multiple nitpicky questions

[evilbob]

I've been building a few of these up for a while, and I thought I'd make it simple and put them all in one thread.

1) Intelligence bonus from magic items - does it confer skill points at level up? Seems like it should, but what happens when you remove the item that gives the bonus? Lose the points, keep the points, something else? I've seen lots of info about spell slots coming and going, but not about skill points.

2) Suggestions for using a torch as a weapon? I'm guessing -4 for non-proficiency, and making it a 1d6 -1 weapon - like a club, but poorly balanced. (And fire damage if its lit - even bother?) Then again, if a character can use "simple weapons," and it's "club-like," should they even take the -4? When is a non-listed item close enough to being like a simple weapon that it is basically just a simple weapon?

3) Disease - I'm just not clear about this and the MM really needs some step-by-step examples (like with disarm, trip, etc.). When a monster attacks with disease, are you supposed to just tell the player about a day later to make a fort save, or do they make the first fort save right then? And when exactly do the effects start to take place (I can't find anything that is very straightforward about this)? Also, when a monster has a diseased bite, does that mean it strikes with disease on every bite attack, and if so, do players make saves on every attack (same with poison)?

4) Enlarge person - enlarges weapons as well, but they shrink back down if they "leave the enlarged creature's possession." So what happens if you are disarmed? Can you pick up the weapon and it just becomes big again, or are you stuck with a "smaller" weapon once it hits the ground?

5) Sleeping on the ground without a bedroll - does it even matter? I can't find anything about if that would mean you'd be fatigued or what.

6) Intelligent items - does the intelligence count toward the "maximum of +10" total bonuses one item can have?

There's more, but that's all for now. Thanks!

 

[Henrix]

1) No, as is stated under Headband of Intellect in the DMG.

2) A torch is an improvised one-handed weapon that deals damage as a gauntlet of the same size, i.e. -4 to hit, 1d3 bludgeoning, as it says in the equipment chapter under "Torch".

3) Read all about diseases in the DMG.

4) You are left with a smaller weapon, just as if it had been thrown.

5) There are no hard rules for this, meaning that it is for the DM to judge. Some good guidelines can be found under "Sleeping in armor" and "Forced march" in the PHB, and "Cold dangers" and "Starvation and thirst" in the DMG.

6) No. Intelligent items increase the base price by a fixed price, which does not increase the effective bonus of a weapon/armour.

 

[evilbob]

Thanks for those responses. I hadn't seen the Headband, totally missed the torch info in the equipment section (kept looking for weapons), and the disease stuff was something that I kept looking for in the other books. Thanks also for the clarification on the increased price vs. bonus stuff - that makes a lot more sense on the pricing of magic items now. (It's like the staff "charges" verses "charges per use" - it just isn't clear when you first read it.) I guess my biggest problem here is just how information is laid out across the three books: for example, the MM will tell you about a monster that has disease and causes nausea, but the DMG is needed to see how the disease works and the PHB is needed to define nausea.

 

[Henrix]

I guess my biggest problem here is just how information is laid out across the three books: for example, the MM will tell you about a monster that has disease and causes nausea, but the DMG is needed to see how the disease works and the PHB is needed to define nausea.

Yes, it can all be a little difficult to find at times, but it is either that or reprinting the information many times, making us, essentially, buy the same text over and over again.

Using the SRD and searching the text for key words can often be helpful.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Using the SRD and searching the text for key words can often be helpful.

Unfortunately, the SRD doesn't have everything.

For example, the Headband of Intellect gives a specific rule (the Headband does not provide additional skill points), but it doesn't give a general rule - you can't tell simply from the Headband description whether an Ioun Stone (+2 enhancement to Int) gives extra skill points.

That information is found in the Levels and Advancement section of the PHB... which isn't in the SRD. (No temporary change to Int - like ability damage or magic items that provide enhancement bonuses - affects skill points; permanent changes - like ability drain or inherent bonuses - do.)

-Hyp.