Ask a Simple Question part 19: Titan-Bloodline Pixie Ubercharger edition

[bananaphone]

Q 122:
Would a monk with a magic item of continuous Mighty Wallop, Greater (RotD 115) be considered overpowered?

I would be using the Ancestral Relic Feat and upgrading the item as I leveled (higher caster level = higher size category damage)
Sample base unarmed damage per level with Ancestral Relic equipped
12th: 4d6(huge)
14th: 6d6(gargantuan)
16th: 8d8(colossal)
20th: 12d8(colossal)



Edit:  Thank you GawainBS and Saxony for your answers.

[GawainBS]

Q 122:
Would a monk with a magic item of continuous Mighty Wallop, Greater (RotD 115) be considered overpowered?

I would be using the Ancestral Relic Feat and upgrading the item as I leveled (higher caster level = higher size category damage)
Sample base unarmed damage per level with Ancestral Relic equipped
12th: 4d6(huge)
14th: 6d6(gargantuan)
16th: 8d8(colossal)
20th: 12d8(colossal)

A 122: No, it's still a Monk. You still have to deal with low to hit, mediocre (at best) defenses, and MAD. DR is still an issue too. Less so due to the base damage, but still.

[Saxony]

Q 122:
Would a monk with a magic item of continuous Mighty Wallop, Greater (RotD 115) be considered overpowered?

I would be using the Ancestral Relic Feat and upgrading the item as I leveled (higher caster level = higher size category damage)
Sample base unarmed damage per level with Ancestral Relic equipped
12th: 4d6(huge)
14th: 6d6(gargantuan)
16th: 8d8(colossal)
20th: 12d8(colossal)

A 122: Overpowered is a relative term, not an absolute term. I would say this is middle to low level optimization. If your group is full of Wizards, Clerics, and Druids, this isn't enough. If you're in a team of Warblades, you'll be about even with them in terms of damage but lack style options and some power options. If you're in a team of well optimized Fighters, Barbarians, and Rogues, you'll be fine. If you're in a team of very poorly optimized characters, you might be the best character at the table.

You have to estimate how powerful your friends' characters are and then compare to your character. You should be okay since you're playing melee beast.

PS: This sounds quite cool.

[Stalos]

Q123:
I'm currently playing a build going into Telfammar Shadowlord.  I would like to know of an item or feat (I would vastly, vastly, vastly prefer an item though, as feat slots are valuable) that either boosts my reflex save extremely high once a day, or allows some sort of auto-save once per day.  Specifically, this is for their shadow discorporation ability that allows them to live through a fatal attack if they roll a reflex save for DC 5+damage dealt. 

Thanks

[Integral]

Q123:
I'm currently playing a build going into Telfammar Shadowlord.  I would like to know of an item or feat (I would vastly, vastly, vastly prefer an item though, as feat slots are valuable) that either boosts my reflex save extremely high once a day, or allows some sort of auto-save once per day.  Specifically, this is for their shadow discorporation ability that allows them to live through a fatal attack if they roll a reflex save for DC 5+damage dealt. 

Thanks

The Diamond Mind maneuver Action Before Thought and a decent Concentration score could work. You could pick up ABT with a dip in a martial adept class, via Martial Study (feat), or using UMD and a wand of Heroics.

[Conclavia]

Q124: How if any can I get the 4th level bard spell (5th level druid) Sirine's Grace onto a sorcerers spell list.

[BrokeAndDrive]

Thanks for the answers to my RHD question a while back!


Q125: Is spellcasting really an extraordinary ability? I always figured abilities that didn't end in anything -- lacking (Ex), (Su), etc. -- were considered natural abilities and thus were unavailable to polymorphers and the like. By the logic "not ending in anything = extraordinary," the same could be said of, for example, the Feats line in the ravid's stat block, or any monster that had something like "Hit Dice: this creature uses d4s for racial hit dice, rather than d8s as would be normal for their type".

@Q125: Natural abilities are gained through Polymorph and the like.

Not seeing "natural abilit(y/ies)" in Alter Self, Polymorph, nor Shapechange.... but you know what, these spells are bad enough even without suddenly gaining the casting ability of a 17th-level cleric when you're already a 17th-level wizard. Welcome to what everyone else figured out in 2003, huh?

Q126: Say someone is a monk saint, AKA this character has two abilities that add Wis to AC (another example: an undead with Unholy Grace [Ex] and levels in Paladin of Tyranny/Slaughter). Are they considered the same bonus, and thus don't stack? Or, because they're untyped bonuses, they do stack? The latter seems very cheesy, but I guess the monk (and Mr. Dead Guy) needs all the help he can get.

[snakeman830]

@Q125: Natural abilities are gained through Polymorph and the like.

A126:Saint Wis to AC is explicitly an Insight Bonus while Monk is untyped.  There shouldn't be any question whatsoever if they stack.  Unholy Grace is a different ability from Divine Grace, so again, they clearly stack.  I don't know why this was worth asking.

[RelentlessImp]

Q124: How if any can I get the 4th level bard spell (5th level druid) Sirine's Grace onto a sorcerers spell list.

A124 Recaster (Races of Eberron), and there's a few other PrCs that let you cherrypick spells from any list.

[Kajhera]

@Q125: Natural abilities are gained through Polymorph and the like.

A126:Saint Wis to AC is explicitly an Insight Bonus while Monk is untyped.  There shouldn't be any question whatsoever if they stack.  Unholy Grace is a different ability from Divine Grace, so again, they clearly stack.  I don't know why this was worth asking.

Q127: Better question is, do Swordsage and Monk bonuses stack? Assuming you've ruled swordsages to be light armor or less?

[kevin_video]

@Q125: Natural abilities are gained through Polymorph and the like.

A126:Saint Wis to AC is explicitly an Insight Bonus while Monk is untyped.  There shouldn't be any question whatsoever if they stack.  Unholy Grace is a different ability from Divine Grace, so again, they clearly stack.  I don't know why this was worth asking.

Q127: Better question is, do Swordsage and Monk bonuses stack? Assuming you've ruled swordsages to be light armor or less?

That's where things get iffy. That's a DM question. They both use their WIS to get bonus AC, but there are lots of people who'll argue until they're blue in the face and will probably stab you just to win the argument, that they do stack.

EDIT: However, for a feat you can have your INT or CHA added to your AC, and that'll stack without any arguments at all.

[Sohala]

Q128
Does the Warshaper's Morphic Weapons allow for only one natural weapon to be created and/or increased in size?

[Garryl]

Q123:
I'm currently playing a build going into Telfammar Shadowlord.  I would like to know of an item or feat (I would vastly, vastly, vastly prefer an item though, as feat slots are valuable) that either boosts my reflex save extremely high once a day, or allows some sort of auto-save once per day.  Specifically, this is for their shadow discorporation ability that allows them to live through a fatal attack if they roll a reflex save for DC 5+damage dealt. 

Thanks

The Diamond Mind maneuver Action Before Thought and a decent Concentration score could work. You could pick up ABT with a dip in a martial adept class, via Martial Study (feat), or using UMD and a wand of Heroics.

You can also just use a Ring of Diamond Mind (3000g, grants a single Diamond Mind maneuver up to 3rd level, listed under the Crown of the White Raven variants in ToB) to get that maneuver.

Change Fate is a 5th level power that guarantees a natural 20 on a saving throw. If you can UPD a Psicrown, or just get it as a psionic tattoo with a capacitor and maybe an inducer, you can guarantee your successful save.

[bearsarebrown]

Q128
Does the Warshaper's Morphic Weapons allow for only one natural weapon to be created and/or increased in size?

It does not have a limit. Nor does CW errata. A well known dirty trick.

[PhaedrusXY]

@Q125: Natural abilities are gained through Polymorph and the like.

A126:Saint Wis to AC is explicitly an Insight Bonus while Monk is untyped.  There shouldn't be any question whatsoever if they stack.  Unholy Grace is a different ability from Divine Grace, so again, they clearly stack.  I don't know why this was worth asking.

Q127: Better question is, do Swordsage and Monk bonuses stack? Assuming you've ruled swordsages to be light armor or less?

That's where things get iffy. That's a DM question. They both use their WIS to get bonus AC, but there are lots of people who'll argue until they're blue in the face and will probably stab you just to win the argument, that they do stack.

EDIT: However, for a feat you can have your INT or CHA added to your AC, and that'll stack without any arguments at all.

The fact that they're both wisdom based has absolutely nothing at all to do with it. If two abilities have the same name (Divine Grace), or grant the same kind of bonus (Insight, etc), then they don't stack. Otherwise, they stack.

[The_Laughing_Man]

Q129: Are
- ability modifier
- ability bonus
- ability bonus [if any]
the same thing?

I.e. Character has ability modifier -2.
An action is performed where he must add to the roll the
- ability modifier. So he adds -2.
- ability bonus. What does he add?
- ability bonus [if any]. What does he add?

The question arose when intimidating an orc which has Wisdom 7 (modifier -2).
Your Intimidate check is opposed by the target’s modified level check (1d20 + character level or Hit Dice + target’s Wisdom bonus [if any] + target’s modifiers on saves against fear).

1d20 + 1 + ?? + 0.

[GawainBS]

A 130: Yes, they're all the same. It's 1d20 + 1 -2.

[Catty Nebulart]

A 130: Yes, they're all the same. It's 1d20 + 1 -2.

 i disagree, ability modifier is the modifier regardless of circumstance, but 'ability bonus,if any' is only if the modifer is positive.

so in this particular case it is 1d20+1-2, but if the character had a penalty it would not get added to the roll.

when it just says bonus it's a little unclear, but i ussualy read it as only using the modifier if it it positive.

q131: Is there a deity of cats (or felines in general) and martial skill? It's just for flavor reasons though usefull domains would be a plus.

[Maat_Mons]

The only deity I know of with cats specifically (rather than animals generally) in her portfolio is bast (Deities and Demigods).  The rest of her portfolio is vengeance, protection, and punishment.  Her domains are chaos, destruction, protection, strength, and war.  She is chaotic good and her favored weapon is tiger claws (variant nekode from Arms and Equipment Guide). 

[kevin_video]

@Q125: Natural abilities are gained through Polymorph and the like.

A126:Saint Wis to AC is explicitly an Insight Bonus while Monk is untyped.  There shouldn't be any question whatsoever if they stack.  Unholy Grace is a different ability from Divine Grace, so again, they clearly stack.  I don't know why this was worth asking.

Q127: Better question is, do Swordsage and Monk bonuses stack? Assuming you've ruled swordsages to be light armor or less?

That's where things get iffy. That's a DM question. They both use their WIS to get bonus AC, but there are lots of people who'll argue until they're blue in the face and will probably stab you just to win the argument, that they do stack.

EDIT: However, for a feat you can have your INT or CHA added to your AC, and that'll stack without any arguments at all.

The fact that they're both wisdom based has absolutely nothing at all to do with it. If two abilities have the same name (Divine Grace), or grant the same kind of bonus (Insight, etc), then they don't stack. Otherwise, they stack.

And that's what I'm getting at. You're not really stating either way, but as I said, it's a DM question. If the DM reads it as Wis and Wis, and that they don't stack, then that's how it is.