Author Topic: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue  (Read 139342 times)

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McPoyo

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #680 on: January 22, 2010, 05:16:06 PM »
A 181: Stoneshape.
[Spoiler]
A gygaxian dungeon is like the world's most messed up game show.

Behind door number one: INSTANT DEATH!
Behind door number 2: A magic crown!
Behind door number 3: 4d6 giant bees, and THREE HUNDRED POUNDS OF HONEY!
They don't/haven't, was the point. 3.5 is as dead as people not liking nice tits.

Sometimes, their tits (3.5) get enhancements (houserules), but that doesn't mean people don't like nice tits.

Though sometimes, the surgeon (DM) botches them pretty bad...
Best metaphor I have seen in a long time.  I give you much fu.
Three Errata for the Mage-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Barbarian-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Monks doomed to die,
One for the Wizard on his dark throne
In the Land of Charop where the Shadows lie.
[/spoiler]

Tonymitsu

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #681 on: January 22, 2010, 05:22:18 PM »
Really?  O_o
That whole line at the end about a "30% chance that any shape you make doesn't work" sort of makes me nervous... especially when it's supposed to hold up a house.


And Repost, cause I hate getting the last post in at the end of a page:

Q180: Just so I make sure I'm understanding the proper usage of this thing correctly:
I've read that 90% of the usage of a Ring of Counterspells is to load them up with Dispel Magics to prevent people from dispelling your buffs.
Off the top of my head, I can think of three different dispel magics (Dispel, Greater Dispel, and Reaving Dispel).
Now the text says that "whenever the spell stored in the ring is cast on you, it activates as though you had readied it as a counterspell".
How is this going to work if I load up two of them with Greater Dispel Magic, but get Reaving Dispel or regular Dispel cast on me instead?  Text for Dispel says it can be readied to counter any spell, except you have to make a caster level check, but the ring indicates it would only activate if the same spell that's in it is cast on you.

Do I have to pick two of the Dispels and hope for the best?  Does it activate anyway due to the wording of Dispel Magic?

McPoyo

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #682 on: January 22, 2010, 05:24:20 PM »
Really?  O_o
That whole line at the end about a "30% chance that any shape you make doesn't work" sort of makes me nervous... especially when it's supposed to hold up a house.

I've always interpreted that as "moving parts don't", considering the preceding part of the spell description. That solid, one-piece, simple objects "wouldn't work" makes no sense. So a wall would be fine, but a wagon made with the spell has a 30% chance it won't move because the axles are fused to the wagon, etc.
[Spoiler]
A gygaxian dungeon is like the world's most messed up game show.

Behind door number one: INSTANT DEATH!
Behind door number 2: A magic crown!
Behind door number 3: 4d6 giant bees, and THREE HUNDRED POUNDS OF HONEY!
They don't/haven't, was the point. 3.5 is as dead as people not liking nice tits.

Sometimes, their tits (3.5) get enhancements (houserules), but that doesn't mean people don't like nice tits.

Though sometimes, the surgeon (DM) botches them pretty bad...
Best metaphor I have seen in a long time.  I give you much fu.
Three Errata for the Mage-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Barbarian-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Monks doomed to die,
One for the Wizard on his dark throne
In the Land of Charop where the Shadows lie.
[/spoiler]

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #683 on: January 22, 2010, 05:26:34 PM »
A180: Yes, you have to pick specific spells to stick into the Ring of Counterspells, and it only works against those exact spells. So a Greater Dispel in the ring wouldn't help you at all vs. a normal Dispel cast at you.

There are two different ways to counterspell. 1) Use the exact same spell the other guy is casting, or 2) Use Dispel Magic. The first one doesn't involve an opposed caster level check, and that is the one that the ring is using.
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #684 on: January 22, 2010, 05:43:02 PM »
A180: Wall of stone and/or fabricate.

Q181: Any interest for a planetouched guide?  Lesser planetouched are pretty cool.  Zenythri and Chaond(+4 Dex, +2 Con!) are nifty, as are Mechantrixes.  I'd be interpreting "lesser" as subtracting one from the LA, rather than the tecnically-RAW "eliminate the LA", since it's the more sane choice.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2010, 06:34:04 PM by The_Mad_Linguist »
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bearsarebrown

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #685 on: January 22, 2010, 06:40:02 PM »
Q181: Any interest for a planetouched guide?  Lesser planetouched are pretty cool.  Zenythri and Chaond(+4 Dex, +2 Con!) are nifty, as are Mechantrixes.  I'd be interpreting "lesser" as subtracting one from the LA, rather than the tecnically-RAW "eliminate the LA", since it's the more sane choice.

Yeah I'd like to see one. the core planetouched variants almost never see play but are really cool! (Azerblood, that one Fire Elf..., that one Halfling-Air elemental...)


MAdgryphon

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #686 on: January 22, 2010, 08:49:41 PM »
Q182 : Where can i find a copy of the Masochist (hit me please) build by Stoned Golem on the wizards board? It died in the transition, apparently, and some of the concepts would serve a character of mine well now, but I can't remember it all.

wotmaniac

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #687 on: January 23, 2010, 01:40:52 AM »
Q182 : Where can i find a copy of the Masochist (hit me please) build by Stoned Golem on the wizards board? It died in the transition, apparently, and some of the concepts would serve a character of mine well now, but I can't remember it all.
A182

Here the web archive link -- but it takes FOREVER to load.
here's the first post:
[spoiler]
Of course, lowering your AC is a bad thing. That didn't stop the Complete Warrior from including no less than three ways (Banzai Charge, Inspire Recklessness, Shock Trooper) to increase your offensive power at a massive cost to your AC. Now usually a little bit of AC loss (rage, charging) is a necessary evil and can be compensated for. Once your pass a certain point however, you might as well just say "screw it" and go all out. There isn't really a big difference between AC 8 and AC -8 once you get past very low levels, so I figured if you're going to be a sitting duck, there must be a way to turn it into a strength.

The Masochist
(Races of Faerun, Complete Warrior, Book of Exalted Deeds, Unapproachable East, Enemies and Allies)

Barbarian 2/Fighter 4/Frenzied Berserker 10/Warrior Skald 1/War Chanter 3

Worships Illmater obviously

Feats
1st: Intimidating Rage
Fighter 1: Power Attack
3rd: Destructive Rage
Fighter 2: Cleave
Fighter 4: Combat Expertise
6th: Righteous Wrath
9th: Dodge
12th: Weapon Focus
15th: Karmic Strike
18th: Combat Reflexes

Noteworthy Equipment: +5 Valorous Wrathful Healing weapon of choice, Retributive Amulet, +5 Empyreal armor of choice

Strategy: When you're going into Banzai mode, activate Karmic Strike, switch your armor's bonus to your saves, and Inspire Recklessness on yourself. Frenzy if you want, then Supreme Power Attack your entire BAB, sacrifice your AC to make up the difference, and go kill things.

End result: You'll probably get hit A LOT, but that's okay, at least if it's up to the number of times you can use Combat Reflexes. Whenever you do get hit they take half the damage, plus you get an AoO against them, and you heal half of that. On a charge you can deal a minimum of 80 extra damage, healing 40 for yourself in the process, while normally you do a minimum 40 and heal 20. If you do frenzy, Righteous Wrath should keep you from accidentally turning on your friends, and even if your HP do drop below -10 at some point you can possibly get it back up by killing enough things before frenzy wears off.

Since you're going to get hit anyway, you transfer your Empyreal armor bonus to your saves to better protect against insta-kills, dominations, and everything else. Do it all-out and you should end up with a negative AC, which although stupid, does make sense within the rules. After all, if a 1st-level commoner attacking from prone with a weapon he isn't proficient in and rolling a 2 can end up with a negative to-hit, it makes sense that you could have negative AC too. The sad part is that said commoner could probably hit you.

Of course this only works against physical melee attacks (and partially against melee touches), so it should be used judiciously. Against one-dimensional bruisers or lots of little cannon fodder guys though it can be wild. With a Ring of Freedom of Movement and making the weapon Magical Beast Bane by my calculations you could literally go toe to toe with the Tarrasque and win. It would never miss, but if your Dex was at least 20 you could counter every hit, never miss your counterattacks, and heal more than you were hurt on everything but a critical bite. Combined with your own attacks, the big T should slowly but surely fall if it didn't retreat.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
If you stop ignoring 289 pages telling what the intent is to stretch "more power" in your own god complexion of your interpretation trumps all to cover ability adjustments from aging then I will ignore a quarter page of rules that exist within a sidebar.
I think in this case the grammar is less important than whether the Str and Dex bonus provided to your created undead scales.

Greenbound Summoning RAI
Expanded Gestalt
More Savage Progressions[/spoiler]
Report any wrongs I have done here.

TheEndIsNear

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #688 on: January 23, 2010, 01:48:07 AM »
Q178
I am medium creature, I take inhuman reach: reach is 10 ft right?
Above creature takes a spiked chain, 20 ft right?
Now with a whip, 30ft? 20ft? 15ft?
Now a large creature with inhuman reach and a whip?
15ft? 30ft? 45ft?

How does those things (mostly the whip) stack with each other?


Cough...

bearsarebrown

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #689 on: January 23, 2010, 01:51:04 AM »
Q178
I am medium creature, I take inhuman reach: reach is 10 ft right?
Above creature takes a spiked chain, 20 ft right?
Now with a whip, 30ft? 20ft? 15ft?
Now a large creature with inhuman reach and a whip?
15ft? 30ft? 45ft?

How does those things (mostly the whip) stack with each other?

yes, yes, not clear, not clear. I know, it's frustrating, but it doesn't say anywhere if a Whip is a Reach Weapon + 5ft or if it's a x3Reach Weapon.

Q183 I've written out my favorite things from Dragon Magazine in a single really unorganized txt file. It was never meant to be an index, only a place for me to look to remember where non-crystalkeep stuff can be found. Would anyone be interested if I made a handbook out of it? Maybe, like, 'Obscue Dragon Magazine Thing You Probably Missed: The Handbook"?

(Did you know there are three Soulmelds and two Vestiges? And UMD Pouncing Monks? A 2d6 19-20 x3 Crossbow? Bonuses for eating your Favored Enemy?)

TheEndIsNear

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #690 on: January 23, 2010, 01:55:10 AM »
A183 I would use it alot. I got em all but don't use them cause I don't really know whats in them (if I read soemthnig interesting I check but if not I don't randomly go through them)

Ian Frost

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #691 on: January 23, 2010, 02:57:36 AM »
Q184
Is there any way to get a Dragonfire adept's breath weapon to deal non-lethal damage (if not how about eldritch blast?)
DM has a deity that grants bonuses to those who have not taken a life (except in self defense)

The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #692 on: January 23, 2010, 04:18:19 AM »
Q184
Is there any way to get a Dragonfire adept's breath weapon to deal non-lethal damage (if not how about eldritch blast?)
DM has a deity that grants bonuses to those who have not taken a life (except in self defense)
Give up.  You're going to step on an ant at some point.
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Ian Frost

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #693 on: January 23, 2010, 04:52:30 AM »
Q184
Is there any way to get a Dragonfire adept's breath weapon to deal non-lethal damage (if not how about eldritch blast?)
DM has a deity that grants bonuses to those who have not taken a life (except in self defense)
Give up.  You're going to step on an ant at some point.
It's more about willingly taking a life
He's being very lenient because he doesn't want us to kill people (or some non-adventurer-ish rubbish)

CantripN

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #694 on: January 23, 2010, 12:41:44 PM »
Q184
Is there any way to get a Dragonfire adept's breath weapon to deal non-lethal damage (if not how about eldritch blast?)
DM has a deity that grants bonuses to those who have not taken a life (except in self defense)

Dream Telling => Oneiromancy => Imp. Oneiromancy works, and gives you some very useful abilities to boot (Heroes of Horror). But I'm sure you can homebrew some sort of Nonlethal Breath Metabreath feat at +0 Rounds. Same with SLAs.
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Ian Frost

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #695 on: January 23, 2010, 03:40:25 PM »
Q184
Is there any way to get a Dragonfire adept's breath weapon to deal non-lethal damage (if not how about eldritch blast?)
DM has a deity that grants bonuses to those who have not taken a life (except in self defense)

Dream Telling => Oneiromancy => Imp. Oneiromancy works, and gives you some very useful abilities to boot (Heroes of Horror). But I'm sure you can homebrew some sort of Nonlethal Breath Metabreath feat at +0 Rounds. Same with SLAs.
Okay thanks I'll look into that :)

Edit: Unfortunately that won't work
Quote from: HoH
Only spells that target a single creature or specific number of creatures benefit from this effect; you cannot apply it to spells that target an area.
Unfortunately it only apply's to spells (breath is SU.) and does not apply to area effects (It would be great for a caster though)
« Last Edit: January 23, 2010, 03:51:52 PM by Ian Frost »

TheEndIsNear

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #696 on: January 23, 2010, 04:16:09 PM »
Q185 What would be a good feat for a 2nd level swordsage//fighter?

bearsarebrown

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #697 on: January 23, 2010, 04:24:52 PM »
Q185 What would be a good feat for a 2nd level swordsage//fighter?

Do you have an end goal in mind? Trapping? Lockdown?

Negative Zero

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #698 on: January 23, 2010, 04:26:43 PM »
Q181:  In game, the house my 14th level artificer has been using as a shop/alchemy lab/forge has recently partially collapsed due to something tunneling out half of the ground beneath it and digging a hole up through the floor.  What's the best and quickest means of remedying this, spell-wise? :D

A181: This.

Q185 What would be a good feat for a 2nd level swordsage//fighter?

Adaptive Style.

KellKheraptis

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Re: Ask a Simple Question: The Revenge of the Grue
« Reply #699 on: January 23, 2010, 04:36:43 PM »
Q 186 : What is the most debilitating use of Fell Drain (i.e. highest number of negative levels applied to a single target)?
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