Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Talonas Elendril 01-26-06, 06:28 PM	One of the PC's in my players group has the Touched By Theron curse, he is a Tattooed Monk with the Chrysanthemum tattoo. This presents a problem, all magical healing has to pass a caster level check to affect the PC, but his tattoo's are Supernatural in nature (magical, yes. But they are not subject to spell resistance. DMG 289) As I percieve this, a caster level check is the result of spell resistance so the caster level check is overcome because as a Supernatural ability the tattoo is not subject to the check.... If I am understanding this all correctly the only way that this tattoo will not work is in an area of antimagic i.e. an Antimagic Cone projected from the central eye of a Beholder. I am asking for a official ruling because I have been given two different answers by two different sources (who shall remain nameless). I hope my conclusion is the correct as it seems the most logical, but if this curse was meant to also affect Supernatural abilitys then a ruling on how to give a ability a caster level is also needed........
Sieylianna 01-26-06, 09:29 PM	I think there is a better chance of WotC deciding to give all LG players the Spell Compendium for free than for you to get an official ruling on your question. The Circle is very reluctant to issue game rulings in general and asking about a situation which affects exactly one PC in the LG campaign isn't going to be a priority. My advice would to submit it to Sage Advice in the hopes that it would be selected and later appear in the FAQ. Other options are to bring it up with the author and circle reviewer for the module and/or when the new LGCS is published. Without the exact text of the curse on the AR (no spoilers), I can't even offer an opinion on how it should work. Ed
Moryath 01-26-06, 11:36 PM	I think there is a better chance of WotC deciding to give all LG players the Spell Compendium for free than for you to get an official ruling on your question. The Circle is very reluctant to issue game rulings in general and asking about a situation which affects exactly one PC in the LG campaign isn't going to be a priority. My advice would to submit it to Sage Advice in the hopes that it would be selected and later appear in the FAQ. Other options are to bring it up with the author and circle reviewer for the module and/or when the new LGCS is published. Without the exact text of the curse on the AR (no spoilers), I can't even offer an opinion on how it should work. Ed Regretfully, this does tend to be the case. And local DM rulings - or even Triad rulings - can get hellacious that way. Although your second best bet (assuming your two sources are not both triad members) is to email your triad's POC and see if they will give you a definitive ruling via email, which you could then print out and keep with the character for future reference in case a DM tried to say otherwise.
King Kashue 01-26-06, 11:37 PM	I think there is a better chance of WotC deciding to give all LG players the Spell Compendium for free than for you to get an official ruling on your question. The Circle is very reluctant to issue game rulings in general and asking about a situation which affects exactly one PC in the LG campaign isn't going to be a priority. My advice would to submit it to Sage Advice in the hopes that it would be selected and later appear in the FAQ. Other options are to bring it up with the author and circle reviewer for the module and/or when the new LGCS is published. Without the exact text of the curse on the AR (no spoilers), I can't even offer an opinion on how it should work. Ed It doesn't just affect monks with this tattoo, it also affects other supernatural healers, specifically Paladins come to mind... However, it's an easy enough question. There is absolutely no reference in any source that refers to a caster level check and supernatural abilities...It takes a stretch to decide that this would apply when it doesn't in any other instance...
Sieylianna 01-27-06, 07:28 AM	However, it's an easy enough question. There is absolutely no reference in any source that refers to a caster level check and supernatural abilities...It takes a stretch to decide that this would apply when it doesn't in any other instance... But we don't know what the author's intention was when giving the curse. It may be intended to affect all healing and the Caster Level Check was the closest rules mechanic they could find. It's meant to be a curse and as a judge, I'd go with the most restrictive interpretation. (I'm one of the players who think that LG curses tend to offer benefits out of proportion to their drawbacks). Ed
Moryath 01-27-06, 09:11 AM	But we don't know what the author's intention was when giving the curse. It may be intended to affect all healing and the Caster Level Check was the closest rules mechanic they could find. It's meant to be a curse and as a judge, I'd go with the most restrictive interpretation. (I'm one of the players who think that LG curses tend to offer benefits out of proportion to their drawbacks). Ed I've yet to see a curse that I found to be more blessing than curse. In the right hands... perhaps. Some "curses" are clearly tipped to favor one class and disfavor another. And I have one "curse" right now with an ability that I like. However, I PAID for that curse. Through the nose. A 5% chance of being stunned for an entire combat, plus having to hunt down an Atonement, were heavy duty prices to pay.
King Kashue 01-27-06, 06:23 PM	But we don't know what the author's intention was when giving the curse. It may be intended to affect all healing and the Caster Level Check was the closest rules mechanic they could find. Yes, but if his intention was to have a caster level check apply to situations where it usually doesn't (actually never does), then wouldn't that be explicit in the curse text? It is not. Not to be too "rules lawyer" but the rules should generally be narrowly construed. If one interpretation works without stretching the rules to accomodate, and the other interpretation requires an unorthodox interpretation, then the first one is generally the one that should be used...
Talonas Elendril 01-28-06, 06:26 PM	Not to be too "rules lawyer" but the rules should generally be narrowly construed. If one interpretation works without stretching the rules to accomodate, and the other interpretation requires an unorthodox interpretation, then the first one is generally the one that should be used... I fully agree, and will use it that way until I recieve word from the sage. I doubt that it will differ from this interpretation. Thanks for all who have replied, If anyone out there has any more to add please do so.