Post/Author/DateTime	Post
kjenks 03-17-06, 12:34 PM	http://www.wizards.com/rpga/downloads/LGCS_596.zip
haferka 03-17-06, 04:25 PM	"Characters cannot purchase masterwork versions of weapons and armor not listed in the PH Page 17 unless they are specifically named as masterwork on the adventure record." WHAT!!! thats just @#$#$# stupid. Not only am I not allowed to craft non-standard arms & armor, now I can't even pretend that I did it (through purchasing it).... Now the only way to get a MW version is through access, which is someone else giving it to me... thats STUPID.... Come on... thus is just a stupid hoop for players to jump through before earning the ability to gain a magical version of a weapon/armor from a source other than the PH. In the past, any access to Arms & Armor from non-PH sources automaticly granted access to Masterwork version...
blood_kite 03-17-06, 07:05 PM	I'm annoyed that they still did not come out and say what constitutes a 'war trained' animal. That would solve the question of armor proficiency for animal companions. And a strict reading of the LGCS prevents druids from training their riding dog animal companion in the trip attack. It says special tricks (ones not listed in the PH) are only allowed by way of campaign or regional documentation. The section on buying domesticated animals says you can buy a dog with the trip attack, but it doesn't say you can train one to use a trip attack. But there were plenty of clarifications that I did like and will write about after I get back from the airport.
haferka 03-17-06, 09:44 PM	I'm annoyed that they still did not come out and say what constitutes a 'war trained' animal. That would solve the question of armor proficiency for animal companions. And a strict reading of the LGCS prevents druids from training their riding dog animal companion in the trip attack. It says special tricks (ones not listed in the PH) are only allowed by way of campaign or regional documentation. The section on buying domesticated animals says you can buy a dog with the trip attack, but it doesn't say you can train one to use a trip attack. But there were plenty of clarifications that I did like and will write about after I get back from the airport. Page 40 of the LGCS states: "When you buy an animal, you may pick an extra trick for each point of Intelligence the animal has. You must pick the tricks from page 74 of the PH under Handle Animal. For the riding dog, you may either pick two extra tricks or use these two trick slots to make the dog trained to use a trip attack (as specified in the riding dog entry in the Monster Manual v.3.5)." It stated not 1 page back ... that Druids could outfit thier animal companion with a " full complement" of tricks (3xINT point)... so just spend 2 tricks to get the trip attack. But it never states that the animal is "trained for war" so nothing states if it can use barding or not... same page.. 20.. it states: "They can only use these sorts of magic items, unless otherwise specifically stated that it can be used by an animal, animal companion, mount, or familiar: A. One suit of barding B. One collar, necklace or other neck gear C. One cloak." The statement above means that any animal CAN equip a suit of barding, but nothing Ive read states wheather they have proficiency... MM2 has a "Warbeast" template which represents EXTENSIVE combat training and It explicitly states that they gain armor proficiencies.. Lignt-Heavy... I believe, "trained for War" is a gereral purpose training... which is essentially a package of tricks... so as long as you train your animal with all the same tricks... you could say that they are "wartrained" and thus have proficiency with barding... But its still up to the DM at your table to make the final call, since I dont know of any specific ruling on it...
Greyson 03-17-06, 10:46 PM	I think the term "trained for war" indicates an animal has Combat Riding as its General Purpose as desribed under Handle Animal in the Player's Handbook. None of the other tricks or general purposes come as close to the trained for war concept as Combat Riding. The Combat Riding purpose's description specifically cites warhorses and warponies. Just a few thoughts.
blood_kite 03-18-06, 12:11 AM	Page 40 of the LGCS states: "When you buy an animal, you may pick an extra trick for each point of Intelligence the animal has. You must pick the tricks from page 74 of the PH under Handle Animal. For the riding dog, you may either pick two extra tricks or use these two trick slots to make the dog trained to use a trip attack (as specified in the riding dog entry in the Monster Manual v.3.5)." It stated not 1 page back ... that Druids could outfit thier animal companion with a " full complement" of tricks (3xINT point)... so just spend 2 tricks to get the trip attack. But it never states that the animal is "trained for war" so nothing states if it can use barding or not... I doubt I'd find many judges that wouldn't let me have my riding dog animal companion have a trip attack if I spent tricks on it. But the LGCS says that the list of animal tricks you can pick from is on page 74 of the Player's Handbook and that you need documentation to use tricks from elsewhere. The section on buying domesticated animals lets you buy a riding dog with the trip attack. You don't buy animal companions. It doesn't say in the LGCS that the trip attack can be taught to an animal companion. I doubt it will be much of an issue though. I think the term "trained for war" indicates an animal has Combat Riding as its General Purpose as desribed under Handle Animal in the Player's Handbook While that makes sense, I haven't found anything that defines "trained for war" and says what tricks an animals needs to be considered such. This is really something that needs to be answered in the FAQ. But on to things I liked about the update. The Spell Compendium version of Nature's Favor is now standard. Swift Action buff for you and your animal companion. Magic item repair can be done by NPC's and only the Gold and XP costs are important; while access and spell requirements are not. Tumble can now be used to make money after regional adventures. It is explicitely stated that the frequency of access has no bearing on magic item creation. If you've seen the item once at 1st level you can make it at 10th. Vests of Resistance have been added to the table of upgradable magic items. Ancient Flan has been ruled to not really be a language, just an archaic form of Flan. Anyone who knows Flan knows Ancient Flan. Ur-Flan is a seperate language and will now be used in all future modules so characters can't read the really old writing on the wall.
Mortepierre 03-18-06, 06:53 AM	One thing I can't understand is why they still stick to that outdated "nothing out of PHB before lvl 3" rule. Clerics already don't have to follow it in regard to their domains. Now, Warmages don't have to abide by it in regard to their spells (p.35, the small print in blue just above "Prestige Classes") Clearly, this rule gets more and more exceptions as time goes by, so why not do away with it once and for all? Now that Warmages have all their "toys" from lvl 1 onward, how long before the other spellcasting classes start crying "foul!"? For the love of Boccob, get rid of the stupid rule!
Howie23 03-18-06, 09:12 AM	"Characters cannot purchase masterwork versions of weapons and armor not listed in the PH Page 17 unless they are specifically named as masterwork on the adventure record." <snip>.. In the past, any access to Arms & Armor from non-PH sources automaticly granted access to Masterwork version... I just took this as a clarification of the status quo. *shrug* David
Greyson 03-18-06, 04:12 PM	One thing I can't understand is why they still stick to that outdated "nothing out of PHB before lvl 3" rule... For the love of Boccob, get rid of the stupid rule! I support this idea one hundred percent. I think the need for the 3rd-level requirement to use non-core game elements has lost its usefulness. Now, it seems to diminish early character development, more than help in any other gaming sense.
Mortepierre 03-18-06, 05:48 PM	Not to mention that a lot of people have difficulty grasping the difference between "core (nothing beyond PHB)" and "core (lvl3? Sky is the limit!)" judging from questions we get all the time on the boards.