Rules. Retrospectively.

From Ed's post

Hey, i justed checked the Wizards.com website and came across some rules updates.. Wondering if we'll be updating with those.

Implement, weapon and versatile expertise now scales at 11th and 21st level instead of 15th and 25th level.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/updates

Also, they had a new ruling on spells and environmental effects with regards to forced movement which states that the damage can only happen once in a turn. Probably due to abuse by the given example of a cleric-commanded enemy made to walk through a wall of fire, taking damage per square.

Yes, we will always strive to use the latest rule updates.

So implement expertise is now at +2 and forced movement damage cap is in place.

Regards,

Raihan

Warlock’s Curse
Page 131: Replace the first paragraph with the following
text.
“Once per turn as a minor action, you can place a
Warlock’s Curse on the enemy nearest to you that you
can see. A cursed enemy is more vulnerable to your
attacks. If you hit a cursed enemy with an attack, you
deal extra damage. You decide whether to apply the
extra damage after making the damage roll. You can
deal this extra damage once per turn.

Yay, more accuracy! :)

Zakmonster wrote:Bringing up rules questions once again. This one is a pretty simple one, I swear. It concerns Twin Strike and the Marauder ranger.

Y'see, Twin Strike can be used with two melee weapons or a ranged weapon. That ranged weapon can be a bow, crossbow or a thrown weapon. All thrown weapons can also be used as a melee weapon. So assuming I am carry two thrown weapons (the drow long knife, in this instance), can I make one melee attack and one ranged attack with Twin Strike?

My 2 cents is it should be ok, but if the range attack is done next to an enemy, then take an OA?

Zakmonster wrote:A few questions regarding our current houserules.

The second question is about the Urgrosh, which is a peculiar weapon. Errata puts the Urgrosh as a double weapon with two different weapon types on each side (one head is an axe, the other is a spear), and it is currently the only double weapon that has this oddity. The stat block for double weapons in the Errata PDF separates the two heads as if they were two different weapons that just happened to be joined at the haft (Siamese weapons). For instance, the Axe head is classified into the Axe group and the Spear head classified into the Spear group. This makes perfect sense, until you realize that the Axe head isn't classified into the Spear group (unlike a Halberd or a Glaive, which is both a Polearm and an Axe/Heavy Blade).

What I'm wondering is if taking a feat like Weapon Focus (Axe) gives me a damage bonus no matter which head I'm using, or if it only affects the Axe head. Would I have to get Weapon Focus (Spear) as well?

Furthermore, would feats such as Deadly Axe or Polearm Momentum only work with the respective heads? If I had Deadly Axe for instance, would only the Axe head get the high crit property?

Would like some clarification from anyone who might have an insight, or barring that, a ruling from our DM (putting it on the forums also makes it 'official').

Below is what i found in the errata for double weapons.

Spoiler:

So the main question is... is Weapon Focus(Urgrosh) allowed... or must we take Weapon Focus(Axe) and Weapon Focus(Spear).

Other feats that support weapon types can be reasoned to use the particular weapon edge. Eg, if someone triggered Polearm Gamble, you will reply with spear end, or if you wanna hit something for higher damage (d6 vs d12) and/or the fella is prone for headman's chop, you will have to use the axe end.

After reading the bolded line, i think they meant 'they require seperate feats for damage'.

Belisarius Punchee wrote:

Warlock’s Curse
Page 131: Replace the first paragraph with the following
text.
“Once per turn as a minor action, you can place a
Warlock’s Curse on the enemy nearest to you that you
can see. A cursed enemy is more vulnerable to your
attacks. If you hit a cursed enemy with an attack, you
deal extra damage. You decide whether to apply the
extra damage after making the damage roll. You can
deal this extra damage once per turn.

Wah! Time to combo brutal scoundrel with warlock hybrid... multiclass fighter!

rogue / warlock hybrids don't stack sneak n curse damage. either feature only procs when using their own class powers.

Lol Ed, you are answering rules questions that are backdated to last July...

haha nothing to do so early in the morning ma...

hardcore, 4am still in forums. wahahaha

yeah... trying to figure out how to further optimize my fighter...

btw, i got me rousing words as well...

Ed, your Ipad is at my place...

shao wrote:Ed, your Ipad is at my place...

ya.... see when free we meet up or something lor...

Guys, just found something that may dampen our spirits. I don't think this will affect most of us but take a look at the stealth nerf to flaming weapons.


Flaming Weapon
Page 234: At-will power applies only to untyped
damage

Source : page 85 of the current (July) Compiled Update (wizards.com/dnd/files/UpdateCompiled.pdf)

Woah. Yeah, they're cutting down on energy-cheese, I see.

1st Question

Spoiler:

1st Answer

Spoiler:

2nd Question

Spoiler:

2nd Answer

Spoiler:

Why couldn't they do so last time? Because those powers lacked the 'Beast Form' keywords!

So now, as per the latest Rules Update:

"While you are in beast form, you can’t use weapon or implement attack powers that lack the beast form keyword, although you can sustain such powers."

Since Grab and Bull Rush aren't weapon or implement attack powers, finally we can do the Bear Hug of Doom!

Hi Raihan,

I plan to have Goram do silly strength-based stuff in game, so I'll have to ask some rules questions! :-D

I'm planning to use 'Kord's Force' to punch down walls and doors, and smash the ground and ceiling here and there.

In the Rules Compendium (p175), the strongest door listed is forcing open an adamantine portcullis at DC 35, and the DC given to break down the thickest wall (1 foot thick masonry wall) also has a DC 35.

My Athletics is now +22, and I roll twice (Agile Athlete); I can get a 35 approximately 60 percent of the time. Not the best odds, but I can improve it in the next couple of levels.

So with a standard action, I can try to kick down the toughest doors and most solid walls in the game. (It also depends on how thick the walls are in the dungeon. 1 foot walls will be more common in normal buildings I guess, to save building materials and utilize living space. More exotic dungeons may differ.)

Is that all right with you? As the DM, you will probably have to deal with my unusual questions, like 'Can I make a Perception check to look for the weak point in the wall?'

Cool stuff I can think of Goram doing:

1) Spend standard action punching a hole in the wall, then spend another standard action bull rushing a dangerous enemy through that passage into another room, and then block the hole to prevent the enemy from coming out.

2) Minor action to identify load-bearing column with Dungeoneering, spend standard action to knock it down and bring the ceiling down on a bunch of enemies.

3) Spend standard action smash a hole into the floor - will that make some squares of difficult terrain, or a sort of pit - something like that?

4) Smash through the doors and walls of the castle of the Feydark Prince, and shout 'GIANT! I AM HERE FOR MY CHILDREN!'

Also, which skill would you rule the - Perception or Dungeoneering - for identifying and knowing what walls to break down, and how to break down walls safely in a complex?

Perception covers spotting secret Doors and passages, while Dungeoneering covers architectural skills and underground complexes. I have both skills, and want to know which skill do you think is more important and relevant for being a good one-man wrecking crew in your game?

I've invested some powers, feats, and items into developing this ability to be a human bulldozer, so I want these abilities to be useful. I'm more interested in the cinematic and stunting possibilities of being a strong man rather than exploiting a grey rules area, yet I also want a little bit of pay-off for these fluff feats (I could just be boring and go the standard damage route).

Hence, I thought I'll ask you before the next session with Goram begins, since these are all quite out of the box scenarios.

shao wrote:Hi Raihan,
I thought I'll ask you before the next session with Goram begins, since these are all quite out of the box scenarios.

Hello, I've decided not to retrain Goram (keeping him as the Reaper Axe whirling barb) as I want to try this a bit more.

However, I'm still interested to know your opinions on these rules, in case I want to train Solar Hero Style at some point in the future.

Regards,
Shao

To all Rhythm Blade Users, ensure you have a shield bonus to AC and Reflex as I am ruling you cannot use it otherwise. Essentially, you need a two-weapon defense feat.

Rhythm Blade
Critical: +1d6 damage per plus
Property: When wielded in your off hand, your shield bonus to AC and Reflex increases by 1.

Regards,

Raihan

For my own daggermaster's reference and Ed's.

Bloodiron Weapon
Page 65: In the weapon’s updated property, replace
“deal the extra critical hit damage to the target again
at the start of your next turn” with “the target of the
attack takes 1d10 damage per enhancement bonus
of this weapon at the start of your next turn.” This
update clarifies that you gain only the magic weapon’s
extra critical dice on this damage and that it does
not include any bonuses or damage from the high crit
weapon property.

War Ring

Property: When you score a critical hit, deal 1 extra die of
critical hit damage, based on the weapon or implement
you wield. If your weapon or implement deals no extra
damage when you score a critical hit, deal an extra 1d6
damage when you score a critical hit.

Power (Daily): Free Action. Use this power when you
score a critical hit with a weapon or implement. Add 2
extra dice of critical hit damage based on the weapon or
implement. If your weapon or implement deals no extra
damage when you score a critical hit, deal an extra 2d6
damage when you score a critical hit.

If you’ve reached at least one milestone today, instead
of rolling the extra dice of critical hit damage, deal extra
damage equal to the maximum value of those dice.

As the damage no longer repeats itself, the War Ring's property will not increase the critical damage of the blood iron on the next turn. Similarly, the war ring's daily power which maxes out the critical dice damage will not affect the damage as this incoming damage is rerolled.

Targeting What You Can’t See
Page 281: Replace the “Invisible Creature Uses
Stealth” and “Make a Perception Check” paragraphs
with the following text.
Invisible Creatures and Stealth: If an invisible creature
is hidden from you (“Stealth,” page 188), you can neither
hear nor see it, and you have to guess what space it occupies.
If an invisible creature is not hidden from you, you
can hear it or sense some other sign of its presence and
therefore know what space it occupies, although you still
can’t see it.
Make a Perception Check: On your turn, you can make
a Perception check as a minor action (page 186) to try
to determine the location of an invisible creature that is
hidden from you.