Grapple question...

[iwatt]

WoTC agrees actually. That's why they included the optional rules in the ELH for handling just that very situation.

We use the 20---->30 and 1---->-10

You can still hit those oozes if you've got a good enough Attack modifier.

This actually works really well, and we've even added it to saving throws (i.e. a 20 is very good. Conversely a 1 is deadly). I've got a character with a +17 to his fort save, and he still is afraid of some of the weak poisons. I find it really helps avoid those unreal situations, like the monk who asks for a fireball right on top of him, cause he's got evasion and a +15 to his Ref. Or the fact that Robin Hood can't hit the side of a barn 5% of the time, but the rest of the time he can nail his arrow into a spot the size of a coin.

I've benn thinking of using it for skill checks, but haven't taken the plunge yet into accepting it.

 

[jgsugden]

I'm beginning to see why there's grumbling over some FAQ answers...

There are problems with a lot of the custserv/the sage/FAQ answers out there. Many of them directly conflict the book. I've asked custserv a question and received an answer days before a directly contradictory answer is released by the sage. The worst part: many of the custserv/the sage/FAQ answers result in huge loopholes in the rules that can be exploited by greedy players ... and telling a player that he can't do something that a custserv/the sage/FAQ specifies can be done is like pulling teeth.

In the end, it is important to remember that this stuff is not part of the core rules. The only things in the rules are the books and the official errata. Everything else is just a suggestion on how to interprete the official rules.

Note: I'm not trying to pan custserv/the sage/FAQ. They do the best they can. D&D is a very complex set of rules. Managing them and giving consistent answers in all cases is a ridiculously difficult challenge. They do their best. In some cases I think they fall short of a reasonable effort, but in others I have been impressed by the elegance of an answer that I have seen. I think the best idea is to take their advice with a grain of salt. If you don't like their suggestion, go to the boards and ask for input. You'll often get a good suggestion or two (as well as many bad ones) on how to deal with any given problem if you ask board regulars.