Simple Q&A 28: Revenge of the Monktopus

[Mooncrow]

Q281: Does a Goliath Half-Dragon get wings?

The Powerful Build trait is pretty specific about what it affects, and qualifying for the Half-Dragon wings isn't listed^^

[McPoyo]

Q281: Does a Goliath Half-Dragon get wings?

The Powerful Build trait is pretty specific about what it affects, and qualifying for the Half-Dragon wings isn't listed^^

For what the LA for half-dragon is though, I'd personally allow it as the DM. Talk to yours and see.

[ksbsnowowl]

Q281: Does a Goliath Half-Dragon get wings?

The Powerful Build trait is pretty specific about what it affects, and qualifying for the Half-Dragon wings isn't listed^^

Possible to go Dragonborn with the Goliath?  you can get wings that way.

Then you could be him:

[Hitoshura]

Q282. - Is that an actual rule or just a house rule?

Deity: Syberis (Instead of being devoted to an Elder Evil, Flumph is devoted to an ancient force of good. This grants him bonus feats at 1st level and every 5 levels.)

[McPoyo]

Q282. - Is that an actual rule or just a house rule?

Deity: Syberis (Instead of being devoted to an Elder Evil, Flumph is devoted to an ancient force of good. This grants him bonus feats at 1st level and every 5 levels.)

Adapted from being devoted to an Elder Evil.

[ksbsnowowl]

Q 283:  A player character gets slammed by a wight and gains a negative level.  Twenty-four hours later the party casts Protection from Evil on him.  Does the +2 resistance bonus on saves against evil creatures' effects apply to the save to prevent the pending level-loss?

Q 284: Some disagreement among one of my groups.

A wizard can use a borrowed spellbook to prepare a spell she already knows and has recorded in her own spellbook, but preparation success is not assured.

My interpretation: You can prepare spells from a spellbook you didn't scribe, but you can only prepare spells that you've already scribed yourself into one of your spellbooks, and each time it requires a spellcraft check.

Their interpretation: If you buy a full spellbook, or find it as loot, it's not "borrowed," because you own it, so you can prepare out of it just fine, thus circumventing the need and cost to scribe the spells into your own spellbook.

Q 285: The Yugoloth in the MM3 mentions weight categories (light load, medium load, heavy load) for it picking up creatures using it's liftoff ability, which is an Ex attack.

Normally a flying creature cannot fly if it is carrying anything heavier than a light load.  Was this entry for the Nycaloth a flub, or does this entry as a unique Extraordinary ability mean that the medium and heavy weight limit rules don't apply to the Nycaloth (so long as he's lifting a medium or smaller creature)?

[dna1]

Q 286. wheres the link showing what is effected by AMF.
 Q 287. are there any items that create AMF

[sirpercival]

Q 287. are there any items that create AMF

A 287: A scroll of AMF, or a minor schema for 1/day fun.  Any continuous-type item will try to suppress itself, leading to paradox and the explosion of a philosopher's head.

[rot42]

Q 283:  A player character gets slammed by a wight and gains a negative level.  Twenty-four hours later the party casts Protection from Evil on him.  Does the +2 resistance bonus on saves against evil creatures' effects apply to the save to prevent the pending level-loss?

The recovery DC depends on the creature that bestowed the negative level, so it should still be evil; compare to a save vs. the secondary effect of a poison. I am guessing that the other interpretation is that the negative level is more like hit point damage? The duration on Prot: Evil is pretty short, though, so I sometimes require an Int check to get the timing right, with a synergy bonus for 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion). If they are receiving care from a temple, a priest could "draw out the poison" when the save comes around.

Q 284: Some disagreement among one of my groups.

A wizard can use a borrowed spellbook to prepare a spell she already knows and has recorded in her own spellbook, but preparation success is not assured.

My interpretation: You can prepare spells from a spellbook you didn't scribe, but you can only prepare spells that you've already scribed yourself into one of your spellbooks, and each time it requires a spellcraft check.

Their interpretation: If you buy a full spellbook, or find it as loot, it's not "borrowed," because you own it, so you can prepare out of it just fine, thus circumventing the need and cost to scribe the spells into your own spellbook.

Your last sentence is a good indication that something is a bit off with their interpretation. Your spellbook as a wizard is the one with your own idiosyncratic notation that you wrote yourself. Look at it from the opposite angle - if some sneaksy rogue steals your spellbook or you sell it or it is destroyed when you fall into a volcano, would a wizard lose the ability to prepare any spells at all from a borrowed spellbook? Of course not, as they would still have expended the mental energy to scribe those spells. The Spellcraft DC (15+lvl) is not all that bad if your players are okay with only ever reading over another's shoulder without ever truly mastering the arcane arts; especially if they have two or three spellbooks with the same spell and can afford to flub the roll occasionally.

Q 285: The Yugoloth in the MM3 mentions weight categories (light load, medium load, heavy load) for it picking up creatures using it's liftoff ability, which is an Ex attack.

Normally a flying creature cannot fly if it is carrying anything heavier than a light load.  Was this entry for the Nycaloth a flub, or does this entry as a unique Extraordinary ability mean that the medium and heavy weight limit rules don't apply to the Nycaloth (so long as he's lifting a medium or smaller creature)?

I think the write up is intentional; lots of heavy fighters weigh more than 267 lbs, especially when loaded down with everything the rest of the party was too wimpy to carry for themselves. I would put a time limit of some sort on it if a PC wanted to Polymorph into one all day or whatever, much like real birds of prey will sometimes want to eat something larger than they can comfortably carry.

[ksbsnowowl]

Q 285: The Yugoloth in the MM3 mentions weight categories (light load, medium load, heavy load) for it picking up creatures using it's liftoff ability, which is an Ex attack.

Q 288: Just thought of another question regarding the above.  The yugoloth also has the fly-by attack feat (and reach), and tactically it would be awesome to fly-by attack and snatch up a person without having to hang around by the PC's for a round and get pummeled by reach weapons (and add in the ability to use cover of darkness).
The problem is that to get a hold of someone and use Liftoff, the yugoloth has to hit with two claw attacks, and fly-by attack would only allow him to use one claw attack.

Is there any way for him to get two claw attacks as a standard action, so he can swoop in and use liftoff as part of a fly-by attack?

[TenaciousJ]

Q289 What items grant Improved Bull Rush, and where can they be found?  How about Combat Reflexes?

[Shiki]

Q289 What items grant Improved Bull Rush, and where can they be found?  How about Combat Reflexes?

Goring Horn graft (Fiend Folio p.212) and Serpent Armor (Magic Item Compendium p.20) for each feat respectively, or/and (Eternal) Wand (Magic Item Compendium p.159) of Heroics (Spell Compendium p.113).

[Ithamar]

Is there any way for him to get two claw attacks as a standard action, so he can swoop in and use liftoff as part of a fly-by attack?

Wolf Fang Strike - Tiger Claw 1 - Let's you attack with 2 weapons as a standard action.

[Littha]

Is there any way for him to get two claw attacks as a standard action, so he can swoop in and use liftoff as part of a fly-by attack?

Wolf Fang Strike - Tiger Claw 1 - Let's you attack with 2 weapons as a standard action.

Possibly levels of Iaido master and an amulet of natural attacks with aptitude on it also... though that would be a little silly.

[Nytemare3701]

Q290: What is the lowest level source of Telekinesis? I want to make my warforged battlefist into a gravity gun.

[PhaedrusXY]

Q 284: Some disagreement among one of my groups.

A wizard can use a borrowed spellbook to prepare a spell she already knows and has recorded in her own spellbook, but preparation success is not assured.

My interpretation: You can prepare spells from a spellbook you didn't scribe, but you can only prepare spells that you've already scribed yourself into one of your spellbooks, and each time it requires a spellcraft check.

Their interpretation: If you buy a full spellbook, or find it as loot, it's not "borrowed," because you own it, so you can prepare out of it just fine, thus circumventing the need and cost to scribe the spells into your own spellbook.

There are rules on "mastering" captured spellbooks. They pretty much say that your interpretation is correct. You have to go through that process to make a spellbook "yours" for purposes of preparing spells. If you wrote it yourself, you don't have to go through that process.

[ksbsnowowl]

Is there any way for him to get two claw attacks as a standard action, so he can swoop in and use liftoff as part of a fly-by attack?

Wolf Fang Strike - Tiger Claw 1 - Let's you attack with 2 weapons as a standard action.

Possibly levels of Iaido master and an amulet of natural attacks with aptitude on it also... though that would be a little silly.

Where is Iaido master?

[kevin_video]

Q 291 I was reading up on the slithering tracker, and it's treasure says "incidental". Its definition's not really on the chart. Anyone know exactly what that probably means?

[Mooncrow]

Q 291 I was reading up on the slithering tracker, and it's treasure says "incidental". Its definition's not really on the chart. Anyone know exactly what that probably means?

A291 Basically, it keeps nothing valuable on it's own, but due to it's feeding habits, might have something of value in it or near it.

Where is Iaido master?

I don't know of any Iaido Master, but Iaijutsu Master is in Oriental Adventures.

[PhaedrusXY]

Q282. - Is that an actual rule or just a house rule?

Deity: Syberis (Instead of being devoted to an Elder Evil, Flumph is devoted to an ancient force of good. This grants him bonus feats at 1st level and every 5 levels.)

Adapted from being devoted to an Elder Evil.

Right. It is a house rule, but if those feats are considered balanced for evil creatures, then they should be balanced for good, too. So it's basically just re-fluffing the alignment prereq on existing feats. Evil shouldn't get all the good stuff, should they?