A few random but hopefully quick questions [Archive] - Wizards Community

A few random but hopefully quick questions [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Riastlin
10-19-07, 12:53 PM Hey all, I have a session coming up where the party is approaching the BBEG encounter so I wanted to run a few questions by you to make sure I get my adjudications right.

1. I know that DR does not apply to spell damage and the like, but how does a +1 weapon of frost apply in this situation? My thought is that the 1d6 cold damage is similar to a spell and thus would get around the DR but I wanted to make sure since its still coming from the weapon.

2. IIRC being prone does not make you lose your dex modifier to AC, but you do suffer a -4 AC to melee attacks. Is that correct?

3. The BBEG is a Vampiric Monk. I know that I cannot flurry the negative level damage together, but does that mean that I can only get one Negative level damage during the flurry or that if the Vampire flurries at all then he will not inflict negative levels (meaning he'd need to stick to regular attacks to get the negative levels to stick)?

4. One of the creatures I'm using is from the MMII which was published under 3ed rules, but the campaign is 3.5. The creature has DR 20/+2. Am I correct in that 3.5 did away with /+x as a condition to get around DR? If so, does this simply convert to DR 20/Magic? If this is not correct, does the +2 mean the +2 as in to hit and damage, or just an overall enhancement of +2 (i.e. a longsword of frost +1 would be a +2 weapon though only +1 to hit/damage)

5. I want the BBEG to be a recurring villain (though not very often). To do this, I had planned to use a portal to allow him an avenue of escape. My concern though is the potential *groan* factor from the players thinking its a cheesy out. Would it be better to simply have him go gaseous (prior to hitting 0 HP) then filtering through tiny holes/cracks in the walls in order to get away? Also, is there any reason why a creature in gaseous form would be unable to activate a portal (which isn't really defined in the rules)?

Sorry for the barrage of questions in one post, but I figured it would be better than making 5 posts.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
Merestil Haye
10-19-07, 02:10 PM Hey all, I have a session coming up where the party is approaching the BBEG encounter so I wanted to run a few questions by you to make sure I get my adjudications right.

1. I know that DR does not apply to spell damage and the like, but how does a +1 weapon of frost apply in this situation? My thought is that the 1d6 cold damage is similar to a spell and thus would get around the DR but I wanted to make sure since its still coming from the weapon.The Cold damage is energy damage, and bypasses DR. However it is affected by Cold resistance. Have the weapon damage rolled excluding the Cold die, and roll that separately.

2. IIRC being prone does not make you lose your dex modifier to AC, but you do suffer a -4 AC to melee attacks. Is that correct?Yes. A prone character still has their full AC. However, creatures attacking the prone character in melee get a +4 bonus to the attack roll. Additionally the prone creature takes a -4 penalty to melee attack rolls and can use only a limited number of ranged weapons.

3. The BBEG is a Vampiric Monk. I know that I cannot flurry the negative level damage together, but does that mean that I can only get one Negative level damage during the flurry or that if the Vampire flurries at all then he will not inflict negative levels (meaning he'd need to stick to regular attacks to get the negative levels to stick)?The Vampire can inflict a negative level with any natural attack. Unarmed strikes do (iirc) count for this purpose.

4. One of the creatures I'm using is from the MMII which was published under 3ed rules, but the campaign is 3.5. The creature has DR 20/+2. Am I correct in that 3.5 did away with /+x as a condition to get around DR? If so, does this simply convert to DR 20/Magic? If this is not correct, does the +2 mean the +2 as in to hit and damage, or just an overall enhancement of +2 (i.e. a longsword of frost +1 would be a +2 weapon though only +1 to hit/damage)The creature will have changed in several ways. You might want to get hold of the 3.0 to 3.5 conversion guides WotC put out. They're on the website somewhere.

ETA : Here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a) is the download page. The files are zipped .pdfs.

5. I want the BBEG to be a recurring villain (though not very often). To do this, I had planned to use a portal to allow him an avenue of escape. My concern though is the potential *groan* factor from the players thinking its a cheesy out. Would it be better to simply have him go gaseous (prior to hitting 0 HP) then filtering through tiny holes/cracks in the walls in order to get away? Also, is there any reason why a creature in gaseous form would be unable to activate a portal (which isn't really defined in the rules)?Don't know about this. To be honest, I'd look for something like getting away through gaps in the wall because the PCs might try to follow the BBEG.

It's certainly plausible that he'd have an exit strategy planned.

As for operating the portal, treat the monster in gaseous form as incorporeal for the purpose of affecting anything.
Riastlin
10-19-07, 02:18 PM Hey Merestil,

Thanks for the quick reply. I know that the unarmed strikes count as natural attacks, but I'd heard that you couldn't flurry the negative level damage (meaning potentially get 4 hits in a round each of which bestows 2 negative levels for a total of 8 levels in one round). Perhaps this was just a common house rule as that would certainly drop most PCs pretty quickly. I just didn't know if it was in fact a rule if it meant that the Vamp could make a flurry with the first hit bestowing a negative level while any additional hits merely deal melee damage, or if he just had to resort to a standard full round attack.

As for the last point on the BBEG, I'm really starting to lean in your direction on this. I know that two of the players would not ordinarily follow, but I could potentially see the other 3 jumping right through the portal as well. Using the cracks, particularly if he does it before he hits 0 has the advantage of essentially letting him hide more or less indefinitely. Plus I might even be able to time it right so that they may even think they knocked him down to 0 and hope that they killed him when he couldn't get back to the coffin.
Lilinthra
10-19-07, 02:33 PM Hey Merestil,

Thanks for the quick reply. I know that the unarmed strikes count as natural attacks, but I'd heard that you couldn't flurry the negative level damage (meaning potentially get 4 hits in a round each of which bestows 2 negative levels for a total of 8 levels in one round). Perhaps this was just a common house rule as that would certainly drop most PCs pretty quickly. I just didn't know if it was in fact a rule if it meant that the Vamp could make a flurry with the first hit bestowing a negative level while any additional hits merely deal melee damage, or if he just had to resort to a standard full round attack.

Well, the vampire descriptive text says that vampires can only use the energy drain ability once per round. I apply it that the first successful natural attack also grants the negative levels, and any others (such from flurrying in your example) just deal the normal damage.
Riastlin
10-19-07, 03:33 PM Well, the vampire descriptive text says that vampires can only use the energy drain ability once per round. I apply it that the first successful natural attack also grants the negative levels, and any others (such from flurrying in your example) just deal the normal damage.

/bangs head against desk

Thank you Lilinthra.

/reminds self to add more skill points in Spot next level.
mvincent
10-19-07, 05:29 PM I apply it that the first successful natural attack also grants the negative levels, and any others (such from flurrying in your example) just deal the normal damage.From the 3.5 FAQ:
"a vampire monk using its unarmed strike ability is not using its slam attack and cannot drain energy."
Marcus Majarra
10-20-07, 10:11 AM From the 3.5 FAQ:
"a vampire monk using its unarmed strike ability is not using its slam attack and cannot drain energy."
The FAQ is incorrect. Evidence of this is on pages 251 and 252 of the MM, in which the Elite Vampire deals energy drain while flurrying with unarmed strikes and under the Energy Drain description, where it's stated the vampire can Energy Drain with any of its natural weapons. The monk's unarmed strike qualifies as a natural weapon, as stated by both the PHB and the 3.5 FAQ.
mvincent
10-20-07, 12:22 PM The FAQ is incorrect. Evidence of this is on pages 251 and 252 of the MM, in which the Elite Vampire deals energy drain while flurrying with unarmed strikesExcellent catch. I'm surprised no one's pointed that out before. I'll write in.
Marcus Majarra
10-20-07, 01:49 PM Excellent catch. I'm surprised no one's pointed that out before. I'll write in.
I hope your communication lines are better than mine. I once wrote in some errors I'd noticed and it took months before those were corrected.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Riastlin 10-19-07, 12:53 PM	Hey all, I have a session coming up where the party is approaching the BBEG encounter so I wanted to run a few questions by you to make sure I get my adjudications right. 1. I know that DR does not apply to spell damage and the like, but how does a +1 weapon of frost apply in this situation? My thought is that the 1d6 cold damage is similar to a spell and thus would get around the DR but I wanted to make sure since its still coming from the weapon. 2. IIRC being prone does not make you lose your dex modifier to AC, but you do suffer a -4 AC to melee attacks. Is that correct? 3. The BBEG is a Vampiric Monk. I know that I cannot flurry the negative level damage together, but does that mean that I can only get one Negative level damage during the flurry or that if the Vampire flurries at all then he will not inflict negative levels (meaning he'd need to stick to regular attacks to get the negative levels to stick)? 4. One of the creatures I'm using is from the MMII which was published under 3ed rules, but the campaign is 3.5. The creature has DR 20/+2. Am I correct in that 3.5 did away with /+x as a condition to get around DR? If so, does this simply convert to DR 20/Magic? If this is not correct, does the +2 mean the +2 as in to hit and damage, or just an overall enhancement of +2 (i.e. a longsword of frost +1 would be a +2 weapon though only +1 to hit/damage) 5. I want the BBEG to be a recurring villain (though not very often). To do this, I had planned to use a portal to allow him an avenue of escape. My concern though is the potential groan factor from the players thinking its a cheesy out. Would it be better to simply have him go gaseous (prior to hitting 0 HP) then filtering through tiny holes/cracks in the walls in order to get away? Also, is there any reason why a creature in gaseous form would be unable to activate a portal (which isn't really defined in the rules)? Sorry for the barrage of questions in one post, but I figured it would be better than making 5 posts. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
Merestil Haye 10-19-07, 02:10 PM	Hey all, I have a session coming up where the party is approaching the BBEG encounter so I wanted to run a few questions by you to make sure I get my adjudications right. 1. I know that DR does not apply to spell damage and the like, but how does a +1 weapon of frost apply in this situation? My thought is that the 1d6 cold damage is similar to a spell and thus would get around the DR but I wanted to make sure since its still coming from the weapon.The Cold damage is energy damage, and bypasses DR. However it is affected by Cold resistance. Have the weapon damage rolled excluding the Cold die, and roll that separately. 2. IIRC being prone does not make you lose your dex modifier to AC, but you do suffer a -4 AC to melee attacks. Is that correct?Yes. A prone character still has their full AC. However, creatures attacking the prone character in melee get a +4 bonus to the attack roll. Additionally the prone creature takes a -4 penalty to melee attack rolls and can use only a limited number of ranged weapons. 3. The BBEG is a Vampiric Monk. I know that I cannot flurry the negative level damage together, but does that mean that I can only get one Negative level damage during the flurry or that if the Vampire flurries at all then he will not inflict negative levels (meaning he'd need to stick to regular attacks to get the negative levels to stick)?The Vampire can inflict a negative level with any natural attack. Unarmed strikes do (iirc) count for this purpose. 4. One of the creatures I'm using is from the MMII which was published under 3ed rules, but the campaign is 3.5. The creature has DR 20/+2. Am I correct in that 3.5 did away with /+x as a condition to get around DR? If so, does this simply convert to DR 20/Magic? If this is not correct, does the +2 mean the +2 as in to hit and damage, or just an overall enhancement of +2 (i.e. a longsword of frost +1 would be a +2 weapon though only +1 to hit/damage)The creature will have changed in several ways. You might want to get hold of the 3.0 to 3.5 conversion guides WotC put out. They're on the website somewhere. ETA : Here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a) is the download page. The files are zipped .pdfs. 5. I want the BBEG to be a recurring villain (though not very often). To do this, I had planned to use a portal to allow him an avenue of escape. My concern though is the potential groan factor from the players thinking its a cheesy out. Would it be better to simply have him go gaseous (prior to hitting 0 HP) then filtering through tiny holes/cracks in the walls in order to get away? Also, is there any reason why a creature in gaseous form would be unable to activate a portal (which isn't really defined in the rules)?Don't know about this. To be honest, I'd look for something like getting away through gaps in the wall because the PCs might try to follow the BBEG. It's certainly plausible that he'd have an exit strategy planned. As for operating the portal, treat the monster in gaseous form as incorporeal for the purpose of affecting anything.
Riastlin 10-19-07, 02:18 PM	Hey Merestil, Thanks for the quick reply. I know that the unarmed strikes count as natural attacks, but I'd heard that you couldn't flurry the negative level damage (meaning potentially get 4 hits in a round each of which bestows 2 negative levels for a total of 8 levels in one round). Perhaps this was just a common house rule as that would certainly drop most PCs pretty quickly. I just didn't know if it was in fact a rule if it meant that the Vamp could make a flurry with the first hit bestowing a negative level while any additional hits merely deal melee damage, or if he just had to resort to a standard full round attack. As for the last point on the BBEG, I'm really starting to lean in your direction on this. I know that two of the players would not ordinarily follow, but I could potentially see the other 3 jumping right through the portal as well. Using the cracks, particularly if he does it before he hits 0 has the advantage of essentially letting him hide more or less indefinitely. Plus I might even be able to time it right so that they may even think they knocked him down to 0 and hope that they killed him when he couldn't get back to the coffin.
Lilinthra 10-19-07, 02:33 PM	Hey Merestil, Thanks for the quick reply. I know that the unarmed strikes count as natural attacks, but I'd heard that you couldn't flurry the negative level damage (meaning potentially get 4 hits in a round each of which bestows 2 negative levels for a total of 8 levels in one round). Perhaps this was just a common house rule as that would certainly drop most PCs pretty quickly. I just didn't know if it was in fact a rule if it meant that the Vamp could make a flurry with the first hit bestowing a negative level while any additional hits merely deal melee damage, or if he just had to resort to a standard full round attack. Well, the vampire descriptive text says that vampires can only use the energy drain ability once per round. I apply it that the first successful natural attack also grants the negative levels, and any others (such from flurrying in your example) just deal the normal damage.
Riastlin 10-19-07, 03:33 PM	Well, the vampire descriptive text says that vampires can only use the energy drain ability once per round. I apply it that the first successful natural attack also grants the negative levels, and any others (such from flurrying in your example) just deal the normal damage. /bangs head against desk Thank you Lilinthra. /reminds self to add more skill points in Spot next level.
mvincent 10-19-07, 05:29 PM	I apply it that the first successful natural attack also grants the negative levels, and any others (such from flurrying in your example) just deal the normal damage.From the 3.5 FAQ: "a vampire monk using its unarmed strike ability is not using its slam attack and cannot drain energy."
Marcus Majarra 10-20-07, 10:11 AM	From the 3.5 FAQ: "a vampire monk using its unarmed strike ability is not using its slam attack and cannot drain energy." The FAQ is incorrect. Evidence of this is on pages 251 and 252 of the MM, in which the Elite Vampire deals energy drain while flurrying with unarmed strikes and under the Energy Drain description, where it's stated the vampire can Energy Drain with any of its natural weapons. The monk's unarmed strike qualifies as a natural weapon, as stated by both the PHB and the 3.5 FAQ.
mvincent 10-20-07, 12:22 PM	The FAQ is incorrect. Evidence of this is on pages 251 and 252 of the MM, in which the Elite Vampire deals energy drain while flurrying with unarmed strikesExcellent catch. I'm surprised no one's pointed that out before. I'll write in.
Marcus Majarra 10-20-07, 01:49 PM	Excellent catch. I'm surprised no one's pointed that out before. I'll write in. I hope your communication lines are better than mine. I once wrote in some errors I'd noticed and it took months before those were corrected.