What are the biggest rules debates?

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Whether or not Patryn of Elvenshae is a putz.

There's no real debate on that, though. I therefore reject your assertion!

 

[Whimsical]

The fact that sneak attackers get to do sneak attack for every attack that qualifies instead of one per round is a rule that has had great difficulty becoming accepted by a good number of gamers. (Not I)

I know a couple of gamers that hate that they can't combine manyshot with rapid shot.

Some others aren't liking that Power Attack does 2x damage with a two-handed weapon.

The fact that darkness generates shadowy illumination (as in: it will slightly luminate complete darkness) is a hard pill for some to swallow.

The 2nd level "animal" buffs (Bull's Strength, etc.) getting a 10 min/level duration is a popular house rule.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The fact that sneak attackers get to do sneak attack for every attack that qualifies instead of one per round is a rule that has had great difficulty becoming accepted by a good number of gamers. (Not I)

I know a couple of gamers that hate that they can't combine manyshot with rapid shot.

Some others aren't liking that Power Attack does 2x damage with a two-handed weapon.

The fact that darkness generates shadowy illumination (as in: it will slightly luminate complete darkness) is a hard pill for some to swallow.

The 2nd level "animal" buffs (Bull's Strength, etc.) getting a 10 min/level duration is a popular house rule.

Only the Darkness one is really debated, though. The others are all unambiguous rules.

-Hyp.

 

[Iku Rex]

Only the Darkness one is really debated, though. The others are all unambiguous rules.

What's ambiguous about flanking with ranged weapons?

 

[Plane Sailing]

Using a pragmatic method, I've asked the boards to show me all the threads from the last year sorted by number of replies.

Thus these are the subjects which apparently have generated the most rules discussion in the last year (caveat: who knows where these threads might have develoved to? I've certainly not read them!

Annoyed at archers - 371 replies
Flaming Whip - 357 replies
Why does undead = evil - 340 replies
Cleaving after an AoO - 337 replies
The Psion (aka are Psions balanced) - 313
Psion vs Wizard - 287 replies
Horrid Wilting (cast on elementals) - 250
Vampire Domination - 244
Featherfall to trigger readied attacks 237
psionics balance and integration - 236
rogues flanking at range - 220
how to legally overcome flatfooted - 216
Cure Minor on self when disabled - 209 (and thread ended up locked?!?)
Understanding 'take 10', 'take 20' - 207
Annoyed by psionics - 205


Under 200 replies there are threads referring to
the 5ft step
does surprise occur in this situation
grease spell
do initiative rules discourage parley
using summoned creatures to gain an AoO
Monks belt
the Lance
Hide in plain sight
Druids are the most powerful class (or not)

Interesting, eh?

 

[Andre]

1. Rope trick. The following words fall into the "What were they thinking?" category of rules design:

Note: It is hazardous to create an extradimensional space within an existing extradimensional space or to take an extradimensional space into an existing one.


2. Illusions.

 

[Andre]

Using a pragmatic method, I've asked the boards to show me all the threads from the last year sorted by number of replies.

(snip)

Interesting, eh?

Just a quick note: some of those threads quickly degenerated from a legitimate rules discussion into a lot flame, smoke, venom, etc. I gave up on more than one when I realized that there was little to be learned after the second page...

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

What's ambiguous about flanking with ranged weapons?

There is a small, yet potentially significant, change in the wording of the Flanking rules in the conversion from 3.0 to 3.5. The line, "If a character is making a melee attack against an opponent, and an ally directly opposite the character is threatening the opponent, the character and the character's ally flank the opponent." was omitted.

Accordingly, the only way to determine whether or not someone is flanking became: When in doubt about whether two friendly characters flank an opponent in the middle, trace an imaginary line between the two friendly characters’ centers. If the line passes through opposite borders of the opponent’s space (including corners of those borders), then the opponent is flanked.

Some believe that the melee-only part is understood, and the whole argument is hogwash.

Others, like me, believe that this change results in the likely-unintended consequence of allowing flanking at range.

 

[Scion]

What are the implications of a spontaneous caster using metamagic: Does a standard action spell now cost just a full action but not a full round? Or is it a full round?

::

This is open to 'interpretation'? I havent heard this one before.

Sorcerers and Bards: Sorcerers and bards choose spells as they cast them. They can choose when they cast their spells whether to apply their metamagic feats to improve them. As with other spellcasters, the improved spell uses up a higher-level spell slot. But because the sorcerer or bard has not prepared the spell in a metamagic form in advance, he must apply the metamagic feat on the spot. Therefore, such a character must also take more time to cast a metamagic spell (one enhanced by a metamagic feat) than he does to cast a regular spell. If the spell’s normal casting time is 1 action, casting a metamagic version is a full-round action for a sorcerer or bard. (This isn’t the same as a 1-round casting time.)
For a spell with a longer casting time, it takes an extra full-round action to cast the spell.

emphasis mine. But then maybe I am missing something



As for ones I have seen recently: When do body parts that are removed from a polymorphed creature revert? Instantaneously? a minute? after the spell expires?

 

[DM_Matt]

Can you wild shape into something bigger and then animal growth yourself? is definately one.