New FAQ (10/12/2004)

[Shadeus]

Is there an easy way around the shapechange delimma? Can't you just become an advanced dire bear with 17 HD?

 

[Abraxas]

Why not use the creatures normal HD to determine the DC of that forms special attacks, but use the caster's HD to determine how attacks affect him?

 

[frankthedm]

wow, this is some Faqed up stuff.

 

[Hypersmurf]

That way, you can't enhance an assumed form by using your own HD to calculate its powers.

It's unlikely a PC will enhance the DC by using his own hit dice.

The formula is 10 + half Racial HD + ability modifier. In most cases, a PC Sor-18 has no Racial HD at all... so half of zero is zero, as opposed to half of the 15 Racial HD of a horned devil.

-Hyp.

 

[Iku Rex]

Answer 2... isn't supported, as far as I can tell.

Alter self (and polymorph/shapechange by inheritance):

Your class and level, hit points, alignment, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses all remain the same.

So I'm going with "obviously wrong" for the second question too.

(Unless someone can convince me that "your level" could reasonably mean something other than "your character level".)

 

[Trainz]

Andy Collins should read this thread and rethink/fix his FAQ soon as he deems it so.

There are no better proofreaders than the ruleslawyers of ENworld.

 

[Hypersmurf]

(Unless someone can convince me that "your level" could reasonably mean something other than "your character level".)

And character level is defined as the sum of racial hit dice and class levels, right? (As opposed to ECL, which takes LA into account as well.)

So since your level remains the same, and you haven't lost any class levels, your racial hit dice must remain the same.

I'd go along with that.

-Hyp.

 

[beaver1024]

Is there anyway we can abuse this new ruling? ie can a cleric abuse increase caster level nastiness to turn into an advanced version of lets say a beholder? Beholder with 25 hd? How would that increase the dc of it's beams?

 

[Iku Rex]

Is there anyway we can abuse this new ruling?

http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=349998

ie can a cleric abuse increase caster level nastiness to turn into an advanced version of lets say a beholder? Beholder with 25 hd? How would that increase the dc of it's beams?

I don't think it's explicitly forbidden (?), but I'm fairly certain you can't change into an "advanced" creature.

 

[reiella]

Sooo...has anyone else noticed that the left hand at WotC doesn't know what the right hand is doing? Particularly recently?

Eh I've seen that for a while, but this is starting ot look like hte left hand doesn't know what the left hand did, given that Andy took over the FAQ (assumption based on earlier posts).

Any event, odd.