Ask a Simple Question: Losing the Game Edition

[kevin_video]

I believe 3.5 gave them weapon finesse as a bonus feat when the designers realized five minutes after publishing that it had a +1 bab requirement.

Interesting. So basically they shouldn't have gotten it.

Q 254 My inexperienced Sunday DM asked me this, and obviously I'm inexperienced as well because I couldn't answer it. What happens if you have a +1 frost, shocking, flaming, truebane composite longbow fire a +5 bane arrow?

[Aharon]

Q255 What happens when you cast a prismatic sphere while inside a prismatic shpere, if a) the spheres overlap exactly and b) the spheres don't overlap exactly?

[weenog]

Q 256:  What happens if your familiar is also your mount, and you share a mirror image spell with it?  The figures mimicking your actions seems to lead to weirdness.  I'm thinking either double images (1d4+X images of you riding your familiar, and 1d4+X images of your familiar bearing you), double images of your familiar only (1d4+X images of you riding your familiar, and 1d4+X images of the familiar running around), or cooperating images (1d4+X images of you, riding 1d4+X images of your familiar), but I've no idea which one is correct.

Q 257:  What if someone tries to shoot your familiar mount out from under you, and hits one of its images?  Do you wind up with an image of you riding around despite having nothing to ride on?

[Suzerain]

Q 256:  What happens if your familiar is also your mount, and you share a mirror image spell with it?  The figures mimicking your actions seems to lead to weirdness.  I'm thinking either double images (1d4+X images of you riding your familiar, and 1d4+X images of your familiar bearing you), double images of your familiar only (1d4+X images of you riding your familiar, and 1d4+X images of the familiar running around), or cooperating images (1d4+X images of you, riding 1d4+X images of your familiar), but I've no idea which one is correct.

Q 257:  What if someone tries to shoot your familiar mount out from under you, and hits one of its images?  Do you wind up with an image of you riding around despite having nothing to ride on?

It says foes can't use vision or hearing to tell the difference... so normally, if you just casted the spell on yourself, I'd expect any mounts to be copied as well (at least as long as you're riding the original). I'd expect the same to happen if the spell is instead only cast on your mount (only that your copies disappear if you unmount, not the mount's). So I think you'd get double the number of images, as long as you both stay physically together. Any image shot down disappears entirely, mount and rider.
A DM may rule otherwise, but I believe this to be correct. Otherwise, the spell isn't usable if you're riding a mount or your familiar sits on your shoulder (enemies will notice which image's got a familiar).



Q258
Are there any races that get extra skill points every level, like humans? I know strongheart halflings get the feat, but I'm seriously interested in the skillpoints.

[veekie]

Q 254 My inexperienced Sunday DM asked me this, and obviously I'm inexperienced as well because I couldn't answer it. What happens if you have a +1 frost, shocking, flaming, truebane composite longbow fire a +5 bane arrow?

Ranged Weapons and Ammunition

The enhancement bonus from a ranged weapon does not stack with the enhancement bonus from ammunition. Only the higher of the two enhancement bonuses applies.

Ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an enhancement bonus of +1 or higher is treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Similarly, ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an alignment gains the alignment of that projectile weapon (in addition to any alignment it may already have).

So if the ammo and weapon has the same enchantment, they overlap. Different enchantments all apply at once.
So you get a +5 bane frost, shocking, flaming, truebane projectile.
Tastes like rainbow.

[sir_argenon]

Q 259 is there a way to get another favored class? trying to make a goliath savage bard 1/barb 1/crusader 18 (song of white raven stacking) and dont wanna take the xp penalty. 

[snakeman830]

Q 259 is there a way to get another favored class? trying to make a goliath savage bard 1/barb 1/crusader 18 (song of white raven stacking) and dont wanna take the xp penalty. 

The only ways I know of do so for Fighter (Dragonborn), Cleric (a few feats in Sandstorm and Frostburn), and I think Monk.  None of these help you, though.

[kevin_video]

Q 259 is there a way to get another favored class? trying to make a goliath savage bard 1/barb 1/crusader 18 (song of white raven stacking) and dont wanna take the xp penalty.

Not for your particular character, that I'm aware of. Most of the feats are set aside for humans, or half humans. There's also one for paladins so they can stack freely, and there's multiclass feats for fighters, ninjas, rangers, monks, scouts, clerics, wizards, etc. You can make that character work though, without taking penalties. As long as one of the three classes are within a level of each other, you're fine. So the bard/barbarian levels being at 1 won't cause you any xp penalties.

[sir_argenon]

Q 259 is there a way to get another favored class? trying to make a goliath savage bard 1/barb 1/crusader 18 (song of white raven stacking) and dont wanna take the xp penalty.

Not for your particular character, that I'm aware of. Most of the feats are set aside for humans, or half humans. There's also one for paladins so they can stack freely, and there's multiclass feats for fighters, ninjas, rangers, monks, scouts, clerics, wizards, etc. You can make that character work though, without taking penalties. As long as one of the three classes are within a level of each other, you're fine. So the bard/barbarian levels being at 1 won't cause you any xp penalties.

i dont think that works the way ur thinking.  in my build, barb is favored for goliath, it doesnt count.   so in effect the crusader, and bard levels are 17 away from each other.. im pretty sure that would take penalties.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Q258
Are there any races that get extra skill points every level, like humans? I know strongheart halflings get the feat, but I'm seriously interested in the skillpoints.

There's the wild template from dragon 306 that does htat.

[kevin_video]

Q258
Are there any races that get extra skill points every level, like humans? I know strongheart halflings get the feat, but I'm seriously interested in the skillpoints.

Depending on your race, there's a half human feat that'll let you do that.

[kevin_video]

Q 260 Got a player (DM) who's being rather difficult. He refuses to take a spellcasting ranger over a nonspellcasting one (because it's a pet peeve of his that they dared to allow rangers spellcasting), and refuses to buy arrows in bundles of 20 (special materials) or 50 (magically enhanced). How do I scale down the price so that he can have less of each?

[Agita]

A 259

There's a feat in Unearthed Arcana called Additional Favored Class. Guess what it does. Keep in mind that it's technically a variant, though.
Alternatively, convince your DM to abolish multiclassing penalties, because they're dumb.

A 260

For arrows, simply have each individual arrow cost 1/20 (if mundane) or 1/50 (if enchanted) of the 'batch' cost. Simple as that.

[wotmaniac]

Q 260 Got a player (DM) who's being rather difficult. He refuses to take a spellcasting ranger over a nonspellcasting one (because it's a pet peeve of his that they dared to allow rangers spellcasting), and refuses to buy arrows in bundles of 20 (special materials) or 50 (magically enhanced). How do I scale down the price so that he can have less of each?

I'd go ahead and throw him a bone and allow a non-casting variant.
as for the arrows -- now he's just trying to be difficult (a "contrarian", if you will).  Simply based on principle, I'd tell him that the price is what it is, and he's welcome to have less of each if he likes    (you can explain it in terms of "sunk costs", etc., if you like).

[Agita]

as for the arrows -- now he's just trying to be difficult (a "contrarian", if you will).  Simply based on principle, I'd tell him that the price is what it is, and he's welcome to have less of each if he likes    (you can explain it in terms of "sunk costs", etc., if you like).

I disagree. On the very CO boards here, we occasionally assume that magic ammunition can be gotten singularly. Some magic arrows in the DMG are also listed individually. Even if he's just trying to be difficult, this is too small and simple a matter to be worth the drama. If he's deliberately being difficult, then he wants you to say no so he can go "BAAAWW you're a bad DM". Don't do him the favor. If he's not deliberately being difficult, then give him what he wants and he'll shut up. It's not like it's a pain in the ass to do either.

[sir_argenon]

A 259

There's a feat in Unearthed Arcana called Additional Favored Class. Guess what it does. Keep in mind that it's technically a variant, though.
Alternatively, convince your DM to abolish multiclassing penalties, because they're dumb.

AWESOME!!! 

but hey, if u take away favored class penalties, then wouldnt the human and especially the half elf get a bit intruded on?

[Agita]

A 259

There's a feat in Unearthed Arcana called Additional Favored Class. Guess what it does. Keep in mind that it's technically a variant, though.
Alternatively, convince your DM to abolish multiclassing penalties, because they're dumb.

AWESOME!!! 

but hey, if u take away favored class penalties, then wouldnt the human and especially the half elf get a bit intruded on?

So? Half-Elves suck even with the favored class, and Humans rock even without it.
If you seriously want to keep the favored class system, give people bonuses for being their favored class instead of penalties for not being their favored class. Two variants I like are Pathfinder's 'you get an extra hp or skill point per level in your favored class' and Tome's 'you can take any racial sub levels for your favored class, regardless of your own race'.

[kevin_video]

I'd go ahead and throw him a bone and allow a non-casting variant.

He's taking the one from Complete Champion.

I disagree. On the very CO boards here, we occasionally assume that magic ammunition can be gotten singularly. Some magic arrows in the DMG are also listed individually. Even if he's just trying to be difficult, this is too small and simple a matter to be worth the drama. If he's deliberately being difficult, then he wants you to say no so he can go "BAAAWW you're a bad DM". Don't do him the favor. If he's not deliberately being difficult, then give him what he wants and he'll shut up. It's not like it's a pain in the ass to do either.

I'm sure part of him is being difficult. He says that since he's starting at a higher level, his character wouldn't have all of his arrows, but rather a portion of them instead. I'm not going to dispute that. And I'd rather not have him tell me I'm a bad DM in comparison to himself.

Tome's 'you can take any racial sub levels for your favored class, regardless of your own race'.

Where's that exactly? That sounds kind of neat, actually. I do like PF's always gives you a bonus for staying in your favored class though. They have another variant now in the new Advanced book depending on the class itself, or the race.
And half-elves don't necessarily suck. They're good in their own right. You just have to use them in very specific types of games, and give them the proper feats that go with that game.

[Agita]

Tome's 'you can take any racial sub levels for your favored class, regardless of your own race'.

Where's that exactly? That sounds kind of neat, actually. I do like PF's always gives you a bonus for staying in your favored class though. They have another variant now in the new Advanced book depending on the class itself, or the race.
And half-elves don't necessarily suck. They're good in their own right. You just have to use them in very specific types of games, and give them the proper feats that go with that game.

Here. For more of the Tome series, see here. Note that the Tome series assumes a much higher level of power and optimization than the core sourcebooks (we're talking free wishes for everyone, here) - they're basically based on the philosophy that full-caster levels of power are okay, so long as everyone has them. As such, they're not exactly suitable for plug-and-play in your average campaign, but just the multiclassing houserules are pretty basic and universally usable.
As half-elves go... yeah, they make good Diplomancers. That's pretty much it.

[veekie]

A 259

There's a feat in Unearthed Arcana called Additional Favored Class. Guess what it does. Keep in mind that it's technically a variant, though.
Alternatively, convince your DM to abolish multiclassing penalties, because they're dumb.

AWESOME!!! 

but hey, if u take away favored class penalties, then wouldnt the human and especially the half elf get a bit intruded on?

So? Half-Elves suck even with the favored class, and Humans rock even without it.
If you seriously want to keep the favored class system, give people bonuses for being their favored class instead of penalties for not being their favored class. Two variants I like are Pathfinder's 'you get an extra hp or skill point per level in your favored class' and Tome's 'you can take any racial sub levels for your favored class, regardless of your own race'.

Don't forget that you can have any favored class in Pathfinder, and kevin_video beat me to mentioning the APG variant favored class benefit(usually an increase in a limited use class feature, or for the human, bonus spells known sometimes)