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#1 zombiegleemax Jul 11, 2002 16:04:00

Hi, welcome to the PHB Board FAQ (Version 2.1), please feel free to ask any questions you may have or to point out errors in my answers: Section 1: Links to Other FAQs >>Official D&D Game Rules FAQ<< (written by Skip Williams) >>General Board FAQ<< (maintained by chonjurer); >>Classes Board FAQ<< (maintained by chonjurer) >>Skills and Feats, Combat and Weapons Board FAQ<< (maintained by tiornys) >>Spells and Magic Items Board FAQ<< (maintained by chonjurer) >>Dungeon Master's Guide Board FAQ<< (maintained by chonjurer); >>What's a DM to Do? - Rights and Responsibilities<<< (maintained by Frez) > >>Monster Manual Board FAQ<< (maintained by Josh_Kablack) > Min/Max Board FAQ (maintained by stembolt) < > In-Depth Roleplay FAQ (maintained by Frez) < > Meta-Board FAQ (maintained by the WizOs) < Section 2: Links to Errata and Clarifications >PHB Errata< >Explanation of Attacks of Opportunity< (Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine) Section 3: Q&A Q. How many sneak attacks can a rogue attempt in a single round? A. A rogue can use sneak attack with every attack she gets (including multiple attacks from using two weapons, iterative attacks from BAB, attacks of opportunity, extra attacks from feats or magic) as long as circumstances permit. A rogue is allowed to make sneak attacks on a target who is flanked or has lost his Dex bonus. (Or would lose his Dex bonus in the case of characters who do not have a bonus to Dex). Note that flat-footed characters are considered to have lost their Dex bonus, so a rogue striking first gets to sneak attack them. Remember that creatures which are immune to critical hits are immune to sneak attack damage (PHB 47), and that a rogue can only sneak attack a target within 30’ (PHB 47). Sneak attack also cannot be used against creatures with concealment (PHB 48) Q. How does multiclassing work? A. Multiclassing works just like described on page 55 & 56 of the PHB (Also see page 145). When you have enough XP to raise a level, you may progress one level in your current class or add a new one. (Yes, even barbarian or sorcerer!) Note as per the PHB rules, some classes (Monk & Paladin) stipulate that a character may not gain additional levels in them under certain multiclass restrictions. See the individual class entries for details. Also note that some campaign settings, such as the FRCS, suspend some of these rules. Note: There are also optional rules for multiclassing at first level presented on pages 40-41 of the DMG. Q. Then how does Dual-Classing work? A. Dual-Classing is purely a mechanic from 1st and 2nd editions. 3e has only one set of multiclassing rules. Q. How do Attacks of Opportunity (AoOs or AOOs) work? A.Attacks of Opportunity are one of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of 3e D&D, yet the basic concept is very simple. The short answer is that you provoke an attack of opportunity whenever you do something that requires you to divert your attention from your current opponent (such as moving past him to engage another one, or casting a spell). Attacks of opportunity are explained on page 122 of the PHB. There was also very helpful illustrated guide with further clarifications in Dragon a while back, here is a >>Link<< to that article elsewhere on the wizards.com site. (Same link as in section 2) If you read the PHB and that article, that should explain most things, additional references and repetitions are quoted below. quote:From chonjurer's D&D FAQ: Q: What about Attacks of Opportunity (AoO)? A: Things are easier if you remember the following: For movement, you do NOT provoke an AoO: if all you do is move (not run) during the round if the only movement you make is a 5' step if you move INTO a threatened area if you tumble (DC 15 or 25) THROUGH the threatened zone if you have 1/2 or better cover from the monster that threatens you Note: creatures that have "10 foot reach" threaten the 2 squares adjacent to them. Thus moving into 10' does not provoke an AoO, but into 5' usually does (except as noted above) All other actions that provoke AoO are clearly (for the most part) listed in the PHB. Q: Can I make multiple AoO in one round? A: No. Only the Combat Reflexes feat will allow you to make more than one AoO in a round. Q: Can I make multiple AoO against the same target in one round? A: No. The PHB specifically says so. Even Combat Reflexes does NOT let you take additional AoO against the SAME target. Josh's commentary: That bit about combat reflexes is apparently subject to some debate. (With Skip Williams on one side and Monte Cook on the other) It is possible that the designers intended Combat Reflexes to allow you to get multiple AoOs against a single opponent if (and only if) that opponent does multiple things that provoke AoOs. For example, an opponent who moves out of a threatened area, then picks up a knife, then closes in to grapple has done three separate things to draw AoOs, and a character with Combat Reflexes may or may not be able to make three separate AoOs against them. Fortunately, such cases are extremely rare, and running the game either way will not make much difference. quote:From the D&D FAQ (edited for format) Q:How can I get away from someone without them getting an attack of opportunity against me? A:Once you factor in the effects of skills and spells, the game offers a plethora of ways to escape unharmed. Even if you don't have a spell or skill to get you out of trouble, you can disengage from an opponent and not receive an opportunity attack just by moving. If all you do during your turn is move (not run), the first 5-foot square you leave is not considered threatened and nobody can get an attack of opportunity against you. If you later move through another threatened area, however, you are subject to attacks of opportunity. (If your opponent has reach, forget about getting away without drawing an attack of opportunity.) Even if you take advantage of this rule, you'll need to have a better movement rate than your opponent or move someplace where your opponent can't follow to get clean away. Josh's commentary: This is slightly flawed advice. Using a "spell" to get away usually provokes an AoO anyway, unless a Concentration check is made to Cast on The Defensive (PHB page 65). I think Skip meant to say "skills and feats" there, as Tumbling and Mobility come immediately to mind as ways to avoid AoOs. Also, it is easy to escape from an opponent who has reach, if you are engaging him with a reach weapon of your own, or by depriving him of his reach weapon (via disarm, Sunder, etc). Q.You're flat-footed but have a Dex penalty, does it still apply to your FFAC? A. Yes. As per Flat Footed on Page 120 of the PHB, "You can't use your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) while flat-footed. (Please read the entire section for specific exceptions). Note that as per PHB 277,279, and 280 the terms "bonus", "modifier" and "penalty" all mean different things. Q. How do you calculate your Touch AC, Flat-Footed AC, etc.? A. Your Touch AC does not include any armor bonus, shield bonus, or natural armor bonus (PHB 119, Touch Attacks, PHB 125 Touch Spells in Combat and 282 Touch Attack). All other modifications, such as Dex, Size, Dodge, Deflection, etc., still apply. Your flat footed AC is simply your normal AC, without counting your Dex bonus (if any) or any other bonuses (such as Haste or Dodge bonuses) which you lose when you lose your Dex bonus. In practice, this means that flat-footed AC most often consists of Size Modifier + Armor Bonus + Shield Bonus + Deflection Bonus. (although Luck, Insight, Unnamed, Enhancement, Cover, Natural Armor, Special, Sacred, Profane and Unnamed Bonuses all still apply, they are somewhat rarer in practice) Rules for calculating other types of AC, such as AC vs. Incorporeal can be found in the appropriate section of the DMG (Page 78 for Incorporeal) Q. What are the different types of AC enhancements and where do they come from? (Natural armor, deflection, armor, etc.) What about stacking? A: Please see DMG pages 176-177 and PHB page 153 for the full rules on stacking. In general, bonuses of different types stack, bonuses of the same type do not, but there are a few important exceptions. The complete list of types of modifiers that can be applied to AC is: Size (due to having a size bigger or smaller than medium Dexterity (due to having a Dex score above 11 or less than 10) Armor (due to wearing manufactured armor, Bracers of Armor or the spell Mage Armor) Shield (this is the bonus provided by carrying a shield, the official call is that it is actually an Armor bonus with its own special rules, but the PHB does reference it as distinct in some cases - please see the discussion in posts below, the book wordings are contradictory, I suggest that the cleanest way to preserve the design intent is to admit the existance of Shield Bonuses, but call them a subtype of Armor Bonuses) Natural Armor (due to having thick hide or otherwise being naturally tough) Deflection (due to a Ring of Protection or spells such as Shield of Faith) Dodge (due to feats or racial abilities, Dodge bonuses stack with all other dodge bonuses.) Haste (due to being under the effects of the Haste spell, this works like a dodge bonus) Insight (due to the spell Foresight and very little else I can find) Unnamed (the Shadowstaff artifact provides an unnamed bonus to AC, unnamed bonuses stack with all other bonuses, including unnamed bonuses arising from other sources) Luck (provided by The Staff of Power or the Psionic Item Skin of the Hero) Sacred ---(still looking for an example) Profane (Provided by the MMII Rukarazyll's Profane Alacrity Ability and very little else) Possibly Special (as provided by Defending weapons) is another bonus type, but such arguments are beyond the scope of a FAQ. They are really equivalent to unnamed bonuses in functionality. Additionally recent releases mention that there can be a “Divine” bonus to AC, but such a mechanic is not used in the Core books. Q. How do you calculate a ranged touch attack? A: The same as you would any other ranged attack, except that you only need to hit the target's Touch AC. Generally, your ranged touch attack bonus is your BAB + your Dex mod + any other relevant modifiers. See Touch Attacks on page 119 of the PHB, Ranged Touch Attack on page 281 of the PHB and Touch Attack on page 282 of the PHB, as well as Touch Spells in Combat on page 125 for full details. Q. How do you calculate a melee touch attack? A: The same as you would any other melee attack, except that you only need to hit the target's Touch AC. Generally, your melee touch attack bonus is your BAB + your Str mod + any other relevant modifiers. See Touch Attacks on page 119 of the PHB, Touch Attack page 282 of the PHB, and Touch Spells in Combat on page 125 for full details. Q. How do tower shields work? How much cover do they give in combat? A. A tower shield provides a variable amount of cover depending on your position. It can provide up to total cover, depending on how far you come out from behind it. However, generally a tower shield gives the same amount of cover to your opponents unless you can move out, attack and then move back to take cover again. Q. Is it possible for an illusion to physically interact with someone? Is it possible for an affected creature to believe it has sustained damage? A. That depends on the type of the illusion and the exact circumstances. Figments and Glamers can produce the illusory sensation of touch, but cannot deal damage. Phantasms can specifically cause damage to those who believe them to be real. Shadows, although only partially real, are real enough to cause real damage. Please see the description of the Illusion school of magic on page 158 of the PHB and the individual spell descriptions. Q.How long does the deafness from a Thunderstone last? A. 1 Hour. (Reference: page 5, column 2 of The Burning Plague available for download from the Free Original Adventures section of the wizards.com site) [ October 04, 2002, 06:15 PM: Message edited by: Josh_Kablack ]