Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5910550" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Issue 277: November 2000 part 6/7Role models: This column switches writers and formats again, getting a fairly substantial repurposing. Jonathan Tweet boots out Chris Pramas, and turns this into an extended Sage Advice supplement on Attacks of Opportunity. They're not wrong in thinking that quite a few people won't get the rules, and need a good set of examples clearly listing what does and doesn't provoke AoO's. Which means we scrap the photographed minis for isometric line drawings (which I think are computer generated, given how identical the pieces look. ) and the central block of writing with pictures around the edge for paragraph/visual example pairs. It's still pretty light on content, and very much self promotion, but there's a new purposefulness to this column that makes it both better to read and more useful than the last few months. It gives me hope that there is more that can be done with it after all. Sage advice: Do you need to attack to get the benefit from expertise (no, but it'd be a waste not too, cause you still need to make an attack action. Making an attack action without attacking? That's just silly. ) Does Expertise apply the whole round, or just while you're attacking. (until your next action. You obviously have not grasped the concept of cyclical initiative yet. ) Do you have to wield a weapon of defending to get it's effects (yes)Can you use weapon finesse while fighting two-weapon (Oh yes)Can multiclass sorcerer/wizards trade spells between their classes (No. Each has to be tracked separately.)Do rings of wizardry double all your arcane classes spells (Only the base, not any bonus ones for specialization and high stats. ) Why can't the ring of regeneration bring you back from the dead (Because it only works on living creatures. Once again, basic failure of logic here.)When you're raised, can you choose which class you lose your level from. (No. Highest one. Tree too high, attract axe, ha ha.) What happens when you lose levels in an abandoned class (You ain't getting them back, sonny jim. This may actually be an advantage, for ex paladins. ) What are the modifiers for scores above 18 (+1 per 2. This scales indefinitely, unlike AD&D's rubbish caps) Surely if continual flame is an evocation, dancing lights should be as well (You may be right, but who's the private sage around here? Remember to show Skip a little deference. ) Isn't taking undead as your favored enemy suboptimal (yes, along with oozes, constructs and elementals. Feature, not bug. Rangers should stick to fighting natural creatures like god intended. )When a spell gives you +X per Y levels, do you round up or down. (Down down deeper and down)Do two weapon fighting & ambidexterity apply to fighting with double weapons (Yes) Does combining a draw with a move let you attack after this (Yes.)How do you make a partial charge (Look in the footnotes) Does stacking metamagic feats increase the delay (No, thankfully.)Do whips provoke attacks of opportunity (Yes. That's why you use them at range.) Do characters with strength penalties only suffer half the penalty attacking off-hand (No. That's not how it works. A bonus is a bonus and a penalty is a penalty, and the two are governed by different rules. ) Can a paladin without a charisma bonus lay on hands (No. Like any spellcaster, if they don't have the stats, they can't do the magic.)Why don't you plummet when fly is dispelled (Because we're really nice people) Is dropping your magic resistance a free action (No. A standard one. This may cause problems in a pitched battle. Still, since it's mostly monsters that get magic resistance, see this as an opportunity.)How do rays interact with critical hits (The damage is doubled. Nothing else. Bit of a token gesture, really. At least until you start adding feats, at least. ) What happens if you cast identify more than once ( Same result. You can't beat a good look at the books. )Do you have to save against poison again if you succeeded first time (yes. You can never tell if it's going to bite you in the ass later.)Are all cones as wide as they are long (They are now. Simplification for convenience strikes again! )Can you stack cleave and whirlwind attack (Yes. It doesn't get really scary until you have great cleave though. )</blockquote>

Verification