Help me break in my 3.5 books! (3.5 Q&A)

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Mistledale Campaigners and EN Worlders are welcome to stop by today and ogle (if you can find me, ha ha!)

Is there a revised method to calculate CR in the MM.

How about ECL?

ECL is explained in the DMG, page 172. The MM has a brief discussion of it pon page 290 where it discusses monsters and class levels.

There's a page devoted to determineing monster CR in the section of the MM devoted to designing monsters, page 302.

Aside: I really like having all the "monster theory" together in one section of the MM. Makes it easy to find.

I'm having a harder time finding stuff in the DMG -- the layout is really logical for someone picking up the book for the first time, but I keep looking in the chapters from the 3.0 book. So far everything's still in there, but information has changed chapters (the CR/XP table is now on page 36, for example).

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Q:Align Weapon

On some of the other threads I remember seeing the cleric spell list and it has some spell second level called align weapon. What does this spell? I am guessing you can make a weapon have alignment type trait to be DR but no positive.

Speaks

You got it. Clr 2; one weapon or 50 projectiles for 1 min/level; grants appropriate DR (lawful, chaotic, good, evil). No effect on already sligned weapons (holy swords, frex.)

Edit: What is up with tear-out survey cards? My MM one is in the middle of the MM. I don't mind the customer survey; it's the little strip of paper left behind that bugs me. My MM now has a permanent bookmark.

The battlemat included in the DMG is nice -- dungeon corridor map on one side; white squares on the other. I just wish it were glued in rather than tear-out, so it wouldn't leave those little paper strips behind. I'm fairly certain it's the same map from the D&D Adventure Game on the colored side.

 

[Dimwhit]

Olgar, either no one wants to answer this, or I keep missing it, but here's my question:

Druids and Wildshape. I know it works off Polymorph, and they don't get EX abilities. But was abilities of standard animals will they get, based off the MM descriptions and Polymorph rules? Pounce, rake, etc.? How about blindsight for a bat? Any new restrictions on Wildshape that hasn't been widely mentioned already?

 

[Voadam]

Thanks for the response.

From the DMG prestige classes, what are the prereqs for duelist and do they still get int as a dodge bonus at level 1? My multiclassed loremaster ranger monk wants to know.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Olgar, either no one wants to answer this, or I keep missing it, but here's my question:

Druids and Wildshape. I know it works off Polymorph, and they don't get EX abilities. But was abilities of standard animals will they get, based off the MM descriptions and Polymorph rules? Pounce, rake, etc.? How about blindsight for a bat? Any new restrictions on Wildshape that hasn't been widely mentioned already?

Wildshape says: functions like polymorph (except as noted). No notes answer your questions. Looking at polymorpgh -- you get EX special attacks (contrict, improved grab, poison specificallly mentioned) but no special qualities. For elemental wildshape, you do get Ex, Su, and Sp abilities.

I'd recommend going by the MM entry -- if it's in the SA line you get it; SQ you do not. So no low-light vision or scent, or blindsight (they're all specifically SQ's).

 

[Dimwhit]

So no low-light vision or scent, or blindsight (they're all specifically SQ's).

Grrrr.... That annoys me more than I could ever express.

But thanks Olgar! I appreciate the response.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Thanks for the response.

From the DMG prestige classes, what are the prereqs for duelist and do they still get int as a dodge bonus at level 1? My multiclassed loremaster ranger monk wants to know.

Prereqs: BAB +4, Perform 3 ranks, Tumble 5; Dodge, Mobility, Weapon Finesse.

Canny Defense at level 1; 1 point of Int bonus to AC per duelist level when not wearing armor/shield. It's a bonus to the Dex bonus -- so you lose it when flatfooted.


Silliest quote so far: "Animals eat, sleep, and breath." You think?

 

[Simplicity]

So, my druid could turn into a wolf, but couldn't actually track anything? He could turn into a owl, but couldn't actually see any better in the dark?!? He could turn into a bat, but would require a sunrod strapped to his back to fly around in a dark cave?!?!?!

If you don't get any SQs, wildshape seems like a particularly useless power now...

 

[Dimwhit]

If you don't get any SQs, wildshape seems like a particularly useless power now...

My thougts exactly. Even 3.0 gave you an animal's low-light vision. I still like to Wildshape, and I still will, but that's just stupid, plain and simple. I can't think of any logical reason for not giving the items you mentioned. It's not unbalancing for sure.

I'm just not thrilled that Wildshape is once again tied to the Polymorph spell. I always thought of it as something different than a simple spell. Maybe I was romanticising it, but it just seems 'dirty' now. But my 8th-level Druid wildshaped into a Brown Bear will still be awesome in a fight. Just less so now that that hosed GWF and the buff spells.

 

[Dimwhit]

So Olgar,

Has Use Magic Device changed much? I know that's not very specific, but are the DCs still the same, and does it do all the same things? (activate blindly, emulate alignment, emulate spell ability, etc.)