flank anyone by herself.

Well, thanks, sniffles, though I'm nowhere near the expert that some here are.

You've got it on flanking. Flanking only works if you've got an ally on the other side of the opponent from you. There are illustrations on pp. 152-153 of the PHB that show when you do (and don't) get flanking.

I don't know if you've gotten to rogues yet in your perusal of the classes chapter, but rogues love flanking -- in most cases, it's the most reliable way for a rogue to get a sneak attack.

(There's an enormous debate that crops up on the Rules board every few months on whether you can provide flanking to your ally if you're using a ranged weapon; the rule in 3.5 is, arguably, oddly worded on this one. My advice: avoid this topic like the plague. )

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(looks tired)

Some things just have to be done the hard way. There are no short cuts.

(Without reading the PHB. The PHB is in the other room.)

Drill Sargeant to Yours Truly: CADET, WHAT ARE THE FULL ROUND ACTIONS AND DO THEY OR DO THEY NOT PROVOKE ATTACKS OR OPPORTUNITY?

Yours Truly:

Full Attack / No
Charge / No
Deliver a Coup de Grace / Yes
Escape from a Net / Yes
Extinguish Flames / No
Light a Torch / Yes
Load a Heavy or Repeating Crossbow / Yes
Lock or Unlock a Weapon in a Locked Gauntlet / Yes
Prepare a Splash Weapon / Yes
Use Action that takes 1 Full Round / Usually
Use Touch Spell to touch up to 6 friends / Yes
Withdraw / No

Drill Sargeant to Yours Truly: CADET, WHAT ABOUT FREE ACTIONS?

Yours Truly:

Activate a Quickened Spell / No
?
Drop an item / No
Drop to the ground / No
Prepare spell components to cast a spell / No
Speak / No

Drill Sargeant to Yours Truly: CADET, WHAT ABOUT NO TIME ACTIONS?

Yours Truly:

?
5 foot step / No

Drill Sargeant to Yours Truly: CADET, WHAT ABOUT MOVE ACTIONS?

Move / Yes
Control a frightened horse / Yes
Direct or redirect an active spell / No
Draw a weapon / No
Load a light or hand crossbow / Yes
Open or close a door / No
Mount or dismount / No
Light a torch with (?) / No
Ready / No
?

Drill Sargeant to Yours Truly: CADET, WHAT ABOUT STANDARD ACTIONS?

Attack, Melee / No
Attack, Ranged / No
Attack, Unarmed / Yes
Activate a magical item other than a potion or oil / No
Aid Other / Maybe
Bull Rush / No
Charge / Yes
?

Drill Sargeant to Yours Truly: CADET, YOU JUST EARNED YOUR ENTIRE PLATOON A FREE 5 MILE RUN.

 

[MerricB]

There's a reason that table's on the DM's Screen, btw.

It is one of the few tables that I sometimes refer to... rarely.

Actually, I can't think of the last time I looked up something on my DM's screen...

Cheers!

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(weary, tries again with maximum effort)

I say: The sooner you get it done, the sooner the pain will stop.

(Player's Handbook is in other room, no notes, reciting from memory)

Standard Actions:

Attack, melee / No
Attack, ranged / Yes
Attack, unarmed / Yes
Activate a magical item other than a potion or applying oil / No
Aid other / Maybe
Bull rush / Yes
Cast a spell (1 standard action casting time) / Yes
Concentrate on maintaining an active spell / No
Dismiss a spell / No
Draw a hidden weapon / No
Drink a potion or apply oil / Yes
Escape a grapple / No
Feint / No
Light a torch using a tindertwig / Yes
Lesser spell resistance / No
Make a Dying person stable / Yes
Overrun / No
Read a scroll / Yes
Ready (triggers a standard action) / No
Sunder a weapon (attack) / Yes
Sunder an object (attack) / Maybe
Total defense / No
Turn or Rebuke undead / No
Use extraordinary ability / No
Use skill that requires 1 standard action / Usually
Use spell-like ability / Yes
Use supernatural ability / No

(goes back to hard study. The drill sargeant is not appeased.)

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(drawing on memory only, maximum possible effort)

STANDARD ACTIONS:

Attack, melee / No
Attack, ranged / Yes
Attack, unarmed / Yes
Activate a magic item other than a potion or oil / No
Aid other / Maybe
Bull rush / Yes
Cast a spell (spell with casting time of standard action) / Yes
Concentrate on maintaining an active spell / No
Dismiss a spell / No
Draw a hidden weapon / No
Drink a potion or apply oil / Yes
Escape a grapple / No
Feint / No
Light a torch using tindertwig / Yes
Lessen spell resistance / No
Make a dying person stable / Yes
Overrun / No
Read a scroll / Yes
Ready (triggers a Standard Action) / No
Sunder a weapon (attack) Yes
Sunder an item (attack) Maybe
Total defense / No
Turn or Rebuke Undead / No
Use extraordinary ability / No
Use skill that takes one action / Likely
Use spell-like ability / Yes
Use supernatural ability / No

MOVE ACTIONS:

Move / Yes
Control a frightened mount / Yes
Direct or redirect an active spell / No
Draw a weapon / No
Load a light or hand-held crossbow / Yes
Open or close a door / No
Mount or dismount / No
Move a heavy object / Yes
Pick up an item / Yes
Sheath a weapon / Yes
Stand up from prone / Yes
(something)
Retrieve a stored item / Yes

FULL ROUND ACTIONS:

Full round attack / No
Charge / No
Deliver a coup de grace / Yes
Escape from a net / Yes
Extinguish flames / No
Light a torch / Yes
Load a heavy or repeating crossbow / Yes
Lock or unlock a weapon in a locked gaunlet / Yes
Prepare a splash weapon / Yes
Run / Yes
Use skill that requires 1 round / Likely
Use touch spell to touch up to 6 friends / Yes
Withdraw / No

FREE ACTIONS:

Cast a quickened spell / No
Cease concentration on a spell / No
Drop an item / No
Drop to the ground / No
Prepare spell components for a spell / No
Speak / No

NO-ACTION:

Delay
5 foot step

VARIES

Disarm
Grabble
Trip an opponent
Feats

(bangs head against wall repeatedly, knowing that he didn't get them all.)

 

[Tarril Wolfeye]

You're doing this the wrong way.
There's no need to know what all Full-round actions are, etc.

This is how you should do it:
Presented with an action, you can name if it is a free, move, standard or full-round action.
So, in combat, if a player tells you what he does, you can tell him when he has done all he can do in this round.

Your drill sergeant should call out an action and you can name what kind it is and if there's an AoO.

Examples:

Drink a potion!

Draw your Weapon!

Drop to the Ground!

Cast a Spell!

Get up!

Hit him with your Fist!

Overrun!

Charge!

Speak!

Move!

Stabilize your Dying Comrade!

Attack your Foe's Battleaxe!

Pick that Dagger up!

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(looks rather frustrated)

Well, my effort only partially worked anyways. My memory isn't what it was.
I can't recite all the Standard Actions, Move Actions, Full Round Actions, Free Actions, No-Action Actions, and Variable Actions from the chart now. I can still recite many of them, but not all.
A teenager would have taken one look at that chart, and memorized it lickety-split. Like a dog picks up fleas.

I've gone over the situational modifiers. LOL.
If you're in a dungeon, and you lose your light, you're in big trouble. The enemy with Darksight have + 2 to hit you (for invisibility, both melee and ranged.) You CAN'T attack them directly: you can attack into the square where you think they are. If that is the correct square, you have a 50% chance of hitting.
So when the drow use their magic to extinguish your magical light source from a distance, and the next thing you know you're walking in a slave line run by the drow, you'll know why.

Invisibility is nice. Again, they CAN'T attack you unless they know exactly what square you're in. They can try to guess what square you're in, and if they attack that square they have a 50% chance of hitting you. If you are fighting them face to face, 5 feet away, they still have that 50% chance of missing.

For the purposes of the Special Attacks, I'm creating a character.
This character is named Joe Fighter. He has the following stats:

Joe Fighter, Player Character.

Medium sized human.
Strength 13, Dexterity 13, Constitution 13, Intelligence 13, Wisdom 13, Charisma 13.
Character Level 1. Fighter 1st.

Hit Points 11.
BAB + 1.
Fortitude Base Save Bonus: + 2
Reflex BSB: + 0
Will BSB: + 0

Feats: Armor Proficiency Light, Armor Proficiency Medium, Armor Proficiency Heavy, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Endurance, Diehard, Dodge

Armor Class: 22 (+ 8 Armor, + 2 Shield, + 1 Dexterity, + 1 Dodge)
Attack Bonus Long Sword + 2 (+ 1 BAB, + 1 Strength)
Attack Bonus Short Sword + 2 (+ 1 BAB, + 1 Strength)
Attack Bonus Long Bow + 2 (+ 1 BAB, + 1 Dexterity)
Modified Fortitude Save: + 3 (+ 2 BSB, + 1 Constitution)
Modified Reflex Save: + 1 (+ 0 BSB, + 1 Dexterity)
Modified Will Save: + 1 (+ 0 BSB, + 1 Wisdom)
Movement: 20 Feet
Armor Check Penalty: - 8

Items (all items are Medium items unless otherwise denoted) :

Full Plate Armor
Heavy Shield (steel)
Long Sword
Short Sword
Long Bow
Quiver and 20 Arrows

I will use Joe Fighter as my example character to ask questions.

Is Joe Fighter constructed correctly, first of all?

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

If I created Joe Fighter correctly, I can use him for further questions.
But did I create him correctly?

If I did, he is my FIRST 3rd Edition D&D character.

(Yes, I know a 1st level character would not have the money for Full Plate Armor.)

 

[Finley DaDum]

On Joe Fighter

Only comment would be that the dodge bonus to AC is only vs. one opponent and has to be declared during your turn.

Joe Fighter needs skills to be fully completed though.