Ask a Simple Question: Ragnarok Edition

[Havok4]

Q 170 What are some non magical item ways of getting around ridiculously high touch ACs?

Flat-footed condition, or denying Dex to AC works well.

That's troubling. The DM's being a jerk. I found a way to heal my fellow players from a distance, but he wants it done as a ranged touch attack, and since most things we fight do that, we've been buffing it up a ridiculous amount. Can't really catch a monk with a touch of 21 flat-footed when you're healing and he's fighting off the baddies.

Flanking him removes his Dex to AC, which should help.

No it does not, it gives a +2 to hit and allows a rogue to sneak attack, it does nothing to the characters Dex modifier, also it is barring odd prestige classing you cannot flank with ranged attacks.

[snakeman830]

Q 176: Do gnolls get any love? Other than the flind and flindbar, is there anything associated with them at all? (y'know, other than being a ranger favoured enemy... has anyone *ever* had gnoll as a favoured enemy?)

There is one feat in Races of the Wild that gives them a bite attack when raging, but other than that, nada.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Q175: According to this:

Telekinesis ( ) - You can grapple Ghosts with this, damnit!

Is it really possible to grapple ghosts with Telekinesis? TK doesn't have the force descriptor, so I'm not seeing why that should be possible.

Two options

Step 1: Go to ethereal plane
Step 2: Grapple ghost

Alternatively
Step 1: Cast telekinesis
Step 2: Hope you don't roll the 50% chance of no effect.

[Surreal]

Q 176: Do gnolls get any love? Other than the flind and flindbar, is there anything associated with them at all? (y'know, other than being a ranger favoured enemy... has anyone *ever* had gnoll as a favoured enemy?)

There is one feat in Races of the Wild that gives them a bite attack when raging, but other than that, nada.

Yeah, figured. The goblins have a bunch of variants and a PrC, and even the Kuo-Toa have PrCs available. About the best I could find was a paragon gnoll class at Waking Lands (the same guy who wrote the Invisible Blade, Occult Slayer, and Reaping Mauler, and he has 10-level versions for them on his site)

[CantripN]

Q175: According to this:

Telekinesis ( ) - You can grapple Ghosts with this, damnit!

Is it really possible to grapple ghosts with Telekinesis? TK doesn't have the force descriptor, so I'm not seeing why that should be possible.

Two options

Step 1: Go to ethereal plane
Step 2: Grapple ghost

Alternatively
Step 1: Cast telekinesis
Step 2: Hope you don't roll the 50% chance of no effect.

or option no. 3:
Step 1: Cast telekinesis
Step 2: Wear Ghost-Touch Gloves (?) from the MIC.
Step 3: Grapple ghost with impunity.

[Surreal]

Q 177: The Siren PrC from Savage Species has a special requirement: "Must possess an innate sonic, mind-affecting ability."

Aside from the Harpy and Ghost (with baleful moan), what playable creatures can qualify?

possible cohorts: shadow mastiff, howler, and in a stretch maybe Allip if you look at the cohort/follower tables in Libris Mortis

[Vinom]

Q 177: The Siren PrC from Savage Species has a special requirement: "Must possess an innate sonic, mind-affecting ability."

Aside from the Harpy and Ghost (with baleful moan), what playable creatures can qualify?

possible cohorts: shadow mastiff, howler, and in a stretch maybe Allip if you look at the cohort/follower tables in Libris Mortis

Any thing that casts like a spell caster of level *blank* that sellects mind effecting spells, as they will need verbal components.

[Tonymitsu]

Q172: Are there any spells, magical items, etc. that grant immunity to disintegration effects?

Proof Against Transmutation is an armor enhancement. I forget what book it is in, but it protects against all transmutations, including Disintegrate.

Found it after some research.  It's in Complete Arcane.

It's a +5 enhancement, but in addition to doing exactly what it says you can also selectively allow any spell you wish to bypass this immunity (to benefit from Enlarge Person, for example).
That's pretty awesome, even for a +5.

[Littha]

Q 177: The Siren PrC from Savage Species has a special requirement: "Must possess an innate sonic, mind-affecting ability."

Aside from the Harpy and Ghost (with baleful moan), what playable creatures can qualify?

possible cohorts: shadow mastiff, howler, and in a stretch maybe Allip if you look at the cohort/follower tables in Libris Mortis

One of these days i will have to play an awakened allip...

Wyrmling Howling Dragon has a mind effecting breath weapon.

edit: Apparantly a "Cone of Maddening Wails" is neither Sonic nor Mind Affecting...

[cru]

A177: has a sonic mind affecting ability (MM2-MM5)
Desmodu (MM2)
Gambol (MM2)
Phoenix (MM2)
Death Giant (MM3)
Glaistig (MM3) (sonic charm effect)
Nycter (MM3)
Defacer (MM4)
Demonhive - Demonet Swarm (MM4)
Banshrae (MM5)
Frostwind Virago (MM5)

[Surreal]

A177: has a sonic mind affecting ability (MM2-MM5)
Desmodu (MM2)
Gambol (MM2)
Phoenix (MM2)
Death Giant (MM3)
Glaistig (MM3) (sonic charm effect)
Nycter (MM3)
Defacer (MM4)
Demonhive - Demonet Swarm (MM4)
Banshrae (MM5)
Frostwind Virago (MM5)

Nice, I'll take a look through those tomorrow when I'm more awake. Did you use a database somewhere for that?

edit: looks like the only one of those that's playable is the Nycter, which isn't all that bad starting at ecl 5. Desmodu is technically playable, but starts at ECL 14. The Glaistig can't leave their pond.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Q175: According to this:

Telekinesis ( ) - You can grapple Ghosts with this, damnit!

Is it really possible to grapple ghosts with Telekinesis? TK doesn't have the force descriptor, so I'm not seeing why that should be possible.

Two options

Step 1: Go to ethereal plane
Step 2: Grapple ghost

Alternatively
Step 1: Cast telekinesis
Step 2: Hope you don't roll the 50% chance of no effect.

or option no. 3:
Step 1: Cast telekinesis
Step 2: Wear Ghost-Touch Gloves (?) from the MIC.
Step 3: Grapple ghost with impunity.

Gauntlets of ghost fighting (synergy item thing).  Unfortunately, only work on dealing damage, which is kind of bad.

On the plus side, the scrolls of uncertain provenance have a decent chance of giving you the ghost template for 366.25 days, which is certainly awesome.  As long as you can make a DC 20 will save consistently, and have a way to avoid negative levels, you should be good.

[cru]

Did you use a database somewhere for that?

no, I searched PDFs for sonic.. not that many hits

[Brullig]

Q178: Does failing a UMD attempt activate the item without effect? Does it consume a scroll? Does it use a charge from a wand?

[The_Mad_Linguist]

A178 : I think only when a mishap occurs.

[cru]

A178: For wands, I think you cannot waste a charge unless you're activating blindly.
For scrolls, if you roll bad, you can suffer a mishap and the scroll can be lost.

[Thistledown Thurbertaut]

Q179

I love Runescarred Berserkers.  I read somewhere that when a high level RSB has it's anti magic shell on, it can still use it's other Runescar spells at the same time.  How does that work?  Is it sort of like you have the field around you, but it starts an inch away from your skin or something so your own items and spells remain unaffected?  It would suck to attack a Mage or Dragon in full Anti-Magic Glory only to lose out on my Valorous Keen Two Handed Weapon Damage Doubling when I pounce on them...

[cru]

A179 I don't think this is possible. However, attacking a mage in antimagic field is satisfactory enough even without weapon buffs.

[Thistledown Thurbertaut]

A179 I don't think this is possible. However, attacking a mage in antimagic field is satisfactory enough even without weapon buffs.

So looking into it, it turns out there are some limitations.  So long as you get the jump on the Mage (Dimension Door say), he won't be able to cast defensively on you.  However any nearby summoned creatures with SR means you have to roll against their save.  Also the Mage might have a Wall of Force up or a Prismatic wall and those would not be affected by the AMF.  Does that mean the caster would still be able to cast Prismatic Ray? A Mage could also use Disjunction on the field with up to a 20% chance.

Still it does sound satisfying, and even without the damage you are essentially a melee monster and in my builds case a crazy tank as well.  It would make fighting other Adventurer's easier as well in some case since alot of builds rely hevily on items or SLA's not just casters.  For other melee monsters you end up with a sort of even playing field.

I can see an Epic RSC getting access to a Disjuntion field.

Ah!  Here is an excellent:

Q180  Will an AMF have any effect on psionics?

In which case a mage/psion or really any psionic build could be ALOT more dangerous....taking levels of SPychic Warrior/Barbarian/RSB.

Q180a  Does an AMF affect Essentia or Incarnum abilities?.  Totem Rager/RSC/VoP/FotF build....yum!

[Tonymitsu]

A180: 
I think it depends on the game.  In 3.5 the XPH was updated to say that psionics is basically the "ninth" school of magic, otherwise known as psionic/magic transparency.  In this situation, yes, an AMF shuts down manifesting.  Originally, psionics were completely different from magic and the aforementioned rule was the variant, and there were rather long lists of how various powers and spells interacted.  I believe an AMF had no effect on psionics under those rules because there was an equivalent "anti-psionic" field but I can't remember for certain anymore.

A180a:
Just like psionics, there is soulmeld-magic transparency, and in these circumstances soulmelds are treated as spell-like abilities.  Any spell that could affect soulmelds does affect them.  So SR applies (a meldshaper automatically overcomes his own SR), dispelling a soulmeld is treated as dispelling an item, and soulmelds are supressed in dead magic areas with the additional punch in the gut of not being allowed to allocate essentia.