| Ref | Ouvrage | Question | | Reponse |
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11. | DR042 | Dragon #42 | After the surprise dice are rolled, what happens?
How does weapon speed factor fit into this? What was the
line in the DMG referring to multiple attacks and speed factors
(page 66, under Weapon Speed Factor) about? | | The first part of the question is detailed under the initiative
section of the DMG found on page 62, with the nonsurprised being
going first. A weapon’s speed factor can partially negate the initiative
gained by surprise when slower weapons are used versus high-speed
weapons (consult the section on page 66 for details). There are several
allowances in the rules for beings attacking more than once in any
given melee round and these must be taken into consideration when
using weapon speed factors (Rangers and Paladins receive multiple
attacks after gaining experience and beings of larger hit dice attack the
low hit-point creatures in multiples). |
12. | DR033 | Dragon #33 | Although the Players Handbook does not include
them in the description of the Raise Dead spell, may
elves and half-orcs be raised from the dead? | | No, they cannot. They do not have souls, and therefore
a wish must be used to bring them back. |
13. | DR060 | Dragon #60 | An 8th-level monk is reincarnated into a half-elf; does he still
retain his thief abilities and 4 damage?
If an elven fighter/magic-user/thief had reached the maximum
levels allowed by race and suddenly was changed into a
human (permanently), would he still be bound by the previous
racial restrictions? | | Reincarnation is handled the same way whether the effects
are due to the druid spell Reincarnate or the magic-user spell
Reincarnation. If the form of the incarnation is a creature type
that can be a player-character race, then the character must be
generated from scratch, just as if it were a new character. The
description of the druid spell in the Players Handbook specifies
that “If an elf, gnome or human is indicated (by the dice roll),
the character must be created.” The reason those three races
are mentioned specifically is that those are the only three
player-character races on the list of creature types possible
with the druid spell. However, the list of creature types given
under the magic-user spell also includes dwarves, half-elves,
halflings, and half-orcs — all the other races a normal player
character is allowed to choose from. And there is a slim chance
for any of those incarnations to be the result of a druid spell,
too, if the roll on that table results in reference to the M-U
reincarnation table. The same rule applies for all reincarnations:
If the character created by the spell effect is a playercharacter
racial type — even the same race as the original
character — then the abilities and characteristics of that character
must be determined just as if it were a brand-new
adventurer.
So, a monk reincarnated into a half-elf cannot remain a
monk, or retain any of the abilities of that class. The character is
a half-elf of unspecified (until they’re rolled up) abilities and
characteristics, and is bound by all the class restrictions and
racial limitations which normally apply to that race. An elven (or
any other non-human) multiclassed character reincarnated
into a human can no longer be multiclassed; like it says in the
description of the druid spell in the Players Handbook, “the
class they (reincarnated characters) have, if any, in their new
incarnation might be different indeed.” Except for the fact that
the reincarnated character “will recall the majority of his or her
former life and form,” a reincarnated character is essentially an
all-new adventurer. Maybe you don’t like the idea of your 10thlevel
paladin coming back to life as a gnome — but isn’t any life
better than no life at all? |
14. | DR043 | Dragon #43 | An elf magic-user has reached maximum level,
and the player has decided to polymorph the character into a
human so he can continue to gain levels. Can he do this? | | No, he cannot. He may look like a human, but he is still an
elf in reality, and therefore racial limitations still apply. |
15. | DR052 | Dragon #52 | An evil cleric has control of a spectre. The spectre drains the
life force from another character, making it a half-strength spectre
under control of the full-strength spectre. Does the cleric
automatically have control of the half-strength spectre, or does
the cleric have to attempt to command it to service (turn it)? | | can control the new one. What does matter is that there is now a
spectre where there wasn’t one when the first spectre was
brought under control. A new spectre, even a half-strength one,
must be dealt with separately just as if the beastie were another
full-strength one that had just come onto the scene.
Wights, wraiths and spectres all have the ability to turn victims
into half-strength creatures of their own type. The half-strength creatures are not affected by the result of any successful attempt
to turn which preceded their becoming undead. Another
attempt to turn should be rolled on the appropriate row of the
“Clerics Affecting Undead” chart. Alternatively, because the
new creatures are only half-strength monsters, the DM may
allow rolls on the chart to be treated as if the half-strength
undead were a type of undead with half as many hit dice. |
16. | DR064 | Dragon #64 | Are all of the attributes having required minimums to be
construed as “principal attributes” for that class with regard to
two-classed characters? | | Yes, with two exceptions. For the purpose of determining
whether a character is eligible to take up a second class, principal
attributes for each class are considered to be these: cleric,
wisdom only; druid, wisdom and charisma; fighter, strength
only; paladin, everything but dexterity; ranger, everything but
dexterity and charisma; magic-user, intelligence only; illusionist,
dexterity and intelligence; thief, dexterity only; assassin,
dexterity, intelligence, and strength; and monk, everything but
charisma and intelligence.
This includes every ability for which a required minimum is
given, except for the fighter’s constitution, which must be at
least 7, and the magic-user’s dexterity, which the Players
Handbook says must be at least 6. The first exception is made
because “The principal attribute of a fighter is strength,” but
constitution isn’t mentioned in the same sentence (PH, page
22). A “minimum dexterity of 6” is required for magic-users
(page 25), but this is superfluous, since a character with a
dexterity of 5 or lower is always a cleric (page 11).
Note that the principal attribute(s) for each class may include
abilities in addition to those that apply toward a bonus to
earned experience. To limit the definition of “principal attributes”
to only those abilities that pertain to the experience bonus
would make the system unbalanced and unplayable — unbalanced
because then it would be easier to become a two-classed
paladin than a two-classed ranger, and unplayable because the
assassin and monk never get an experience bonus, and so by
this definition would not have any “principal attributes.”
|
17. | DR043 | Dragon #43 | Are creatures entitled to a save vs. death magic
when hit by an Arrow of Slaying? | | No. |
18. | DR043 | Dragon #43 | Are creatures entitled to save vs. level loss when
hit by a wight, wraith, spectre, etc.? | | No. |
19. | DR129 | Dragon #129 | Are creatures that are immune to
normal weapons also immune to
paralysis? Are undead monsters
immune to paralysis? | | Paralysis can effect any creature that
fails its saving throw against it. |
20. | DR066 | Dragon #66 | Are demi-humans able to manufacture magical items? | | Yes, of a wide variety of types, though not as many as humans
are able to make because of the demi-humans’ limited ability to
climb in class levels. Halfling, gnomish, half-elven, elven, and
dwarven clerics of 5th level and above may make holy water
with the proper materials, as outlined in the Dungeon Masters
Guide. Gnomish, elven, and dwarven clerics of 7th level or
above may inscribe scrolls of clerical spells of up to the 4th level
in power. Half-elven and elven magic-users, with the aid of an
alchemist, may make magic potions of many sorts at 7th level
and above; they may also inscribe magic scrolls with spells of
up to the 4th level (for 7th or 8th level half-elven magic-users) or
5th level (for elves of 9th-11th level in magic-user ability). Protection
scrolls may also be inscribed. Half-elven Archdruids
can, of course, make any druidical magic item.
Beyond this, what can be done? Dungeon Masters might
wish to consider the following possibilities. Grey elves (faerie)
are supposed to get a +1 on their intelligence scores, bringing
their maximum intelligence up to 19. Could these elves perhaps
also reach the 12th level of magic-user ability with a 19 intelligence?
At that point, they could manufacture a number of other
magic items, particularly those with a number of charges that
are expended with each use of the item but may be replenished
later (wands, staves, spell-storing rings, and so forth).
Yet it would appear, from some comments in the DMG (p.
116), that demi-humans are sometimes capable of making
items with permanent dweomers. A Dungeon Master could
declare that a demi-human cleric who reaches the highest
possible level is able to invoke the favor of his or her deity to
permanently enchant certain items, in the same way as normal
clerics of 11th level or above, or druids of 13th level and above.
The range of the items that could be so enchanted might be
limited so that the items would be oriented toward the needs
and capabilities of that race (as the Cloak of Elvenkind and
Boots of Elvenkind are appropriate to elves, and the Dwarven
Thrower +3 Warhammer is appropriate to dwarves). Elven
cleric/magic-users might be able to make a wide variety of
items in this way, such as magic swords, bows, spears, arrows,
armor, shields, daggers, helms, and any other such item as
appropriate to the use of elvenkind. Dungeon Masters could
declare some items as not being the sort elves would want to
make, either because of cultural concerns (elves do not generally
use axes or tridents) or because those items are beyond
their ability to make (Wish rings, for example).
Gnomish cleric/illusionists might make and enchant items of
illusionist nature (daggers, rings charged with illusionist spells,
certain wands and amulets) of temporary or lasting nature;
other gnomish clerics or fighter/clerics might make magical
axes, hammers, armor, shields, daggers, short swords, and
missile weapons. Dwarven clerics or fighter/clerics would
make the same sorts of things gnomish clerics make. Halfling
clerics and druids do not achieve as high a level at their maximums
as do the other demi-human races, so it may be conjectured
that their magic items would not be as powerful, but DM’s
might want to investigate the possibility of some minor magicitem
creation appropriate to halflings in general.
Some excellent resource material for figuring out what sorts
of specialized magic items a certain demi-human race could
make may be found by looking over the description of the
particular pantheon that race worships. What sorts of weapons,
armor, and items do their deities use? One could simply develop
scaled-down versions of the gods’ major weapons and
equipment and define those as items able to be fabricated by
demi-human spellcasters. Halfling druids who worship Sheela
the Wise (issue #59 of DRAGON™ Magazine) might use permanently
enchanted shillelaghs or amulets that store Entangle
spells; dwarven clerics of Dumathoin (issue #58) might have
amulets that duplicate the functions of Wands of Metal and
Mineral Detection; Aerdrie Faenya (issue #60) could have elven
followers with rings of Feather Falling or Avian Control; and
gnomes who are clerics of Segojan Earthcaller (issue #61)
could have enchanted crystals that would summon (on a onetime
basis) a minor earth elemental for assistance. In any event,
Dungeon Masters should try to keep such magical items relatively
rare; DM’s should also note that demi-humans will not
want to sell or give away their magic items and will fight to keep
them. Only in extraordinary circumstances, such as for acts of
great heroism or deeds that greatly benefit a particular race,
will demi-humans even consider giving away a magical item.
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