Spells
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Rules of the Game Donjonfacile Updated August 9th, 2007 Does it stack? _____________________________ 1 Foreword 1 The Language of Bonuses 1 Rules Governing Bonuses 1 Stacking and Overlapping 1 Speed 1 Armor Class 2 Notes 2 Attack Bonus 2 Notes 2 Reflex Save 2 Notes 3 Jumping 3 Notes 3 Exceptions to the Rules for Stacking Bonuses 3 Bonuses of the Same Type 3 Circumstance Bonuses 3 Dodge Bonuses 3 Unnamed Bonuses 3 Synergy Bonuses 3 Base Attack and Save Bonuses 3 Inherent Bonuses and Level-Based Ability Increases 3 A Final Word 4 All about sneak attacks ______________________ 5 Foreword 5 The Basics of the Sneak Attack 5 Beyond the Basics 5 Defender Denied Dexterity Bonus 5 Being Caught Flat Footed 5 Facing an Unseen Opponent 5 Immobilized 6 Defender Flanked 6 Uncanny Dodge and Sneak Attacks 6 Damage from Sneak Attacks 6 Number of Sneak Attacks 7 Volley Type Attacks 7 Weapons and Armor Used in Sneak Attacks 7 Spells as Sneak Attacks 7 A Totally Unofficial Rule for Dealing with Foes Trying to Flank You 7 Designer's Notes 7 All about spell-like abilities ___________________ 8 Foreword 8 What Is a Spell-Like Ability? 8 Similarities Between Spells and Spell-Like Abilities 8 A spell-like ability is not a spell 8 Disrupting Spell-like Abilities 9 Determining a Spell Level for a Spell-Like Ability 9 Determining the Version of a Spell 9 Using a Spell-Like Ability 10 Additional Notes on Conditions 10 Ability Damage or Ability Drain 10 Blinded 10 Confused 10 Dazzled 10 Disabled 10 Energy Drained 10 Frightened 10 Grappled 10 Panicked 10 Pinned 10 Turned 10 How Often Can Spell-Like Abilities Be Used? 11 Going Metric _____________________________ 12 Foreword 12 Metric conversion factors 12 Length 12 Area 12 Volume 12 Weight 12 Converting Tactical Distances 12 Speed Table (English Units) 12 Tactical Speed 12 One Minute (Local) 13 One Hour (Overland) 13 One Day (Overland) 13 Speed Table -- English to (Metric Units) 13 Speed Table (Metric Units) 13 Tactical Speed 13 One Minute (Local) 13 One Hour (Overland) 13 One Day (Overland) 13 Thrown and Projectile Weapon Ranges 13 Weapon Ranges 13 Throwing Weapons 13 Projectile Weapons 14 Spells 14 Spell Ranges 14 Spell Areas 14 Bursts 14 Cones 14 Creatures 14 Cylinders 15 Emanations 15 Lines 15 Spreads 15 Others 15 Converting Character Height and Weight 15 Random Height and Weight 15 Converting Money and Equipment 15 Trade Goods 15 Weapons 16 Simple Weapons 16 Martial Weapons 16 Exotic Weapons 17 Armor and Shields 18 Armor 18 Shields 18 Extras 18 General Equipment and Encumbrance 18 Adventuring Gear 18 Special Substances and Items 19 Tools and Skill Kits 20 Clothing 20 Food, Drink, and Lodging 20 Mounts and Related Gear 21 Transport 21 Containers and Carriers 21 Hauling Vehicles 21 Dry Goods 21 Liquids 21 Converting Encumbrance and Carrying Capacity 22 Polymorphing ____________________________ 23 Foreword 23 The Basics of Polymorphing 23 Polymorphing Terminology 23 The Alter Self Spell 23 Personal range spell with a target entry of "you" 23 Creature type 23 Duration 24 Hit Dice 24 Size 24 Ability scores 24 Class, level, hit points… 24 Supernatural and spell-like attacks and qualities 24 Extraordinary special attacks and qualities 24 Speech 24 Spellcasting 24 Physical qualities 24 New form 25 Disguise 25 Equipment 25 An Alter Self Example 25 Anlion (Normal Form) 25 Anlion (Lizardfolk Form) 25 The Polymorph Spell 26 Aberration Type 26 Air Subtype 26 Angel Subtype 26 Animal Type 26 Aquatic Subtype 27 Archon Subtype 27 Chaotic Subtype 27 Cold Subtype 27 Construct Type 27 Dragon Type 27 Earth Subtype 27 Elemental Type 27 Evil Subtype 28 Extraplanar Subtype 28 Fey Type 28 Fire Subtype 28 Giant Type 28 Goblinoid Subtype 28 Good Subtype 28 Humanoid Type 28 Lawful Type 28 Magical Beast Type 29 Monstrous Humanoid Type 29 Native Subtype 29 Ooze Type 29 Outsider Type 29 Plant Type 29 Reptilian Subtype 30 Shapechanger Subtype 30 Swarm Subtype 30 Undead Type 30 Vermin Type 30 Water Subtype 30 Changes 30 A Polymorph Example 31 Anlion (Normal Form) 31 Anlion (Lizardfolk Form) 31 Anlion (Troll Form) 32 Baleful Polymorph 32 Polymorph Any Object 32 Construct Type 32 Undead Type (Polymorph Any Object): 33 Shapechange 33 Incorporeal Subtype 33 Wild Shape 34 Alternate Form 34 All about movement _______________________ 35 Foreword 35 The Language of Movement 35 5-foot step 35 Diagonal 35 Difficult Terrain 35 Encumbrance 35 Free Action 35 Hampered Movement 35 Half Speed 35 Load 35 Move 35 Move Action 35 Normal Movement 35 Obstacle 35 Speed 35 Movement Basics 36 Moving 36 Movement While Prone 36 Calculating Encumbrance 36 Movement and Move Actions 36 Move Actions 36 Move 36 Control a Frightened Mount 36 Direct or Redirect an Active Spell 37 Draw a Weapon 37 Load a Hand or Light Crossbow 37 Open or Close a Door Mount or Dismount a Steed Move a Heavy Object Pick Up an Item Sheathe a Weapon Stand Up from Prone Ready or Loose a Shield Retrieve a Stored Item When Moving Isn't a Move Action Withdraw Run Move 5 Feet through Difficult Terrain Take a 5-Foot Step Bull Rush Charge Overrun Grapple Speeds and Skills Climb Using the Climb Skill All Climbers Swim Using the Swim Skill Balance Hide Jump Jumping Over an Obstacle Hopping Up Jumping Farther than Your Speed Allows Move Silently Ride Guide with Knees Stay in Saddle Fight with Warhorse Cover Soft Fall Leap Spur Mount Control Mount in Battle Fast Mount or Dismount Tumble Tumbling to Hop Up Tumbling While Crawling Burrow Flight Basic Flight Forward Speed Direction of Travel Altitude Minimum Forward Speed Hover Move Backward Reverse Turn Turn in Place Maximum Turn Up Angle Up Speed Down Angle Down Speed Between Down and Up Climbing and Diving in a Tight Space Stalling and Freefalling Deliberately Freefalling Fast Freefalls Catching Obstacles and Collisions Maneuvering Past Obstacles Maneuvering Past Creatures Colliding with an Obstacle Colliding with a Creature Actions while Flying Full-Round Actions Cast a Spell Casting Time Concentration Drop Prone 37 37 37 37 37 37 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 39 39 39 39 39 39 39 39 39 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 43 43 43 43 43 43 43 43 43 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 45 45 1 Run 45 Take 5-Foot Step 45 Withdraw 45 Flanking 45 Flying Creature Size and Face 45 Space 45 Natural Reach 45 Tall Creature 45 Long Creature 45 Special Attacks in the Air 46 Bull Rush 46 Initiating and Resolving an Aerial Bull Rush 46 Aerial Bull Rush Results 46 Charge 46 Grapple 46 Who Is Flying and Who Is Held 46 Grappling a Foe Two or More Sizes Smaller 46 Grappling a Foe Not Two or More Sizes Smaller 46 Dropping a Foe 46 Escaping While Airborne 46 Taking -20 46 Pin 46 Just Hanging On 47 Overrun 47 Avoiding the Overrun 47 Blocking the Overrun 47 Overrun Results 47 Trip 47 Resolving the Trip Attempt 47 Trip Results 47 Movement Miscellany 47 Impassible Squares 47 Corners 47 Big and Little Creatures 47 Ending Your Movement 47 Squeezing 47 Formerly Helpless Creatures 48 Spells, Conditions, and Movement 48 Conditions 48 Ability Damage or Ability Drain 48 Blinded 48 Blown Away 48 Checked 48 Cowering 48 Dazed 48 Disabled 48 Entangled 49 Exhausted 49 Fatigued 49 Frightened 49 Grappling 49 Helpless 49 Incorporeal 49 Knocked Down 49 Nauseated 49 Panicked 49 Paralyzed 49 Pinned 49 Prone 49 Staggered 50 Turned 50 Spells 50 Aerial Spells 50 Barrier Spells 50 Entangling Spells 50 Grappling Spells 50 Spells that Impede or Hamper Movement 51 Speed-Enhancing Spells 51 Shape-Altering Spells 51 Teleportation Spells 51 Reading spell descriptions ___________________ 52 Foreword 52 Some Key Terms 52 Aim or Aiming 52 Caster Level 52 Line of Sight 52 Line of Effect 52 Point of Origin 52 Recipient 52 Anatomy of a Spell Description 52 The Spell Header 52 Spell Name 52 Spell School 53 Spell Descriptors 54 Level 55 Components 55 Casting Time 56 Range 57 Target or Targets, Effect, or Area 57 Duration 59 Saving Throw 59 Spell Resistance 60 Descriptive text 60 Spell chains 60 There, not there __________________________ 61 Foreword 61 Some Definitions 61 Adjacent 61 Corporeal 61 Ethereal 61 Force 61 Gaseous 61 Incorporeal 61 Manifestation 61 Miss Chance 61 Pinpoint 61 Invisibility 61 The Basics of Invisibility 61 Vision 61 Gear 62 Light 62 Gaze attacks 62 Detection 62 Dealing With Invisibility in Combat 62 Determining the location of the target 62 Attacking 62 Immunities 63 Spotting, Listening, and Pinpointing 63 Spotting 63 Listening 64 Other Ways to Deal With Invisible Foes 64 Probing an Area 64 Special Qualities and Feats Against Unseen Foes 65 Incorporeality 65 The Basics of Incorporeality 65 No physical body 65 Flying 65 Immunity to non-magical attacks 65 Passing through solid objects 65 Underwater movement 66 Sense of direction 66 Incorporeal Creatures in Combat 66 Incorporeal Creatures Attacking 66 Ghost Touch Weaponry 66 Attacking Incorporeal Creatures 66 Armor Classes for Incorporeal Creatures 67 Combat Tactics for Incorporeal Creatures 67 Incorporeal Combat Miscellany 68 Incorporeal Against Incorporeal 68 Grappling 68 Overrun 68 Trip 68 Etherealness 68 The Basics and Misconceptions of Etheralness 68 Effective invisibility and silence 69 Immaterial and weightless 69 Unable to affect creatures or objects on the Material Plane 69 Combat With Ethereal Creatures 69 Ghosts 69 The Basics of Ghosts 69 Ghosts and Ghost Touch Items 69 Manifestation Miscellany 70 Manifesting Inside Objects or Creatures 70 2 Malevolence 70 Returning to the Ethereal Plane 70 Gaseous Form 70 The basics of Gaseous Form 70 Immaterial 70 Gaseous Defenses 70 Limitations 70 Abilities 70 Translucent 71 Using magic items _________________________ 72 Foreword 72 Some Key Terms 72 Activation 72 Aura 72 Caster Level 72 Charge 72 Item Slot 72 Market Price 72 Kinds of Magic Items 72 Armor and Shields 72 Weapons 72 Potions and Oils 73 Rings 73 Rods 73 Scrolls 73 Staffs 73 Wands 74 Wondrous Items 74 Activating Magic Items 74 Spell Completion 74 Spell Trigger 74 Command Word 75 Use Activated 75 The Use Magic Device Skill 75 Blind Activation 75 Decipher a Written Spell 75 Items with limited uses 76 Charged Items 76 Uses Per Day 76 Use Limits for Other Time Periods 76 Elapsed Time Limits 76 Wearing Magic Items 76 Animal Item Slots 76 Campaigns 76 Saving Throws Against Magic Items Effects 77 Save DCs for Spells or Spell-Like Effects from Magic Items 77 Magic Items and Metamagic 77 Magic Items and Detect Magic 77 Recharging Charged Items 77 Cost 78 Duration 78 Aura 78 Limits 78 Magic Item Caster Levels 78 Damage to Magic Items 78 Making magic items ________________________ 79 Foreword 79 Some Key Terms 79 Activation 79 Base Price 79 Caster Level 79 Charge 79 Item Slot 79 Market Price 79 Spell Level 79 Magic Item Creation Basics 80 Prerequisites 80 Cost 80 Time 80 Environment 81 Equipment and Materials 81 Creating Scrolls 81 Prerequisites 81 Caster Level 81 Equipment and Materials 81 Base Price 81 Creation Cost Market Price Example Scroll Costs Scroll Miscellany Creating Potions Prerequisites Caster Level Equipment and Materials Base Price Creation Cost Market Price Potion Miscellany Creating Wands Prerequisites Caster Level Equipment and Materials Base Price Creation Cost Market Price Example Wand Costs Wand Miscellany Creating Staffs Prerequisites Caster Level Equipment and Materials Base Price Creation Cost Market Price Example Staff Costs Staff Miscellany A Note on Rounding Creating Weapons, Armor, and Shields Prerequisites Caster Level Equipment and Materials Cost Creation Cost Market Price Example Weapon, Armor, and Shield Costs Weapon, Armor, and Shield Miscellany Special Materials Light Double weapons Creating Rings Prerequisites Caster Level Equipment and Materials Cost Creation Cost Market Price Example Ring Costs Ring Miscellany Creating Rods Prerequisites Caster Level Equipment and Materials Cost Creation Cost Market Price Example Rod Costs Creating Wondrous Items Prerequisites Caster Level Equipment and Materials Cost Creation Cost Market Price Minor Variations New Items Item Name Description Aura Aura Power School Caster Level Weapons and Armor Item that Duplicate Spells 81 81 81 82 82 82 82 82 82 82 82 82 82 83 83 83 83 83 83 83 83 83 83 83 84 84 84 84 84 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 86 86 86 86 86 86 86 87 87 87 87 87 87 87 87 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 3 Items that Mimic Spells 89 Effects You've Never Seen Anywhere 90 Prerequisites 90 Spells 90 Base Price and Market Price of magic items 90 Weapons, Armor, and Shields 90 Some Things to Avoid 90 When the Formulas Fail 90 Use the Correct Formula 90 Items With Multiple Powers 90 Multiple Similar Abilities Versus Multiple Different Abilities 90 Slotless Powers 91 Item Pricing Examples 91 A Completely Unofficial Rule: Cooperative Item Creation 91 Mounts _________________________________ 92 Foreword 92 Basics of Mounts 92 A mount must be at least one size category bigger than the rider 92 A mount and rider share the same space on the battlefield 92 Your mount handles movement for you 92 You and your mount act on the same initiative count92 A mount can give you an advantage in melee 92 Moving While Mounted 92 Leap 92 Spurring Your Mount 92 Spurring and Leaping 93 Mounting or Dismounting 93 Falling and Mounts 93 Your Mount Falls 93 You Fall 93 You Are Dropped 93 Attacks of Opportunity While Mounted 93 Trained Mounts in a Battle 93 Fight Along with Your Mount 94 Get Cover from Your Mount 94 Guide the Mount with Your Knees 94 Mount or Dismount Quickly 94 Soft Fall 94 Stay in the Saddle 94 Unruly Mounts in a Battle 94 Aggressive Mounts in a Battle 94 Some Unofficial Optional Rules 94 Bailing Out 94 Riding Along with an Aggressive Mount 95 Standard Actions While Your Mount Moves 95 Melee Attack 95 Ranged Attack 95 Unarmed Attack 95 Activate a Magic Item 95 Aid Another 95 Bull Rush 95 Cast a Spell 95 Concentrate to Maintain an Active Spell 96 Dismiss a Spell 96 Draw a Hidden Weapon 96 Drink a Potion or Apply an Oil 96 Escape a Grapple 96 Feint 96 Light a Torch with a Tindertwig 96 Lower Spell Resistance 96 Make a Dying Friend Stable 96 Overrun 96 Read a Scroll 96 Ready 96 Sunder 96 Total Defense 96 Turn or Rebuke Undead 96 Use an Extraordinary Ability 96 Use a Skill That Takes One Action 97 Using a Spell-Like Ability 97 Using a Supernatural Ability 97 Move Actions 97 Move 97 Control a Frightened Mount 97 Direct or Redirect an Active Spell 97 Draw a Weapon 97 Load a Hand or Light Crossbow 97 Open or Close a Door 97 Mount or Dismount 97 Move a Heavy Object 97 Pick Up an Item 97 Sheathe a Weapon 97 Stand Up from Prone 97 Ready or Loose a Shield 97 Retrieve a Stored Item 98 Full-Round Actions 98 Full Melee Attack 98 Full Ranged Attack 98 Charge 98 Deliver Coup de Grace 98 Escape From a Net 98 Use a Skill That Takes 1 Round 98 Use a Touch Spell on Up to Six Friends 98 Withdraw 98 Mount Height 98 Feats in Mounted Combat 99 Mounted Archery 99 Mounted Combat 99 Ride-By Attack 99 Spirited Charge 99 Trample 99 Intelligent Mounts 99 Riding as a Passenger 99 Grappling_______________________________ 100 Foreword 100 Grappling Basics 100 Grabbing 100 Successful grab 100 Maintaining hold 100 When grappling 100 Size limits 100 Opposed checks 100 Common Misconceptions about Grappling 101 Helpless 101 Escape 101 Grappling Requirements 101 Your Options When Grappling 101 Activate a Magic Item 101 Attack Your Opponent 101 Cast a Spell 101 Damage Your Opponent 101 Draw a Light Weapon 102 Escape from Grapple 102 Move 102 Retrieve a Spell Component 102 Pin Your Opponent 102 Break Another's Pin 102 Use Opponent's Weapon 102 Other Options when Grappling 102 Break Another's Hold 102 Throw Your Foe to the Ground 102 Release Your Hold 102 Retrieve a Stored Item 102 The Effects of Being Pinned 103 Your Options While Pinned 103 Speaking or casting a spell 103 Using a spell-like ability 103 Escaping the pin 103 Things You Cannot Do While Pinning an Opponent 103 Drawing or using a weapon 103 Escaping another's grapple, pin another character or break another’s pin 103 Retrieving a spell component 103 Things You Can Do While Pinning an Opponent 103 Damaging your opponent 103 Moving the grapple 103 Casting a spell 103 Snatching Items 103 Releasing Your Foe 103 Other Options While Pinning an Opponent 103 4 Throw Your Foe to the Ground 103 Toss Your Foe 104 Move Your Foe 104 Grappling with More than One Foe 104 Joining an Existing Grapple 104 Ganging Up in a Grapple 104 When Your Foes Gang Up on You 104 Monsters and Grappling 104 Improved Grab 104 Constrict 105 Clerics _________________________________ 106 Foreword 106 Alignment 106 Cleric Spells 106 A cleric casts divine spells 106 Wisdom governs a cleric's spells 106 Most of a cleric's spells must be prepared in advance 106 Clerics have a limited ability to cast some spells spontaneously 106 A cleric can cast domain spells 107 A cleric's alignment limits the spells he can use 107 Clerics Preparing Spells 107 Clerics prepare spells once a day 107 Clerics don't require rest prior to preparing spells 107 Clerics are subject to the recent casting limit rule 107 Clerics don't have to prepare all their spells for the day at once 107 Clerics don't use spellbooks or personal spell lists 107 A cleric's spell slot can hold a spell of its level or of a lower level 107 Spontaneous Spells 108 Domains and Domain Powers 108 Turning Undead 108 Magical Oddities _________________________ 109 Foreword 109 Magical Basics 109 The Ins and Outs of Spells 109 The Basics of Spell Preparation 109 Spellcasters have limited number of spells they can use each day 109 Most other arcane spellcasters who prepare spells must first sleep to clear the mind 109 Most divine spellcasters don't need to rest before preparing spells 109 When the character has cast any spells just prior to spell preparation 109 Spell Preparation Requirements and Options 110 Spell preparation requires concentration. 110 Combat nearby 110 Weather 110 One hour 110 A character need not prepare all his spells at once. 110 A character can fill any spell slots used up the previous day 110 A character can choose any spell of the slot's level or lower 110 Instinctive Spellcasting 111 Spontaneous Spellcasting 111 Spells and Saves 111 What the Subject Knows 111 What the Caster Knows 111 When Spells Fail 111 Antimagic 111 Arcane Spell Failure 112 Lapse in Concentration 112 Misaimed Spell 112 Spell Resistance 112 Subject Immune to the Spell 112 Metamagic 112 Metamagic feats on spells you instinctively or spontaneously cast 112 Several metamagic feats to a single spell 112 A spell modified with metamagic functions at its normal spell level 112 Polymorph 113 Assuming New Types 113 Changes in Size 113 Transforming Equipment 113 Other Creatures 113 Polymorphing and the Shapechanger Subtype 113 Interactions between magical effects 113 Counterspells 114 Spells that can be used as counterspells 114 Spells that can be countered using a given spell 114 The basics 114 Metamagic 114 Spells that naturally counter each other 114 Feats 114 Dispel magic 114 Ready action 114 Identifying the spell cast 114 Resolving a Counterspell 115 The basics 115 Dispel magic 115 Saving throws and spell resistance 115 Range, line of sight and line of effect 115 Dispel Magic 115 As a Counterspell Effect 115 As a Targeted Effect 115 As an Area Effect 116 Opposing Spells 116 Light and Darkness Descriptor Spells 116 Actions ________________________________ 117 Foreword 117 The Language of Actions 117 Action 117 Free Action 117 Full-Round Action 117 Move Action 117 Nonaction 117 Standard Action 117 Using Actions 117 Action Restrictions 118 Surprise Rounds 118 Character Conditions 118 Ability Damaged or Drained 118 Cowering 118 Dazed 118 Dead 118 Disabled 118 Dying 118 Fascinated 118 Fatigued 118 Frightened 118 Grappling 118 Helpless 119 Nauseated 119 Panicked 119 Paralyzed 119 Petrified 119 Pinned 119 Prone 119 Stable 119 Staggered 119 Stunned 119 Turned 119 Unconscious 119 Kinds of Nonactions 119 Aggressive Nonactions 119 Nonactions with Other Actions 119 Reactive Nonactions 119 The Disabled Condition 120 The Free Action and Its Relatives 120 It's Like a Free Action but It Isn't 120 Swift Actions 120 Immediate Actions 120 Standard Actions 120 Attack 120 Cast a Spell 121 Concentrate to Maintain a Spell 121 Activate a Magic Item 121 Use Special Ability 121 Total Defense 121 5 Start or Complete a Full-Round Action 122 Move Actions 122 Move 122 Accelerated Climbing 122 Crawling 122 Drawing or Sheathing a Weapon 122 Readying or Loosing a Shield 122 Manipulating an Item 122 Directing an Existing Spell 122 Standing Up 122 Mounting or Dismounting a Steed 122 Full-Round Actions 123 Full Attack 123 Cast a Spell 123 Use Special Ability 123 Withdraw 123 Run 123 Move 5 Feet Through Difficult Terrain 123 Special Actions 123 Aid Another 123 Bull Rush 124 Charge 124 Disarm 124 Feint 124 Grapple 124 Overrun 124 Sunder 124 Throw Splash Weapon 124 Trip 124 Turn or Rebuke Undead 124 Two-Weapon Fighting 124 Ready 124 Delay 125 Readying vs. Delaying 125 Constructs ______________________________ 126 Foreword 126 What Is A Creature? 126 Construct Traits 126 Artificial Beings 126 Unassailable Mind 126 Unliving 127 Mass Equals Hit Points 127 Standard Senses 127 Building a Construct 127 Prerequisites 127 Cost 127 Time 128 Environment 128 Equipment 128 Repairing a Construct 128 Construct Encounters 128 Mindlessness 128 Spotting a Construct 128 Living Construct Traits 128 Vulnerable Minds 128 Living, But Tough 128 Run 129 Forced March 129 Constitution, Not Mass 129 Standard Senses 129 Familiars _______________________________ 130 Foreword 130 Familiar Basics 130 Basic rules 130 Familiars and their masters 130 Statistics 130 Familiar Ability Descriptions 130 Obtaining and losing familiars 131 Clarifications 131 Hit Dice and resolving spells and other effects 131 Hit points 132 Base attack bonus 132 Skill ranks 132 Special Traits and Features 132 Natural armor bonus 132 Intelligence 132 More Special Abilities 133 Alertness 133 Improved evasion 133 Share spells 133 Empathic link 133 Deliver touch spells 134 Speak with master 134 Speak with animals of its kind 134 Spell resistance 134 Scrying 135 Abilities by Familiar Kind 135 Familiars as Creatures 135 Acquiring a Familiar 135 Familiars in Combat 136 Protection from Physical Threats 136 Familiar Carriers 136 Protection from Magical Threats 137 Dismissing a Familiar 137 Death of a Familiar 137 Death of a Master 137 Familiars and Magic Items 138 Enchantments ___________________________ 139 Foreword 139 The Language of Enchantments 139 Charm Spell 139 Compulsion Spell 139 Enchantment 139 Language-Dependent 139 Mind-Affecting 139 Enchantment Basics 139 Detecting Enchantments 139 Sense Motive (Wis) 140 Negating Enchantments 140 Dispel magic 140 Binding 140 Dispel evil 140 Aiming Enchantments 141 Aiming 141 An Enchantment Spell's Results 141 Stacking Enchantment Spells 141 COMBINING MAGICAL EFFECTS 141 Stacking Effects 141 Spells with Opposite Effects 142 Instantaneous Effects 142 Enchantments That Provide Bonuse 142 Enchantments That Render Other Enchantments Irrelevant 142 Multiple Enchantments That Provide Control 142 Charms 142 INFLUENCING NPC ATTITUDES 142 Charm Person 143 Speak 143 Attacks 144 Enthrall 144 Compulsions 144 Animal Messenger 144 Animal Trance 145 Command 145 Suggestion 146 Dominate Person 146 Carrying Things __________________________ 148 Foreword 148 Carrying Capacity 148 Why a Size Adjustment? 148 Load and Encumbrance 148 CARRYING CAPACITY 148 Encumbrance by Armor 148 Weight 148 Lifting and Dragging 148 Bigger and Smaller Creatures 149 Tremendous Strength 149 Speed, Dexterity, Armor Class and flight 149 Expanded Carrying Capacity Tables 149 What Is a Biped? 149 Fine Biped Carrying Capacity 150 Diminutive Biped Carrying Capacity 150 Tiny Biped Carrying Capacity 151 Small Biped Carrying Capacity 151 6 Large Biped Carrying Capacity 152 Huge Biped Carrying Capacity 152 Gargantuan Biped Carrying Capacity 153 Colossal Biped Carrying Capacity 153 What Is a Quadruped? 154 Fine Quadruped Carrying Capacity 154 Diminutive Quadruped Carrying Capacity 155 Tiny Quadruped Carrying Capacity 155 Small Quadruped Carrying Capacity 156 Medium Quadruped Carrying Capacity 156 Large Quadruped Carrying Capacity 157 Huge Quadruped Carrying Capacity 157 Gargantuan Quadruped Carrying Capacity 158 Colossal Quadruped Carrying Capacity 158 Extradimensional Spaces 159 What Can Fit Inside a Bag of Holding? 159 What Can Fit Inside a Portable Hole? 159 Weights for a Few Unusual Items 160 Table Notes 160 Armchair 160 Chair, Simple 160 Doors 160 Footstool 160 Petrified Creature 160 Table, Banquet 160 Table, Small 160 Spirits 160 Statues 160 Tapestry 161 Workbench 161 All About Initiative _______________________ 162 Foreword 162 Initiative Basics 162 Initiative 162 Initiative Checks 162 Monster Initiative 162 Flat-Footed 162 Inaction 162 Surprise 162 Determining Awareness 162 The Surprise Round 162 Unaware Combatants 162 Overview of the initiative rules 162 Managing Initiative 163 Beginning an Encounter 164 Some Initiative Theory 164 When Does an Encounter Start? 164 Two Groups Meet in a Dungeon Corridor 164 A Party Enters an Occupied Chamber by Kicking in the Door 164 Neither side notices the other before the door opens. 164 One side notices the other before the door opens. 164 A Party Opens a Chest and Releases an Imprisoned Fiend 165 When Does an Encounter End? 165 Some Initiative Miscellany 166 Delaying and Readying 166 Special Initiative Actions 166 Delay 166 Initiative Consequences of Delaying 166 Ready 166 Readying an Action 166 Initiative Consequences of Readying 166 Distracting Spellcasters 166 Readying to Counterspell 166 Readying a Weapon against a Charge 166 Delay 166 Ready 167 Inactive Characters 167 In Conclusion 167 All About Illusions ________________________ 168 Foreword 168 Illusion 168 Figment 168 Glamer 168 Pattern 168 Phantasm 168 Shadow 168 Saving Throws and Illusions (Disbelief ) 168 Illusion Basics 168 Illusion Subschools 169 Figment 169 Glamer 169 Pattern 169 Phantasm 169 Shadow 169 Aiming Illusion Spells 169 Area 169 Effect 169 Target 170 Saving Throws and Illusion Spells 170 Saving Throws and Illusions (Disbelief ) 170 Disbelief 170 Interacting With Illusions 170 Speak 171 Automatic Disbelief 171 Automatic Interactions 171 Dealing with the Unbelievable 171 Pointing Out Illusions 171 Using Figments Well 171 A Few Additional Notes on Figments 172 Illusions and Mindless Creatures 172 Illusions and Objects 172 More Fun With Shadows 172 All About Trip Attacks _____________________ 174 Foreword 174 Some Terminology 174 Attack of Opportunity 174 Attack of Opportunity 174 Opposed Check 174 Prone 174 Trip 174 Making a Trip Attack 174 Avoiding Attacks of Opportunity 174 Being Tripped (Prone) 174 Tripping a Mounted Opponent 174 Tripping with a Weapon 174 Tripping Basics 174 Size Modifiers for Trip Attacks 175 Kinds of Trip Attacks 175 Who Can Be Tripped 175 Tripping Climbers 176 Tripping Flyers 176 Tripping Swimmers 176 Tripping Riders 176 Weapons in Trip Attacks 176 Being Tripped 176 Monstrous Conundrums ____________________ 177 Foreword 177 Some Key Terms 177 Bonus Feat 177 Class Level 177 Character Level 177 Hit Dice 177 Challenge Rating (CR) 177 Effective Character Level (ECL) 177 Encounter Level (EL) 178 Feat 178 Hit Die or Hit Dice 178 Level Adjustment 178 Class Level 178 A Hit Die. 178 Humanoids and Class Levels 178 Base attack bonus and base save bonuses 178 Skill points 178 Other Statistics for Monsters 178 Class features and bonus feats (if any) 179 Character Level 179 Feats 179 Ability Increases 179 Experience awards for single monsters 179 The next class level 179 Cash and equipment 179 7 Effective Character Level (ECL) 179 Challenge Rating (CR) 179 Challenge Rating 179 CR Adjustments for Class Levels 179 Creatures with NPC Class Levels 180 Humanoids with No CR or Racial Hit Dice 180 Creatures with Nonassociated Class Levels 180 Encounter Level (EL) 180 Polymorphing Revisited ____________________ 181 Foreword 181 The Basics of Alternate Form 181 Supernatural ability. 181 Limited forms. 181 No healing. 181 Gains and losses. 181 Assuming an Alternate Form 181 Gains size 181 Retains type and subtypes 182 Gains natural weapons and armor, movement and extraordinary special attacks 182 Retains special qualities. 182 Retains spell-like abilities and supernatural attacks (except breath weapons/gaze) 182 Gains Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution and retains Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma) 182 Retains hit points, base save bonuses, and base attack bonus 182 Retains spellcasting ability 183 Gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks to appear as the new creature 183 Gains miscellaneous physical qualities 183 Retains racial traits 183 Retains or melds equipment 183 Retains class features, special attacks and qualities derived from class levels 183 Alternate Form and Stacking 184 An Alternate Form Example 184 Wild Shape (Su) 184 Mirye, female human druid 184 Nydia, animal companion 185 Mirye (Leopard Form) 185 Mirye (Small Viper Form) 185 Mirye (Eagle Form) 185 All about psionics ________________________ 187 Foreword 187 What are Psionics? 187 Some Key Terms 187 Similarities Between Spells and Psionic Abilities 187 Attacks of opportunity 188 Disrupting psionics 188 Antipsionic fields or rays 188 Dispel psionics 188 Power resistance 188 Save DC against psionic powers 188 Resting to recover psuionic points 188 Differences Between Spells and Psionic Powers 188 No components 188 No counterpowering 188 Conditions and Psionics 189 Conditions keeping you from manifesting any powers 189 Additional Notes on Conditions 189 Ability Damage or Ability Drain 189 Reductions to the ability score 189 Blinded 189 Confused 189 Dazzled 189 Disabled 189 Energy Drained 189 Frightened 190 Grappled 190 Panicked 190 Pinned 190 Turned 190 Psi-Like Abilities 190 Types and Templates ______________________ 191 Foreword 191 Some Key Terms 191 Extraordinary Ability 191 Kind 191 Spell-Like Ability 191 Subtype 191 Supernatural Ability 191 Template 191 Type 191 Why Creature Types? 191 Aberration 191 Animal 192 Construct 192 Dragon 192 Elemental 192 Fey 192 Giant 192 Humanoid 192 Magical Beast 192 Monstrous Humanoid 192 Ooze 192 Outsider 192 Plant 193 Undead 193 Vermin 193 When a Creature's Type Changes 193 The Augmented Subtype 193 Class Abilities 193 Temporary Changes to a Creature's Type 193 Class-Induced Changes in Type 193 Humanoids 194 Other Creature Types 194 Applying a Template 194 Check the Size and Type entry in the template. 194 Check the template's Hit Dice and Hit Points entry. 194 Check the Abilities entry in the template. 194 Apply the effects from any ability score changes you've made. 194 Constitution 194 Dexterity 195 Strength 195 Intelligence 195 Wisdom 195 Charisma 195 Check the template's Speed entry and change the creature's speed rating or ratings. 195 Check the template's Special Attacks and Special Qualities entries. 195 Consider any Special Attacks and Special Qualities the base creature has remaining. 195 Final steps 195 In Conclusion 196 Two-Handed Fighting _____________________ 197 Foreword 197 Some Key Terms 197 Iterative Attack 197 Light, One-Handed, and Two-Handed Weapons 197 Light Weapons 197 One-Handed Weapons 197 Two-Handed Weapons 197 Manufactured Weapon 197 Natural Weapon 197 Off Hand, Off-Hand Weapon 197 Primary Hand, Primary Weapon 198 Two-Handed Fighting Basics 198 Using one weapon in two hands 198 Using a weapon in each hand. 198 Using a double weapon. 198 Melee Fighting with Two Weapons 198 Full Attack 198 Deciding between an Attack or a Full Attack 199 Attack Penalties 199 Light Weapons 199 Ability Modifiers in Two-Weapon Melee Fighting 199 Ranged Fighting with Two Weapons 199 Fighting with a Double Weapon 200 Two-Weapon Fighting Examples 200 Fighting with Two One-Handed Weapons 200 8 Fighting with a One-Handed Weapon and a Light Weapon 200 Fighting with a Double Weapon 200 Two-Weapon Fighting Miscellany 201 Ways to Maintain Armor Class 201 Using an Animated Shield 201 Using a Buckler 201 Using a Shield Bash 201 Using the Two-Weapon Defense Feat 201 Using the Advanced Two-Weapon Fighting Feats 201 In Conclusion 201 Animals ________________________________ 202 Foreword 202 Animal Basics 202 HANDLE ANIMAL (CHA; TRAINED ONLY) 202 Check 202 Handle an Animal 202 "Push" an Animal 202 Train an Animal for a Purpose 202 Rear a Wild Animal 203 Action 203 Try Again 203 Special 203 Synergy 203 Untrained 203 Tricks 204 Teach an Animal a Trick 204 Details 204 Attack 204 Come 204 Defend 204 Down 205 Fetch 205 Guard 205 Heel 205 Perform 205 Seek: 205 Stay 205 Track 205 Work 205 How Animals Act When Not Commanded 206 Animal Companion 206 The druid’s animal companion 206 Animal Companion Basics 207 Level-Based Benefits 207 Acquiring an Animal Companion 208 Dismissing an Animal Companion 208 Death of an Animal Companion 208 Death of a Master 208 Animal Companions and Magic Items 208 Animal Companions as Beings 209 Unarmed Attacks _________________________ 210 Foreword 210 The Language of Unarmed Attacks 210 Unarmed Attack Basics 210 Free Hand 210 Attacks of opportunity 210 Iterative Attacks 210 Unarmed strike damage 210 Lethal damage 211 Armed 211 Weapon enhancements 211 The Improved Unarmed Strike Feat 211 Unarmed Strikes and Natural Weaponry 211 Monk Unarmed Strike Class Feature 211 Unarmed Strikes and Manufactured Weapons 211 Two-weapon fighting 212 Unarmed Strikes and Natural Weapons 212 Monks and Natural Weapons 212 Monks and Manufactured Weapons 212 Special Unarmed Attacks 213 Unarmed Sneak Attacks 213 Flanking 213 Unarmed Attacks and Touch Spells 213 Touch Spells and Holding the Charge 213 In Conclusion 213 Ranged Attacks __________________________ 214 Foreword 214 The Language of Ranged Attacks 214 Ranged Attack Basics 214 Rulebooks 214 Summary 215 Using Thrown Weapons 216 Throwing Melee Weapons 216 Some Selected Thrown Weapons 216 Splash Weapons 217 Using Projectile Weapons 218 Some Selected Projectile Weapons 218 Cover 219 Shooting Into a Melee 220 Magical Effects as Ranged Attacks 220 9 Does it stack? Foreword Players being what they are, a DM can sometimes face a bewildering array of magical effects. For example, a stalwart member of your party wears gauntlets of ogre power, a +2 chainmail, a heavy shield, a ring of protection +1, and boots of striding and springing. Assuming the character in question is a human with a Strength score of 16 and a Dexterity score of 13, what is the character's initiative, speed, Armor Class, attack bonus, and Reflex save bonus after receiving or using the spells aid, barkskin, bull's strength, cat's grace, doom, expeditious retreat, mage armor, prayer, shield, and shield of faith? The Language of Bonuses Handling some of the trickiest parts of the D&D game becomes second nature if you learn the terminology associated with them. Our example deals with a plethora of bonuses that a character has amassed; fortunately for us, the terminology that describes bonuses is one of the most powerful tools the game provides to DMs and players. For a discussion of the most common bonuses in the game, see the Bonus Types section in Chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. The first step in untangling the Gordian knot of bonuses in our example involves looking up the descriptions of the various items and spells and finding the names of all those bonuses. So, let's do that: The gauntlets of ogre power provide a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength (from the item description in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). Chainmail provides a +5 armor bonus to Armor Class (Table 7-6 in the Player's Handbook). The armor has a +2 enhancement bonus, which increases the armor bonus it provides to +7 (from the discussion of magic armor in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). A heavy shield provides a +2 shield bonus to Armor Class (Table 7-6 in the Player's Handbook). The ring of protection +1 provides a +1 deflection bonus to Armor Class (from the item description in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). The boots of striding and springing provide an enhancement bonus of +10 feet to speed, and a competence bonus of +5 to Jump checks (from the item description in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). The aid spell provides a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saving throws against fear effects, plus 1d8 +1 per caster level temporary hit points, to a maximum of 1d8+10 temporary hit points (from the spell description in the Player's Handbook). The barkskin spell provides a +2 enhancement bonus to the recipient's natural armor, with additional +1 for every three caster levels above 3rd, to a maximum of +5 at caster level 12th (from the spell description in the Player's Handbook). We'll assume +2 for this example. Since the recipient is a human with a natural armor bonus of +0, this spell increases the character's natural armor bonus to +2. The bull's strength spell provides a +4 enhancement bonus to the subject's Strength score (from the spell description in the Player's Handbook). The cat's grace spell provides a +4 enhancement bonus to the subject's Dexterity score (from the spell description in the Player's Handbook). The doom spell imposes the shaken condition on the subject. A shaken character has a -2 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws (from the spell description in the Player's Handbook and the glossary in the Player's Handbook). The expeditious retreat spell provides an enhancement bonus of +30 feet to the subject's base land speed (from the spell description in the Player's Handbook). The mage armor spell provides a +4 armor bonus to the recipient's Armor Class (from the spell description in the Player's Handbook). The prayer spell gives the subject a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks, while imposing a +1 penalty when a foe makes such rolls (from the spell description in the Player's Handbook). The shield spell provides a +4 shield bonus to the recipient's Armor Class and negates magic missile attacks directed at the subject (from the spell description in the Player's Handbook). The shield of faith spell provides a +2 deflection bonus to the subject's Armor Class, with an additional bonus of +1 per six caster levels, to a maximum of +5 (from the spell description in the Player's Handbook). We'll assume +2 for this example. Rules Governing Bonuses The basic rule to remember when combinhng two or more bonuses is this: two or more bonuses of different type stack, and two or more bonuses of the same type overlap. In general, a bonus's name indicates its type. A bonus with no name has no type and it stacks with any other bonus, but not with itself. Stacking and Overlapping When two or more bonuses stack, they're cumulative and you add their effects. If you stack two +1 bonuses, you get a +2 bonus. When two or more bonuses overlap, they're not cumulative and you use only the highest bonus. You don't add the effects, but they don't go away either. If one of whatever gives you an overlapping bonus goes away, the other might still be around to take up the slack. Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule, and we'll look at those later, but for now let's just try to answer our original question. Speed Our example human has a base speed of 30 feet. In chainmail, that drops to 20 feet (see Table 7-6 in the Player's Handbook). The character has two enhancement bonuses to speed (+10 feet from the boots of striding and springing and +30 feet from the expeditious retreat spell). Since they're both enhancement bonuses, they overlap, and the character can use only the higher bonus. Obviously, the +30 feet from the expeditious retreat spell is the speed bonus to use, but how does that interact with the reduced speed from the chainmail? 1 Always apply increases to a speed before making any adjustments for armor or encumbrance (see Tactical Movement, in Chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook). The expeditious retreat spell adds +30 feet to our human's base speed of 30 feet, which yields a speed of 60 feet, which chainmail reduces to 40 feet (see Armor and Encumbrance in Chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). The boots are still working, however, so when the expeditious retreat spell ends the character still has a slight speed increase. The character's base speed is still 30 feet, +10 from the boots, which chainmail reduces to 30 feet (also from Armor and Encumbrance in Chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). Armor Class Our example character has a wealth of Armor Class improvements: +7 armor bonus (+2 chainmail) +2 shield bonus (heavy shield) +1 deflection bonus (ring of protection +1) +2 natural armor (barkskin spell) +2 Dexterity bonus (the character's Dexterity is 17, thanks to the cat's grace spell, but chainmail allows only a +2 Dexterity bonus to Armor Class, says Table 7-6 in the Player's Handbook). +4 armor bonus (mage armor spell) +4 shield bonus (shield spell) +2 deflection bonus (shield of faith spell) That's a lot of bonuses, but all the bonuses with the same names overlap, so we're left with the following: +7 armor bonus (+2 chainmail) +2 natural armor (barkskin spell) +2 bonus from Dexterity (from the cat's grace spell, as limited by the chainmail) +4 shield bonus (shield spell) +2 deflection bonus (shield of faith spell) That's a total bonus of +17 to Armor Class, giving our example human (who has a base Armor Class of 10 with no size adjustment) an Armor Class of 27. Notes Multiple Enhancement Bonuses: The character is effectively getting two enhancement bonuses to Armor Class (from the +2 chainmail and the barkskin spell), and that works in this case because those two bonuses are being applied to two different elements of the character's Armor Class. Where Enhancement Bonuses Apply: In general, an enhancement bonus goes with a specific item a character uses, or with one of the user's abilities or other statistics. The example character's touch Armor Class is only 14, because a touch attack bypasses the character's armor bonus (including the +2 from the magic armor), natural armor bonus (including the +2 from the barkskin spell), and shield bonus. Those enhancement bonuses don't float around the character, warding off harm; they improve a specific aspect of the character's defenses. Overlapping Bonuses are Still in Place: This can become significant when dealing with Armor Class. For example, our human has an Armor Class of 24 against an incorporeal touch attack, as follows: Base 10 +2 Dexterity: The chainmail's Dexterity cap still applies, even though the chainmail itself can't block the attack. +4 shield bonus: The shield spell works against the attack because it is a force effect. +4 armor bonus: The mage armor spell works against the attack because it is a force effect. (But, neither the chainmail's +2 enhancement bonus nor the barkskin's +2 enhancement bonus improve the mage armor's armor bonus.) +2 deflection bonus from shield of faith spell. Attack Bonus Our example character enjoys several attack bonuses for both melee and ranged attacks. +5 on melee attacks from Strength 20 (base score of 16 and a +4 enhancement bonus from the bull's strength spell [the +2 enhancement bonus from the gauntlets of ogre power overlap with the bonus from the spell and doesn't apply]). +3 on ranged attacks from Dexterity 17 (base score of 13 and a +4 enhancement bonus from the cat's grace spell). +1 morale bonus on all attack rolls from the aid spell. +1 luck bonus on all attack rolls from the prayer spell. -2 penalty on all attack rolls from the shaken condition (courtesy of the doom spell). That's a lot of bonuses (and one penalty), but all of them stack. Our example character enjoys a +5 bonus on melee attacks and a +3 bonus on ranged attacks. Notes Base Attack Bonus Not Included: Whatever base attack bonus the example character might have isn't figured in here. Penalties Are Unnamed: In the current version of the D&D game, no penalty has a name, so it "stacks" with any bonus and it also stacks with all other penalties (but not with itself). Full Dexterity Bonus Still Applies: Wearing armor does not reduce your Dexterity score or your Dexterity bonus. It just limits how much of that bonus you can apply to your Armor Class. Our example character gets the full +3 on ranged attacks from Dexterity 17. Reflex Save Most of the saving throw bonuses our example character has collected apply to all kinds of saving throws, but let's just look at the Reflex save: +3 on Reflex saves from Dexterity 17 (base score of 13 and a +4 enhancement bonus from the cat's grace spell). +1 morale bonus from the aid spell if the attack is a fear effect (not many fear effects have Reflex saves, but anything is possible). -2 penalty on all saves from the shaken condition (that nasty doom spell again). +1 luck bonus on all saves from the prayer. Everything here stacks, so the example character has +2 bonus on Reflex saves (or +3 if the save happens to be against a fear effect). 2 Notes Base Save Bonuses Not Included: Whatever base save bonus the example character might have isn't figured in here. Full Dexterity Bonus Still Applies: As note previously, the Dexterity cap for armor applies only to Armor Class. Jumping Our example character actually is quite a jumper, even without the jump spell, thanks to a great Strength score and all that speed, but let's work though all the modifiers: +5 from Strength 20 (see the section on attack bonus). -4 armor check penalty for the +2 chainmail (chainmail normally has a -5 penalty, but our example character has magic chainmail, which has to be masterwork to receive any magical enhancement, so the penalty drops by a point). -2 armor check penalty for the heavy shield. +5 competence bonus from the boots of striding and springing. -2 penalty from the shaken condition (the doom spell once again). +4 bonus for speed 40 (see the section on speed). +1 luck bonus from the prayer spell. Once again, all these stack, so our example character has a +7 bonus on Jump checks. Given a running start, the example character can make a long jump of 27 feet given a really good roll; the character can count on making at least a 17-foot jump in most cases. Notes Bonuses to Skills Count for Untrained Checks: When a skill can be used untrained, any bonuses to the check that a character may acquire apply to the check. The Jump Spell: A jump spell would give our example character at least a +10 enhancement bonus on Jump checks. This stacks with all the example character's other Jump bonuses, for a total Jump bonus of +17, allowing running long jumps of up to 37 feet. Exceptions to the Rules for Stacking Bonuses As with many things in the D&D game, the general rules are simple -- it's the exceptions that become difficult. Let's look at a few. Bonuses of the Same Type As noted earlier, bonuses of the same type (and with the same name) don't stack, but that's not always true: Circumstance Bonuses Circumstance bonuses stack when they arise from different circumstances. For example, you might get a circumstance bonus to Move Silently checks when you're walking on a soft surface, such as sand or moss. You might also get a circumstance bonus to Move Silently checks when moving in a very noisy environment. Dodge Bonuses A dodge bonus affects your Armor Class. All dodge bonuses stack. Most bonus types have names so that you can tell which one you can stack. A dodge bonus is named so that you can tell when you get it and when you don't. For example, you can't use dodge bonuses when you're flat-footed or anytime you're denied a Dexterity bonus. Unnamed Bonuses A bonus that doesn't have a name stacks with anything except itself. This is always true, but it's sometimes hard to remember. For example, many feats provide unnamed bonuses, so don't panic when you read a feat description and it provides a bonus without a name. An unnamed bonus from a feat stacks with any other bonus; however you can't stack that unnamed bonus if you take the feat twice. Synergy Bonuses What once was called a synergy bonus in the previous version of the D&D game is now just an unnamed bonus. For example, if you have 5 or more ranks in the Handle Animal skill, you get a +2 bonus on Ride checks and wild empathy checks. As an unnamed bonus, this stacks with other bonuses you might have to Ride checks or wild empathy checks. Base Attack and Save Bonuses The base attack bonus and base save bonuses a character gets from class levels -- or that a creature gets from its type and Hit Dice -- are not true bonuses at all. (That's one reason why base attack and save bonuses aren't mentioned in the Bonus Types section in Chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.) This is a situation where the language of the game gets a little muddy. Base attack and save bonuses are called "bonuses" strictly as a matter of convenience, mostly because you write them down and use them just like a regular bonus. You can treat a base attack bonus or a base save bonus just like an unnamed bonus, except that two or more base attack or save bonuses from different classes always stack. You cannot take a class twice and stack the base attack or base save bonuses from the class. Instead, you must add up all your levels in the class and use the appropriate base attack and base save bonuses for that level. It's also important to remember that you don't get extra attacks when you add extra bonuses to a high base attack bonus. For example, if your base attack bonus from all your classes is +7, you can make two attacks when you use the full attack action (+7/+2). If you then add +3 points to your attacks from a high ability score and another +2 from an enhancement bonus on your weapon, you still get only two attacks, but you add that +2 and +3 (for a total of +5) to each attack (+12/+7). Inherent Bonuses and Level-Based Ability Increases When you have an inherent bonus to an ability score, you're limited to a +5 inherent bonus to any single ability score. Since an inherent bonus has a name, it won't stack with another inherent bonus (so be careful with those manuals and tomes). The ability score increase you get every four character levels is not an inherent bonus; the ability score you choose to increase just gets bigger. 3 A Final Word That's about all there is. There's not much to stacking bonuses. Just remember the basic rules: Bonuses with different names stack. Bonuses with the same names overlap (don't stack) Bonuses with no names stack with any other bonuses (but not with themselves). And remember the major exceptions: Dodge bonuses stack with each other. Circumstance bonuses stack when they arise from different circumstances. 4 All about sneak attacks Foreword It seems that some DMs and players out there just can't agree on how the sneak attack ability really works. To be sure, a clever player can deal out a big pile of damage through sneak attacks. A 20th-level rogue fighting with two weapons could deal 40d6 points of damage or more in a single round of sneak attacks, which is enough to make most DMs cry "foul" the first time a PC tries it. So, let's examine just when sneak attacks are possible, how many sneak attacks characters can make during 1 round, and how the rules for sneak attacks interact with other rules that govern combat. The Basics of the Sneak Attack For basic rules governing sneak attacks, look in the rogue class description in Chapter 3 of the Player's Handbook. Here's an overview. Sneak attacks require one of two basic conditions: The target must be denied his Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (whether he actually has a Dexterity bonus or not) against the attack. OR The attacker must flank the target. If the attacker cannot meet either of these two conditions, no sneak attack is possible. If the attacker can meet at least one of these conditions, a sneak attack is possible, provided that something else doesn't intrude and spoil the sneak attack. Several things can kill a sneak attack, even if the attacker sets up the attack properly: Ranged attacks can be sneak attacks only if the range is 30 feet or less. The attacker must use a weapon optimally to make a sneak attack. If the attacker takes the -4 penalty to deal nonlethal damage, no sneak attack is possible. (A weapon that normally deals nonlethal damage, such as a sap, can be used in a sneak attack; however, you deal nonlethal damage if you do so.) Sneak attacks are possible only against living creatures that have discernible anatomies. Undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures are not subject to sneak attacks, and creatures that are not subject to critical hits are not subject to sneak attacks also. Sneak attacks require a clear view of the target. Any degree of concealment -- even concealment from fog (a lousy 20% miss chance) foils sneak attacks. Sneak attacks are possible only when the attacker can reach the target's vital spots. If you're limited to beating the foe about the ankles, you can't make sneak attacks against him. Beyond the Basics So just when do those conditions and counter conditions apply? I'm glad you asked. Defender Denied Dexterity Bonus When the rules speak of a defender being denied a Dexterity bonus, they refer to any number of exceptional combat situations in which a creature cannot effectively defend itself by blocking or dodging physical assaults. Creatures that have no Dexterity bonus to Armor Class, or creatures that have penalties are not "denied" a Dexterity bonus in a normal combat situation. Fortunately for characters who rely on sneak attacks (and unfortunately for everyone else), such combat situations abound. Here's a list: Being Caught Flat Footed This happens to almost everybody sooner or later. Anyone who is surprised is flat-footed during the ensuing surprise round. Surprised or not, anyone also is flat-footed during the first round of any combat from the time the combat begins until the creature takes its first turn in the initiative cycle. Flat-footed creatures have two big disadvantages: They can't make attacks of opportunity and they can't use their Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class. This makes them vulnerable to melee sneak attacks and to ranged sneak attacks (but see the section on uncanny dodge). Facing an Unseen Opponent To properly defend itself in combat, a creature must be able to see its foe, or use some ability acute enough to substitute for sight, such as the blindsight special quality (or the uncanny dodge ability; see the section on uncanny dodge below). When facing a totally concealed foe, a creature is denied Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class and the attacker gets a +2 attack bonus as well. Perhaps the most common form of total concealment is the invisibility spell. A regular invisibility effect is broken when you attack. If you begin your turn under such an effect and you're making multiple attacks, you'll be invisible only for the first attack and your opponent will be denied Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) against that first attack. Just about everyone has total concealment against a blinded creature, and total darkness gives everything total concealment against foes that don't have darkvision. Remember however, that concealment cuts both ways. Sneak attacks aren't possible when the target has any concealment whatsoever. Some special qualities and skills allow creatures a limited ability to locate unseen foes. The scent special quality and the Spot and Listen skills all give some chance of figuring out exactly where an unseen foe lurks. So can cruder means, such as scattering sand or flour all over a dungeon floor when you suspect there's an invisible foe nearby. These measures allow you to locate an unseen foe, and possibly attack her, but they don't negate the foe's total concealment, so they won't keep you from being sneak attacked. It's not enough to know where your foe is. You've got to know when and where the attack is coming. On the other hand, it's only total concealment that interferes with Dexterity bonuses to Armor Class. Anything that knocks down total concealment to a lower degree makes any Dexterity bonuses to Armor Class available again. A spell such as see invisibility or true seeing robs an invisible foe of its total concealment, but only for the creature using the spell; the spell user could then use other means to render the invisible foe at least partially visible to allies, however. Splattering an invisible foe 5 with a little flour or paint reduces or eliminates an invisible creature's total concealment, at least for a little while, as does a trusty glitterdust or faerie fire spell. The blindsight ability allows its user to discern any unseen creature within range just as though the unseen creature was fully visible (provided the creature with blindsight has line of effect to the concealed creature). A creature with blindsight thus retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) against an unseen foe and blindsight also negates most kinds of concealment. This means that you can't sneak attack a creature with blindsight unless you have it flanked or catch it flatfooted. Also, a creature with blindsight can ignore any concealment a foe has when making a sneak attack of its own. A blink spell provides the user with some degree of concealment -- and foils sneak attacks -- when the attacker cannot see ethereal opponents. (Both the see invisibility and true seeing spells reveal ethereal opponents). An attacker that can see, but not affect, ethereal opponents still has a miss chance (20%) against a target using blink because the foe might be ethereal when the attack strikes; however, this does not arise from concealment and does not foil sneak attacks (though a miss is still a miss). When an attacker is using blink itself, it has a 20% miss chance (because it sometimes finds itself ethereal when its attack strikes home). This miss chance also does not interfere with the attacker's sneak attacks. In fact, a blinking attacker strikes as an invisible creature, and its foes are denied Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class and that makes sneak attacks possible. If the blinking attacker's target can see ethereal opponents, that foe retains Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class and cannot be sneak attacked unless flat-footed or flanked. Because a blinking attacker's "invisibility" is actually etherealness, blindsight does not allow a foe to retain its Dexterity bonus against the attacker, and blindsight does not reduce the miss chance for attacks against the blinking combatant. Immobilized When you can't move, you can't use your Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, and you can be sneak attacked even when you're not flanked or caught flat-footed. Any of these conditions keep you from using your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class: grappled, held, helpless, incapacitated, pinned, or stunned. Immobility is one time when the uncanny dodge ability doesn't foil a sneak attack (see the section on uncanny dodge). Grappling is worth a special note. When you're grappling, you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) against any foe that you are not grappling, and that's true no matter who started the grapple -- you're just as vulnerable if you initiate a grapple as you are when a foe grapples you. You retain your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class, however, against a foe you are grappling. So, if someone grabs you, you can't sneak attack that foe, but your buddies could. When you're climbing (ascending or descending a vertical surface or a slope too steep to walk up) you cannot use your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class, which makes you vulnerable to sneak attacks (even if you have uncanny dodge). Being entangled impedes your movement and reduces your effective Dexterity score, but it does not make you vulnerable to sneak attacks. Defender Flanked Creatures become susceptible to sneak attacks when flanked because they must divide their attention between two or more opponents whose relative positions make it difficult to block or dodge their attacks. The situation is something like dealing with an unseen foe, but isn't quite as severe. To flank an opponent, two allies must be on opposite sides of that opponent, and they both must threaten the opponent (Chapter 8 in the Player's Handbook has some handy diagrams that explain flanking). You threaten an opponent when you can make an armed melee attack against that opponent. You're "armed" when you use a manufactured weapon, natural weapon, the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, or the monk's unarmed strike ability. You don't actually have to have a weapon that can hurt an opponent to threaten that opponent. If you and your buddy have no silver weapons but find yourselves on opposites sides of a werewolf, you still flank the werewolf (but see the final section of this article series). You can flank with any melee weapon, including a reach weapon, but you cannot flank with a ranged weapon. You get a flanking bonus from any ally your foe can see (and who is in the correct position to flank). If your foe can't see you, you don't provide a flanking bonus to any ally. You literally cannot flank a blind creature; however, a blind creature loses its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against your attacks (so you can sneak attack it), and you get a +2 to attack it to boot. Creatures with the blindsight ability effectively "see" within blindsight range and can be flanked. The improved uncanny dodge class ability can prevent a creature from being flanked (see the next section). Uncanny Dodge and Sneak Attacks The uncanny dodge class ability is just about the nastiest sneak attack breaker in the game. Only immunity to critical hits offers more absolute protection against sneak attacks. So, uncanny dodge gets a section in the article all to itself. The uncanny dodge ability allows a flat-footed creature to retain its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) and it foils sneak attacks when in does so. The uncanny dodge ability also allows a creature to use its Dexterity bonus (if any) against unseen foes, so an unseen foe must find some other way to make sneak attacks against creatures with this ability. Uncanny dodge does not allow a creature to keep its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) when it is physically cannot move. If you're grappled, held, helpless incapacitated, pinned, or stunned, you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class. If you're attacked while climbing, you also cannot use your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class. Uncanny dodge doesn't allow you to retain your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class in any of these cases. The improved uncanny dodge class feature can keep a creature from being flanked, except by a rogue who is four or more levels higher than the target. An attacker with sufficient rogue levels can flank the defender simply by having an ally opposite the defender, if that ally cannot flank the defender himself, provided that the defender can see or perceive your ally (see the section on flanking). In such a case, the ally gets no benefit for being in a flanking position, but the rogue gets full benefits. When determining who can flank whom, start by counting the target's levels, and count only those levels in classes that provide the uncanny dodge class feature. Then count up the attacker's levels, counting only levels in classes that provide the sneak attack class feature. For example, a 10th-level rogue could not flank a 5th-level barbarian/5th-level rogue but the same character could flank a 5th-level barbarian/5th-level bard. Likewise, a 7th-level rogue/7th-level assassin could flank a 5th-level barbarian/5th-level rogue. Damage from Sneak Attacks The bonus damage from a sneak attack is expressed as extra dice and it is not multiplied with a successful critical hit, or when an attack otherwise gets a damage multiplier. For example, a rogue charging with a mounted lance can make a sneak attack, but the damage multiplier for the mounted charge doesn't apply to the sneak attack. 6 A successful sneak attack increases the damage dealt. When you make a sneak attack against a foe with damage reduction, roll the sneak damage and add it to the damage from the hit before applying the effects of damage reduction. Sneak attack damage is always the same type of damage as the weapon used to make the sneak attack. For example, if you make a sneak attack with a sword (a slashing weapon), all the damage from the sneak attack is slashing damage (also see the Spells as Sneak Attacks section below). Number of Sneak Attacks Provided it is possible for you to make a sneak attack at all, you can make multiple sneak attacks when you use the full attack action. For example, if you have a higher initiative result at the beginning of an encounter, your foe is flat-footed and every attack you make is a sneak attack. The same is true if you flank your foe. Anything that allows you to make extra attacks during the full attack action gets you extra sneak attacks as well: fighting with two weapons, the haste spell, and the monk's flurry of blows are the most common ways of getting extra attacks. Remember the earlier note about invisibility effects, however. If you're relying on invisibility to set up a sneak attack, you'll only have the effect for the first attack you make during your turn. You'll still get all your extra attacks, but only the first will be a sneak attack. You don't have this problem if you're using a greater invisibility effect. Volley Type Attacks Sometimes, you make multiple attack rolls as part of the same attack, such as when you use the Manyshot feat. When you do so, only the first attack in the volley can be a sneak attack. Weapons and Armor Used in Sneak Attacks You can make sneak attacks with any weapon you can wield. The weapon does not have to be on the rogue weapon list. As noted earlier in this article series and in the rogue class description, you cannot make a sneak attack if you take the -4 penalty to make a weapon that deals lethal damage deal nonlethal damage (or vice versa), because you're deliberately not using the weapon in the optimal way. You can make a sneak attack, however, when you're not proficient with a weapon -nonproficient use isn't exactly "optimal" but is close enough for a sneak attack. Likewise, the armor you wear has no effect on your ability to sneak attack, though any combat penalties you suffer for nonproficient armor or shield use still apply to your attacks. Spells as Sneak Attacks Any spell that requires an attack roll and deals damage can be used in a sneak attack. In this case "damage" is normal damage, nonlethal damage, ability damage, or energy drain. You can sneak attack with a Melf's acid arrow spell, but not with a magic missile spell. Ranged spells are effective as sneak attacks only at ranges of 30 feet or less (just like any other ranged sneak attack). A successful sneak attack with a weaponlike spell inflicts extra damage according to the attacker's sneak attack ability, and the extra damage dealt is the same type as the spell deals. For example, a 10th-level rogue who makes a successful sneak attack with a Melf's acid arrow spell inflicts 2d4 points of acid damage, plus an extra 5d6 points of acid damage from the sneak attack (note that continuing damage from this spell is not part of the sneak attack). Spells that inflict energy drains or ability damage deal extra negative energy damage in a sneak attack, not extra negative levels or ability damage. For example, a 10th-level rogue who makes a successful sneak attack with an enervation spell deals 1d4 negative levels plus an extra 5d6 points of negative energy damage. If the sneak attack with a weaponlike spell results in a critical hit, the damage from the spell is doubled but the extra sneak attack damage is not doubled (as with any sneak attack). With spell effects that allow you to make multiple attack rolls, such as the energy orb spells or the Split Ray feat from Tome and Blood, you must treat the effect like a volley -- only the first attack can be a sneak attack. A Totally Unofficial Rule for Dealing with Foes Trying to Flank You This is a variant rule the tactical aspects of flanking and what you might be able to do about it if you find yourself flanked. You can disregard attacks from an opponent flanking you. When you do, that opponent doesn't get the +2 flanking bonus when attacking you and that opponent does not provide a flanking bonus to any of its allies. Ignoring a flanker, however, provokes an attack of opportunity from that flanker, and you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against that flanker. You do, however, continue to threaten that flanker. If the flanker is out of attacks of opportunity, you can ignore the flanker (and deny the flanking bonus) with impunity. If you can't see (or locate) the flanker, you disregard the flanker by default, and you provoke the attack of opportunity. You must make the decision to disregard a flanker as soon as the foe moves into a flanking position. You can change your decision as a free action on your turn (you still must disregard a flanker you can't see.) Designer's Notes This rule gives certain creatures the option to ignore flankers when they don't pose any real danger to them. Lycanthropes facing foes that aren't armed with silver weapons, as well as characters with very high Armor Classes facing much weaker foes, can soften the effects of being surrounded. Many other creatures can use the rule to limit sneak attacks against them, but at the risk of extra attacks of opportunity from other foes. This rule also means that you often cannot provide a flanking bonus to your allies if you're out of attacks of opportunity (though foes may have a hard time determining exactly when that situation occurs). 7 All about spell-like abilities Foreword The grinning demon vanishes with a smirk and a mocking bow, the coy dryad bewitches the woodsman with no more than a fetching look, the trio of loathsome hags turns the hero into a toad with naught but a derisive cackle. That's three examples of spell-like abilities in action. What are spell-like abilities? Why are they called that? How do they work? Read on to find the answers these questions and to a few others that tend to pop up in connection with spell-like abilities. What Is a Spell-Like Ability? The term "spell-like ability" has been part of the D&D game for many years, and it still retains its essential meaning: A spelllike ability is a magical trick that works exactly like a spell of the same name. How does a dryad's charm person spell-like ability work? Just like a charm person spell. Spell-like abilities first arrived in the game along with magically accomplished creatures such as demons. They served as handy shortcuts for designers trying to give such creatures an appropriate amount of magical punch without getting too longwinded. Earlier versions of the game didn't have much to say about spell-like abilities. When a creature had them, you got a list of the spell names the creature could duplicate and usually some information about how often the creature could use each ability. In the current version of the D&D game, the term "spell-like ability" has taken on a little more meaning. It refers to a broad category of magical abilities that work more or less like spells, as noted below. Most of the details in the next two sections come from the discussion of spell-like abilities in Chapter 10 of the Player's Handbook and in the Monster Manual glossary. Similarities Between Spells and Spell-Like Abilities A spell-like ability is like a spell in the following ways: Using a spell-like ability is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Sometimes using a spell-like ability can be a free action or a full-round action, or it can have an even longer activation time. However, it's a standard action unless the ability description specifically says otherwise. A creature using a spell-like ability can use all the tricks that a spellcaster can use to avoid that nasty attack of opportunity. The creature can take a 5-foot step before using the ability (so as to get out of a threatened area). The creature also can make a Concentration check to use the ability defensively. A spell-like ability can be disrupted. Anything that could disrupt a spellcaster's concentration and ruin a spell can do the same thing to a spell-like ability. (See the section on disrupting spell-like abilities, below.) A spell-like ability is subject to the effects of antimagic. An antimagic field or a beholder's antimagic ray suppresses a spell-like ability so that it has no effect. This suppression does not dispel the ability, however, so if the spell-like ability's duration outlasts the antimagic effect, the spell-like ability resumes functioning when the antimagic effect goes away. An antimagic effect also blocks line of effect (see Chapter 10 in the Player's Handbook) for any magical ability, though a creature always has line of effect to itself. So a creature with a spell-like ability could use the ability on itself, even in an antimagic field. The magic still would be suppressed while the creature remains inside the antimagic effect, and the creature would gain no benefit from the ability until it left the area of antimagic. Time spent inside the antimagic effect still counts against the magic's duration, however. A spell-like ability can be dispelled. All the usual limitations of dispel effects apply to dispels used against spell-like abilities. For example, a spell-like ability with an instantaneous duration cannot be dispelled, and the dispel user must make a successful caster level check to dispel any spell-like ability with a longer duration. A spell-like ability has a caster level. The description of the creature will give its caster level for its spell-like abilities (which, among other things, determines the DC for the caster level check to dispel the ability). If no caster level is given, its caster level is equal to its Hit Dice. In many cases, however, a creature's caster level for spell-like abilities is not the same as its Hit Dice, and it might not be the same for all its spell-like abilities. Likewise, if the creature actually can cast spells, its caster level for its spells might be different than its caster level for spell-like abilities; check the creature's description to be sure. Some spell-like abilities duplicate spells that are not subject to dispelling; if so, the spell-like ability also is not subject to dispelling. A spell-like ability is subject to spell resistance. The creature using the spell-like ability must make a caster level check to overcome the subject's spell resistance, using its caster level for the spell-like ability in question. Some spell-like abilities duplicate spells that are not subject to spell resistance. If so, the spell-like ability also is not subject to spell resistance. A save DC for a spell-like ability is calculated the same way a save DC for a spell is calculated. The save DC for a spelllike ability (unless its description specifically says otherwise) is: 10 + the level of the spell the ability duplicates + the user's Charisma modifier. The user's Charisma modifier affects the ability's save DC no matter what spell the ability duplicates. A spell-like ability is not a spell A spell-like ability is not a spell: if it was, it would simply be called a spell. Important differences between spell-like abilities and spells include the following: A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, material, focus, or XP components. Using a spell-like ability is a purely mental action, albeit one that requires enough concentration to provoke attacks of opportunity. It is quite possible, however, that a creature using a spell-like ability might add some gesture, word, or flourish just for dramatic effect. A spell-like ability cannot be used as a counterspell, and it is not subject to counterspells. A counterspell involves recognizing a spell as it is being cast, then quickly altering that same spell so as to create an opposite effect that cancels out the original spell. A spell-like ability is essentially hardwired into its user's psyche, and its power is released mentally. The process is sufficiently different from spellcasting so it that doesn't allow a foe to identify the spell-like ability, and a counterspell cannot interfere with the spell-like ability's magical energy as it can with a spell. As noted earlier, a spell-like ability is subject to dispelling (provided the spell it duplicates is subject to dispelling). When a spelllike ability can be dispelled (as most of them are) one can effectively counter them with a dispel magic spell. While spell-like abilities are not normally subject to counterspells, dispel magic is not really a counterspell. When you use 8 dispel magic as a counterspell, what you're really doing is casting a quick, targeted dispel effect at the correct moment to negate the enemy spell and not creating an opposite magical effect that cancels your enemy's spell. A spell-like ability is not subject to spell failure. A creature using a spell-like ability that duplicates an arcane spell doesn't have to worry about arcane spell failure from armor it wears (assuming it's wearing armor) or about spell failure from any other source or condition (such as deafness). A spell-like ability need not be prepared in advance. As noted earlier, a spell-like ability is hard-wired into the user. A creature with a spell-like ability doesn't have to do anything to get its daily allotment of spell-like abilities. It does not need to study, pray, mediate, or even rest. A spell-like ability is not subject to metamagic. For many of the same reasons a spell-like ability cannot be countered, it also cannot be modified through metamagic in any way. Some creatures have special feats that allow them to duplicate the effects of metamagic on their spell-like abilities (such as the Quicken Spell-Like Ability feat). It's also possible for a creature to have a spell-like ability that duplicates spells already altered by metamagic. For example, the archmage prestige class allows a character to make a spell modified by metamagic into a spell-like ability. Disrupting Spell-like Abilities In most cases, one can disrupt a foe's spell-like ability in exactly the same way one disrupts a spell. For example, a creature's opponents can ready attacks to disrupt its spell-like abilities, and if they hit the creature while it uses a spell-like ability, they may cause the ability to fail. The DC for the creature's Concentration check is exactly the same as it would be if the creature were casting a spell. Likewise, if the creature tries to use the spell-like ability defensively, the ability doesn't work unless the creature makes a successful Concentration check. For instance, suppose that a group of adventurers closes in on a pesky vrock demon and begin pounding it to bits with their melee attacks (as adventurers usually do when they get the chance). The vrock decides to escape via its greater teleport ability. The vrock must use a standard action to trigger the ability, and the action provokes an attack of opportunity from all foes that threaten the demon at the time. Let's say the vrock is canny enough to use a 5-foot step to move away from all but one foe (Sondranna the barbarian). Let's also say that Sondranna hits with her attack of opportunity and deals 16 points of damage with her greataxe. Unfortunately, the vrock has damage reduction 10/good, and Sondranna's greataxe, though magical, is not good, so Sondranna's blow only deals 6 points of damage to the demon. The demon still took some damage, however, and must make a Concentration check to finish using the ability. The DC for the vrock's Concentration check will be the same as if it were damaged while casting a greater teleport spell: 10 + spell level (because the vrock was "casting" when the distraction occurred, see the Concentration skill description) + damage dealt. In this case the DC is 23 (10+7+6). With the vrock's Concentration score of +20, its check probably will succeed. Later, the vrock returns with a friend in tow and the pair resume the attack on the party. After several rounds of violent maneuvers, the party corners both vrocks, and the two demons decide to tough it out and fight. One vrock, however, decides to use its mirror image spell-like ability to help it avoid a few hits from Sondranna and her allies. The vrock decides to use the ability defensively to avoid a hail of attacks of opportunity. Because the vrock is using the ability defensively, it must succeed at a Concentration check to successfully use the ability. The DC for the check is 15 + the spell level. Mirror image is a 2ndlevel spell, so the DC is a mere 17. The vrock will succeed with this check automatically thanks to its Concentration score of +20 (there's no automatic success or failure on a check as there is with a saving throw or attack roll, see page 63 in the Player's Handbook), and so the vrock's use of mirror image won't provoke any attacks of opportunity this time. However, let's suppose that Sondranna has seen this trick before and that she has readied an action to disrupt the vrock's magic use. The vrock's defensive power use won't interfere with the readied action (it only keeps the power use from provoking attacks of opportunity). Furthermore, let's assume Sondranna has received a bless weapon spell for her greataxe, making it a good weapon that bypasses the vrock's damage reduction. Sondranna hits and deals 18 points of damage to the vrock; the mirror image is not yet in effect because Sondranna's readied action interrupts the magic use, so there's no chance that Sondranna's blow will strike an image instead of the vrock. The vrock must make a Concentration check with a DC of 30 (10+2+18). Suppose the check fails. This use of the vrock's mirror image power is wasted. The vrock can use mirror image at will, however, so it can try again next round. The vrock used a standard action to employ its mirror image power, so it's pretty much done for this round. It could take a move action, but it cannot attack or use another spell-like ability (both of which also would require standard actions). It could take a move action, but it declines to do so, preferring to keep its foes within reach. Determining a Spell Level for a Spell-Like Ability It's often necessary to determine what level spell a spell-like ability duplicates. For example, you'll need to know the spell level whenever someone uses a detect magic spell to study a spell-like ability's ongoing effects. Also, as noted earlier, you'll often need to know the ability's level to determine the DC for any Concentration check the user might have to make when employing the ability. The spell level also affects the saving throw DC for the spell-like ability, but that information usually is included in the user's creature description. Exactly what level spell a spell-like ability duplicates often proves unclear, because most spells become available to casters of different classes at different levels. To determine the spell level for a spell-like ability, always use the level for the sorcerer/wizard version of the spell. If the spell has no sorcerer/wizard level, use cleric, druid, bard, paladin, or ranger level, in that order. Sometimes a creature's description will specify a kind of caster for the creature's spell-like abilities. If this is so, use the appropriate level for the spell-like ability. You also can calculate a spell-like ability's level from the saving throw listed for it. Simply subtract 10 + the user's Charisma modifier from the listed DC and the result is the ability's spell level. As noted earlier, some spell-like abilities don't duplicate spells. For example, a paladin's ability to call a special mount is a spell-like ability gained at 5th level. This ability is very similar to the 1st-level mount spell and can be treated as a 1st-level effect. Determining the Version of a Spell Some spells work differently for different kinds of casters. In such cases, use the sorcerer/wizard version of the spell. If the spell has no sorcerer/wizard version, use cleric, druid, bard, paladin, or ranger level, in that order. Sometimes a creature's description will specify a kind of caster for the creature's spell-like abilities. If this is so, use the version for the spell-like ability. 9 Using a Spell-Like Ability As noted earlier, using a spell-like ability requires a standard action and concentration. It requires nothing else. (Also as noted earlier, a spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, material, focus, or XP components.) So what does a spell-like ability look like when it's used? Well, the answer is pretty much any way the user wants it to look and can pull off. When a creature simply uses a spell-like ability without any dramatic flourishes, it still shows some sign that it's concentrating. For example, it might stop moving for a moment, or it may furrow its brow (if it has any brows to furrow) or make some incidental gesture. Note, however, that using a spell-like ability is a purely mental action, and a creature could use one even when bound and gagged or when paralyzed. If a creature can think, it can use its spell-like abilities. Anything that disrupts a creature's mental processes or concentration also prevents the use of spell-like abilities, including the feeblemind spell and the following character conditions (refer to the condition summary on page 300 of the Dungeon Master's Guide): Cowering Dazed Dead Dying Fascinated Frightened* Flat-footed Nauseated Panicked* Petrified Stable Stunned Turned* Unconscious *Some spell-like abilities might remain available to the creature, see the notes that follow. Additional Notes on Conditions Some conditions merit additional comments: Ability Damage or Ability Drain Any ability damage or drain that renders a creature unconscious also renders it unable to use spell-like abilities. Creatures with Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma scores reduced to 0 are unconscious. Reductions in Charisma can reduce the save DC for a creature's spell-like ability if they're sufficient to lower the creature's Charisma modifier. Blinded A blinded creature usually cannot aim spell-like abilities that duplicate targeted spells (unless it can touch the target) and must specify the point of origin for area or effect spells (see Aiming a Spell on page 175 in the Player's Handbook). The creature can still aim a ray or touch spell, but must use the procedure for attacking an unseen opponent to do so (see Invisibility on page 295 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). Confused If the d% roll indicates that the creature can act normally this round, it can use its spell-like abilities this round, otherwise, a confused creature cannot use spell-like abilities. Dazzled The -1 penalty on attack rolls from this condition applies to any attack roll the creature makes to use a spell-like ability (such as a touch attack or ranged touch attack). Disabled Using a spell-like ability while disabled causes the creature to lose a hit point. Unless the spell-like ability increased the creature's hit points, it begins dying after it takes the damage. Energy Drained A creature retains its spell-like abilities (and its caster level for those abilities) no matter how many negative levels it gain or how many Hit Dice it might lose as a result of those negative levels. The penalties from negative levels apply to any attack rolls a creature makes to use a spell-like ability (such as a touch attack or ranged touch attack). Frightened If a frightened creature has a spell-like ability that allows it to flee from the source of its fear, it must use that ability to flee if it can't escape any other way. Grappled A creature can use its spell-like abilities if grappled. Doing so requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + the duplicated spell's level). Panicked If a panicked creature has a spell-like ability that allows it to flee from the source of its fear, it must use that ability to flee if it can't escape any other way. Pinned A creature can use its spell-like abilities if pinned. Doing so requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + the duplicated spell's level). Turned If a turned creature has a spell-like ability that allows it to flee from the source of the turning, it must use that ability to flee if it can't escape any other way. 10 How Often Can Spell-Like Abilities Be Used? Most spell-like abilities have a daily use limit (most often once a day or three times a day). A spell-like ability that is usable at will has no use limit at all, and the creature can use it as often as it likes; however, an at will ability still requires a standard action to use unless its description specifically says otherwise. As noted earlier, spell-like abilities with daily use limits become available to the creature automatically each day. The creature doesn't need to rest, study, or prepare for them in any way. In this case, a "day" is any contiguous period of 24 hours. There is no set "recharge" time for a spell-like ability. Instead, the creature can use the ability a set number of times in any given period of 24 hours. For example, a lillend can use its darkness spell-like ability three times a day. The lillend cannot create three darkness effects at 11 PM one day, then create three more two hours later (at 1 AM the next day). Instead, the lillend can use darkness up to three times during any period of 24 consecutive hours. If she creates darkness at 11 PM on a given day, she can use the ability only twice more during the following 24 hours. Let's say she uses the power again at 1 AM the next day and again at 7 AM that same day. She has exhausted her daily limit on her darkness ability at 7 AM. The earliest she can use the ability again is 11 PM on the second day, when she can use the power only once (because she already has used the power twice during the preceding 24 hours). If she doesn't use the power at all after 7 AM the second day, the earliest that she will have three uses available again will be 7 AM on the third day. 11 Going Metric Foreword So, you enjoy the D&D game, but you hail from a place where the metric system rules minor little things such as weights and measures. Well, you could buckle down and learn the good old English system. After all, it was developed in the Middle Ages, and it reflects a medieval approach to numbers. The system lends itself to division by halves, thirds, and quarters, which can be pretty handy if you're an illiterate peasant who lives in a cash-poor society where most personal transactions are accomplished through barter. So, using the English system will give you a more authentic medieval setting. Okay, so you're not so dedicated to an authentic medieval setting. You grew up thinking metric and you'd like to have a better idea of what the game's measurements actually represent. The table below shows some common English units and their metric conversion factors. Metric conversion factors Length One league equals 3 miles Game Measurement Multiply By Inches 25.4 Inches 2.54 Feet 30.5 Feet 0.305 Yards 0.914 Miles 1.61 Leagues 4.83 To Get Millimeters Centimeters Centimeters Meters Meters Kilometers Kilometers Area Game Measurement Square inches Square feet Square yards Square miles Acres Multiply By 6.45 0.093 0.836 2.56 0.405 To Get Square centimeters Square meters Square meters Square kilometers Hectares Multiply By 29.6 0.473 0.946 3.79 28,000 0.028 To Get Milliliters Liters Liters Liters Cubic centimeters Cubic meters Volume US measure Game Measurement Fluid ounces Pints Quarts Gallons Cubic feet Cubic feet Weight Short ton (2,000 pounds) Game Measurement Multiply By Ounces 28.3 Pounds 0.454 Tons 0.907 To Get Grams Kilograms Metric tons Converting Tactical Distances The basic unit of distance for all tactical movement and combat in the D&D game is 5 feet, which is the size of one square. Also, all ranges are given in numbers evenly divisible by 5. The conversion table shows that 5 feet is about 1.525 meters (5x0.305=1.525). The number 1.525 isn't a very practical one for gaming, so let's say that 5 feet equals 2 meters for game purposes. Why 2 meters? First, an even, whole number is more convenient to use than something that's closer to the mark, such as 1.5 meters. Also, other d20 games that were designed from the beginning using metric measurements, such as the Star Wars game, already use 2-meter squares. It's important to make all our distances conform to this number rather than trying to convert them directly. For example, a character with a speed of 30 (feet) has a speed of 12 (meters) in the metric game (not a speed of 9.15 meters). In either case, the character travels 6 squares in one move action. The table below shows common tactical speeds and their metric conversions: Speed Table (English Units) Tactical Speed In feet Base Speed (squares) Encumbered (squares) 100 20 70 14 90 18 65 13 80 16 60 12 70 14 50 10 60 12 40 8 50 10 35 7 40 8 30 6 30 6 20 5 20 4 15 3 15 3 10 2 10 2 5 1 5 1 5 1 12 One Minute (Local) In feet Use normal or encumbered speed, whichever applies to the creature. Current Speed 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 Walk 1,000 900 800 700 600 500 400 Hustle 2,000 1,800 1,600 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 Run (x3) 3,000 2,700 2,400 2,100 1,800 1,500 1,200 Run (x4) 4,000 3,600 3,200 2,800 2,400 2,000 1,600 30 300 600 900 1,200 20 200 400 600 800 15 150 300 450 600 10 100 200 300 400 5 50 100 150 200 One Hour (Overland) In miles. Use normal or encumbered speed, whichever Current Speed 100 90 80 70 60 Walk 10 9 8 7 6 Hustle 20 18 16 14 12 applies to the creature. 50 40 30 20 15 5 4 3 2 1.5 10 8 6 4 3 10 1 2 5 0.5 1 In miles. Use normal or encumbered speed, whichever applies to the creature. Current Speed 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 15 Walk 80 72 64 56 48 40 32 24 16 12 10 8 5 4 One Day (Overland) Speed Table -- English to (Metric Units) Speed (feet) Speed (meters) Speed (squares) 100 40 20 90 36 18 80 32 16 70 28 14 60 24 12 50 20 10 40 16 8 30 12 6 28 14 20 10 24 12 16 8 20 10 14 7 16 8 12 6 12 6 10 5 8 4 6 3 20 8 4 15 6 3 10 4 2 5 2 1 Speed Table (Metric Units) Tactical Speed In meters. Base Speed (squares) Encumbered (squares) 40 20 28 14 36 18 26 13 32 16 24 12 6 3 4 2 4 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 One Minute (Local) In meters. Use base or encumbered Current Speed 40 Walk 400 Hustle 800 Run (x3) 1,200 Run (x4) 1,600 speed, as applicable. 36 32 28 360 320 280 720 640 560 1,080 960 840 1,440 1,280 1,120 24 240 480 720 960 20 200 400 600 800 16 160 320 480 640 In kilometers. Use base or encumbered speed, as applicable. Current Speed 40 36 32 28 24 Walk 24 21.6 19.2 16.8 14.4 Hustle 48 43.2 38.4 33.6 28.8 20 12 24 16 9.6 19.2 12 7.2 14.4 12 120 240 360 480 8 80 160 240 320 6 60 120 180 240 8 4.8 9.6 6 3.6 7.2 4 2.4 4.8 4 40 80 120 160 2 20 40 60 80 One Hour (Overland) 2 1.2 2.4 One Day (Overland) In kilometers. Use base or encumbered speed, as applicable. Current Speed 40 36 32 28 Walk 192 172.8 153.6 134.4 24 115.2 20 96 16 76.8 12 57.6 8 38.4 6 28.8 4 19.2 2 9.6 Thrown and Projectile Weapon Ranges You can convert ranges for weapons using exactly the same method used for speeds. The table below shows metric ranges for the thrown and projectile weapons included in the Player's Handbook: Weapon Ranges Throwing Weapons Throwing weapons have a maximum range of 5 range increments. English Range Increment Metric Range Increment Axe, throwing 10 ft. 4m Bolas 10 ft. 4m Club 10 ft. 4m Dagger 10 ft. 4m Dart 20 ft. 8m Hammer, light 20 ft. 8m Javelin 30 ft. 12 m Net 10 ft. 4m Range Increment in Squares 2 2 2 2 4 4 6 2 13 Sai Shuriken Shortspear Spear Trident 10 10 20 20 10 ft. ft. ft. ft. ft. 4 4 8 8 4 m m m m m 2 2 4 4 2 Projectile Weapons Projectile weapons have a maximum range of 10 range increments. English Range Increment Metric Range Increment Crossbow, hand 30 ft. 12 m Crossbow, heavy (*) 120 ft. 48 m Crossbow, light (**) 80 ft. 32 m Longbow 100 ft. 40 m Longbow, composite 110 ft. 44 m Shortbow 60 ft. 24 m Shortbow, composite 70 ft. 28 m Sling 50 ft. 20 m (*) Includes the heavy repeating crossbow. (**) Includes the light repeating crossbow. Range Increment in Squares 6 24 16 20 22 12 14 10 Spells Spell Ranges Spell ranges can be converted in the same manner as speeds and weapon ranges. Common ranges are shown in the table below. When a spell has a range in feet that is not listed here, simply divide the range in feet by 5 to get the number of squares it reaches. To determine the range in meters, multiply the range in squares by 2. Range English Metric Squares Personal Caster Caster -Touch Subject touched Subject touched -Close 25 ft. + 5 ft./caster level 10 m + 2 m/caster level 5 + 1/caster level Medium 100 ft. + 10 ft./caster level 40 m + 4 m/caster level 20 + 2/caster level Long 400 ft. + 40 ft./caster level 160 m + 16 m/caster level 80 + 8/caster level 0 feet Subject touched (*) Subject touched (*) -10 feet 10 feet 2m 2 10 feet/level 10 feet/caster level 4 m/caster level 2/caster level 15 feet 5 feet 2m 1 20 feet 20 feet 8m 4 30 feet 30 feet 12 m 6 40 feet/level 40 feet/caster level 16 m/caster level 8/caster level 50 feet 50 feet 20 m 10 60 feet 60 feet 24 m 12 120 feet 120 feet 48 m 24 1 mile/level 1 mile/caster level 2.1 kilometers/caster level (**) 1,056 5 miles 5 miles 10.5 kilometers (**) 5,280 (*) Spells with a range of 0 feet generally involve placing some kind of sigil, glyph, or sign on something else. Such spells effectively have a range of touch but you cannot "hold the charge" as you can with a touch spell. (**) Range rounded down to the nearest 10th kilometer. Spell Areas Basic spell areas convert as shown in the table below. When a spell has an area measured in feet that is not listed here, simply divide the area's dimensions in feet by 5 to get the dimension in squares. To determine the dimension in meters, multiply the dimension in squares by 2. Bursts English 5-ft. radius 10-ft. radius 20-ft. radius 40-ft. radius 80-ft. radius Metric 2-m radius 4-m radius 8-m radius 16-m radius 32-m radius Squares 1-square radius 2-square radius 4-square radius 8-square radius 16-square radius Cones English 15 ft. 30 ft. 60 ft. Metric 6m 12 m 24 m Squares 3 6 12 Creatures English All allies and foes within A 40-foot radius burst All allies within 50 ft. All enemies within 50 ft. Creatures no more than 30 ft. apart Metric All allies and foes within A 16-m radius burst All allies within 20 m All enemies within 20 m Creatures no more than 12 m apart Squares All allies and foes within An 8-square burst All allies within 10 squares All enemies within 10 squares Creatures no more than 6 squares apart 14 Creatures no more than 60 ft. apart Creatures no more than 24 m apart Creatures no more than 12 squares apart Cylinders English 10-ft. radius 20-ft. radius Metric 4-m radius 8-m radius Squares 2-square radius 4-square radius Emanations English 5-ft. radius 10-ft. radius 20-ft. radius 40-ft. radius 60-ft. radius Metric 2-m radius 4-m radius 8-m radius 16-m radius 24-m radius Squares 1-square radius 2-square radius 4-square radius 8-square radius 12-square radius Lines English 5 ft. wide Metric 2 m wide Squares 1 square wide Spreads English 10-ft. radius 20-ft. radius 40-ft. radius 80-ft. radius Metric 4-m radius 8-m radius 16-m radius 32-m radius Squares 2-square radius 4-square radius 8-square radius 16-square radius Metric 2-m cube 4-m cubes 8-m cubes 12-m cubes 24-m cubes 4-m square 8-m square Squares 1-square cube 2-square cubes 4-square cubes 6-square cubes 12-square cubes 2-square square 4-square square Others English 5-ft. cube 10-ft. cubes 20-ft. cubes 30-ft. cubes 60-ft. cubes 10-ft. square 20-ft. square Converting Character Height and Weight Unlike tactical distances, character height and weight in the D&D game isn't based on any basic unit of game distance. You can simply generate your character's height and weight according to Table 6-6 in the Player's Handbook and convert the measurements you get into metric units using the table at the beginning of this article. Or, you can use the height and weight table given below. The table will generally produce slightly shorter and lighter characters than you'll get if you use 6-6 in the Player's Handbook and then convert the measurements. Random Height and Weight Add the height modifier to the base height. To determine weight, first determine height. Multiply one half (round down) the character's height modifier by the weight modifier and add the result to the base weight. Race Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier Human, man 150 cm +2d20 50 kg x(1d4) kg Human, woman 140 cm +2d20 40 kg x(1d4) kg Dwarf, man 115 cm +2d8 60 kg x(1d6) kg Dwarf, woman 110 cm +2d8 46 kg x(1d6) kg Elf, man 135 cm +2d12 39 kg x(1d3) kg Elf, woman 135 cm +2d12 37 kg x(1d3) kg Gnome, man 92 cm +2d8 19 kg x0.5 kg Gnome, woman 87 cm +2d8 16 kg x0.5 kg Half-elf, man 138 cm +4d8 46 kg x(1d4) kg Half-elf, woman 133 cm +4d8 37 kg x(1d4) kg Half-orc, man 150 cm +2d20 60 kg x(1d4) kg Half-orc, woman 140 cm +2d20 41 kg x(1d4) kg Halfling, man 82 cm +2d8 14 kg x0.5 kg Halfling, woman 77 cm +2d8 12 kg x0.5 kg Converting Money and Equipment The game's monetary system is unique to the game and requires no conversion for use with metric weights and measures. It is best to assume that a single coin weighs about 10 grams (100 coins to a kilogram). Likewise, the weights for most items can be converted directly to metric units and rounded off to the most convenient number for game play. The tables that follow give metric weights for the equipment shown in the Player's Handbook. All of the metric values have been rounded off to whole units where possible. This rounding makes most equipment slightly heavier under the metric system and also gives most containers slightly more capacity under the metric system. Trade Goods Cost 1 cp Item 0.5 kg of wheat 15 2 cp 1 sp 5 sp 1 gp 2 gp 3 gp 4 gp 5 gp 10 gp 15 gp 50 gp 500 gp 0.5 kg of flour or one chicken 0.5 kg of iron 0.5 kg of tobacco or copper 0.5 kg of cinnamon or one goat 0.5 kg of ginger or pepper or one sheep One pig 1 square meter of linen 0.5 kg of salt or silver 1 square meter of silk or one cow 0.5 kg of saffron or cloves, or 1 ox 0.5 kg of gold 0.5 kg of platinum Weapons Weights are for Medium weapons. Small weapons weigh half as much. Large weapons weigh twice as much. When two types are given, the weapon is both types if the entry specifies "and" or either type (player's choice at the time of the attack) if the weapon specifies "or." Simple Weapons Unarmed Attacks Cost Dmg Dmg Dmg Critical Range (S) (M) (L) Increment Gauntlet 2 gp 1d2 1d3 1d4 x2 -Strike, unarmed (NL) -1d2 1d3 1d4 x2 -(NL) The weapon deals nonlethal damage rather than lethal damage. Light Melee Weapons Dagger Cost Dagger, punching Gauntlet, spiked Mace, light Sickle 2 5 5 6 One-Handed Melee Weapons Club Mace, heavy Morningstar Cost 2 gp gp gp gp gp Dmg (S) 1d3 Dmg (M) 1d4 Dmg (L) 1d6 1d3 1d3 1d4 1d4 1d4 1d4 1d6 1d6 1d6 1d6 1d8 1d8 Critical 19-20/x2 0.5 kg x3 x2 x2 x2 ----- 1 kg 1 kg 3 kg 1.5 kg Piercing or slashing Piercing Piercing Bludgeoning Slashing Critical -12 gp 8 gp 1 gp 1d4 1d6 1d8 Ranged Weapons Crossbow, heavy Bolts, crossbow (10) Crossbow, light Bolts, crossbow (10) Dart Javelin Sling Bullets, sling (10) Cost 50 gp 1 gp 35 gp 1 gp 5 sp 1 gp -1 sp Dmg (M) 1d8 1d6/1d6 1d8 Weight Type x2 x2 x2 Range Increment 4m --- 1.5 kg 6 kg 4 kg x2 8m 1.5 kg Bludgeoning Bludgeoning Bludgeoning and piercing Piercing Dmg (L) 2d6 1d8/1d8 2d6 Dmg (S) 1d8 -1d6 -1d3 1d4 1d3 -- Dmg (M) 1d10 -1d8 -1d4 1d6 1d4 -- Dmg (L) 2d8 -2d6 -1d6 1d8 1d6 -- Dmg (S) 1d4 1d3 1d4 1d3 1d3 1d4 1d2 1d4 1d3 1d4 Dmg (M) 1d6 1d4 1d6 1d4 1d4 1d6 1d3 1d6 1d4 1d6 Dmg (L) 1d8 1d6 1d8 1d6 1d6 1d8 1d4 1d8 1d6 1d8 Bludgeoning Bludgeoning Type Dmg (L) 1d8 1d10 1d10 Dmg (S) 1d6 1d4/1d4 1d6 1 kg -- Weight Dmg (M) 1d6 1d8 1d8 Two-Handed Cost Melee Weapons Longspear (R) 5 gp Quarterstaff (D) -Spear 2 gp (R) Reach weapon. (D) Double weapon. Type Range Increment 4m Dmg (S) 1d4 1d6 1d6 Shortspear Weight Critical x3 x2 x3 Critical 19-20/x2 -19-20/x2 -x2 x2 x2 -- Range Increment --8m Weight Type 4.5 kg 2 kg 2.5 kg Piercing Bludgeoning Piercing Range Increment 48 m -32 m -8m 12 m 20 m -- Weight Type 4 kg 0.5 kg 3 kg 0.5 kg 0.25 kg 1 kg -2.5 kg Piercing -Piercing -Piercing Piercing Bludgeoning -- Range Increment 4m 8m --------- Weight Type 1 kg 1 kg 1.5 kg 1 kg 1.5 kg 1 kg special special special 1 kg Slashing Bludgeoning Slashing Slashing Piercing Bludgeoning Bludgeoning Piercing Piercing Piercing Martial Weapons Light Melee Weapons Axe, throwing Hammer, light Handaxe Kukri Pick, light Sap (NL) Shield, light Spiked armor Spiked shield, light Sword, short Cost 8 gp 1 gp 6 gp 8 gp 4 gp 1 gp special special special 10 gp Critical x2 x2 x3 18-20/x2 x4 x2 x2 x2 x2 19-20/x2 16 (NL) The weapon deals nonlethal damage rather than lethal damage. One-Handed Melee Weapons Battleaxe Flail Longsword Pick, heavy Rapier Scimitar Shield, heavy Spiked shield, heavy Trident Warhammer Two-Handed Melee Weapons Falchion Glaive (R) Greataxe Greatclub Flail, heavy Greatsword Guisarme (R) Halberd Lance (R) Ranseur (R) Scythe Cost Dmg (S) 1d6 1d6 1d6 1d4 1d4 1d4 1d3 1d4 1d6 1d6 10 gp 8 gp 15 gp 8 gp 20 gp 15 gp special special 15 gp 12 gp Cost Dmg (M) 1d8 1d8 1d8 1d6 1d6 1d6 1d4 1d6 1d8 1d8 Dmg (L) 2d6 2d6 2d6 1d8 1d8 1d8 1d6 1d8 2d6 2d6 75 gp 8 gp 20 gp 5 gp 15 gp 50 gp 9 gp 10 gp Dmg (S) 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d8 1d8 1d10 1d6 1d8 Dmg (M) 1d8 1d10 1d12 1d10 1d10 2d6 1d8 1d10 Dmg (L) 2d6 2d8 3d6 2d8 2d8 3d6 2d6 2d8 10 gp 10 gp 18 gp 1d6 1d6 1d6 1d8 1d8 1d8 2d6 2d6 2d6 Critical x3 x2 19-20/x2 x4 18-20/x2 18-20/x2 x2 x2 x2 x3 Critical Range Increment --------4m -- Weight Type 3 kg 2.5 kg 2 kg 3 kg 1 kg 2 kg special special 2 kg 2.5 kg Slashing Bludgeoning Slashing Piercing Piercing Slashing Bludgeoning Piercing Piercing Bludgeoning Weight 18-20/x2 x3 x3 X2 19-20/x2 19-20/x2 x3 x3 Range Increment --------- x3 x3 x4 ---- 5 kg 6 kg 5 kg 4 5 6 4 5 4 6 6 Type kg kg kg kg kg kg kg kg Slashing Slashing Slashing Bludgeoning Bludgeoning Slashing Slashing Piercing or slashing Piercing Piercing Piercing or Slashing (R) Reach weapon. Ranged Weapons Longbow Arrows (20) Longbow, composite Arrows (20) Shortbow Arrows (20) Shortbow, composite Arrows (20) Cost Dmg (S) 1d6 -1d6 -1d4 -1d4 -- 75 gp 1 gp 100 gp 1 gp 30 gp 1 gp 75 gp 1 gp Dmg (M) 1d8 -1d8 -1d6 -1d6 -- Dmg (L) 2d6 -2d6 -1d8 -1d8 -- Critical x3 -x3 -x3 -x3 -- Range Increment 40 m -44 m -24 m -28 m -- Weight Type 1.5 kg 1.5 kg 1.5 kg 1.5 kg 1 kg 1.5 kg 1 kg 1.5 kg Piercing -Piercing -Piercing -Piercing -- Exotic Weapons Light Melee Weapons Kama Nunchaku Sai Siangham Cost 2 2 1 3 gp gp gp gp Dmg (S) 1d4 1d4 1d3 1d4 Dmg (M) 1d6 1d6 1d4 1d6 Dmg (L) 1d8 1d8 1d6 1d8 Critical x2 x2 x2 x2 Range Increment --4m -- Weight Type 1 kg 1 kg 0.5 kg 0.5 kg Slashing Bludgeoning Bludgeoning Piercing One-Handed Cost Dmg Dmg Dmg Critical Range Melee Weapons (S) (M) (L) Increment Sword, bastard 35 gp 1d8 1d10 2d8 19-20/x2 -Waraxe, dwarven 30 gp 1d8 1d10 2d8 x3 -Whip (NL) (R) 1 gp 1d2 1d3 1d4 x2 -(NL) The weapon deals nonlethal damage rather than lethal damage. (R) Reach weapon. Two-Handed Melee Weapons Axe, orc double (D) Chain, spiked (R) Flail, dire (D) Hammer, gnome hooked (D) Sword, two-bladed (D) Urgrosh, dwarven (D) Cost 60 25 90 20 gp gp gp gp 100 gp 50 gp Dmg (S) 1d6/1d6 1d6 1d6/1d6 1d6/1d4 Dmg (M) 1d8/1d8 2d4 1d8/1d8 1d8/1d6 Dmg (L) 2d6/2d6 2d6 2d6/2d6 2d6/1d8 Critical 1d6/1d6 1d6/1d4 1d8/1d8 1d8/1d6 2d6/2d6 2d6/1d8 Weight Type 5 kg 7.5 kg 1 kg Slashing Slashing Slashing Weight Type x3 x2 x2 x3/x4 Range Increment ----- 7.5 kg 5 kg 5 kg 3 kg 19-20/x2 x3 --- 5 kg 6 kg Slashing Piercing Bludgeoning Bludgeoning and piercing Slashing Slashing or Piercing (R) Reach weapon. (D) Double weapon. Ranged Weapons Cost Dmg (S) Dmg (M) Dmg (L) Critical Range Increment Weight Type 17 Bolas (NL) 5 gp 1d3 1d4 1d6 x2 Crossbow, hand 100 gp 1d3 1d4 1d6 19-20/x2 Bolts (10) 1 gp ----Crossbow, repeating heavy 400 gp 1d8 1d10 2d8 19-20/x2 Bolts (5) 1 gp ----Crossbow, repeating light 250 gp 1d6 1d8 2d6 19-20/x2 Bolts (5) 1 gp ----Net 20 gp ----Shuriken 1 gp 1 1d2 1d3 x2 (NL) The weapon deals nonlethal damage rather than lethal damage. 4m 12 m -48 m -32 m -4m 4m 1 kg 1 kg 0.5 kg 6 kg 0.5 kg 3 kg 0.5 kg 3 kg 0.25 kg Bludgeoning . Piercing -Piercing -Piercing --Piercing Armor and Shields Armor The table shows the armor's weight when fitted for Medium characters. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half as much. Armor fitted for Large characters weighs twice as much. Light Armor Armor Max Check Arcane Speed Speed Speed Weight Armor Cost Bonus Dex Penalty Spell (16m) (12m) (8m) Bonus Failure Padded 5 gp 1 8 0 5% 16 m 12 m 8m 5 kg Leather 10 gp 2 6 0 10% 16 m 12 m 8m 7.5 kg Studded leather 25 gp 3 5 -1 15% 16 m 12 m 8m 10 kg Chain shirt 100 gp 4 4 -2 20% 16 m 12 m 8m 12.5 kg Medium Armor Armor Cost Armor Bonus Hide Scale mail Chainmail Breastplate 15 gp 50 gp 150 gp 200 gp 3 4 5 5 Heavy Armor Armor Cost Max Dex Bonus 4 3 2 3 Check Penalty -3 -4 -5 -4 Arcane Spell Failure 20% 25% 30% 25% Speed (16m) 12 12 12 12 m m m m Speed (12m) 8 8 8 8 Speed (8m) m m m m Armor Bonus Max Check Arcane Speed Speed Dex Penalty Spell (16m) (12m) Bonus Failure Splint mail 200 gp 6 0 -7 40% 12 m 8m Banded mail 250 gp 6 1 -6 35% 12 m 8m Half-plate 600 gp 7 0 -7 40% 12 m 8m Full plate 1,500 gp 8 1 -6 35% 12 m 8m When running in heavy armor, you move only triple your speed, not quadruple. 6 6 6 6 m m m m Speed (8m) 6 6 6 6 m m m m Weight 12.5 kg 15 kg 20 kg 15 kg Weight 22.5 kg 17.5 kg 25 kg 25 kg Shields Heavy Armor Armor Cost Buckler Shield, light, wooden Shield, light, steel Shield, heavy, wooden Shield, Heavy, steel Shield, tower (*) (*) The tower shield can 15 gp 3 gp 9 gp 7 gp 20 gp 30 gp instead Armor Bonus Max Check Arcane Speed Speed Speed Dex Penalty Spell (16m) (12m) (8m) Bonus Failure 1 --1 5% ---1 --1 5% ---1 --1 5% ---2 --2 15% ---2 --2 15% ---+4 --10 50% ---grant you cover. See the item description in the Player's Handbook. Weight 2.5 kg 2.5 kg 3 kg 5 kg 7.5 kg 22.5 kg Extras Extras Armor Cost Armor Bonus Max Check Arcane Speed Speed Dex Penalty Spell (16m) (12m) Bonus Failure Armor spikes +50 gp ------Gauntlet, locked 8 gp --Special (*) --Shield spikes +10 gp ------(*) Your hand is not free to cast spells when you wear a locked gauntlet on it. Speed (8m) Weight ---- +5 kg +2.5 kg +2.5 kg General Equipment and Encumbrance The final Going Metric installment converts general equipment as well as encumbrance and carrying capacity. Adventuring Gear Item Backpack (empty) (*) Barrel (empty) Basket (empty) Bedroll (*) Bell Blanket, winter (*) Block and tackle Bottle, wine, glass Cost 2 gp 2 gp 4 sp 1 sp 1 gp 5 sp 5 gp 2 gp Weight 1 kg 15 kg 0.5 kg 2.5 kg -1.5 kg 2.5 kg -18 Bucket (empty) 5 sp 1 kg Caltrops 1 gp 1 kg Candle 1 cp -Canvas (sq. meter) 1 sp 0.5 kg Case, map or scroll 1 gp 0.25 kg Chain (4 m) 30 gp 1 kg Chalk, 1 piece 1 cp -Chest (empty) 2 gp 12.5 kg Crowbar 2 gp 2.5 kg Firewood (per day) 1 cp 10 kg Fishhook 1 sp -Fishing net, 4 sq. meters 4 gp 2.5 kg Flask 3 cp -Flint and steel 1 gp -Grappling hook 1 gp 2 kg Hammer 5 sp 1 kg Ink (30 ml vial) 8 gp -Inkpen 1 sp -Jug, clay 3 cp 4.5 kg Ladder, 4 meters 5 cp 10 kg Lamp, common 1 sp 0.5 kg Lantern, bullseye 12 gp 1.5 kg Lantern, hooded 7 gp 1 kg Lock 0.5 kg Very simple 20 gp Average 40 gp Good 80 gp Amazing 150 gp Manacles 15 gp 1 kg Manacles, masterwork 50 gp 1 kg Mirror, small steel 10 gp 0.25 kg Mug/tankard, clay 2 cp 0.5 kg Oil (500 ml flask) 1 sp 0.5 kg Paper (sheet) 4 sp -Parchment (sheet) 2 sp -Pick, miner's 3 gp 5 kg Pitcher, clay 2 cp 2.5 kg Piton 1 sp 0.25 kg Pole, 4 meters 2 sp 4 kg Pot, iron 5 sp 5 kg Pouch, belt (*) 1 gp 0.5 kg Ram, portable 10 gp 10 kg Rations, trail (per day) (**) 5 sp 0.5 kg Rope, hemp (20 m) 1 gp 5 kg Rope, silk (20 m) 10 gp 2.5 kg Sack (empty) (*) 1 sp 0.25 kg Sealing wax 1 gp 0.5 kg Sewing needle 5 sp -Signal whistle 8 sp -Signet ring 5 gp -Sledge 1 gp 5 kg Soap (per 0.5 kg ) 5 sp 0.5 kg Spade or shovel 2 gp 4 kg Spyglass 1,000 gp 0.5 kg Tent (*) 10 gp 10 kg Torch 1 cp 0.5 kg Vial, ink or potion 1 gp -Waterskin (empty) 1 gp -Whetstone 2 cp 0.5 kg -- No weight, or no weight worth mentioning. (*) When made for Medium characters. Weighs one-quarter the normal amount when made for Small characters. Weighs twice the normal amount when made for Large characters. Containers carry one-quarter the normal amount when made for Small characters. (**) Weight assumes rations for a Medium character. Rations for small characters weigh one-quarter as much, but also contain only one-quarter of the food and cost one-quarter as much. Special Substances and Items Item Acid (flask) Alchemist's fire (flask) Antitoxin (vial) Everburning torch Holy water (flask) Smokestick Cost 10 gp 20 gp 50 gp 110 gp 25 gp 20 gp Weight 0.5 kg 0.5 kg -0.5 kg 0.5 kg 0.25 kg 19 Sunrod 2 gp 0.5 kg Tanglefoot bag 50 gp 2 kg Thunderstone 30 gp 0.5 kg Tindertwig 1 gp --- No weight, or no weight worth mentioning. Tools and Skill Kits Item Cost Weight Alchemist's lab 500 gp 20 kg Artisan's tools 5 gp 2.5 kg Artisan's tools, masterwork 55 gp 2.5 kg Climber's kit (*) 80 gp 2.5 kg Disguise kit (*) 50 gp 8 lb. Healer's kit 50 gp 0.5 kg Holly and mistletoe --Holy symbol, wooden 1 gp -Holy symbol, silver 25 gp 0.5 kg Hourglass 25 gp 0.5 kg Magnifying glass 100 gp -Musical instrument, common (*) 5 gp 1.5 kg Musical instrument, masterwork (*) 100 gp 1.5 kg Scale, merchant's 2 gp 0.5 kg Spell component pouch 5 gp 1 kg Spellbook, wizard's (blank) 15 gp 1.5 kg Thieves' tools 30 gp 0.5 kg Thieves' tools, masterwork 100 gp 1kg Tool, masterwork 50 gp 0.5 kg Water clock 1,000 gp 100 kg -- No weight, or no weight worth mentioning. (*) When made for Medium characters. Weighs one-quarter the normal amount when made for Small characters. Weighs twice the normal amount when made for Large characters. Clothing When made for Medium characters. Weighs one-quarter the normal amount when made for Small characters. Weighs twice the normal amount when made for Large characters. Item Cost Weight Artisan's outfit 1 gp 2 kg Cleric's vestments 5 gp 3 kg Cold weather outfit 8 gp 3.5 kg Courtier's outfit 30 gp 3 kg Entertainer's outfit 3 gp 2 kg Explorer's outfit 10 gp 4 kg Monk's outfit 5 gp 1 kg Noble's outfit 75 gp 5 kg Peasant's outfit 1 sp 1 kg Royal outfit 200 gp 12.5 kg Scholar's outfit 5 gp 3 kg Traveler's outfit 1 gp 2.5 kg Food, Drink, and Lodging Item Cost Weight Ale 2 liters 1 sp 2 kg Mug 4 cp 0.5 kg Banquet (per person) 10 gp -Bread, per loaf 2 cp 0.25 kg Cheese, hunk of 1 sp 0.25 kg Inn stay (per day) (*) -Good 2 gp Common 5 sp Poor 2 sp Meals (per day) (*) -Good 5 sp Common 3 sp Poor 1 sp Meat, chunk of 3 sp 0.25 kg Rations, trail (per day) (*) 5 sp 0.5 kg Wine Common (pitcher) 2 sp 3 kg Fine (bottle) 10 gp 1.25 kg -- No weight, or no weight worth mentioning. (*) Weight assumes rations for a Medium character. Rations for small characters weigh one-quarter as much, but also contain only one-quarter of the food and cost one-quarter as much. 20 Mounts and Related Gear Item Barding Medium creature Large creature Bit and bridle Dog, riding Donkey or mule Feed (per day) Horse Horse, heavy Horse, light Pony Warhorse, heavy Warhorse, light Warpony Saddle Military Pack Riding Saddle, Exotic Military Pack Riding Saddlebags Stabling (per day) -- No weight, or no Cost x2 x4 Weight x1 x2 2 gp 150 gp 8 gp 5 cp 0.5 kg --5 kg -- 200 gp 75 gp 30 gp 400 gp 150 gp 100 gp 20 gp 5 gp 10 gp 15 kg 7.5 kg 12.5 kg 60 gp 20 kg 15 gp 10 kg 30 gp 15 kg 4 gp 4 kg 5 sp -weight worth mentioning. Transport Item Carriage Cart Galley Keelboat Longship Rowboat Oar Sailing ship Sled Wagon Warship -- No weight, Cost Weight 100 gp 300 kg 15 gp 100 kg 30,000 gp -3,000 gp -10,000 gp -50 gp 50 kg 2 gp 5 kg 10,000 gp -20 gp 150 kg 35 gp 200 kg 25,000 gp -or no weight worth mentioning. Containers and Carriers Hauling Vehicles Item Cost Cart Sled Wagon 15 gp 20 gp 35 gp Empty Weight (English Units) 200 lb. 300 lb. 400 lb. Holds or Carries (English Units) 1/2 ton 1 ton 2 tons Empty Weight (Metric Units) 100 kg 150 kg 200 kg Holds or Carries (Metric Units) 500 kg 1,000 kg 2,000 kg Dry Goods A barrel filled with liquid holds about 75 gallons or about 300 liters. A bucket filled with liquid holds about 7 gallons or about 30 liters. Item Cost Empty Holds or Carries Empty Holds or Carries Weight (English Units) Weight (Metric Units) (English (Metric Units) Units) Backpack 2 gp 2 lb. (*) 1 cubic ft./60 lb. (*) 1 kg (*) 0.03 cubic meters/30 kg Barrel 2 gp 30 lb. 10 cubic ft./650 lb. 15 kg 0.3 cubic meters/300 kg Basket 4 sp 1 lb. 2 cubic ft./20 lb. 0.5 kg 0.06 cubic meters/10 kg Bucket 5 sp 2 lb. 1 cubic ft./65 lb. 1 kg 0.03 cubic meters/30 kg Chest 2 gp 25 lb. 2 cubic ft./200 lb. 12.5 kg 0.06 cubic meters/100 kg Pouch, belt 1 gp 1/2 lb. (*) 1/5 cubic ft./10 lb. (*) 0.25 kg (*) 6,000 cubic centimeters/5 kg Sack 1 sp 1/2 lb. (*) 1 cubic ft./60 lb. (*) 0.25 kg (*) 0.03 cubic meters/30 kg Saddlebags 4 gp 8 lb. 5 cubic ft./250 lb. 4 kg 0.15 cubic meters/125 kg Spell component pouch 5 gp 1/4 lb. (*) 1/8 cubic ft./2 lb. 0.125 kg (*) 3,750 cubic centimeters/1 kg (*) When made for Medium characters. Weighs one-quarter the normal amount when made for Small characters. Weighs twice the normal amount when made for Large characters. Containers carry one-quarter the normal amount when made for Small characters. Liquids Item Cost Empty Weight (English Units) Holds or Carries (English Units) Empty Weight (Metric Units) Holds or Carries (Metric Units) 21 Bottle, wine, glass 2 gp -1 1/2 pints/1.5 lb. -0.33 liters/0.33 kg Flask 3 cp -1 pint/1 lb. -0.25 liters/0.25 kg Jug, clay 3 cp 1 lb. 1 gallon/8 lb. 0.5 kg 4 liters/4 kg Mug/tankard, clay 2 cp -1 pint/1 lb. -0.25 liters/0.25 kg Pitcher, clay 2 cp 1 lb. 1/2 gallon/4 lb. 0.5 kg 4 liters/4 kg Pot, iron 5 sp 2 lb. 1 gallon/8 lb. 0.5 kg 4 liters/4 kg Vial, ink or potion 1 gp -1 ounce/--30 ml/-Waterskin 1 gp -1/2 gallon/4 lb. (*) -2 liters/2 kg -- No weight worth mentioning (*) When made for Medium characters. Weighs one-quarter the normal amount when made for Small characters. Weighs twice the normal amount when made for Large characters. Containers carry one-quarter the normal amount when made for Small characters. Converting Encumbrance and Carrying Capacity A character's ability to carry a load under the metric system can be converted directly from pounds to kilograms. The numbers given below use the same rounding methods used to convert the weight of equipment in the previous sections, so that a character can carry about the same weight no matter what system of weights and measures is in use. Strength Light Load Medium Load Heavy Load 1 Up to 1.5 kg 1.6-3 kg 4-5 kg 2 Up to 3 kg 4-6 kg 7-10 kg 3 Up to 5 kg 6-10 kg 11-15 kg 4 Up to 7 kg 8-13 kg 14-20 kg 5 Up to 8 kg 9-16 kg 17-25 kg 6 Up to 10 kg 11-20 kg 21-30 kg 7 Up to 11 kg 12-23 kg 24-35 kg 8 Up to 13 kg 14-26 kg 27-40 kg 9 Up to 15 kg 16-30 kg 31-45 kg 10 Up to 17 kg 18-33 kg 34-50 kg 11 Up to 19 kg 20-38 kg 39-58 kg 12 Up to 21 kg 22-43 kg 44-65 kg 13 Up to 25 kg 26-50 kg 51-75 kg 14 Up to 29 kg 30-58 kg 59-88 kg 15 Up to 33 kg 34-67 kg 68-100 kg 16 Up to 38 kg 39-77 kg 78-115 kg 17 Up to 43 kg 44-87 kg 88-130 kg 18 Up to 50 kg 51-100 kg 101-150 kg 19 Up to 58 kg 59-117 kg 118-175 kg 20 Up to 67 kg 68-133 kg 134-200 kg 21 Up to 77 kg 78-153 kg 154-230 kg 22 Up to 87 kg 88-173 kg 174-260 kg 23 Up to 100 kg 101-200 kg 201-300 kg 24 Up to 117 kg 118-233 kg 234-350 kg 25 Up to 133 kg 134-267 kg 268-400 kg 26 Up to 153 kg 154-307 kg 308-460 kg 27 Up to 173 kg 174-347 kg 348-520 kg 28 Up to 200 kg 201-400 kg 401-600 kg 29 Up to 233 kg 234-467 kg 468-700 kg +10 x4 x4 x4 22 Polymorphing Foreword The ability to change forms has been part of fantastic lore since the dawn of time. From the werewolf to the doppelganger to wizard, creatures that can assume another guise and masquerade as something they're not are justifiably admired and feared. So, it's no surprise that the D&D game allows for several different modes of shape shifting. Dealing with a monster or character in a different form can get confusing; exactly what happens when a wizard polymorphs into a bluebird? Just what can a druid do when wildshaped into wolf? If you get a feeling of impending doom whenever someone even mentions the polymorph spell, read on and fear polymorphing no longer. The Basics of Polymorphing Polymorphing is just one of a set of related magical effects in the D&D game in which the subject creature assumes a new physical form while retaining its essential identity and abilities. These effects include the alter self spell, polymorph spells (polymorph, baleful polymorph, and polymorph any object), the shape change spell, the wildshape class feature, and the alternate form special quality. The rules that govern these effects are similar. Polymorphing Terminology Though the game lacks terms that deal specifically with polymorphing, the rules for polymorph effects make repeated use of several basic game terms, and it pays to know them: Special Attack: A unique or unusual ability a creature can use to harm or hinder other creatures. Special Quality: A unique or unusual ability a creature has that is not offensive in nature. Extraordinary Ability: Extraordinary abilities are nonmagical. They are, however, not something that just anyone can do or even learn to do without natural talent or extensive training. Effects or areas that negate or disrupt magic have no effect on extraordinary abilities. Extraordinary abilities often depend on particular physical adaptations that a creature has. Changing form often strips the recipient of some extraordinary abilities, but grants some extraordinary abilities that the assumed form has. In general, when you assume a new form, you lose any extraordinary special attacks and special qualities you have unless you get them from a character class. You usually gain any extraordinary special attacks your assumed form has, but not the assumed form's extraordinary special qualities. That's because most extraordinary special attacks are based off gross physical features (such a big, nasty claws and teeth) while extraordinary special qualities tend to be subtler and largely derived from a creature's essential nature. Spell-Like Ability: Spell-like abilities are magical. A creature usually retains its spell-like abilities when it assumes another form because spell-like abilities are primarily mental in nature. You don't gain an assumed form's spell-like abilities when polymorphing or even when using the very powerful shape change spell. Supernatural Ability: Supernatural abilities are magical but not spell-like. Some supernatural abilities depend on specific parts of the user's body, but most are derived from a creature's essential self. When polymorphing, you retain most of your own supernatural abilities, but you don't gain the assumed form's supernatural abilities unless you're using the shape change spell. When a supernatural ability depends on part of your body that your assumed form does not have, such as a mouth for a breath weapon or eyes for a gaze attack, you lose that supernatural ability when in the assumed form. Natural Ability: This term is a catch-all for just about anything a creature can do (or characteristic that it has) that is not extraordinary, spell-like, or supernatural. Natural abilities include most speed ratings (some very high speeds are not "natural," see the section on the alter self spell), mode of breathing (lungs, gills), natural armor and weaponry, general appearance, body type, and the presence or absence of the five basic senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, pain). When polymorphing, you generally lose your own natural abilities and gain those of your assumed form. The Alter Self Spell The spell alter self provides the baseline for all other polymorph effects in the game. Once you understand how alter self works, you're well on your way to understanding how any similar effect works. Here are the essential features of the alter self spell: Personal range spell with a target entry of "you" You can't use alter self to change anyone or anything other than yourself. If you have a familiar, mount, or other companion with the share spells ability, you can change both yourself and your familiar or companion. Your familiar or companion must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the effect, and it stops affecting the familiar or companion if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar or companion again even if it returns to you before the spell's duration expires. You choose a form for yourself and for your familiar or companion. The forms you choose don't have to be the same. In fact, in most cases, they cannot be the same because alter self allows the subject to assume a form of the same type as itself only (see the next point). Creature type The form you assume must be a creature of the same type as yours. You can't use this spell to assume the form of an object, or of any kind of creature type other than your own. There's no limit to the subtypes you can assume, so long as the base type is the same as your own. For example if you're a human, your type and subtype is humanoid (human), so you can assume the form of any other humanoid creature, such as an orc, goblin, dwarf, or elf. Note that the monstrous humanoid type is different from the humanoid type. If you're a human, you can't use alter self to assume the form of a monstrous humanoid creature such as a sahuagin or minotaur. When you share an alter self spell with a familiar or companion, the familiar or companion assumes a form of the same type as its own. While an animal becomes a magical beast upon becoming a familiar, such a creature must assume the form of an animal when sharing an alter self spell. For example, a cat familiar is a magical beast; when it shares an alter self spell, it assumes the form of an animal, such as a dog, a bird or a bat, not the form of a magical beast. 23 Duration You remain in your assumed form until the spell ends. The spell is dismissible; if you are the spellcaster, you can end the spell during your turn with a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If you share the spell with a familiar or companion, the recipient cannot dismiss the effect, though the effect still ends for the familiar or companion if it moves farther than 5 feet away from you. Hit Dice The form you assume can't have Hit Dice of more than your caster level, to a maximum of 5 Hit Dice. A form's Hit Dice refers to its racial Hit Dice -- the Hit Dice it has before adding any class levels. See the assumed form's creature description (in the Monster Manual or other publication) for its Hit Dice. In some cases, the limit of 5 Hit Dice might keep you from using alter self to assume the form of your own kind. For example, if you're a spellcasting stone giant, you technically cannot use alter self to assume the form of another stone giant because stone giants have 14 Hit Dice. As an unofficial rule of thumb, you should always be able to use alter self to assume the form of your own kind. Size The assumed form you choose must have a size that is within one size category of your own. Even if the form you choose falls within the spell's Hit Dice limit, its size might preclude you from assuming that form with alter self. If you're size Medium yourself, you can assume forms of Small, Medium, or Large size only. If you're size Small, you can assume forms of Tiny, Small, or Medium size only. Ability scores You retain your own ability scores when in your assumed form. You might appear strong or agile in your assumed form, but none of your ability scores change when you use the alter self spell. Class, level, hit points… You retain your class and level, hit points, alignment, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses when in your assumed form. You're still your same old self -- just in body that has changed superficially. Though not specifically mentioned in the alter self spell description, you also retain everything else that your class and level gives you, including skill ranks and feats. Supernatural and spell-like attacks and qualities You retain the supernatural and spell-like special attacks and qualities of your normal form, except for those requiring a body part that the new form does not have. As noted above, you lose breath weapons if the assumed form doesn't have a mouth, and you lose gaze attacks if your assumed form doesn't have eyes. Extraordinary special attacks and qualities You retain all extraordinary special attacks and qualities derived from class levels. As noted above, extraordinary special attacks or qualities from class levels are primarily a function of the mind (you acquired them through experience and training), so you can keep right on using them when you're in an assumed form. You lose extraordinary special attacks and qualities not derived from class levels. As noted above, extraordinary special attacks and qualities are assumed to be largely a function of your body. When you change your body with the alter self spell, you lose the special physical adaptations that make those extraordinary special attacks and qualities. Speech You retain your ability to speak if your assumed form has that ability. Speech is a natural ability (see above); however speech has a mental aspect (your brain's ability to handle language) and a physical aspect (working vocal apparatus). You have to have both to speak in an assumed form. Furthermore, your assumed form must be able to speak naturally. If you assume the form of a creature that cannot speak or use language during the normal course of its life, you still lose the ability to speak. This distinction doesn't often come up with the alter self spell (because it doesn't let you assume a form with a type different than your own), but it can with other polymorph effects. Spellcasting You retain your spellcasting abilities, but your assumed form might limit what you can do. You can use spells with verbal components only if you have retained the ability to speak. You can use somatic and material components only if your assumed form has limbs capable of dealing with them. Physical qualities You have the physical qualities of the assumed form. Physical qualities include natural size, mundane movement capabilities (such as burrowing, climbing, walking, swimming, and flight with wings. Physical qualities also include natural armor bonus, natural weapons (such as claws, bite, and so on), racial skill bonuses, racial bonus feats, and any gross physical qualities (presence or absence of wings, number of extremities, and so forth). Your size becomes the same as a typical example of the creature whose form you assume, as noted in the creature's description. You cannot assume a larger or smaller size even if the creature's advancement entry lists other possible sizes. If for example, you change into a lizardfolk, you become Medium size -- you could not turn into a Small or Large lizardfolk. Your maximum speed in any assumed form, however, is 120 feet for flying or 60 feet for nonflying movement; faster speeds are considered extraordinary qualities, even when they are not so listed in the creature's description. In most cases, racial skill bonuses depend on your body and your mind. So, you get to keep your own racial skill bonuses and feats while gaining those of your assumed form. Your DM might want to make certain exceptions. (For example, a dwarf's skill bonuses related to stonework are arguably cultural in origin and don't just appear when you're in dwarf form.) A body with extra limbs does not allow you to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal. Many DMs and players find this rule puzzling. Essentially, it means that if you suddenly find yourself with two extra arms you can't just pick up four weapons and wade into melee, use a four-handed weapon, fire and reload a heavy crossbow (even a 24 repeating heavy crossbow) in the same round, or perform any other combat tricks that come to mind. You can make attacks that are "normal" for you or normal for your assumed form, but you can't combine them. You do not gain any extraordinary special attacks or special qualities not noted above under physical qualities, such as darkvision, low-light vision, blindsense, blindsight, fast healing, regeneration, scent, and so forth. Your new body might look and feel like the genuine article, but it's not the genuine article. New form You do not gain any supernatural special attacks, special qualities, or spell-like abilities of the new form. Your creature type and subtype (if any) remain the same regardless of your new form. By and large, you remain yourself, but you occupy a slightly different body. You cannot take the form of any creature with a template, even if that template doesn't change the creature type or subtype. When you choose a form to assume, you're limited to a typical specimen of that form. You can freely designate the new form's minor physical qualities (such as hair color, hair texture, and skin color) within the normal ranges for a creature of that kind. The new form's significant physical qualities (such as height, weight, and gender) are also under your control, but they must fall within the norms for the new form's kind. As a rule of thumb you can vary the assumed form's weight or dimensions up or down by 10% unless a greater variation is allowed among typical specimens. For example, if you assume the form of an elf or halfling, you can choose any height allowed on Table 6-6 in the Player's Handbook. Disguise You are effectively disguised as an average member of the new form's race. If you use this spell to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on your Disguise check. To any casual viewer, you are a typical specimen of the kind of creature whose form you have assumed. If someone is paying close attention to you, the character can attempt a Spot check to note something odd about your appearance, as noted in the description of the Disguise skill. Use the +10 modifier on your Disguise check rather than the modifiers shown on the first table in the skill description. The Disguise check you make reflects how accurately you have reproduced your assumed form. If you use alter self to masquerade as a particular individual, anyone studying you might also get a Spot bonus as noted in the Disguise skill description. Equipment When the change occurs, your equipment, if any, either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item), or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. Since alter self allows you to assume forms only with a type the same as your own, you usually can count on keeping your equipment functioning. If a piece of your equipment winds up subsumed into your new form, it's temporarily nonfunctional, but it's unharmed. When you revert to your true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on your body they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items you wore in the assumed form and can't wear in your normal form fall off and land at your feet; any that you could wear in either form or carry in a body part common to both forms at the time of reversion are still held in the same way. Any part of the body or piece of equipment that is separated from the whole reverts to its true form. An Alter Self Example Anlion, a half-elf sorcerer, uses alter self to assume the form of a lizardfolk. In his normal form, Anlion has the following statistics: Anlion (Normal Form) Male half-elf sorcerer 4; CR 4; Medium humanoid; HD 4d4; hp 10; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 13, touch 12, flat-footed 11; Base Atk +2; Grp +1; Atk +1 melee (1d6-1, quarterstaff) or +5 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); Full Atk +1 melee (1d6-1, quarterstaff) or +5 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); SQ half-elf traits, low-light vision; AL N; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +5; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 16. Skills and Feats: Concentration +7, Diplomacy +5, Gather Information +5, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Listen +1, Search +2, Spellcraft +10, Spot +1; Dodge, Extend Spell. Half-Elf Traits: Anlion is immune to magic sleep spells and effects, and he has elven blood (for all effects related to race, he is considered an elf). Anlion also has a +2 racial bonus on saves against enchantment spells or effects, a +1 racial bonus on Listen, Spot, and Search checks, and a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Gather Information checks (already figured into the statistics given above). Sorcerer Spells Known (6/7/4; save DC 13 + spell level): 0 -- daze, detect magic, flare, mage hand, prestidigitation, resistance; 1st -- burning hands, color spray, magic missile; 2nd -- alter self. Possessions: Bracers of armor +1, cloak of resistance +1, quarterstaff, masterwork light crossbow, 10 bolts, potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of protection from elements, 2 scrolls of eagle's splendor, scroll of protection from arrows, scroll of scorching ray. In lizardfolk form, Anlion's statistics don't change much. He gains the lizardfolk's natural armor, natural weaponry, and racial skill bonuses. He loses his low-light vision (an extraordinary special quality) and half-elf racial skill bonuses. He gains the lizardfolk's racial skill bonuses to Balance, Jump, and Swim checks, and the lizardfolk's natural ability to hold its breath. His equipment keeps functioning in his assumed form, as is usually the case with alter self. Anlion (Lizardfolk Form) Male half-elf sorcerer 4; CR 4; Medium humanoid (half-elf, reptilian); HD 4d4; hp 10; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16; Base Atk +2; Grp +1; Atk +1 melee (1d4-1, 2 claws) or +1 melee (1d6-1, quarterstaff) or +5 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); Full Atk +1 melee (1d4-1, 2 claws) or +1 melee (1d6-1, quarterstaff) or +5 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); SQ half-elf traits, hold breath, low-light vision; AL N; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +5; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 16. Skills and Feats: Balance +6, Concentration +7, Diplomacy +5, Gather Information +5, Jump +3, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Listen +1, Search +2, Spellcraft +10, Spot +1, Swim +3; Dodge, Extend Spell. Half-Elf Traits: Anlion is immune to magic sleep spells and effects, and he has elven blood (for all effects related to race, he is considered an elf). Anlion also has a +2 racial bonus on saves against enchantment spells or effects, a +1 racial bonus on Listen, Spot, and Search checks, and a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Gather Information checks (already figured into the statistics given above). 25 Hold Breath: In this form, Anlion can hold his breath for 44 rounds before he risks drowning. (This is a natural ability for a lizardfolk.) Sorcerer Spells Known (6/7/4; save DC 13 + spell level): 0 -- daze, detect magic, flare, mage hand, prestidigitation, resistance; 1st -- burning hands, color spray, magic missile; 2nd -- alter self. Possessions: Bracers of armor +1, cloak of resistance +1, quarterstaff, masterwork light crossbow, 10 bolts, potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of protection from elements, 2 scrolls of eagle's splendor, scroll of protection from arrows, scroll of scorching ray. The Polymorph Spell Let’s look at the polymorph spell. As noted in the Player's Handbook, polymorph works much like alter self, with a few changes. The polymorph spell allows for a much greater degree of change than alter self, and it also introduces a few new twists and complications. Here's an overview of the polymorph spell: Touch range spell with a target entry of "willing living creature touched." You can use polymorph to change yourself or another living creature you touch. The creature must be willing to receive the spell. The recipient can declare a willing target any time (even when flat-footed or during another creature's turn). Unconscious creatures are automatically considered willing, but a creature that is conscious but immobile or helpless (such as one who is bound, cowering, grappling, paralyzed, pinned, or stunned) is not automatically willing. You can share a polymorph effect you cast with a familiar, mount, or other companion with the share spells ability, as noted above. You choose the form the subject assumes. Unlike in earlier versions of the game, the spell allows only one change in form. As with alter self, the subject remains in the assumed form until the spell ends. The spell is dismissible; if you are the spell caster, you can end the spell during your turn with a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If you place the spell on another creature, it cannot dismiss the effect and it must remain in the assumed form until the spell ends. As with alter self, you can't use the polymorph spell to make the subject assume the form of an object. Unlike alter self, you can choose almost any kind of living creature for the assumed form. You can choose any of the following creature types: aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin. As with alter self, there's no limit to the subtypes the subject can assume, so long as the base type is on the list given above. The subject cannot assume an incorporeal or gaseous form. The form the subject assumes can't have Hit Dice of more than your caster level, or the subject's own Hit Dice (whichever is lower) to a maximum of 15 Hit Dice. A form's Hit Dice refers to its racial Hit Dice, as noted above. The assumed form's size can be anything from Fine to Colossal. The kind of creature you choose for the assumed form determines the size. The subject becomes the same size as an average member of its kind. For example, if you turn the subject into a troll, the subject becomes size Large, which is the standard size for a troll. The subject temporarily gains the type and subtypes of the assumed form. The subject also temporarily gains the augmented subtype for its original type. The subject loses any subtypes it has in favor of the assumed form's subtypes. For example, a human turned into a troll gains the giant type and the augmented humanoid subtype. The subject retains the features of its own type. It gains the traits of the assumed type -- except for any extraordinary qualities included in those traits. If you're having trouble deciding which type of traits you gain, here's a list of what you get and what you don't. Aberration Type You get the following: Proficient with the form's natural weapons. If generally humanoid in form, proficient with all simple weapons and any weapon the form is described as using. Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) the form is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Aberrations not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Aberrations are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor. Aberrations eat, sleep, and breathe. You don't get the following: Darkvision out to 60 feet. (You don't gain this because it's an extraordinary special quality.) Air Subtype You get the following: Air creatures always have fly speeds and usually have perfect maneuverability. You gain the assumed form's fly speed (subject to the limits noted above) and maneuverability. Angel Subtype You get the following: Immunity to acid, cold, and petrification. (Immunity is a natural ability.) +4 racial bonus on saves against poison. (Another natural ability.) You don't get the following: Darkvision out to 60 feet and low-light vision. (Extraordinary special quality.) Resistance to electricity 10 and fire 10. (Extraordinary special quality.) Protective Aura. (Supernatural ability.) Tongues. (Supernatural ability.) Animal Type You get the following: Proficient with natural weapons. A noncombative herbivore uses its natural weapons as a secondary attack. Such attacks are made with a -5 penalty on the creature's attack rolls, and the animal receives only 1/2 its Strength modifier as a damage adjustment. (You become proficient with your natural weaponry. You don't forget what you know, but most animal forms don't allow you to wield weapons. You keep your own mind, but you don't keep your full attack 26 capability when you assume the form of a noncombative herbivore because that's a natural limitation for the forms. Noncombative herbivores include creatures such as domestic cows and sheep.) Proficient with no armor unless trained for war. (You don't forget what you know, but you don't pick up any armor proficiencies. In most cases, any armor you wear will meld into your assumed form.) Animals eat, sleep, and breathe. You don't get the following: Intelligence score of 1 or 2 (no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal). (You usually keep your Intelligence score when changing forms; the baleful polymorph spell can be an exception.) Low-light vision. (Extraordinary special quality.) Alignment: Always neutral. (You usually keep your alignment when changing forms; the baleful polymorph spell can be an exception.) Treasure: None. (You keep your stuff, though chances are most things you hold or wear would meld into your form if you changed into an animal.) Aquatic Subtype You get the following: Water creatures always have swim speeds and thus can move in water without making Swim checks. You gain the assumed form's swim speed (subject to the limits noted above). An aquatic creature can breathe underwater. It cannot also breathe air unless it has the amphibious special quality. Archon Subtype You get the following: Immunity to electricity and petrification. (Natural ability.) +4 racial bonus on saves against poison. (Natural ability.) You don't get the following: Darkvision out to 60 feet and low-light vision. (Extraordinary special quality.) Aura of Menace (Su): A righteous aura surrounds archons that fight or get angry. (Supernatural ability.) Magic Circle against Evil (Su): A magic circle against evil effect always surrounds an archon. (Supernatural ability.) Teleport (Su): Archons can use greater teleport at will. (Supernatural ability.) Tongues (Su): All archons can speak with any creature that has a language. (Supernatural ability.) Chaotic Subtype You get the following: Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a chaotic alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment (a natural ability). A creature with the chaotic subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were chaotic-aligned. (Another natural ability.) Cold Subtype You get the following: A creature with the cold subtype has immunity to cold. It has vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure. (A natural ability.) Construct Type Constructs are not alive, so you usually can't assume a construct form (but see below). Dragon Type You get the following: Immunity to magic sleep effects and paralysis effects. (Natural ability.) Proficient with its natural weapons only unless humanoid in form (or capable of assuming humanoid form), in which case proficient with all simple weapons and any weapons mentioned in its entry. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to dragon form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with no armor. (You don't forget any armor proficiencies you know, but most armor you wear will meld into the assumed form.) Dragons eat, sleep, and breathe. You don't get the following: Darkvision out to 60 feet and low-light vision. (Extraordinary special quality.) Earth Subtype You get the following: Earth creatures usually have burrow speeds, and most earth creatures can burrow through solid rock. (You get the assumed form's speed, subject to the limits noted above.) Elemental Type You get the following: Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, and stunning. (Natural ability.) Not subject to critical hits or flanking. (Another natural ability.) Proficient with natural weapons only, unless generally humanoid in form, in which case proficient with all simple weapons and any weapons mentioned in its entry. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to elemental form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) that it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Elementals not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Elementals are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to elemental form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Elementals do not eat, sleep, or breathe. (A natural ability.) You don't get the following: 27 Darkvision out to 60 feet. (Extraordinary special quality.) Unlike most other living creatures, an elemental does not have a dual nature: its soul and body form one unit. When an elemental is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don't work on an elemental. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection, to restore it to life. (If you had a soul before changing, you still have one after changing.) Evil Subtype You get the following: Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has an evil alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. (A natural ability.) A creature with the evil subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were evil-aligned (Another natural ability.) Extraplanar Subtype You gain this subtype when changing form only when the form you assume would have it. The subtype has no traits, but certain spells and other magical effects work in special ways against extraplanar creatures. Fey Type You get the following: Proficient with all simple weapons and any weapons mentioned in its entry. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to fey form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) that it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Fey not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Fey are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to fey form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Fey eat, sleep, and breathe. You don't get the following: Low-light vision. (Extraordinary special quality.) Fire Subtype You get the following: A creature with the fire subtype has immunity to fire. It has vulnerability to cold, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from cold, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure. (A natural ability.) Giant Type You get the following: Proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as well as any natural weapons. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to giant form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium or heavy) it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Giants not described as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Giants are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to giant form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Giants eat, sleep, and breathe. You don't get the following: Low-light vision. (Extraordinary special quality.) Goblinoid Subtype You get the following: All goblinoids speak Goblin. (You don't suddenly speak Goblin just by changing form.) Good Subtype You get the following: Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a good alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. (Natural ability.) A creature with the good subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were good-aligned. (Another natural ability.) Humanoid Type You get the following: Proficient with all simple weapons, or by character class. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to humanoid form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) it is described as wearing, or by character class. If a humanoid does not have a class and wears armor, it is proficient with that type of armor and all lighter types. Humanoids not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Humanoids are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to humanoid form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Humanoids breathe, eat, and sleep. Lawful Type You get the following: Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a lawful alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. (A natural ability.) A creature with the lawful subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were lawful-aligned (Another natural ability.) 28 Magical Beast Type You get the following: Proficient with its natural weapons only. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to magical beast form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with no armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to magical beast form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Magical beasts eat, sleep, and breathe. You don't get the following: Darkvision out to 60 feet and low-light vision. (Extraordinary special qualities.) Monstrous Humanoid Type You get the following: Proficient with its natural weapons only. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to monstrous humanoid form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with no armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to monstrous humanoid form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Magical beasts eat, sleep, and breathe. You don't get the following: Darkvision out to 60 feet. (Extraordinary special quality.) Native Subtype You get the following: These creatures have mortal ancestors or a strong connection to the Material Plane and can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be. Creatures with this subtype are native to the Material Plane (hence the subtype's name). (Natural ability, not that you're likely to need it.) Unlike true outsiders, native outsiders need to eat and sleep. (Natural ability.) Ooze Type You get the following: Blind, with immunity to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight. (Natural ability.) Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning. (Natural ability.) Not subject to critical hits or flanking. (Natural ability.) Proficient with its natural weapons only. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to ooze form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with no armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to ooze form doesn't get you any armor proficiency. Most armor you wear melds into your assumed form.) Oozes eat and breathe, but do not sleep. You don't get the following: Mindless: No Intelligence score, and immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). (You usually keep your Intelligence score when changing forms; the baleful polymorph spell can be an exception.) Blindsight (Extraordinary special quality.) Some oozes have the ability to deal acid damage to objects. In such a case, the amount of damage is equal to 10 + 1/2 ooze's HD + ooze's Constitution modifier per full round of contact. Outsider Type You get the following: Proficient with all simple and martial weapons and any weapons mentioned in its entry. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to outsider form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Outsiders not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Outsiders are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to outsider form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Outsiders breathe, but do not need to eat or sleep (although they can do so if they wish). Native outsiders breathe, eat, and sleep. (Natural ability.) You don't get the following: Darkvision out to 60 feet. (Extraordinary special quality.) Unlike most other living creatures, an outsider does not have a dual nature: its soul and body form one unit. When an outsider is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don't work on an outsider. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection to restore it to life. An outsider with the native subtype can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be. (If you had a soul before changing, you still have one after changing.) Plant Type You get the following: Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). (Natural ability.) Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning. (Another natural ability.) Not subject to critical hits. (Another natural ability.) Proficient with its natural weapons only. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to plant form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with no armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to plant form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Plants breathe and eat, but do not sleep. (A natural ability.) You don't get the following: Low-light vision. (Extraordinary special quality.) 29 Reptilian Subtype This subtype has no traits; it merely designates certain kinds of humanoids. Shapechanger Subtype You get the following: Proficient with the natural weapons, with simple weapons, and with any weapons mentioned in the creature's description. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to shapechanger form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with any armor mentioned in the creature's description, as well as all lighter forms. If no form of armor is mentioned, the shapechanger is not proficient with armor. A shapechanger is proficient with shields if it is proficient with any type of armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to shapechanger form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Swarm Subtype You can't become a swarm by changing form. Undead Type Undead creatures are not alive, so you usually can't assume an undead form (but see below). Vermin Type You get the following: Proficient with their natural weapons only. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to vermin form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with no armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to vermin form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Vermin breathe, eat, and sleep. You don't get the following: Mindless: No Intelligence score and immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). (You usually keep your Intelligence score when changing forms; the baleful polymorph spell can be an exception.) Darkvision out to 60 feet. (A natural ability.) Water Subtype You get the following: Creatures with the water subtype always have swim speeds and can move in water without making Swim checks. A water creature can breathe underwater and usually can breathe air as well. You gain the assumed form's swim speed (subject to the limits noted above). Changes Upon changing, the subject regains lost hit points as if it had rested for a night. The subject regains 1 hit point per character level. Character level includes racial Hit Dice and all class levels. The subject does not heal any temporary ability damage or get any other benefits of resting. Changing back does not heal the subject further. If slain, the subject reverts to its original form, though it remains dead. The subject gains the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of the new form but retains its own Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. The subject retains its own mind, but its body is transformed into a semblance of the assumed form. Unlike previous versions of the D&D game, the subject's hit points change according to his new Constitution score. The subject's Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores revert to normal when resuming its normal form, which may prompt another change in hit points. A change in ability scores might render some of the subject's feats unusable. If a feat has an ability score prerequisite that the subject no longer meets, the subject still has the feat, but cannot use it so long as the prerequisite is not met. If the subject has a prestige class that depends on an unusable feat, the subject cannot use any features of the class but retains any Hit Dice, base attack, and base save bonuses from the class and also retains weapon and armor proficiencies from the class. The subject's class and level, alignment, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses remain unchanged in the assumed form. As noted above, the subject also retains all class features, as well as all skill ranks and feats derived from class levels. The subject retains the supernatural and spell-like special attacks and qualities of its normal form, except for those requiring a body part that the new form does not have. As noted above, the subject loses breath weapons if the assumed form doesn't have a mouth and loses gaze attacks if the assumed form doesn't have eyes. The subject retains all extraordinary special attacks and qualities derived from class levels. As noted above, extraordinary special attacks or qualities from class levels are primarily a function of the mind. The subject loses extraordinary special attacks and qualities not derived from class levels. Also as noted above, extraordinary special attacks and qualities are assumed to be largely a function of the body. The subject retains its ability to speak if the assumed form has that ability, as noted above. The subject gains all extraordinary attacks of the assumed form, but no supernatural or spell-like attacks. The subject gains no special qualities of the assumed form at all. As noted above, extraordinary special attacks derive largely from the physical body, while extraordinary special qualities prove subtler. The subject retains spellcasting abilities, if any, just as noted above. The subject has the physical qualities of the assumed form as noted above. Physical qualities include modes of breathing as well as modes of movement. If the assumed form has gills but no lungs it can breathe underwater but it cannot breathe out of the water and will begin to suffocate if stranded on dry land. The subject cannot take the form of any creature with a template, just as with the alter self spell. You can freely designate the assumed form's minor physical qualities (such as hair color, hair texture, and skin color) within the normal ranges for a creature of that kind, just as with the alter self spell. The subject is effectively disguised as an average member of the assumed form's race, as noted above. 30 When the change occurs, the subject's equipment, if any, either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item), or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. For purposes of most polymorph effects, one can divide creatures into types that have basically humanoid shapes and those that do not, as follows: Humanoid Shapes Nonhumanoid Shapes Fey Aberration Giant Animal Humanoid Dragon Monstrous Humanoid Elemental Outsider* Ooze Vermin *Most, but not all outsiders have humanoid shapes In general, a change from one form that has a humanoid shape to another form that has a humanoid shape leaves all equipment in place and functioning. The subject's equipment changes to match the assumed form. It becomes the appropriate size for the assumed form and it fits the assumed form. The spellcaster can change minor details in your equipment, such as color, surface texture, and decoration. When a subject changes from a form with a humanoid shape to a form with a nonhumanoid shape (or vice versa) most of his equipment is subsumed into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. Items the subject could conceivably wear in an assumed form remain functional. For example, most items worn on the body, such as armor, cloaks, boots, and most other items of clothing made for a humanoid body won't fit on a nonhumanoid body. Some items can fit on just about any kind of body. For example, a ring fits just about any form that has digits of some kind (the limit of two rings applies no matter how many hands or similar appendages a creature has). Likewise, a necklace fits on just about any form that has a neck. A Polymorph Example Our friend Anlion is now an 8th-level sorcerer. Let's see what happens when he uses a polymorph spell to assume the forms of a lizardfolk and a troll. Anlion (Normal Form) Male half-elf sorcerer 8; CR 8; Medium humanoid; HD 8d4; hp 20; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12; Base Atk +4; Grp +3; Atk +3 melee (1d6-1, quarterstaff) or +7 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); Full Atk +3 melee (1d6-1, quarterstaff) or +7 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); SQ half-elf traits, low-light vision; AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +8; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 17. Skills and Feats: Bluff +11, Concentration +9, Diplomacy +7, Gather Information +5, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Listen +1, Search +2, Spellcraft +11, Spot +1; Dodge, Empower Spell, Extend Spell. Half-Elf Traits: Anlion is immune to magic sleep spells and effects, and he has elven blood (for all effects related to race, he is considered an elf). Anlion also has a +2 racial bonus on saves against enchantment spells or effects, a +1 racial bonus on Listen, Spot, and Search checks, and a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Gather Information checks (already figured into the statistics given above). Sorcerer Spells Known (6/7/7/6/3; save DC 13 + spell level): 0 -- arcane mark, daze, detect magic, flare, light, mage hand, prestidigitation, resistance; 1st -- burning hands, color spray, magic missile, shield, true strike; 2nd -- alter self, scorching ray, see invisibility; 3rd -- fly, lightning bolt; 4th -- polymorph. Possessions: Bracers of armor +1, ring of protection +1, cloak of resistance +2, quarterstaff, masterwork light crossbow, 10 bolts, potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of invisibility, 2 scrolls of eagle's splendor, wand of magic missile (3rd-level caster, 48 charges). In lizardfolk form, Anlion's statistics change significantly. He gains the lizardfolk's natural armor, natural weaponry, and racial skill bonuses; he also gains the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of a typical lizardfolk (as noted in the Monster Manual). The ability score changes give him a few more hit points and improve his melee combat abilities, but his reduced Dexterity score makes his Dodge feat unusable. He loses his low-light vision (an extraordinary special quality) and half-elf racial skill bonuses. He gains the lizardfolk's racial skill bonuses to Balance, Jump, and Swim checks, and the lizardfolk's natural ability to hold its breath. He loses his half-elf subtype and gains the reptilian subtype. His equipment keeps functioning in his assumed form (because it's another humanoid form). Anlion (Lizardfolk Form) Male half-elf sorcerer 8; CR 8; Medium humanoid (reptilian); HD 8d4+8; hp 28; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17, touch 11, flatfooted 17; Base Atk +4; Grp +5; Atk +5 melee (1d4+1, 2 claws) or +5 melee (1d6+1, quarterstaff) or +5 ranged (1d8/1920, masterwork light crossbow); Full Atk +5 melee (1d4+1, 2 claws) or +5 melee (1d6+1, quarterstaff) or +5 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); SQ hold breath; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +8; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 17. Skills and Feats: Balance +4, Bluff +11, Concentration +10, Diplomacy +7, Gather Information +5, Intimidate +5, Jump +5, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Spellcraft +11, Swim +5; Dodge (unavailable due to reduction in Dexterity score), Empower Spell, Extend Spell. Hold Breath: Anlion can hold his breath for 52 rounds before he risks drowning. (This is a natural ability for a lizardfolk.) Sorcerer Spells Known (6/7/7/6/3; save DC 13 + spell level): 0 -- arcane mark, daze, detect magic, flare, light, mage hand, prestidigitation, resistance; 1st -- burning hands, color spray, magic missile, shield, true strike; 2nd -- alter self, scorching ray, see invisibility; 3rd -- fly, lightning bolt; 4th -- polymorph. Possessions: Bracers of armor +1, ring of protection +1, cloak of resistance +2, quarterstaff, masterwork light crossbow, potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of invisibility, 2 scrolls of eagle's splendor, wand of magic missile (3rd-level caster, 48 charges). In troll form, Anlion's statistics change dramatically. He gains the troll's natural armor, natural weaponry, and the troll's deadly rend attack; he also gains the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of a typical troll (as noted in the Monster Manual). The ability score changes give him many more hit points and improve his melee combat abilities. He loses his lowlight vision (an extraordinary special quality) and half-elf racial skill bonuses. He does not gain the troll's darkvision or regeneration abilities (also extraordinary special qualities). He gains the giant type and the augmented humanoid subtype. His equipment keeps functioning in his assumed form because a giant has a basically humanoid body. He gains the troll's Large size, which increases his space and reach and affects his combat abilities -- particularly his grapple bonus. Because his equipment remains functional, it changes size along with him. 31 Anlion (Troll Form) Male half-elf sorcerer 8; CR 8; Large giant (augmented humanoid); HD 8d4+48; hp 68; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16; Base Atk +4; Grp +14; Atk +9 melee (1d6+6, 2 claws) and +4 melee (1d6+3, bite) or +9 melee (1d6+9, quarterstaff) or +6 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); Full Atk +9 melee (1d6+6, 2 claws) and +4 melee (1d6+3, bite) or +9 melee (1d6+9, quarterstaff) or +6 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); Space/Reach 10 ft./10 ft.; SA rend 2d6+9; AL N; SV Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +8; Str 23, Dex 14, Con 23, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 17. Skills and Feats: Bluff +11, Concentration +15, Diplomacy +7, Gather Information +5, Hide -2, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Spellcraft +11, Spot +1; Dodge, Empower Spell, Extend Spell. Rend (Ex): If Anlion hits with both claw attacks, he latches onto the opponent's body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 2d6+9 points of damage. Sorcerer Spells Known (6/7/7/6/3; save DC 13 + spell level): 0 -- arcane mark, daze, detect magic, flare, light, mage hand, prestidigitation, resistance; 1st -- burning hands, color spray, magic missile, shield, true strike; 2nd -- alter self, scorching ray, see invisibility; 3rd -- fly, lightning bolt; 4th -- polymorph. Possessions: Bracers of armor +1, ring of protection +1, cloak of resistance +2, quarterstaff, masterwork light crossbow, potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of invisibility, 2 scrolls of eagle's splendor, wand of magic missile (3rd-level caster, 48 charges). Baleful Polymorph This spell is intended for offensive use. It works much like polymorph, except as follows: The spell works on any creature within range (close). The target need not be willing or living. The spell has a permanent duration. A subject under the effects of the spell has a moderate aura of transmutation magic (see the detect magic spell) while the spell lasts. The effect can be dispelled according to the normal rules for doing so. The caster changes the subject into a Small or smaller animal of no more than 1 Hit Die. The caster must choose an animal species whose typical size is Small or smaller. The subject is allowed a Fortitude save to resist the spell; if the form chosen would be fatal to the subject, it gains a +4 bonus on the save. The chosen form is "fatal" if it cannot survive in the current environment. For example, if you choose to turn the subject into a goldfish on dry land it will suffocate. If the Fortitude save fails, the subject must then make a Will save to avoid taking on the mental characteristics of the assumed form. If the Will save succeeds, the subject merely takes the assumed form, exactly as if subjected to the polymorph spell (see above). If the Will save fails, the subject loses all its extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities. It loses its ability to cast spells (if it had the ability), and gains the alignment, special abilities, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores of its new form in place of its own. It still retains its class and level (or HD), as well as all benefits deriving from class and level (such as base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and hit points). It retains any class features (other than spellcasting) that aren't extraordinary, supernatural, or spell-like abilities. Incorporeal or gaseous creatures are immune to being polymorphed, and a creature with the shapechanger subtype can revert to its natural form as a standard action. Polymorph Any Object A general purpose spell, polymorph any object is similar to both polymorph and baleful polymorph. It works on any creature or object, and it can turn the subject into any other creature or object (but not an incorporeal or gaseous creature or object). A creature turned into another creature with this spell is affected just as if transmuted with a polymorph spell, except that the subject also gains the Intelligence score of the assumed form. The change in Intelligence doesn't affect the subject's skill points. A creature turned into an object has no Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma scores. It has no senses and cannot perceive its surroundings in any way. It is considered unconscious, just as a petrified creature is. If the subject cracks or breaks, but the broken pieces are joined with the body as the subject returns to flesh, the subject is unharmed (also like a petrified creature). If the subject's body is incomplete when it returns to its normal form, the body is likewise incomplete, with the appropriate disability. The spell's duration depends on how radical the change between the subject's original form and its assumed form as shown in the spell description. Regardless of the spell's duration, the subject has a strong aura of transmutation magic (see the detect magic spell) while the spell lasts. The effect can be dispelled according to the normal rules for doing so. Because this spell can allow the subject to assume unliving forms, you can use this spell to turn the subject into a construct or undead creature. You can use polymorph any object to duplicate the following transmutation effects: baleful polymorph, polymorph, flesh to stone, stone to flesh, transmute mud to rock, transmute water to dust, or transmute rock to mud. (Baleful polymorph was added to this list in the Player's Handbook errata file.) Construct Type You get the following: No Constitution score. (A natural consequence of not being alive.) Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). (Natural ability.) Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and necromancy effects. (This stems from your lack of a Constitution score.) Cannot heal damage on their own, but you often can be repaired by exposing yourself to a certain kind of effect (see the creature's description for details) or through the use of the Craft Construct feat. A construct with the fast healing special quality still benefits from that quality. (This also stems from your lack of a Constitution score.) Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain. (A natural ability.) Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless). (This also stems from your lack of a Constitution score.) 32 Not at risk of death from massive damage. Immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points or less. (This also stems from your lack of a Constitution score.) Because its body is a mass of unliving matter, a construct is hard to destroy. It gains bonus hit points based on size, as shown on the table in the Monster Manual glossary. (A natural consequence of not being alive.) Proficient with its natural weapons only, unless generally humanoid in form, in which case proficient with any weapon mentioned in its entry. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to construct form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with no armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to construct form doesn't get you any armor proficiencies.) Constructs do not eat, sleep, or breathe. (A natural ability.) You don't get the following: Darkvision out to 60 feet and low-light vision. (Extraordinary special qualities.) Since it was never alive, a construct cannot be raised or resurrected. (If you were once alive you can be raised or resurrected even if you're killed while in construct form.) Undead Type (Polymorph Any Object): You get the following: No Constitution score. (A natural consequence of not being alive.) Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). (A natural ability.) Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects. (This stems from your lack of a Constitution score.) Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects. (This also stems from your lack of a Constitution score.) Cannot heal damage on its own if it has no Intelligence score, although it can be healed. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures. The fast healing special quality works regardless of the creature's Intelligence score. (You get this trait, but, since you retain your Intelligence, you can heal damage) Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless). (This also stems from your lack of a Constitution score.) Uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks. (This also stems from your lack of a Constitution score.) Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed. (This also stems from your lack of a Constitution score.) Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead. (If you were once alive you can be raised or resurrected even if you're killed while in construct form.) Proficient with its natural weapons, all simple weapons, and any weapons mentioned in its entry. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to undead form doesn't get you any weapon proficiency that's not listed here.) Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Undead not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Undead are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor. (You don't forget what you know, but a change to undead form doesn't get you any armor proficiency that's not listed here.) Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep. (A natural ability.) You don't get the following: Darkvision out to 60 feet. (Extraordinary special quality.) Shapechange This spell represents the ultimate polymorph effect. It works much like polymorph, except as follows: The spell works only on the caster. The spell has a personal range and a target of "you," so you can share it with your familiar or other companion with the share spells ability. You can choose any form except that of a unique creature. You can choose a form of any type, even a gaseous or incorporeal form. You gain all extraordinary and supernatural abilities (both attacks and qualities) of the assumed form, but you lose your own supernatural abilities. As with the polymorph spell, you don't retain supernatural abilities that depend on a body part you do not have (such as a mouth for a breath weapon or eyes for a gaze attack). You keep your spell-like and extraordinary abilities, provided your new form has the requisite body parts; for example, you can't retain a rend ability if your assumed form does not have claws. You can change form once a round as a free action. Changing form does not provoke an attack of opportunity. When you assume an incorporeal form with this spell, you get all the traits of the incorporeal subtype. Incorporeal Subtype Immune to all nonmagical attack forms Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, it has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source (except for positive energy, negative energy, force effects such as magic missile, or attacks made with ghost touch weapons). Although it is not a magical attack, holy water can affect incorporeal undead, but a hit with holy water has a 50% chance of not affecting an incorporeal creature. An incorporeal creature has no natural armor bonus but has a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma bonus (always at least +1, even if the creature's Charisma score does not normally provide a bonus). An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid objects, but must remain adjacent to the object's exterior, and so cannot pass entirely through an object whose space is larger than its own. It can sense the presence of creatures or objects within a square adjacent to its current location, but enemies have total concealment (50% miss chance) from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object. To see farther from the object it is in and attack normally, the incorporeal creature must emerge. An incorporeal creature inside an object has total cover, but when it attacks a creature outside the object it only has cover, so a creature outside with a readied action could strike at it as it attacks. An incorporeal creature cannot pass through a force effect. 33 An incorporeal creature's attacks pass through (ignore) natural armor, armor, and shields, although deflection bonuses and force effects (such as mage armor) work normally against it. Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air. Incorporeal creatures cannot fall or take falling damage. Incorporeal creatures cannot make trip or grapple attacks, and they cannot be tripped or grappled. In fact, they cannot take any physical action that would move or manipulate an opponent or its equipment, and they are not subject to such actions. Incorporeal creatures have no weight and do not set off traps that are triggered by weight. An incorporeal creature moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn't wish to be. It has no Strength score, so its Dexterity modifier applies to both its melee attacks and its ranged attacks. Nonvisual senses, such as scent and blindsight, are either ineffective or only partly effective with regard to incorporeal creatures. Incorporeal creatures have an innate sense of direction and can move at full speed even when they cannot see. Wild Shape This class feature works like the polymorph spell, except that wildshape is a supernatural ability that works only for the druid using it. It cannot be shared with the druid's animal companion (or other creature with the share spells quality) because it's a supernatural ability. The duration is 1 hour per druid level or until the druid resumes her normal form. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. At 11th level and below, the druid can assume only animal forms; the size of the animal form to be assumed depends on the druid's level, as noted in the druid class description. Since the power duplicates the polymorph spell, the druid gains the assumed form's extraordinary special attacks, but not its extraordinary special qualities. For example, a druid wildshaped into a wolf gains the wolf's trip attack but not its scent ability. The druid's level determines what size animal form the druid can assume. At 12th level and above, a druid can assume plant forms of the same sizes as the animal forms the druid can assume. At 16th level and above, a druid can assume elemental forms, with the druid's level limiting the size as noted in the druid class description. A druid that takes elemental form retains her own creature type, but gains all the elemental's extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities (both special attacks and special qualities), and also gains the elemental's feats. Since the druid does not gain the features and traits of the elemental type, the druid does not gain the elemental's immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, and stunning. The druid also does not gain immunity to critical hits or flanking. On the bright side, the druid retains the ability to be raised or resurrected, provided that the druid could be raised or resurrected in the first place. Alternate Form This supernatural special quality works much like the polymorph spell; here's an overview, with the differences between the alternate form ability and the polymorph spell called out. Unlike polymorph, the creature is limited to the assumed forms specified in the creature's description. Unlike polymorph, the creature retains the type and subtype of its original form. It gains the size of its new form. The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its original form. The creature gains the natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its new form. Unlike polymorph, the creature retains the special qualities of its original form. It does not gain any special qualities of its new form. The creature retains the spell-like abilities and supernatural attacks of its old form (except for breath weapons and gaze attacks). It does not gain the spell-like abilities or supernatural attacks of its new form. The creature gains the physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution) of its new form. It retains the mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma) of its original form. Unlike polymorph, the creature retains its hit points and save bonuses, although its save modifiers may change due to a change in ability scores. Unlike polymorph, the creature does not regain any lost hit points from changing form. The creature retains any spellcasting ability it had in its original form, although it must be able to speak intelligibly to cast spells with verbal components and it must have humanlike hands to cast spells with somatic components. See above for other notes on spellcasting when in an assumed form. The creature is effectively camouflaged as a creature of its new form, and it gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks if it uses this ability to create a disguise. See above for other notes on using an assumed form as a disguise. 34 All about movement Foreword For a game that's all about deeds of valor and daring, D&D has a vast number of rules that govern just how one gets from place to place. All in all, this is a good thing because it allows characters endless options for accomplishing things and it empowers DMs to build challenges that literally require players to think on their feet. Alas, anything that makes the game more detailed and flexible also makes the game more complicated and inevitably raises questions that the rulebooks don't answer (at least not directly). Just what can you do while you're moving? How do you handle movement when it requires a skill check? What's the difference between having a swimming speed and making a Swim check? Read on to find the answers these questions and more. The Language of Movement 5-foot step A small adjustment a creature makes to its position on the battlefield. Taking a 5-foot step takes no appreciable time, but a creature cannot take a 5-foot step in a round when it also moves. Diagonal Movement from one square to another through their corners. When measuring distances for movement, count the first diagonal (and all odd-numbered diagonals moved during the turn) as 5 feet and the second diagonal (and all even-numbered diagonals moved during the turn) as 10 feet. Difficult Terrain Terrain that hampers movement. Encumbrance A measure of how much a character's gear slows her down. A creature's encumbrance also can impose a cap on the amount of Dexterity bonus (if any) a creature can apply to its Armor Class and can impose a penalty on certain checks. A character's armor or the total weight (see load) the character carries determines the character's degree of encumbrance. A character wearing armor is also carrying some weight, but you still use only one factor (armor or total weight) to determine encumbrance, and you take the worst effect. Free Action An action that takes no appreciable time at all. You can take as many free actions during your turn as your DM will allow, but you cannot take free actions during someone else's turn. Hampered Movement When conditions don't let you move as quickly as your speed would normally allow, your movement is hampered. When a creature enters a square where movement is hampered, it pays at least 10 feet of movement instead of the usual 5 feet. When moving diagonally into a square where movement is hampered, a creature pays at least 15 feet of movement. Uneven surfaces, slippery surfaces, obstacles that leave you room to pass but require you to climb over them or detour around them, thick vegetation -- all these can hamper your movement. A creature cannot charge, run, or take a 5-foot step when its movement is hampered. Half Speed Some conditions, such as blindness or entanglement, force a creature to move at half speed. A creature reduced to half speed always moves as though its movement is hampered. (Each square costs 10 feet of movement to enter, and each diagonal costs 15 feet.) Creatures reduced to half speed cannot charge, run, or take a 5-foot step. Load Load is a term for the total weight a creature carries. Load includes armor, weapons, gear, treasure, helpless comrades, and anything else the creature wears or carries. Move In the game's terms, a creature "moves" when it leaves one place and goes to another. During an encounter, a moving creature goes from one square on the battlefield to another. Move Action An action that (for game purposes) takes the same amount of time as moving your speed. Normal Movement This is not a standardized game term, but the rules (and this article) use it to indicate times when a creature uses a move action to move up to its speed -- as opposed to running, charging, or performing some other kind of special movement. Obstacle An object or barrier that hampers movement or blocks it completely. A friendly creature is an obstacle, and so is a wall or, a pile of brush. Speed A measure of how fast a creature can move across the battlefield or overland. In the D&D game, speeds are always given in number of feet, and they are always evenly divisible by 5 (because the basic unit of distance in the game is 5 feet). A creature's speed rating before applying any enhancements (usually from magic or from a class feature) or reductions (usually from encumbrance or other impediments) is called its base speed. A creature's speed rating after applying any enhancements is called its current speed. 35 Movement Basics The basics of movement are covered on pages 146-150 in the Player's Handbook. Here's an overview: A creature can use a move action to move its speed in combat once and still take a standard action. A creature can take a second move action instead of a standard action. Encumbrance can reduce a creature's speed. Bad visibility, difficult terrain, and obstacles can hamper movement. In addition, certain conditions that affect a creature can limit its speed. Enemies block your movement (with some exceptions). You can move through (but not stop in) squares your allies occupy. An ally is an obstacle, and it costs 10 feet of movement to enter a square containing an ally (15 feet if you enter on a diagonal). A creature cannot end its movement in a square that contains another creature (enemy or ally) unless that creature is helpless. Moving When you move across clear terrain, you "spend" 5 feet of movement to enter a square. If you're reduced to half speed or if poor visibility or difficult terrain hampers your movement, movement costs double. Movement costs can double more than once. For example, if you're reduced to half speed and you try to enter a square with difficult terrain, the total movement cost is quadruple (40 feet of movement or 60 feet on the diagonal). This is an exception to the game's general rule for handling multipliers (see page 149 in the Player's Handbook). An obstacle that doesn't block movement completely adds 10 feet to the cost of movement into its square. When such an obstacle is placed between two squares, you pay its movement cost when you cross the obstacle into the adjacent square -treat the obstacle between squares as though it is in the square you're entering. Sometimes, it takes a skill check to cross an obstacle. For example, if you can't step over a wall, you'll need to make a Climb or a Jump check to cross it. If you occupy more than one square, you pay the highest movement cost among all the squares you enter. So, if you're in two squares, and you would have to pay 10 to move from one square and pay 5 to move from another to where you want to go, you pay 10 since that's the highest movement cost possible. Movement While Prone When you're lying on the ground, you can move; however, you must crawl to do so. You crawl 5 feet as a move action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Calculating Encumbrance A creature's encumbrance can be light, medium, or heavy. As noted earlier, a creature's armor or load determines encumbrance. The effect on encumbrance from armor is simply a matter of reading the armor's entry on Table 7-6 in the Player's Handbook to find out whether it's light, medium, or heavy. A creature with light encumbrance suffers no reduction in speed. A creature with medium encumbrance suffers a reduction of roughly one third of its base speed. These reduced speeds are shown on Table 8-3 in the Player's Handbook and on page 20 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. A creature with heavy encumbrance suffers a reduction of roughly one third of its base speed, just as with medium encumbrance. In addition, most kinds of armor impose a cap on the Dexterity bonus the wearer can use for Armor Class but not for other purposes such as initiative, Dexterity checks (but see below), and Reflex saving throws. To determine encumbrance from weight carried, total up everything the creature carries. The creature's armor and shield (if any) are part of its load. Compare the load with the creature's Strength score on Table 9-1 in the Player's Handbook to determine encumbrance from weight carried. The creature's size and number of feet can affect the load it can carry, as noted on page 162 of the Player's Handbook. Medium or heavy encumbrance from a creature's load imposes its own Dexterity cap on Armor Class bonus and check penalty. These work exactly like the Dexterity cap and check penalty from wearing armor. A creature uses the worst encumbrance effect (slowest speed, lowest Dexterity cap on Armor Class, highest check penalty) for its armor or its load. The rules work this way because no matter how strong a creature is, wearing most kinds of armor reduces its mobility at least somewhat. Movement and Move Actions As we saw above, you move whenever you go from one place on a battlefield to another. Usually, you move as a move action. Unfortunately, you sometimes use a move action and don't move at all, and sometimes you use a full-round action or a miscellaneous action to move. Move Actions It's important to remember that you don't always "move" when you take a move action. When a move action doesn't actually constitute movement, you can take a 5-foot step during a round when you perform one of these actions (provided you don't otherwise move during the same turn). Many of these actions provoke attacks of opportunity (all by themselves; move actions that actually involve movement can provoke attacks of opportunity if the creature using the action moves out of a threatened square. Here's a quick recap of move actions: Move A move is the basic act of moving your speed across the battlefield. You can't take a 5-foot step during the same round that you move. If you leave a threatened square while moving, you provoke attacks of opportunity, though there are numerous exceptions that we won't go into here. Several skills either require you to move or are included in your movement (see below). Control a Frightened Mount You use this action when you're in battle on a mount that is not trained for war. You make a Ride check to control the mount. The check is a move action for you, but it does not necessarily involve movement. If your mount does not move, then your 36 action to control doesn't count as movement for you. Since you must devote your attention to the mount, this action provokes attacks of opportunity. If you're successful with your Ride check, you can direct your mount to move, stand still, or do anything else it normally could do while carrying a rider. If you direct the mount to move, your check to control it and the mount's movement are part of the same action, and you still can perform a standard action during the round. If your check fails, the mount does what it will (probably fleeing from danger as fast as it can); you cannot take another actions and the failed check ends your turn (but see below). Direct or Redirect an Active Spell Some spells, such as spiritual weapon, flaming sphere, and animate rope produce effects you can direct as a move action. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity and it does not count as movement for you. Note that some spells, such as detect magic and arcane eye, require concentration, not mere direction. Concentrating on a spell is a standard action, not a move action. Check the spell description carefully to find out which action (if any) the spell requires. Draw a Weapon Use this action to draw out a sheathed weapon or other item that your DM agrees is reasonably weaponlike and stored in a holster or other convenient place where you can grab it and pull it out quickly. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity and it does not count as movement for you. If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or more, you can draw a weapon as part of your movement. That is, you can use a move action to move up to your speed and also draw a weapon as part of that move action. If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or more and you don't move, you still have to use a move action to draw a weapon. The rule reflects the flow of time in the game and the relative ease of drawing a weapon if you have even a modicum of fighting ability. Note that this rule applies only to drawing weapons and not to move actions in general. If you have the Two-Weapon fighting feat, you can draw two one-handed or light weapons as a move action, or as part of movement. The Quick Draw feat allows you to draw a weapon as a free action (whether you also move or not); if you have the TwoWeapon Fighting feat, the Quick Draw feat allows you to draw two 1-handed or light weapons as a free action. If you have an item (even a weapon) stored away in a backpack, you must use the retrieve a stored item action instead. You can draw ammunition for a projectile weapon as a free action, provided you've got it stored in a quiver or some other convenient place. Load a Hand or Light Crossbow You use this action when you cock and load a hand or light crossbow (loading a new clip into a repeating crossbow is a fullround action). Loading doesn't count as movement, but it provokes attacks of opportunity. Open or Close a Door You use this for opening or closing just about any portal of approximately your size or smaller. Opening a garden gate, a desk drawer, or the door to your house is a move action for you. So is picking a lock. Portals bigger than you may require fullround actions or even several full-round actions. Just opening or closing a door (or other closure) doesn't constitute movement, and the act doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. The DM might decide, however, that opening a really big or stubborn door counts as moving a heavy object (see below). Mount or Dismount a Steed Use this action to climb aboard a mount or get off. The act of mounting of dismounting doesn't count as movement for you; however, you must enter your mount's space to mount or exit the mount's space to dismount. You can enter or exit the mount's space as a 5-foot step (if the situation allows a 5-foot step) or as part of your normal movement. For example if your speed is 30 and your mount is 30 feet away or less, you use one move action to reach the mount's space and a second move action to mount (see below for more on the Ride skill). Move a Heavy Object Use this action to drag something (a treasure chest, an unconscious ally, or a slain monster's carcass), push something (a loaded cart or a barn door), or manhandle something big and bulky into position (a statue or a banquet table). You and whatever you're moving travel across the battlefield, so moving a heavy object counts as movement. Since moving something heavy usually occupies your full attention, the very act of moving the object provokes attacks of opportunity. In addition, if you leave a threatened square while moving, you also provoke attacks of opportunity for doing that. The rules don't give movement rates for moving heavy objects or for dragging things, but as a rule of thumb, there's no effect on your movement if what you're moving weighs less than your light load rating. You move as though encumbered if you move something that weighs more than your light load rating but no more than your maximum heavy load. If you use the dragging rule (see page 162 in the Player's Handbook) to move something that exceeds your maximum load, you move at half speed. Pick Up an Item This action generally involves stooping down and pick up something from the floor. Doing so doesn't count as movement, but it provokes attacks of opportunity. Grabbing something stored in a handy location (such as a tabletop or rack) might be a free action and might not provoke attacks of opportunity, depending on how generous your DM is feeling. Sheathe a Weapon Use this action whenever you have to put something away fairly carefully. Sheathing a weapon doesn't count as movement, but it takes some care and attention, so it provokes attacks of opportunity. Just stuffing something into your pocket or into a bag you have in your hand is a free action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. In the latter case, you'll need a move action to locate and retrieve the stored item. The Quick Draw feat does not allow you to sheathe a weapon as a free action. Stand Up from Prone Use this action to get up when you're lying on the ground. This does not count as movement, but you're pretty darn close to defenseless when regaining your feet, so standing up provokes attacks of opportunity. Getting to your feet when seated on the ground is just as difficult as getting up from a prone position and also requires a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity. If you're kneeling on the ground, getting up takes some time, but it doesn't make you vulnerable, so you use a 37 move action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. Getting up from a chair is a free action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity if the chair is fairly high; otherwise it's just like getting up from a prone position. Ready or Loose a Shield Use this action when you strap a shield to your arm (or grab a buckler) to claim its shield bonus to Armor Class. Likewise, you can loose a shield and sling it over your back. You lose the shield's bonus to Armor Class (the check penalty from the shield still applies though), but you have your hand free and the shield is hanging there, ready to use with another move action. Readying or loosing a shield takes time, but isn't too complicated, so it does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or more, you can ready or loose a shield as part of your movement. That is, you can use a move action to move up to your speed and also ready or loose a shield as part of that move action. If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or more and you don't move, you still have to use a move action to ready or loose a shield. If you've already loosed your shield (or you're just carrying it), you can drop it as a free action. Retrieve a Stored Item Use this action to dig something out of your pack or grab something that is stored in some other fairly accessible but somewhat unhandy location, such as a purse, belt pouch, or cluttered tabletop. This doesn't count as movement, but it occupies enough of your attention to provoke attacks of opportunity. A spell component pouch is fitted with all sorts of handy pockets and compartments, which your character is assumed to keep fairly neat and organized. Getting components from a spell component pouch is part of the casting time for the spell and doesn't require a separate action. If you're grappled, however, it takes a full-round action to draw out a spell component. When Moving Isn't a Move Action Several actions fit our definition of "movement" but are not move actions. Unless noted otherwise, you can't also take a 5foot step during a turn when you use one of these actions. Here's a recap: Withdraw As a full-round action you can move up to double your speed; you can move in any direction you normally could move (including toward an enemy), and the first square you leave is not considered threatened. If you leave any additional threatened squares, however, you provoke attacks of opportunity normally. When withdrawing, you must use a mode of movement for which you have a speed rating (see next section). Withdrawing is a full-round action no matter how far you choose to move. You can't do anything else (except take free actions) during the turn when you withdraw. If you're limited to only a standard action during your turn, you can withdraw as a standard action, moving up to your speed. If you're capable of using a full-round action, you must use a full-round action to withdraw. Run If your movement is not hampered and you're not reduced to half speed (see above), you can run as a full-round action. You move up to four times your speed in a straight line (or up to three times your speed if you're in heavy armor or carrying a heavy load). Running represents an all-out effort to move as fast as possible, so you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) when running -- you're putting your effort into speed, not defense. Running by itself doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity, but you are moving when running and you provoke attacks of opportunity if you leave a threatened square while running. If you use a grid to regulate movement in your games, don't take the requirement for running in a straight line too literally. It's often impossible to move from space to space on a grid and maintain a perfectly straight line. Draw or trace a straight line from any corner of the moving creature's starting space to any portion of the creature's intended ending space. So long as the creature sticks to spaces that the line passes though or touches, it is moving in a "straight" line for purposes of the run action. Creatures that lack Constitution scores cannot run. Though the rules don't say so, there's no good reason why you cannot run as a standard action if you're limited to only a standard action during your turn. If you're capable of using a full-round action, you must use a full-round action to run. Move 5 Feet through Difficult Terrain As noted on page 144 in the Player's Handbook, a creature that is otherwise mobile might encounter a situation in which its movement is so hampered that it cannot move even one space. Such a creature can move 5 feet (one space) in any direction as a full-round action. Moving this way is not a 5-foot step. If a creature using this rule leaves a threatened square, it provokes attacks of opportunity. It's worth repeating here that you cannot use this rule to move through impassible areas (such as solid walls), or move when you're immobilized. Take a 5-Foot Step You're moving when you take a 5-foot step. You can't take a 5-foot step during a round when you perform any other movement, and you cannot take a 5-foot step if your movement is hampered, if your movement is reduced to half speed, or if your current speed is 5 feet or less. As with the withdraw action, you must use a mode of movement for which you have a speed rating. Bull Rush As a standard action, you move up to your speed. To perform the bull rush you must move into your opponent's space at some point during your move. If you wish to push your opponent back more than 5 feet, you must have some movement left when you enter you opponent's space (see the bull rush description on page 154 of the Player's Handbook). You can bull rush as part of a charge. If you do, you perform the bull rush instead of attacking your foe and you get a +2 bonus on your Strength check (see page 155 in the Player's Handbook). Charge As a full-round action you can move up to twice your speed directly toward a foe and make a single melee attack when you reach the foe. You must move at least 10 feet to the closest square from which you can attack your opponent and you must move to that square by the shortest path. If that path takes you through an obstacle or terrain that hampers your movement (including friendly creatures), you cannot charge. Though you normally cannot charge into or through a space that contains another creature, you can charge as part of a bull rush action. 38 You cannot charge if you're reduced to half speed. If you're capable of using only a standard action during your turn, you can charge as a standard action. The procedure for charging is slightly different when you're using the Ride-By Attack feat (see below). Overrun As with a bull rush, you move up to your speed as a standard action and you enter your opponent's space during your move. If you knock your opponent down with your overrun, you can keep moving through your opponent's space if you have any movement left (see the overrun description on page 157 of the Player's Handbook). You cannot perform an overrun as part of a charge (see thePlayer's Handbook errata file). Grapple To maintain a hold you've established with a successful grapple check, you must enter your foe's space. Likewise, creatures with the improved grab special attack drag their victims into their spaces after establishing holds. Neither movement counts against a creature's movement for the turn. If you've already moved your speed or taken a 5-foot step, you still can move into a foe's space to maintain a hold and you still can be dragged into an attacker's space after it has grabbed you with improved grab. Speeds and Skills A creature has a speed rating for each kind of movement it can use. Most creatures have a single speed rating for land speed. Other possible speed ratings include burrow, climb, swim, and fly. The Monster Manual Glossary includes a wealth of detail on speeds. A creature with only a land speed can climb or swim by making an appropriate skill check, but cannot charge, run, withdraw or take a 5-foot step while doing so. That's the chief difference between climbing or swimming with a climb speed and using the Climb or Swim skill. Climb and Swim aren't the only skills that involve movement. Below, we'll compare and contrast speed ratings and the skills that help landbound creatures mimic them. We'll also examine skills that function as part of movement. Climb A creature with a climb speed must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC of more than 0, but it always can choose to take 10 (see Checks without Rolls, page 65 in the Player's Handbook), even if rushed, distracted, or endangered. It also gets a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks. A successful check allows it to move its climb speed up down, or across the wall or slope as a move action. If it chooses an accelerated climb (see Climb, page 69 in the Player's Handbook), it moves at double the listed climb speed (or its land speed, whichever is less) and makes a single Climb check at a -5 penalty. A creature with a climb speed retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing. Most creatures with climb speeds don't have hands, though many use some sort of appendage to climb. Those with appendages must have them free to climb. A creature can cling to a wall with one appendage while it casts a spell or takes some other action that requires only one appendage. A limbless creature, such as an ooze, never has to worry about having any appendages free -- it can just climb. If the creature takes damage while climbing, it makes a Climb check against the DC of the slope or wall to avoid falling. (It can take 10 on the check.) Using the Climb Skill A creature using the Climb skill to climb without a climb speed can take 10 on the check only when not rushed or threatened. It loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) while climbing, and it cannot take a 5-foot step or withdraw while climbing. A creature uses the Climb skill as a move action, and climbing is movement. With a successful check, the climber moves at one quarter its land speed when climbing (or one half land speed if it makes an accelerated climb). On a failed check, the creature doesn't move at all (but still uses up a move action) if the check failed by 4 or less. The creature falls if the check fails by 5 or more. See the Climb skill description for other details. All Climbers Creatures cannot charge or run while climbing, even if they have Climb speeds. Swim A creature with a swim speed can move through water at its swim speed without making Swim checks. It has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check it makes to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. The creature always can choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if rushed, distracted, or endangered or when swimming in stormy water. The creature can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line. It also can charge, withdraw, or take a 5-foot step. Unlike creatures using the Swim skill, a creature with a swim speed does not have to make a Swim check each hour to avoid nonlethal damage. Using the Swim Skill A creature that doesn't have a swim speed must make a Swim check to move through the water when its feet don't touch the bottom. A successful check allows the creature to move through the water at a quarter of its current land speed as a move action or at half its current land speed as a full-round action. If the check fails by 4 or less, the creature makes no progress through the water. If the check fails by 5 or more, the creature goes underwater (if the creature is underwater already, there's no extra effect for failing a Swim check by 5 or more). Swimmers that don't have swim speeds must make an extra Swim check (DC 20) for each hour they spend swimming. If the check fails, the swimmer takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. Creatures without swim speeds can charge (provided they can move at least 10 feet before attacking), but they cannot run, withdraw, or take a 5-foot step. Balance Although it's not terribly clear from the skill description, you can use the Balance skill two different ways. First, you can make a Balance check to charge or run over a surface that is rough or uneven enough to trip you up, but not one that is so rugged as to make running or charging impossible. For example, you can make a Balance check (DC 10) to run or charge across an uneven flagstone floor or a hewn stone floor. You make one check. If you fail the check on an uneven 39 flagstone floor, you can't move and your turn ends. If you fail the check on a hewn stone floor, you can still act, but you cannot run or charge this round. Second, you can make a Balance check to move along a narrow or precarious surface, such as a ledge, beam, or tightrope. With a successful check, you can move at half your speed along the precarious surface as a move action. You can use a standard action to make a second move, but doing so requires a second Balance check. You can take a -5 penalty on your check and move at your full speed instead. You also can take -5 penalty on your check and charge across a precarious surface. If the distance you move in a charge is equal to or less than your speed, you make one Balance check. If the distance you charge is more than your speed (you can move up to twice your speed when charging), you must make two Balance checks. A failure by 4 or less means you can't move for 1 round; you still use up a move action. A failure by 5 or more means you fall. If you're making two Balance checks and you succeed with the first one but fail the second, you stop moving and your turn ends (and you fall if you failed by 5 or more). Hide According to the Hide skill description, hiding isn't an action at all, except when you use the sniping option (see page 76 in the Player's Handbook), in which case hiding is a move action. For all practical purposes, however, you hide as a move action or as part of a move action. That is, if you're moving, you hide as part of your movement (something like drawing a weapon, see above). If you don't move, it still takes you a move action to hide. You take a -5 penalty on your Hide check if you move more than half your speed. In this case, you must track your speed by the action, not by the turn. If you move your speed as a move action, you take the penalty even if you don't move during the remainder of your turn. Likewise, speed is the amount of movement you expend, not the actual distance you move across the battlefield. If your movement is hampered, for example, and you move as far as you can possibly go as a move action (or as a full-round action), you take the -5 penalty. Jump Jumping is a part of movement. Simply add any distance you jump to any other movement you've spent during your turn (including the distance you've covered in the run-up to a running jump). The distance you cover in a jump is the horizontal distance for a long jump and the vertical distance in a high jump (but always at least 10 feet for a high jump). Disregard the vertical portion of a long jump (one quarter the jump's horizontal distance). If you make a high jump and drop back to the ground, don't count the distance you've dropped. Jumping Over an Obstacle If you high jump over an obstacle, you spend whatever movement you need to enter the square on the other side, plus the movement cost for the high jump. If you don't have enough movement available, you can't make the jump, but you can use the minimum movement rule (see above) to make the jump as a full-round action. Also see the section on jumping farther than your speed allows. Hopping Up You can use a Jump check to leap up on top of an obstacle that is no more than waist high (that is about half your height) with a DC 10 Jump check at a cost of 10 feet of movement. If the obstacle has enough space on top to let you stand on it, you wind up on top of obstacle, otherwise, you just hop over it. If you fail the Jump check to jump up, you spend 10 feet of movement and wind up on your feet in the square where you tried the hop. Jumping Farther than Your Speed Allows If you have a high Strength score or a lot of ranks in the Jump skill (or both) it's quite possible that you can get a Jump check result that carries you through more distance than your speed allows, especially if you move some distance before jumping. When that happens, you end your turn in the air. During your next turn, you must finish the jump before you do anything else. If your speed still won't allow you to finish the jump, just repeat the process until you complete the jump. Move Silently Moving silently isn't an action. You move silently as part of your movement. As with the Hide skill, you take a -5 penalty on your Move Silently check if you move more than half your speed (see the notes under the Hide skill). Ride Though your steed actually does the moving, much of what you do with the Ride skill counts as move action or as movement (or both) for you. Since your mount takes you along with it when it moves, a move for your mount also counts as a move for you (you're not propelling yourself, but you still spend time moving). So, for example, if you and your mount move, neither you nor your mount can take a 5-foot step during the same turn. In many cases, you can do something else while your mount does the moving, such as make ranged attacks, reload a crossbow, cast a spell, or any number of other things that normally would be actions for you. You can use the full attack action to make ranged attacks when your mount takes a move action, and there's no penalty for doing so if your mount does not make a double move. If your mount runs or makes a double move, you suffer a penalty on your ranged attacks, as noted on page 157 in the Player's Handbook (the Mounted Archery feat can reduce those penalties). If your mount moves as a fullround action (as it might if it uses the rule for minimum movement), your ranged attacks are penalized as though the mount took a double move. There's no penalty on your melee attacks for your mount's movement, but if you mount moves before you attack in a turn, you cannot us the full attack action (see page 157 in the Player's Handbook). Here's an overview of tasks you perform with the Ride skill: Guide with Knees Although the skill description doesn't specifically say so, this is not an action at all. You make the check at the beginning of your turn. If you succeed, you don't have to use your hands to control your mount until the beginning of your next turn, when you have to repeat the check to continue guiding your mount with your knees. Stay in Saddle This usage does not take an action. 40 Fight with Warhorse This usage is a free action. Cover This usage does not take an action. Soft Fall This usage does not take an action. Leap This usage does not take an action, but it is part of the mount's movement. Spur Mount This is a move action for you, which you take while your mount moves and carries you along. Control Mount in Battle This also is a move action for you, which you take while your mount moves and carries you along. If you fail to control a mount that is not trained for war during a battle, the rules say your turn is over. There is, however, no reason why you can't simply fall off your mount to keep it from galloping away with you. Deliberately falling off your mount is a free action for you. If you decide to fall off, you can make a Ride check to soften the fall (which doesn't take an action). Fast Mount or Dismount This is a free action for you and it does not count as movement for you. Tumble Tumbling is part of movement, so a Tumble check is part of a move action. Any distance you spend tumbling counts against your movement for the turn. You tumble at half speed, as if each square you tumble through costs you 10 feet of movement (15 if you tumble on a diagonal). If you accept a -10 penalty on your check, you tumble at normal speed. You cannot tumble at all if your encumbrance (from armor or load) reduces your speed. Tumbling to Hop Up Since tumbling involves acrobatic maneuvers such as flips, rolls, and cartwheels, there's no good reason why you couldn't make a Tumble check to roll onto or over a waist-high obstacle. Normally, you'd make a Jump check (DC 10) to do that, but you can accomplish the same thing with a Tumble check (DC 15). You still expend 10 feet of movement to perform the hop and you land on your feet in front of the obstacle if you fail. Tumbling While Crawling Though the rules don't say so, there's no reason you can't can tumble 5 feet as a move action when prone. The check DC is 20. Burrow In most cases, burrowing movement allows a creature to tunnel through fairly loose material such as dirt or snow. Some creatures, however, can burrow through stone or other solid materials. The kinds of material the creature can penetrate while burrowing is noted in its description. In most cases, a burrowing creature does not leave behind a tunnel that other creatures can use or that it can use for travel via another mode of movement. Burrowing movement takes place in three dimensions. A burrowing creature can tunnel up, down, left, or right as easily as a human can change direction while walking on smooth ground. A creature cannot charge or run while burrowing. Flight Basic Flight Basic flight consists of turning, level flight, climbing, diving, and (usually) maintaining a minimum forward speed. A flying creature's maneuverability rating determines how well it can perform these basic functions, as shown on Table 2-1 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Because a flying creature's ability to change direction is limited, and because flight takes place in three dimensions, you must know a creature's maneuverability rating, forward speed, direction of travel, and altitude to handle flaying correctly. Maneuverability ratings are described on page 312 in the Monster Manual. Table 2-1 in the Dungeon Master's Guide and the text that accompanies it defines what the various maneuverability ratings allow creatures to do in the air. Additional notes follow (using a harpy as an example): Forward Speed Forward speed is the number of squares a flying creature traverses during the course of its movement for the round. Some flight maneuvers (such as turning in place) use up flying movement but don't contribute to forward speed. Many flyers must maintain a minimum forward speed each round. If they fail to do so, they stall (see Minimum Forward Speed). Direction of Travel Though the D&D game doesn't require you to keep track of which direction creatures face, flying movement usually restricts their ability to turn and that does require you to keep track of facing. For purposes of flying movement, a creature always faces the same direction as its movement. When a creature ends its flying movement for the turn, place a mark or a marker on the grid so you know which direction in which it would travel. When it is time for the creature to move again, it resumes moving in that direction. The creature's direction of travel in no way limits where it can make melee or ranged attacks. A flying creature (if armed) threatens the spaces around it not matter what its maneuverability or which direction it flies. 41 Altitude This is simply how high above the ground a flying creature happens to be. If keeping track of flyers' altitudes relative to the ground proves inconvenient, choose some other reference point, but make sure that all creatures in an aerial encounter use the same reference point to measure altitude. Altitude is measured from the ground (or other reference point) to the bottom of a flying creature's space (see Creatures in Aerial Combat below). The top of a creature's space usually sticks up above its altitude and the creature usually can reach up farther than that. If an aerial encounter contains creatures bigger than Medium size, it can prove helpful to indicate how high up each creature extends. Because maps and battle grids usually are two-dimensional, you must write down each flying creature's altitude at the end of its movement. It's usually best to record altitude directly on the grid. Several flying creatures can occupy the same square on your grid it they're at different altitudes. Minimum Forward Speed If a flying creature fails to maintain its minimum forward speed, it must land at the end of its movement. If it is too high above the ground to land, it stalls. A creature in a stall falls straight down, descending 150 feet in the first round of falling. If this distance brings it to the ground, it takes falling damage. If the fall doesn't bring the creature to the ground, it must spend its next turn recovering from the stall. It must succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save to recover. Otherwise it falls another 300 feet. If it hits the ground, it takes falling damage. Otherwise, it has another chance to recover on its next turn. Keep track of minimum forward speed by the turn, not by the move. For example, a harpy has a fly speed of 80 and average maneuverability. The harpy has a minimum forward speed of 40 feet; a harpy that moves 20 feet ahead as a move action doesn't stall if it uses another move action the same turn to move another 20 feet ahead. As noted earlier, only moving from square to square counts toward minimum forward speed. Movement spent turning in place doesn't count. In some cases, a creature may spend part of its turn on the ground (or perhaps on a flying mount or flying device). If the creature uses a move or standard action on the ground, it need maintain only half its minimum forward speed once it takes to the air. If a flying creature moves along the ground and then takes to the air as part of the same move action, it must maintain all of its minimum forward speed to avoid stalling. Hover Hover is the ability to stay in one place while airborne. As shown in the Dungeon Master's Guide, creatures with perfect or good maneuverability always have this ability. Less maneuverable creatures also might gain this ability via the Hover feat from the Monster Manual. A creature with perfect maneuverability can hover as a free action and remain airborne. A creature with good maneuverability also can hover as free action. It can instead hover as a move action and, as part of that move action, can move at half speed in any direction it likes (including straight up, straight down, or backward). Before or after it moves, the hovering creature can turn to face any direction it likes. When it stops hovering, it can resume ordinary flight in any direction in which it could normally fly. A creature with less than good maneuverability, such as a harpy, that gains the ability to hover from the Hover feat, must use a move action to switch from normal flight to hovering. It can then use another move action (if it has one available during the current turn), to move at half speed in any direction it likes (including straight up, straight down, or backward). Before or after it does this hovering movement, the creature can turn to face any direction it likes. When it stops hovering, the creature can resume ordinary flight in any direction in which it could normally fly. If a creature begins its turn hovering, it can hover in place for the turn (no matter what its maneuverability) and take a fullround action. A hovering creature cannot make wing attacks, but it can attack with all other limbs and appendages it could use in a full attack. The creature can instead use a breath weapon or cast a spell instead of making physical attacks, if it could normally do so. Move Backward This is the ability to move backward without turning around. Reverse A creature with good maneuverability can use up 5 feet of its speed to start flying backward. Turn How much the creature can turn after covering the stated distance. For example, a harpy has average maneuverability, so it can turn left or right 45° for each 5 feet it moves forward. The creature moves into a square, then turns. To fly in a complete circle, a harpy would have to travel eight squares. Turn in Place A creature with good or average maneuverability can use some of its speed to turn in place. (This represents the creature slowing down and banking hard to make a tight turn.) The extra movement spent turning does not count toward minimum forward speed; a creature that turns too sharply at low speeds stalls. A harpy has average maneuverability, so it can turn an extra 45° in one square by spending 5 feet of movement. Maximum Turn This is how much the creature can turn in any one space. No matter how much movement the creature spends on turning, it can't change direction more than this in a single square. A harpy has average maneuverability, so it can turn a maximum of 90° in one square. To do so, the harpy moves into the square and turns 45°, then it spends 5 feet of movement and turns an extra 45° without moving forward. A harpy can fly in a complete circle by moving only four squares, but doing so still would cost the harpy 40 feet of movement (20 feet for the squares moved and 20 feet for the extra turning). If the harpy does so, it doesn't satisfy its minimum forward speed (40 feet), even though it has expended 40 feet of movement. The harpy must fly forward another 20 feet to avoid stalling. The harpy could to that by flying in another tight circle. 42 Up Angle The up angle is the maximum angle at which the creature can climb through the air. A creature with an up angle of 60º must move ahead at least 5 feet for every 10 feet it climbs. A creature with an up angle of 45º must move ahead at least 5 feet for every 5 feet it climbs. A harpy has average maneuverability, so its up angle is 60º. Up Speed Up speed is how fast the creature can move while gaining at least 10 feet of altitude; this represents the energy the flyer loses when climbing. The creature cannot expend more movement than its up speed allows, even if that movement is not forward movement. If the creature climbs and dives in the same turn, any bonus movement it gains from the dive is not limited by the creature's up speed. For example, a harpy has average maneuverability, so its up speed is half, or 40 feet. Its minimum forward speed also is 40 feet, so it risks stalling if it expends extra movement to turn when climbing unless it can make a double move. Down Angle The down angle is the maximum angle at which the creature can dive through the air. A creature with a down angle of 45º must move ahead at least 5 feet for every 5 feet it climbs. A harpy has average maneuverability, so it can dive at any angle. Down Speed Any flying creature can fly down at twice its normal flying speed. An easy way to track diving movement is to allow it 5 feet of bonus movement for every 5 feet it descends, to a maximum of twice its normal flying speed. The creature can use the extra movement for any kind flying movement it normally could perform, except for hovering. Downward movement in a stall or freefall does not increase a creature's speed. Instead, the creature falls straight down at a fixed rate. Between Down and Up An average, poor, or clumsy flier must fly level for a minimum distance after descending and before climbing (but it can turn). Any flier can begin descending after a climb without an intervening distance of level flight. A harpy has average maneuverability, so after a dive it must fly level for at least 5 feet before gaining any altitude. More About Flight Climbing and Diving in a Tight Space Creatures that cannot fly straight up usually can ascend in a spiral by circling as they climb. Because most creatures that can't fly straight up also have minimum forward speeds of half their base flying speeds and can move at only half speed when climbing, its difficult for them to turn in place while climbing because doing so requires them expend extra movement that does not count as forward movement (though many creatures can do so by making a double move). A creature's up angle also determines how much altitude it can gain during a move action. Likewise, creatures that cannot fly straight down can descend in a spiral. Because creatures that have a limited down angles cannot turn in place (see Table 2-1 in the Dungeon Master's Guide), they cannot make their descending spirals any tighter than their turning radius normally allows. Because flying creatures descend at two to four times the speed they can ascend (most creatures ascend at half speed but descend at double speed), they lose altitude far more quickly than they can gain it. Stalling and Freefalling Stalling represents the failure of a flying creature's wings (or other motive agent) to keep the creature aloft. The rules are a little sketchy when it comes to what happened during a stall, so here are some unofficial suggestions. A stalling creature falls, but it wings provide considerable drag and tend to slow the creature's fall. As noted earlier, a creature falls 150 feet during the first round spent stalling, and it falls 300 feet each round thereafter. Wingless flyers that stall still have some residual lift and fall more slowly than non-flyers. A flying creature that cannot maintain its minimum forward speed because it has been rendered unconscious, has become paralyzed, has become magically held, or becomes unable to move for some other reason stalls at the beginning of its first turn after the debilitating effect occurs. A stalling creature can take no actions, except to recover from the stall. It loses its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while stalling. As noted earlier, recovering from a stall requires a Reflex save (DC 20). A stalling creature falls more or less straight down, but it also tumbles and spins erratically. Melee or ranged attacks made against a stalling creature have a 20% miss chance. A nonflyer (or flyer falling through the air) freefalls rather than stalls. A creature in freefall drops 500 feet the first round and 1,000 feet each round thereafter. While in freefall, a creature can attempt a single action each round. It must make a Dexterity or Strength check (creature's choice, DC 15) to avoid dropping any item it tries to use. Spellcasting is possible, but doing so requires a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) and if the spell has a material component, the creature must first check to see if it drops the component. Deliberately Freefalling A flying creature can simply stop flying and allow itself to drop like a stone. Exiting a freefall requires a full-round action (during which the creature falls 500 or 1,000 feet). A creature with Perfect maneuverability exits a freefall automatically, less maneuverable creatures require a Reflex save (DC 20). If the check fails, the creature stalls (even if it does not have a minimum forward speed), though during its next turn it can attempt to recover from the stall after falling 300 feet. A creature with average, poor, or clumsy maneuverability suffers 3d6 points of nonlethal damage when it exits a freefall (or when it stalls from a failed attempt to leave freefall) due to the stress on its body. A freefalling creature with a fly speed can automatically recover from a freefall if it receives a feather fall spell, but only after falling 60 feet; the creature suffers no damage from the recovery. Fast Freefalls A creature with a fly speed can propel itself downward as a move action, adding up to twice its flying speed to the distance it freefalls. A creature with Perfect maneuverability can make a fast freefall automatically, while less maneuverable creatures require a Reflex save (DC 15). If the save fails, the creature stalls. On a successful check the creature fast freefalls for a full round. 43 Catching As a full-round action, a flyer can catch a freefalling creature or object, or a stalling creature, provided that the falling creature or object is at least one size category smaller than the creature attempting the catch. To make the catch, the creature must make a successful melee touch attack to grab the falling creature or object (a creature can voluntarily forego any Dexterity bonus to AC if desired). If the grab succeeds, the catching creature must make a Reflex save (DC 25) to keep flying. If the save fails by 4 or less, the catcher drops the falling creature or object. If the save fails by 5 or more, the catcher drops the falling creature or object and stalls if it has a minimum forward speed. If the catcher does not have a minimum forward speed, it falls 1d4x10 feet. Obstacles and Collisions Because flying creatures cannot always change direction when they wish to, they must take great care to avoid blundering into obstacles or into other creatures. Maneuvering Past Obstacles To turn and avoid an obstacle at its own altitude, a flying creature must be able to turn in place. If it cannot turn in place, it needs at least 5 feet of space between it and the obstacle if it wishes to turn to avoid a collision (because in an aerial turn you move into the square ahead of you and then turn left or right 45° ). It cannot move diagonally past a corner in the air or on the ground, so any turn you make must carry you past an obstacle's corner before you can fly past it. If turning to avoid an obstacle isn't possible, it may be possible to climb over or dive under the obstacle. A creature with maximum up or down angle of 45° needs at least 5 feet of clear space between it and an obstacle for every 5 feet it must climb or dive to get over or under the obstacle (you can't move past a corner on a diagonal, even when climbing or diving). A creature with a maximum up or down angle of 60° needs at least 5 feet of clear space between it and an obstacle for every 10 feet it must climb or dive to get over or under the obstacle. Maneuvering Past Creatures Flying past another creature works much like flying past an obstacle except that you can move on a diagonal to get past a creature. This makes it slightly easier to pass by without colliding. Colliding with an Obstacle Here's another place where the rules don't help much, so here are some more unofficial suggestions. If you fly into an obstacle and you cannot land there, you must make a Reflex save (DC 15) to avoid damage. If you fail the save, you and the object you strike take damage as though an object of your weight fell a distance equal to half your flying speed before you hit. (If it isn't clear what your speed before the collision was, use your flying speed during your previous turn.) If the object you hit has a hardness of 6 or less, you take nonlethal damage (the object takes normal damage). Your flying movement stops when you strike, forcing you to stall (even if you don't have a minimum forward speed) and fall straight down. If you're still conscious after the collision, you can make Climb check (DC = surface's DC + 20) to catch yourself and keep from falling. If the surface is sloped (see the Climb skill description), the Climb DC to catch yourself is lower (DC = slope's DC + 10). Colliding with a Creature Here's another place where the rules don't help much, so you can use these unofficial suggestions. You can freely pass through your allies' spaces in the air just as you can on the ground. If you fly into a creature that is not your ally, you effectively attempt to overrun it. You can execute a bull rush against the creature instead, if you wish. An overrun or bull rush normally requires a standard action. If you accidentally enter an enemy's space you must make a Reflex save (DC 15); if you fail, you stall (even if you don't have a minimum forward speed). If you succeed, you can continue with your accidental bull rush or overrun, but you suffer a -4 penalty to all the opposed checks you make to resolve the bull rush or overrun. As with an overrun attack, the creature can decide not to block your movement, though this might cause the creature to stall (see the section on overruns). If so, you simply move through its space (even if you decide to bull rush the creature). You cannot stop in another creature's square, however, and if your speed isn't sufficient to carry you through the other creature's space, you must attempt an overrun or bull rush. If the creature is too small to overrun, you must try to bull rush it instead if you can't pass through its space. If the creature is too big to overrun, you strike it just as if it were an obstacle, and you and the creature take nonlethal damage. Both you and the creature you strike make Reflex saves (DC 15) to avoid damage, but the creature you strike gets a +4 bonus for each size category it is bigger than you. You stall just as if you struck an obstacle. The creature you strike stalls if it fails its Reflex save. If you are at least three size categories smaller than the creature whose space you are entering (or if you are Tiny, Diminutive, or Fine size) you can enter the creature's space without colliding, bull rushing, or overrunning, but entering the creature's space provokes an attack of opportunity. Likewise, if you are at least three size categories smaller than the creature whose space you are entering, you also can enter the creature's space without colliding, bull rushing, or overrunning, but entering the creature's space provokes an attack of opportunity. Actions while Flying Most actions work exactly the same way in the air as they do on the ground; exceptions are noted here. Full-Round Actions A creature with a minimum forward speed usually cannot use full-round actions in the air unless those actions allow it to move forward at least at its minimum speed. For example, a harpy (average maneuverability) could charge or run while flying, but it could not make a full attack or cast a spell with a casting time longer than one action (but see the note on casting time). Cast a Spell Flying spellcasters can cast their spells without too much difficulty; however, aerial spellcasters often encounter some problems other spellcasters do not. Casting Time Most spells require 1 standard action to cast. The creature can move and then cast the spell, or cast the spell and then move. 44 A creature with a minimum forward speed cannot cast a spell with a casting time of 1 round or more while airborne unless it is riding on a flying mount or flying device. A creature with minimum forward speed can cast spells with a casting time of a full-round action (such as a sorcerer casting a spell modified with metamagic) by first using a move action to travel forward and maintain its minimum speed. The caster can then use a standard action to start the full-round spell. The next round, the creature can finish the spell by using another standard action, then use a move action to travel forward and maintain its minimum speed. Concentration Spellcasters using natural flight or using a spells or magic devices that empower them to fly personally, such as a fly spell or winged boots, can cast spells while flying without Concentration checks (unless other conditions they encounter while aloft require them). For casters using mounts or magic devices that function like mounts, such as a carpet of flying or a broom of flying, must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + spell level) or lose the spell. A creature riding as a passenger on a mount or magic device also must make Concentration checks to cast spells. Particularly violent motion from the mount or device makes the Concentration check more difficult (see the Concentration skill description in the Player's Handbook). Drop Prone A creature cannot drop prone while flying. If a flying creature lands, it can drop prone as a free action. Run A creature using natural flying speed can use the run action. As with any other run action, the creature must move in a straight line. A flyer using the run action cannot gain more than 5 feet of altitude, but it can lose any amount of altitude, and it gains the normal bonus movement for the altitude lost (5 feet per 5 feet descended, a maximum of twice its normal flying speed.) For example, a harpy could use the run action to fly 320 feet in a straight line. While doing so, it could not gain more than 5 feet of altitude. Take 5-Foot Step A flying creature cannot use the 5-foot step rule unless it has perfect or good maneuverability (and thus no minimum forward speed). Withdraw Flying creatures can use the withdraw action if they prove maneuverable enough to do so without colliding with their opponents. Flanking The rules for flanking apply in the air. It is possible, however, to flank a flying creature from the top and bottom. Creatures in Aerial Combat Aerial combat takes place in three dimensions, and each flying creature occupies a roughly cubical space and can reach above and below itself, as shown on the following table: Flying Creature Size and Face Size Fine Diminutive Tiny Small Medium Large (Long) Large (Tall) Huge (Long) Huge (Tall) Gargantuan (Long) Gargantuan (Tall) Colossal (Long) Colossal (Tall) Space 1/2 ft. across x 1/2 ft high 1 ft. across x 1 ft high 2 1/2 ft. across x 2 1/2 ft. high 5 ft. across x 5 ft. high 5 ft. across x 5 ft. high 10 ft. across x 5 ft. high 10 ft. across x 5 ft. high 15 ft. across x 10 ft. high 15 ft. across x 15 ft. high 20 ft. across x 15 ft. high 20 ft. across x 20 ft. high 30 ft. across x 25 ft. high 30 ft. across x 30 ft. high Natural Reach 0 ft. 0 ft. 0 ft. 5 ft. 5 ft. 5 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 15 ft. 15 ft. 20 ft. 15 ft. 25 ft. Space In the air, a creature's space includes length, width, and height. Creatures more than 5 feet high occupy a vertical column of two or more spaces, one space for each 5 feet of height. Natural Reach Natural reach is how far the creature can reach when it fights. A creature flying on its own threatens the area within that distance from itself, including above and below. A creature riding a mount or flying device also threatens all the spaces around it, except those blocked by the mount or device. Tall Creature A tall creature is a biped or similar creature. Creatures in the D&D game are not designated as "tall" or "long"; however, you can determine this for yourself easily by noting its reach entry. For example, a Large creature with a reach entry of 10 feet is "tall" (unless it's using a reach weapon). Long Creature A long creature is a quadruped or similar creature. Creatures in the D&D game are not designated as "tall" or "long"; however, you can easily determine this for yourself by noting its reach entry. For example, a Large creature with a reach entry of 5 feet is "long." 45 Special Attacks in the Air Flying creatures can try a variety of special tactics while in the air. In general, these work just like similar attacks made on the ground. Exceptions are listed below. The rules don't cover these situations in much detail, so most of this section much consists of unofficial suggestions. Bull Rush An aerial bull rush requires the attacker to ram a foe, which can prove risky for both the attacker and the defender. Initiating and Resolving an Aerial Bull Rush You begin in the same way as bull rush on the ground. To resolve an aerial bull rush, make opposed Strength checks or opposed Dexterity checks (each creature involved chooses which to use). Apply modifiers for each opponent's size as noted in the Player's Handbook, even when using opposed Dexterity checks. No creature can claim a stability bonus in an aerial bull rush. Aerial Bull Rush Results A creature that has been moved in an aerial bull rush must make a Reflex save (DC 20) immediately or stall (even if it does not have a minimum forward speed). If the attacker fails to move the defender during an aerial bull rush, it moves back 5 feet, as noted in the description of the bull rush action and must immediately make a Reflex save (DC 20) or stall (even if it does not have a minimum forward speed). Accidental Aerial Bull Rush: As noted in the section on collisions, you suffer a -4 penalty on all opposed checks you make to resolve a collision with a foe. Charge Flying creatures can use the charge action. A flying charge must be in straight line and most cover at least 10 feet (2 squares). A flyer can charge while diving, but not while gaining more than 5 feet altitude (unless the flyer has perfect maneuverability and can climb without losing speed). If a flyer makes a diving charge of at least 30 feet (6 squares) and also loses 10 feet of altitude or more, it can attack only with a claw or with a piercing or slashing weapon. These attacks, however, deal double damage. Grapple Aerial grappling can prove hazardous to attacker and defender alike. Except where noted here, a grappling attack in the air works just like grappling on the ground. Who Is Flying and Who Is Held If you have a minimum forward speed or if you rely on wings or other appendages to stay aloft, you cannot fly if another creature has a hold on you (but see Just Hanging On, below). An attacker that establishes a hold against you must be able to carry your weight or you both fall. In the course of an aerial grapple, the combatant who must hold everyone's weight can change from turn to turn. The last creature to establish a hold must be able to keep everyone involved in the grapple aloft or everyone falls. Grappling a Foe Two or More Sizes Smaller If you establish a hold against an airborne creature, your foe stalls if it has a minimum forward speed. You can simply hold up the creature if it is two or more size categories smaller than you (provided that the foe's weight, plus the weight of any gear you carry, does not exceed your light load). Your flying movement remains unhindered while you hold your foe. Each round, you can perform a move action and also use a standard action to conduct the grapple against the foe. Grappling a Foe Not Two or More Sizes Smaller You can try to fly and hold a foe that is your size, one size category smaller, or one size category bigger than you. To do so, you must make a successful opposed grapple check against every foe involved in the grapple. The grapple check requires a standard action, but the movement is part of that standard action. The attacking flyer inflicts no grappling damage with a success. If the attacker fails, it cannot move and stalls even if it does not have a minimum forward speed, and it must release everyone in its grasp. Even with a successful check, all the foes you hold counts as part of your load (creatures can fly only of lightly loaded). If you're overloaded, you must drop all foes or stall, even if you don't have a minimum forward speed. If you choose to hang on, you stall and all foes in your grasp fall along with you. You cannot recover from the stall until you shed your excess load. Dropping a Foe If you release another flyer from your hold during your turn, it stalls if it has a minimum forward speed, otherwise, it resumes normal flight. A nonflying creature that you drop freefalls. Any creature you drop can try to hang on, but see Just Hanging On. Escaping While Airborne If you escape from a foe's grasp while airborne, you can fly away in normal flight if you have a flying speed. (You are assumed to escape at a moment that's convenient for you.) Taking -20 An attacker with the improved grab ability can opt to conduct a grapple with only part of its body. Doing so imposes a -20 on the attacker's grapple checks, as noted in the Monster Manual. A flying grappler who takes the -20 penalty need not use a standard action to continue moving, but it can just fly along holding onto the foe. Even so, the held opponent counts as part of the load the attacker carries. Because the attacker is not using an action to make a grapple check, it does not damage the creature it holds, establish a pin, or accomplish any other effect that requires a successful grapple check. The foe still can attempt a grapple check of its own during its own turn to escape. Pin While aloft you cannot pin a creature the same size as you or bigger than you. 46 Just Hanging On Some combatants might not appreciate being grappled and dropped, especially if that means plummeting to earth afterward. If a dropped creature is at least two size categories smaller than the creature that dropped it, it can make a DC 20 climb check to avoid falling. If the Climb check succeeds, the dropped creature holds on somehow, and neither the creature that made the successful Climb check nor the creature to which it clings are considered grappled. The clinging creature, however, must hold on with at least one hand; it cannot use a shield, and loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class. If damaged while clinging, the creature must make a Climb check (DC 20) or fall. If the larger creature moves during its action, the clinging creature moves along with it. The larger can throw off the clinging creature with a grapple (a standard action) opposed by the clinging creature's Climb check. Overrun A flying creature can plow past or over an opponent using an overrun attack. Avoiding the Overrun A flyer can avoid an aerial overrun just as a landbound creature can. If the creature has a minimum forward speed, it must make a Reflex save (DC 15) to avoid stalling after the sudden maneuver. If the defender decides to avoid, you can move through its space whether it stalls or not. Blocking the Overrun If the opponent decides to block, make opposed Strength checks or opposed Dexterity checks (each creature involved chooses which to use).Bonuses and penalties for size are the same as a normal overrun no matter which kinds of checks the opponent's use. In addition, each creature gets a bonus based on its maneuverability rating, as follows: perfect +12, good +8, average +4, poor +0, clumsy -4. Stability bonuses do not apply in aerial overruns. Overrun Results An aerial overrun generally has the same results as a regular overrun, except that a creature knocked prone stalls instead (even if it doesn't have a minimum forward speed). If an overrunning attacker wins the opposed check, it can inflict unarmed strike damage on the defender instead of making the defender stall. A creature with natural weaponry uses the damage rating of one of its primary attacks as the unarmed strike damage. Trip Most creature using wings or other appendages to fly can be tripped. Incorporeal creatures with perfect maneuverability, and creatures that don't rely on their limbs to fly cannot be tripped when in flight. Resolving the Trip Attempt The attacker makes a Strength check. The defender can oppose the attempt with a Strength check or a Dexterity check. Each creature gets a bonus based on its maneuverability rating, as follows: perfect +12, good maneuverability +8, average +4, poor +0, clumsy -4. Stability bonuses do not apply in aerial overruns. Trip Results A successful trip forces the defender to stall (even if the tripped creature doesn't have a minimum forward speed) rather than knocking the defender prone. Movement Miscellany Impassible Squares A battlefield may contain some squares you cannot enter, such as solid walls (if you're corporeal). Sometimes it's possible to maneuver your way through an impassible square after all. Corners Corners, such as where two walls meet at a right angle, block movement. You cannot move diagonally past them, though you can trace line of effects for attacks past them. When you attack past a corner, you foe has cover. Most squares that contain foes are impassible to you, but you can move diagonally past them and your target doesn't get cover if you attack along that diagonal. This is because creatures don't completely fill all the space they occupy on the battlefield. Big and Little Creatures Fine, Diminutive, and Tiny creatures can freely enter squares that other creatures occupy, even foes (though entering a foe's space provokes an attack of opportunity from that foe). Likewise, a creature can enter another creature's space if it is three size categories smaller or three size categories bigger than the other creature. Ending Your Movement When you stop moving, you must be in a space that can hold you. Sometimes, it's possible to move through a space where you cannot stop. For example, you can move through an ally's space, but you can't stop there. If you ever accidentally end your move in a space where you cannot stop, you go back to the last space along your movement route that can hold you. Returning to that space doesn't count as part of your movement. If you're small enough (or big enough) to freely enter another creature's space, you also can end your movement in that space. Squeezing A creature can squeeze through or into a space that is at least half as wide as its space. Movement while squeezing is hampered, and the squeezing creature suffers a -4 penalty on attack rolls and a -4 penalty to Armor Class. Using the Escape Artist skill, a creature can squeeze into or through a space that's wide enough to admit its head (as a rule of thumb, that's a space a quarter as wide as the creature's face). The squeezing creature can't attack while using Escape Artist to squeeze through or into a narrow space. It takes a -4 penalty to AC, and it loses any Dexterity bonus to Armor Class. 47 A squeezing creature fills the whole space into which it has squeezed. Smaller creatures cannot pass through the squeezing creature's space. Fine, Diminutive, and Tiny creatures have no natural reach and must enter an opponent's space to attack, technically, that's impossible but here's an unofficial rule to cover the situation: Such creatures can attacker bigger creatures when they're squeezing. The smaller creature enters the squeezing creature's space just long enough to attack. To do so, the smaller creature must be able to fit into the squeezing creature's space without squeezing itself, and the smaller creature provokes an attack of opportunity when it enters the bigger creature's space (unless it cannot attack because it's using the Escape Artist skill). After the smaller creature's attack (or attacks if it uses the full attack action), it must return to the space it left to make the attack, as noted above. Formerly Helpless Creatures It's possible for any creature, friend or foe, to end its movement in a space that contains a helpless creature. Unfortunately, it's also possible for the helpless creature to resume functioning while another creature shares its space. Here are some unofficial suggestions for dealing with the situation. The formerly helpless creature must remain prone in its space until its turn. If another creature still shares its space when the formerly helpless creature's turn comes, the formerly helpless creature must either exit the space, force the other creature out, or contest the space. To exit the space, the formerly helpless creature must either crawl into an adjacent space that can hold it, or it must stand up and move to an adjacent space that can hold it. Crawling out of the space provokes attacks of opportunity from foes that threaten the space the creature leaves and from foes that threaten the space the creature crawls into (though the creature can tumble as noted in above). If the creature stands up, it provokes attacks of opportunity from foes that threaten the space where it stands up. It also must use either a move action or a 5-foot step to get into an adjacent space. If it uses a move action, it provokes attacks of opportunity from foes that threaten the space it left. To force the other creature out of the shared space, the formerly helpless creature makes a bull rush attack against the creature sharing the space. This works just like a normal bull rush, except that if it fails the opposed check to resolve the bull rush, it remains, prone, in the shared space. To contest the space, the formerly helpless creature can make a grapple attack on the creature that shares the space. If the formerly helpless creature fails to establish a hold, it remains, prone, in the shared space. If it establishes a hold, it can remain in the shared space and continue to grapple just as it would with any other grapple attempt. (Remember that to maintain a grappling hold an attacker must enter the foe's space.) If the formerly helpless creature is small enough (or big enough) to end its movement in the shared space (see above), it can simply remain in the shared space. If it decides to stand up, it provokes attacks of opportunity as normal for standing up. Spells, Conditions, and Movement Conditions The following conditions affect speed and movement, either directly or indirectly. This section deals only with each condition's affect on movement; there may be other effects, as noted in the Glossary section of the Dungeon Master's Guide (pages 300301). Ability Damage or Ability Drain Any creature with an ability score reduced to 0 is either dead (0 Constitution), unconscious, (0 Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma), or helpless (0 Strength). Any of these could cramp your style. In addition, loss of Strength reduces a creature's ability to carry a load, which can affect the creature's encumbrance (see above). Blinded You're reduced to half speed (see above) when you're blinded unless you've got some other ability that makes up for your lack of sight, such as the blind sense or blindsight ability. If you have the Blind-Fight feat, you move at three-quarters speed. This is a kind of hampered movement (and you suffer all the consequences for hampered movement as noted above), but it's easiest to handle this as a reduction in your speed. Multiply your usual speed by 0.75, and round the result down to a nearest multiple of 5 feet. For example, if your speed is 30, your speed when blinded is 20 feet (30 ´ 0.75 = 22.5, round down to 20). You are effectively blinded whenever visibility is reduced to nothing for you, such as when you don't have darkvision and you're in total darkness. Blown Away If you're blown away, you're moving, but that movement doesn't count against your movement for the current turn (if you're blown away during your own turn) or against your movement on your next turn (if you're blown away during someone else's turn). If being blown away moves you out of a threatened square, you provoke attacks of opportunity from any foes that threaten the square. If you're on the ground when you're blown away, you're knocked prone while you're being blown, and you finish your involuntary movement prone (see the notes on the prone condition). Checked When you're checked, you can't move in the direction of the force that's checking you. You can move at right angles to the force that's checking you, and you can move along with the force, but you don't get an increase in speed. If you're flying, a wind affect that checks you blows you along. This is like being blown away, except that you're not prone. Cowering When you're cowering, you can't take any actions, including move actions, and you also cannot take a 5-foot step. Dazed As with cowering, you cannot take any actions, including move actions, and you also cannot take a 5-foot step. Disabled A disabled creature can take only a single move action or single standard action and moves at half speed (see above) if it moves. Any strenuous activity damages the creature. Taking a single move action (at half speed) doesn't cause injury, but a standard action does, and that includes any standard action that involves moving, such as charging or withdrawing. 48 Entangled Some forms of entanglement prevent movement completely, and some merely hamper movement (see above). Check the entangling effect's description to determine if movement is possible at all. An effect can sometimes completely prevents movement and sometimes merely hamper movement; for example, you're entangled and cannot move at all if you fail your saving throw against an entangle spell. You can, however, rip free with a Strength check and move at half speed. When you're entangled and unable to move, you usually can use move actions that don't actually cause you to move (see Movement and Move Actions above). The DM, however, should feel free to prohibit such actions when common sense suggests that they aren't possible. For example, when a character is trapped in an entangle effect, you can reasonably assume the character can do something such as draw a weapon or dig out a stored item if the character is standing up and wrapped in vegetation that is waist-high or lower. A character entangled while plowing through a thicket with brush taller than his head or entangled while prone might be unable to use any move actions at all. Exhausted You move at half speed when you're exhausted. Fatigued You cannot run or charge when fatigued, but your movement isn't otherwise affected. Frightened When you're frightened, you must flee from the source of your fright as best you can. Your speed isn't affected for good or for ill, but you're obliged to move away as fast as you can. Though the rules don't specifically require it, you should always move along a path that takes you farther way from the source of your fright, never closer. (However, if you can see a clear path that briefly moves you closer to what frightened you before leading you away again, you can use that if no other path is available.) Grappling You can't move while grappling unless you first succeed with a grapple check and you're strong enough to drag your opponent (or opponents) along with you. Moving while grappling requires a standard action from you. If your grapple check succeeds, you can move at half speed as part of the standard action you used to move. Since you're spending a standard action to move while grappling, you can move only once. The forgoing should not be confused with escaping from a grapple. If you break free from a grapple, you're no longer grappling. It takes a standard action to get loose, but, once you do, you can then use a move action move away (or do anything else you can do as a move action), with no impediment to your movement. Remember that your foe probably isn't grappling anymore, either, so if your foe is armed, you'll provoke an attack of opportunity from that foe as you move away. Helpless When you're helpless, you can't take any actions, including move actions, and you cannot take a 5-foot step. Incorporeal Incorporeal creatures usually can ignore most impediments to movement. Knocked Down If you're knocked down while on the ground, you fall prone (see the section on the prone condition). Flying creatures usually are blown back when knocked down, which is just like being blown away except that you are not knocked prone. Nauseated When you're nauseated, you can do nothing except take a single move action each turn. Your movement isn't otherwise hampered or restricted. Panicked A panicked creature's movement is affected in more or less the same way as a frightened creature's is, except that its path is random. The rules don't define random movement in this case. In practice, it's easiest to assume that a panicked creature moves away from the source of its fright along the most direct available route. When the creature encounters some obstacle, randomly determine which way it turns, but avoid having the creature move back toward the source of its fright if possible. Paralyzed Paralyzed creatures can take only purely mental actions. In most cases, that prevents the character from using most move, standard, or full-round actions. If the paralyzed creature has some form of movement that doesn't require it to move its body (such as a fly spell), it can use a move action to move, but it cannot take other sorts of move actions, such as drawing weapons. Most spell-like abilities are purely mental. A supernatural ability that does not require the creature to move its body or expel something from its body might be available. Breath weapons aren't available to paralyzed creatures. Most energy draining attacks require the creature to touch a foe and are difficult, if not impossible, to use while paralyzed. Gaze attacks remain potent when a creature is paralyzed, but a paralyzed creature cannot actively use its gaze against specific foes (see the gaze attack description in the Monster Manual glossary). Pinned When you're pinned, you're held in one place and you cannot move from there. You also cannot take any move action, or any full-round or standard action except attempting to break the pin (see the section on grappling in Chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook). Prone When you're prone, you're lying on the ground. As noted bove, you can crawl 5 feet while prone as a move action, or you can use a move action to stand up (either of these provokes an attack of opportunity from foes that threaten you). You also can tumble 5 feet without provoking an attack of opportunity (see above). 49 Staggered When you're staggered, you can take only a single move action or a single standard action each turn. Your movement isn't otherwise hampered or restricted. Turned For 10 rounds, turned creatures must move away by the best and fastest means available to them from whatever turned them. See the notes on the frightened condition for information on handling movement by turned creatures. Spells More than one hundred of the spells found in the Player's Handbook have some affect on movement, which is far too many to examine in detail here. Instead, we'll examine the kinds of ways spells affect movement. Aerial Spells Spells such as levitate, fly, and air walk allow a creature to leave the ground and move through the air. Spells such as fly and overland flight actually grant the subject a fly speed for a time, and creatures using the spells are subject to all the rules on flight discussed above. Other spells don't actually impart flying speeds, but they still allow movement through the air in some fashion. The air walk spell doesn't allow true flight, but it does enable the subject to literally walk on air. An air walker's movement is hampered if the character walks up or down through the air. The air walker's movement isn't hampered if the air walker gains or loses only 5 feet of altitude. Winds can move an air walker around. If a powerful wind strikes an air walker, treat the subject as a flying creature when applying effects from Table 3-24 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Even when the subject is too big to suffer any ill effects from a wind, a wind of strong or greater power will shift the subject. At the end of the creature's turn, it moves 5 feet for every five miles per hour of wind speed, provided that the air walker doesn't have anything to brace against or hold onto. This movement can provoke attacks of opportunity. If the wind is powerful enough to check, knock down, or blow away the subject, the movement from those effects doesn't stack with this effect, but you still apply any damage or other consequences from the wind effect. For example if a Small creature is struck by a blast of air moving 55 miles an hour, it will move 55 feet at the end of its turn. A 55-mile-an-hour wind, however, also is sufficient to blow away a Small flyer if it fails a Fortitude save. If the save fails, the air walker is blown 1d4x10 feet. Assuming the die roll indicates 30 feet of movement, the example creature still moves only 55 feet, but also takes 3d4 points of nonlethal damage from the blown away effect. The levitate spell allows you to mentally direct the subject (which can be yourself) to move up or down as much as 20 feet each round; this is something you can do while paralyzed. Moving a subject up or down is a move action for you. The spell doesn't allow horizontal movement, but if the subject has some surface to push off, he or she can move along that surface at half speed. Although the spell description doesn't mention it, it is reasonable to have winds affect a levitating subject exactly as they affect an air walker. You can use these rules for other creatures that are floating through the air as well, such as creatures using feather fall effects, or creatures floating downward after a fly or air walk spell has ended. Barrier Spells Barrier spells create physical or magical barriers that block or impede movement, or that inflict some effect when something moves through them. When a spell creates a tangible barrier, creatures must move around it, climb over it, or break through it. When it's possible to break through a barrier spell, the spell description gives the barrier's hardness and hit points, or the spell description describes some other way to break through (wall of thorns is an example of the latter kind). Most magically created barriers are too smooth to climb if they're vertical. A wall of thorns spell isn't too smooth to climb. You can assume it has a Climb DC of 20, and that anyone climbing it takes damage from it as though passing through it. Some barrier spells, such as wall of fire and blade barrier deal damage to things that pass through them, but they do not otherwise block movement unless their descriptions say they do. Most such spells can be aimed so that they appear in the same location as a creature. If so, the creature takes damage as though it passed through the barrier. Usually a creature that has a barrier dropped right on it in this manner can attempt a Reflex save to avoid damage. If this save succeeds, the creature avoids the barrier and ends up on the side of its choice (this occurs at the time the barrier occurs and doesn't count against the creature's movement during its next turn). The wall of ice spell is a barrier that you can smash through, but you also take damage when passing through it. If a wall of ice effect is aimed so that it appears in a creature's space, a successful Reflex save from the creature keeps the wall from forming. Entangling Spells Several spells bind up their subjects so as to interfere with movement or prevent it altogether. Most of these spells simply entangle their subjects; see the section on the entangled condition for details. A rope that has received an animate rope spell can entangle a creature and hamper its movement, but it won't render the creature unable to take move actions. If you tie an animated rope to something, the rope can hold an entangled creature in place, keeping it from moving from the spot (or from moving farther than the rope's length allows, depending on where and how you tie the rope). The entangle spell causes everyone in its area to become entangled (whether those creatures are in the area when the spell is cast or if they enter the area later). The spell holds creatures in place if they fail their saves against the spell. It takes a full-round action and a Strength check (DC 20) to get moving again once stuck in place. If you fail your Strength check, you use up a full-round action making the attempt. If you succeed, you can move once at half speed as part of the full-round action you used to get free. Even though you're mobile, you're still entangled while inside the spell's area. The web spell has an entangling effect that is similar to the entangle spell, except that movement is even more restricted inside the spell's area. If you are not stuck in place inside the spell's area, it takes a full-round action to move at all, and you must make a Strength or Escape Artist check. You move 5 feet for each full 5 points by which the check result exceeds 10. Grappling Spells Some spells can reach out and grab you just as a creature can. These spells include Evard's black tentacles and several of the Bigby's hand spells. Such spells make grapple attacks as creatures of a size listed in the spell's description, except that they don't provoke attacks of opportunity when they grab creatures. A number of spells in this category entangle creatures they aren't grappling (Evard's black tentacles, for example); if this is the case, the spell's description will say so. 50 Spells that Impede or Hamper Movement Many spells create conditions that slow down movement. Solid fog is one example. A cloud of solid fog is so thick and cloying that any creature moving through it is reduced to a speed of 5 feet. This is just like hampered movement (see above), except that the creature's speed is reduced to 5 feet. The creature cannot run, charge, or take a 5-foot step, but it usually can move twice during its turn, covering 5 feet each time. If a creature moving through solid fog encounters anything else that reduces its movement (such as difficult terrain), it is reduced to using a full-round action to move 5 feet (see above). Acid fog affects movement in the same manner as solid fog. Plant growth has a similar effect if the caster chooses the overgrowth option. Other spells create less dramatic effects. The grease spell creates slippery conditions in which it is impossible to move without a Balance check (DC 10). Even with a successful check, movement is hampered. With a failed check, you can't move at all. Whether you try to move or not, however, you must make a Reflex save to avoid falling down. You attempt the save the moment you find yourself in the spell's area or at the beginning of your turn if you begin your turn in the area. Sleet storm hampers movement just as a grease spell does, though there is no Reflex save required (it also blocks vision). Speed-Enhancing Spells Several spells, such as haste and expeditious retreat, increase the subject's speed ratings. Apply all speed increases before adjusting the subject's speed for encumbrance. The spider climb spell grants a climb speed of 20, and it also allows the recipient to climb walls and ceilings without making Climb checks at all. The recipient otherwise functions just like a creature with a Climb speed (see above). Shape-Altering Spells Spells that allow you to assume a new form, such as alter self, polymorph, and shape change, usually also give you whatever natural speed ratings your assumed form has. For example, if you polymorph into an eagle, you can fly as an eagle does (flying speed 80 feet with average maneuverability). Spells that give the subject a gaseous form, such as gaseous form and wind walk, generally allow flight and the ability to pass through small openings or cracks. As a rule of thumb, a gaseous creature can pass through an opening as small as an inch square without difficulty. Smaller openings count as obstacles for gaseous creatures and passing through them costs 10 feet of movement. Creatures in gaseous form cannot enter water or other liquids. Teleportation Spells These spells instantly transport the subject from one place to another. This movement takes no time (but the action used to trigger the effect usually is at least a standard action). This movement also does not count against your movement for the turn; if you've used a teleport spell, you have not "moved" for purposes of taking a 5-foot step. However, some teleportation spells, such as dimension door, leave you unable to act after you've them. When you use a dimension door spell, you cannot take a 5-foot step or take any kind of action. 51 Reading spell descriptions Foreword Players and DMs often find it remarkably difficult to agree on exactly how particular spells function in the game. In the heat of battle, exactly what a spell can do, how and where it can be cast, and even whether a saving throw is allowed can prove dreadfully tricky to pin down. What seemed clear enough when casually reading the rulebooks in quiet solitude can seem maddenly vague when a valued player character's life hangs in the balance or when a particularly loathsome villain is about to go down to a well-deserved defeat. When you're having difficulty figuring out a spell, just relax and consider what the spell's description actually says. This article presents a method for doing that. Some Key Terms Here are a few terms used in both the game and this article to describe spells and their effects: Aim or Aiming The act of choosing exactly where a spell (or other magical effect) will emerge or take effect. If the spell has a target entry, you aim the spell when you choose the target. If the spell has an effect entry, you aim the spell when you decide where the effect will appear. If the spell has an area entry you aim the spell when you choose the spell's point of origin or the location that the area will cover. Caster Level Your level in the class that gives you access to the particular spell you're casting. In some cases, your caster level is less than your class level; if so, this is noted in the class description. For example, a paladin's caster level is one-half his paladin level. (A paladin of 3rd level or lower has no caster level at all.) If you're multiclassed, you could have different caster levels for the spells you have by virtue of your various classes. For example, a 4th-level paladin/5th-level sorcerer has a caster level of 2 for paladin spells and a caster level of 5 for sorcerer spells. If you've taken a prestige class, your levels in that class might stack with levels in another class to determine your caster level, or they might not depending on the prestige class. Otherwise, your levels in your various spellcasting classes usually don't stack for purposes of determining your caster level. Line of Sight An unobstructed, straight line between two locations such that a creature at one location can see whatever is at the other. In most cases, you need line of sight to whatever or wherever you aim a spell. See the glossary entry on Page 310 of the Player's Handbook for information on tracing line of sight. Line of Effect A straight, unblocked line between two locations on the battlefield. Line of effect is just like line of sight, except that restrictions on vision don't apply. On the other hand, some things that you can see through can block line of effect, such as a wall of force or an antimagic field. Though the rules don't specifically say so, you always have line of effect to yourself. In general, it takes a solid object to block line of effect (but immaterial things, such as antimagic fields can, too, as noted above). A solid object with a hole it at least 1 foot square doesn't block line of effect. Creatures usually do not block line of effect, except for very odd creatures, such as gelatinous cubes, that can completely fill a space. In a few cases, line of effect can turn corners (see below). Point of Origin The point in space from which a spell's effects burst, emanate, or spread. A spell's area cannot extend to any location if line of effect from the spell's point of origin is blocked (but see below). Recipient This is not a game term, but it is used in this article to indicate the creature, object, area, or point in space where a spell's effects are felt. If a spell is aimed at a specific creature, for example, that creature is the recipient. A spell that covers an area might have several recipients. Anatomy of a Spell Description A basic spell description comes in two parts. The first part is a single column of information roughly 10 lines long (sometimes a little more, sometimes a lot less) that begins with the spell's name. This is what we'll call the "header" in this article. The header is packed with information about the spell, provided that you know how to read it. It's helpful to think of a spell's header as its game statistics, much like the statistics block at the beginning of a monster's entry. The second part of a spell description consists of one or more paragraphs of text that explain what the spell is all about and also adds certain details that aren't fully explained in the header. The Spell Header The header contains most of the vital statistics for the spell. The information presented in the header is the foundation of the spell, and it takes precedence over anything you find in the explanatory text below it. If you find (or think you've found) something in the text that contradicts the header, use the information in the header. All spell headers are arranged in the same general manner, and the elements in a spell header are explained in great detail in Chapter 10 in the Player's Handbook, pages172-177. That's a great deal of material, so here's an overview, line by line. Spell Name This first entry in the header shows the name by which the spell is generally known. You may encounter the spell under a different name, but this is rare unless your DM has decided to rename spells to add some flavor to the campaign. 52 Spell School Magic in the D&D game is divided into eight schools of magic, and the second entry in the header shows the school. Pages 172-174 in the Player's Handbook discuss spell schools. A spell's school usually doesn't affect play much, though if you encounter a magical effect when it's operating, you can use a detect magic effect (and a Spellcraft skill check) to determine the school of magic involved. That, in turn, may allow you to surmise what the magic is doing, at least in broad terms. The Spell Focus feat also depends on a spell school, as does the wizard's school specialization option. Subschool Sometimes a second entry in a spell header contains a parenthetical entry that shows a spell's subschool. A subschool represents a portion of the school that works in a certain way. A spell's subschool often indicates how the spell functions in play, so it's worth paying attention to a subschool entry when you see it. Referring to the notes on subschools on pages 172174 of the Player's Handbook often can settle questions about how a spell works. Here's a quick overview of schools and subschools. This overview covers only the highlights. Abjuration Protective spells that block or banish things or that negate other magic. This school has no subschools. Conjuration Spells that bring other things into being, move things around, or provide healing. As a general rule, when you conjure something, you cannot make it appear in thin air or inside another object or creature. This means you cannot aim the spell so that what you conjure falls and crushes or damages what's below it. This school has five subschools: Calling These spells bring creatures from some place in the campaign to the caster or to the place where the caster aims the spell. By definition, a calling spell has an instantaneous duration, and that means it cannot be dispelled (though some abjurations might banish the called creature back where it came). In general, any effects that a called creature produces remain behind and function for their usual duration even after the spell ends or the called creature leaves, or both. A calling is a two-way trip; the creature called has a one-time ability to return from whence it came. Creation These spells make things on the spot. Only creation spells with durations longer than instantaneous can be dispelled. Healing These spells restore lost hit points to the living or cure other afflictions. Summoning Summonings are similar to calling spells. A summoning can bring either creatures or objects, depending on the spell. Unlike a calling, a summoning usually has a short duration and can be dispelled. A summoned creature cannot use any summoning abilities of its own while the summoning lasts, and it cannot use any spell that has an XP component. It also cannot use any spell-like ability that would have an XP component if it were a spell. When a summoning spell ends (because the spell's duration expires, because the creature is killed, or because the spell has been dispelled), any magical effects that a summoned creature has produced immediately expire. Like a calling, a summoning is a two-way trip for a creature. Teleportation These spells send the caster or a subject the caster designates from the caster's location (or place where the caster aims the spell) to some other place of the caster's choosing. The trip usually is one-way and it's instantaneous, so it cannot be dispelled. A teleportation spell involves travel trough the Astral Plane. If access to the Astral Plane is blocked, teleportation spells don't work. Divination Spells that provide some kind of information. Divination has one subschool (but not all divinations are part of that subschool). Scrying: A scrying spell places a magical sensor in some location of the caster's choosing. Although the descriptive text for this subschool doesn't mention it, you usually do not need line of effect to a location to aim a sensor or to receive information from it after you cast the spell. The sensor from a scrying spell usually has the same sensory capabilities that the caster has, though the spell's description may limit those; for example, the clairaudience/clairvoyance spell allows either sight or hearing (caster's choice). When a scrying spell allows the use of a particular sense, the sensor has at least as much sensory ability as the caster has. If the caster has an ability such as darkvision (whether from a special quality or a spell), the sensor has it, too. Effects that emanate from the caster (such as the detect magic spell) don't extend through the sensor, however. The sensor also acts as a separate sensory organ for the caster, and the spell works as described even when the caster has some impairment such as blindness or deafness; for example, if you're blinded, you can still "see" with a clairaudience/clairvoyance spell. In such cases, the spell's sensory ability is equal to the human norm unless the spell's descriptive text specifies a greater ability. Enchantment Fantasy literature often uses the term "enchantment" as a catchall for any magical effect. In the D&D game, however, enchantment spells affect the mind, and spells from this school always have the mind-affecting descriptor (see below). Objects, constructs, undead, plants, and mindless creatures in the D&D game can never be enchanted, either because they have no minds to affect or because they are immune to mind-affecting things. The enchantment school has two subschools. Charm These spells make their recipients think well of the caster. A charm makes a subject friendly, but it doesn't allow the caster to control the subject like a marionette. Compulsion These spells force the subject to take a certain action or act in a certain general way. Many compulsions specify the kind of action the subject must take. The animal trance spell, for example, makes animals and magical beasts do nothing but watch the caster. Other compulsions allow the caster to specify some action or activity, but nothing more (suggestion, for example). The most powerful compulsions turn the subject into an automaton, or nearly so (the various dominate spells, for example). Evocation Spells that manipulate energy (or sometimes matter) usually to produce a destructive effect. There are no subschools. Illusion Spells that deceive the senses or the mind. There are five subschools. Figment Spells that create false sensations. A figment cannot make something seem to be something else. Most figments cannot duplicate intelligible speech; when they can the spell description will specifically say so. A figment is unreal and cannot produce real effects; it can't deal damage, support weight, provide nutrition, or act as a barrier (except to sight if the figment is visible, as most are). If you create the image of a creature with a figment spell, you usually can make it move around, but only within the spell's area, which usually isn't mobile. 53 Glamer Spells that make the recipient look, feel, taste, smell, or sound like something else, or even seem to disappear. Beware of attempts to use figments as glamers and vice versa. For example, you can use a figment to create an apple tree, but you can't use a figment to make your buddy look like an apple tree. Pattern A visible magical image, something like a figment, except that the image has some affect on viewers' minds. All patterns have the mind-affecting descriptor. Patterns have no effects on creatures that cannot see. Phantasm Spells that create mental images. Usually, only the caster and the spell's recipient (or recipients) can perceive the image. All phantasms have the mind-affecting descriptor. Shadow A spell that creates something that is partially real, but made mostly from extradimensional energies the caster brings together with the spell. Shadows are similar to figments, but they can have real effects because they're partially real themselves. Necromancy Spells that involve life force, unlife, or death. There are no subschools. Transmutation Spells that change the properties of some creature, thing, or condition fall into the school of transmutation. There are no subschools. Spell Descriptors Sometimes a second entry in a spell header contains information enclosed in brackets. This is the spell's descriptor. Some spells have no descriptors, and some spells have several. A descriptor is something like a subschool, except that spells from different schools can have the same descriptor or descriptors. A spell's descriptor can have a big impact on play, but only because the descriptor helps determine how the spell interacts with other spells or with a creature's special abilities. You won't find a long list of definitions for descriptors in the game because they don't have much meaning by themselves. Here's a brief overview, however: Acid Acid is a type of energy in the D&D game, and most spells with this descriptor deal acid damage. As you'd expect, acid immunity makes the spell's recipient immune to acid damage from the spell. Acid resistance reduces acid damage from the spell. Air Air is one of the four basic elements in the D&D game. Air spells usually move air around or allow some kind of movement through the air. The air descriptor doesn't have much impact on play; creatures of the air subtype, for example, don't have immunity to air spells (though that wouldn't be a bad house rule). If your party goes plane hopping, you might find yourself in a place where air spells are somehow enhanced or diminished, however. Chaotic Chaos is one of the four basic alignments in the D&D game. Chaotic spells are usually less effective (or ineffective) against creatures with chaotic alignments or with the chaos subtype. They usually have enhanced effects against creatures with lawful alignments or with the lawful subtype. If your party goes plane hopping, you might find yourself in a place where chaos spells are somehow enhanced or diminished. Sometimes a spell may have the chaotic descriptor and other times it may not. Many summoning spells, for example, gain the chaotic descriptor if they're used to summon chaotic creatures. A cleric cannot cast a spell with the chaotic descriptor if the cleric's alignment is lawful or if the cleric is dedicated to a lawful deity. Cold Cold is a type of energy in the D&D game, and most spells with this descriptor deal cold damage. As you'd expect, cold immunity makes the spell's recipient immune to cold damage from the spell. Cold resistance reduces cold damage from the spell. Creatures with vulnerability to cold take 50% more cold damage than normal. Darkness These spells create areas of dim light that conceal things within the areas they cover. In general, darkness spells negate the effects of light spells of equal or lower level and vice versa. Death Spells that produce instant death in living targets. Targets that aren't alive, such as undead and constructs, can't be affected by death spells. Spells such as death ward provide protection against death spells. Earth Earth is one of the four basic elements in the D&D game. Earth spells usually move or manipulate dirt, stone and similar materials, or allow some kind of movement through the earth. The earth descriptor doesn't have much impact on play; creatures with the earth subtype, for example, don't have immunity to earth spells (though that wouldn't be a bad house rule). If your party goes plane hopping, you might find yourself in a place where earth spells are somehow enhanced or diminished, however. Electricity Electricity is a type of energy in the D&D game, and most spells with this descriptor deal electricity damage. As you'd expect, electricity immunity makes the spell's recipient immune to electricity damage from the spell. Electricity resistance reduces electricity damage from the spell. Evil Evil is one of the four basic alignments in the D&D game. Evil spells are usually less effective (or ineffective) against creatures with evil alignments or with the evil subtype. They usually have enhanced effects against creatures with good alignments or with the good subtype. If your party goes plane hopping, you might find yourself in a place where evil spells are somehow enhanced or diminished. Sometimes a spell may have the evil descriptor and other times it may not. Many summoning spells, for example, gain the evil descriptor if they're used to summon evil creatures. A cleric cannot cast a spell with the evil descriptor if the cleric's alignment is good or if the cleric is dedicated to a good deity. Fear These spells usually impose one of several conditions of fear on the recipient: shaken, frightened, or panicked. All spells with the fear descriptor also have the mind-affecting descriptor. 54 Fire Fire is a type of energy in the D&D game, and it also is one of the four basic elements as well. Most spells with this descriptor deal fire damage. As you'd expect, fire immunity makes the spell's recipient immune to fire damage from the spell. Fire resistance reduces fire damage from the spell. Creatures with vulnerability to fire take 50% more fire damage than normal. If your party goes plane hopping, you might find yourself in a place where fire spells are somehow enhanced or diminished. Force These spells produce or manipulate a kind of magical force whose exact nature isn't detailed anywhere in the rules. Force effects that deal damage can harm incorporeal creatures without the usual miss chance. Force spells cast on the Material Plane can be aimed at, and can harm, creatures on the Ethereal Plane. Force barriers block incorporeal, astral, and ethereal creatures. Good Good is one of the four basic alignments in the D&D game. Good spells are usually less effective (or ineffective) against creatures with good alignments or with the good subtype. They usually have enhanced effects against creatures with evil alignments or with the evil subtype. If your party goes plane hopping, you might find yourself in a place where good spells are somehow enhanced or diminished. Sometimes a spell may have the good descriptor and other times it may not. Many summoning spells, for example, gain the good descriptor if they're used to summon good creatures. A cleric cannot cast a spell with the good descriptor if the cleric's alignment is evil or if the cleric is dedicated to an evil deity. Language-Dependent These spells don't function unless the caster speaks to the recipient in a language that the recipient understands. You can use some magical means, such as the tongues spell, to provide the necessary means of communication. Anything that keeps the recipient from comprehending the caster's speech foils the spell, such as a silence spell or the recipient's deafness. Casters can use some means of nonverbal "speech" (such as a helm of telepathy) to overcome silence or deafness. Many language-dependent spells also are mind-affecting spells. Lawful Lawful is one of the four basic alignments in the D&D game. Lawful spells are usually less effective (or ineffective) against creatures with lawful alignments or with the lawful subtype. They usually have enhanced effects against creatures with chaotic alignments or with the chaotic subtype. If your party goes plane hopping, you might find yourself in a place where lawful spells are somehow enhanced or diminished. Sometimes a spell may have the lawful descriptor and other times it may not. Many summoning spells, for example, gain the lawful descriptor if they're used to summon lawful creatures. A cleric cannot cast a spell with the lawful descriptor if the cleric's alignment is chaotic or if the cleric is dedicated to a chaotic deity. Light These spells create illumination. In general, light spells negate the effects of darkness spells of equal or lower level and vice versa. Mind-Affecting These spells shape or interfere with the subject's thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. In the latter case, the subject's senses aren't affected, but the subject's mental responses to her senses are changed. Sonic Sonic is a type of energy in the D&D game, and most spells with this descriptor deal sonic damage. As you'd expect, sonic immunity makes the spell's recipient immune to sonic damage from the spell. Sonic resistance reduces sonic damage from the spell. The silence spell description says that the spell provides protection against sonic effects. For all practical purposes, this means that a silence spell blocks line of effect for a sonic spell. The sonic spell's area cannot extend into the area that a silence spell's emanation fills, and neither can a sonic spell be cast through a silence spell's emanation to affect something on the other side. Water Water is one of the four basic elements in the D&D game. Water spells usually move or manipulate liquid water, ice or similar materials, or allow some kind of movement through the water. The water descriptor doesn't have much impact on play; creatures of the water subtype, for example, don't have immunity to water spells (though that wouldn't be a bad house rule). If your party goes plane hopping, you might find yourself in a place where water spells are somehow enhanced or diminished, however. Level The third entry in a spell header shows the spell's level, which rates the spell's power relative to other spells. A spell's level can vary depending on who's casting the spell, if so, that is shown here. For example, dominate person is a 4th-level spell for bard, but a 5th-level spell for a sorcerer or wizard. When an interaction between two spells depends on the spell's levels, use whatever level the caster is using. For example, globe of invulnerability excludes spell effects of 4th level or lower. The globe would exclude a dominate person spell from a bard, but not from a sorcerer or wizard. If you don't know the spell's level, you usually can figure it out. For example, spell-like abilities usually use a spell's sorcerer/wizard spell levels (see page 315 in the Monster Manual, or Rules of the Game: All About Spell-like Abilities). If a spell comes from a magical device, you can infer the spell level from the item's market price, as noted in Chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. Failing that, the methods you use for determining a spell-like ability's level also work for a magic item. Components The fourth entry in a spell header shows the components that the spell requires. Most of the time, a spell's components do not affect play very much. Occasionally, however, they can become critical. Here's an overview. Verbal (V) You must be able to speak in a strong voice to complete a verbal component. If you're gagged, you can't complete a verbal component. If a foe grapples you and pins you, you cannot speak (and thus cannot complete a verbal component) unless your foe allows you to speak. Silence spells keep you from using verbal components. 55 If you've been deafened, any spell you cast has a 20% failure chance if it has a verbal component. If you already have a failure chance from armor or a shield, you must check each failure chance separately. Somatic (S) You must have at least one hand free to complete a somatic component. The rules don't go into any detail about when you have a hand "free," but here are some general guidelines. Your hand is free when you aren't carrying a weapon, a piece of equipment, or (usually) a shield. You can strap a buckler to your arm and use your hand to wield a weapon (albeit at a penalty), so there's no reason you couldn't use your buckler hand for a somatic component. The buckler might interfere a little bit, but that's what the arcane spell failure chance for the buckler is for. You also can strap a light shield to your forearm and still carry items in that hand, but you can't use the hand for anything else (such as wielding a weapon), so there's no good reason you should be able to use that hand to complete a somatic component. Since manipulating a material component (including a focus) is part of casting the spell, it's best to consider the hand that holds the material component or focus as "free" for purposes of completing a somatic component. You cannot cast a spell with a somatic component if you're grappling (either when you're the attacker in the grapple or the defender), when you're pinned, or when you're immobilized in some way (such as when you're tied up). Material (M) Although the rules don't mention it, common sense dictates that you must have a hand free to manipulate a material component for a spell (see the notes on somatic components, above). When you're grappling, you can try to cast a spell with a material component (but not with a somatic component) provided you have the material component in your hand when you begin the spell. If you don't have the material component in hand, you must first use a full-round action to get it. Since you used a full-round action to retrieve the component, you can't cast the spell until your next turn. You can't cast a spell with a material component if you're pinned. Most material components have a negligible cost and they're assumed to be part of your spell component pouch. If you lose that pouch you're pretty much out of luck for casting spells with material components unless you can talk your DM into letting you forage for them or shop for them separately. Here's an unofficial rule for foraging: Make a Survival check (DC 10) in much the same manner you'd forage for supplies (see the Survival skill description). On a successful check you find one component. If your check result exceeds 10, you find one additional component for every 2 points your check result exceeds 10. If you have 5 or more ranks of Spellcraft or Knowledge (arcana), you get a +2 bonus on the check (or +4 if you have 5 or more ranks in each skill). You can obtain spell components of only negligible cost by foraging. If you are in some locale where you can shop for spell components, you probably can buy a new spell component pouch. If that's not possible, you can shop for components using the same method described above, but a Gather Information check makes more sense than a Survival check. Some material components are valuable enough to have a cost listed in the spell description. Such material components are never included in a spell component pouch, and you must buy them separately (though there is no reason why you could not store them in a spell component pouch after you've bought them). No matter what a material component costs, you use it up when you cast a spell with it. The component is expended even if the spell fails for some reason (such as being disrupted while casting, missing a spell failure chance, or whatever). A spell component pouch effectively has an unlimited supply of material components for your own spells (but only material components with negligible cost). In effect, you are assumed to refill your pouch just by poking around in your spare time. When you use a material component that has a cash value, you'll need to buy a replacement before you can cast the spell again. Although it's not mentioned in the rules, two or more spellcasters can share a spell component pouch. As an unofficial rule of thumb, you can assume that a character's pouch holds enough of any particular material component each day to cast that spell twice as many times as the caster can cast spells of that level. For example, a 1st-level wizard with an Intelligence score of 15 has a pouch that contains enough material components to cast any particular 1st-level spell four times a day. If the character shares his spell component pouch, he could easily run out of components for the day. Keep in mind that this is an off-the-cuff rule to cover a fairly unlikely situation. It's not intended as a way for stingy PCs to wiggle out of paying a measly 5 gp for a spell component pouch. DMs should free to adjust it as necessary to suit their campaigns. Focus (F) For all intents and purposes, a focus is merely a material component that isn't consumed when you cast the spell. Everything in the section on material components also applies to focuses (except the part about them being consumed), with the following exceptions: If you're forced to forage for a focus with a negligible cost, the DC to find one is 15, and you can locate an additional focus with a negligible cost for every 5 points by which your check exceeds 15. A spell component pouch typically contains one focus with a negligible cost for each spell that you know that also requires such a focus. Divine Focus (DF) This is simply a focus that has some spiritual significance for you. Usually it's your holy symbol. Divine focuses aren't included in spell component pouches. In some cases, the arcane version of a spell will have a material component or a focus and the divine version will have a divine focus. In that case, the two differing components are listed and separated by a slash; for example M/DF. See page 173 in the Player's Handbook for details. XP Cost (XP) When you cast a spell with an XP cost, you pay that cost when you cast the spell, even if the spell fails for some reason, and your experience total is immediately reduced. According to the rules, you can never spend so much experience that you lose a level -- though you can delay gaining a level and instead keep your experience points available for spellcasting (or item creation). If you do so, you always can change your mind. That is, you can gain a new level any time you have enough experience to do so, even after delaying awhile. For example, suppose you're a 9th-level cleric, which gives you access to the commune spell, which has an XP cost of 100 XP. Your current XP total is 45,052. You have enough experience to become a 10th-level character, but if you do you won't be able to cast your commune spell because doing so would reduce your experience total to 44,952 and you'd drop back to 9th level. You can choose to delay becoming a 10th-level character until your experience total is 45,100 gp or more. Once you pass that milestone, you can add a character level. Once you make the decision to add the level, however, you're bound to the rule preventing you from spending so much XP that you lose a level. Casting Time The fifth entry in a spell header shows the spell's casting time, as follows: 56 1 standard action This is the most common casting time and it means exactly what it says. You use a standard action (specifically the cast a spell action) to cast the spell. The spell takes effect during your turn, when you complete the action. 1 round Spells with casting times this long aren't completed in the same round they're cast. You must use a full-round action to cast the spell, but the spell does not take affect until just before your turn on the following round. Remember that this is not the same as casting a spell as a full-round action (as bards and sorcerers must do when casting spells altered with metamagic). Casting a full-round action spell works the same way as any full-round action -- you cast the spell and it takes effect during your turn in the current turn. A 1-round spell takes longer, as explained above, 2 rounds or more These spells work pretty much like spells with 1-round casting times, except that you use a full-round action during each round of the casting time. The spell takes effect just before your turn on the round following the last full-round action you used to cast the spell. 1 free action A fairly rare casting time. When you cast a spell with a casting time this short, you still can use a standard or full-round action during your turn to cast another spell,. You cannot, however, cast another spell with a casting time of 1 free action. Casting a spell as a free action doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. Normally, you can use a free action only during your own turn, but some spells with casting times of 1 free action can be cast anytime (feather fall, for example). In this case, casting the spell during someone else's turn doesn't count as the one spell you can cast as a free action during your next turn. Range The next entry in a spell header is the range, which is literally the maximum possible distance there can be between you and any recipient of the spell. You won't have too many opportunities to cast spells at their maximum possible ranges, but if you should do so, an odd thing might occur. None of the spell's effects can extend beyond the spell's range. For example, if you aim a fireball, which normally fills a 20-foot radius, so that its point of origin lies exactly at the spell's maximum range, you'll lose about half the spell's usual effect, because the blast cannot spread beyond the spell's maximum range. This rule might seem a little weird, but it has the virtue of making it very easy to decide if any particular recipient can be affected by your spell -- if the distance between you and the recipient is greater than the spell's range, the spell simply cannot reach that recipient. When Range Doesn't Apply When a spell takes effect on a creature or object, the spell keeps working on that creature or object even if it later moves out of range. This is an important exception to the general rule that a spell's effects can't extend beyond its range. Some spells, however, only affect things so long as they remain in the area the spell covers (see below). Range Categories Spell ranges fall into several basic categories, which are largely self-explanatory. Things can get a little tricky when you consider the spell's target, effect, or area (see the next section), so here's a brief overview: Personal The spell affects only you (though you might be able to share the spell with a familiar, animal companion, or other creature with the share spells ability). Touch The spell takes affect on something you touch. To deliver the spell, you must touch the recipient yourself. You can touch things only within your natural reach, though you often can move around for quite awhile before trying to touch anything. Close The spell can reach 25 feet, plus an extra 5 feet per two caster levels. These spells are useful for tactical combat at fairly short distances, such as most dungeon combats. Medium The spell can reach 100 feet, plus an extra 10 feet per caster level. These spells are useful for combat at fairly long distances, such as most wilderness combats. Long The spell can reach 400 feet, plus an extra 40 feet per caster level. These spells are useful for combat at extreme distances. Unlimited The spell can reach anywhere on the plane where you cast the spell. Often, spells with this range don't require line of sight or line of effect to the place where you aim them. Ranges in Feet A few spells have ranges listed in feet rather than a standard range category. Target or Targets, Effect, or Area The next entry in the spell header explains how you aim the spell, as follows: Target or Targets You select one or more recipients to receive the spell. All your targets must be in range and you must have line of effect to them. If you don't have line of sight to a recipient, you still can select it as a target if you can touch it. Often, the entry will limit the kinds of targets you can select. For example, living creatures, objects, or willing creatures. A creature is anything that has both a Wisdom and a Charisma score. A living creature also has a Constitution score. An object is anything that lacks a Wisdom and a Charisma score, even if it is actually alive. (A rose bush, for example, is alive, but it's an object insofar as the D&D rules are concerned.) A willing creature must declare itself willing, which it can do anytime, even during someone else's turn or when flat-footed. Declaring oneself willing is not an action. Likewise, you can declare yourself unwilling anytime. Unconscious creatures are automatically willing. Helpless, but conscious creatures (such as paralyzed creatures) still can declare themselves willing or unwilling. Sometimes, you can choose targets only within some sort of limited area. The rules usually use one of two different kinds of wording to indicate that. For example, the targets entry for the animal growth spell is as follows: "Up to one animal (Gargantuan or smaller) per two levels, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart."And the targets entry for the animal shapes spell is as follows: "Up to one willing creature per level, all within 30 ft. of each other." Usually, when the rules say things in different ways, they mean different things, but not in this case. All the targets you choose must be with the specified distance of all the other targets, and any target that is more than the specified distance from even one other target can't be 57 selected as a target. To put it another way, imagine a sphere with a diameter (not radius) equal to the specified distance. All the targets you choose must fit within that sphere. When the targets entry specifies a number of targets based on level (as both the previous examples do), that refers to your caster level (see above). Effect The spell produces something by either creating it on the spot or by summoning it from somewhere else. When an effect spell summons a creature, the spell's range determines how far away from you the creature can appear. Once it appears, however, the creature is free to move around as it likes or as you direct; the spell range no longer limits it. The same goes for summoned objects; though most objects can't move around on their own, someone could hurl the object or carry it off. Wall Spells: Spells such as wall of fire are effect spells that create barriers. Often, the effect entry for such a spell does not mention how thick the barrier is (for example, blade barrier, wall of fire, and wall of force). In these cases, the wall is basically two-dimensional, with only a negligible thickness. If such a spell deals damage (or has some other effect), the spell deals damage to anything that passes through it or otherwise breaks the plane of the barrier. In the case of a wall of force, nothing can break the plane (save for a few magical effects specified in the spell description). Area The spell (usually) fills some volume of space as specified in the entry. As noted earlier, a spell's area cannot extend beyond the spell's range. Most spells have immobile areas, so you cannot move after casting the spell and make the area extend farther or shift around. (If a spell's effects are mobile, it usually will have an effect entry instead of an area entry.) As noted above, most figment spells have fixed areas. The images you create as part of a figment can move around, but only within the spell's area. When you aim an area spell, you must choose a point of origin (see above) for the spell. You must have line of effect to the point of origin you choose. If you cannot see the point of origin, you must specify the point of origin in some meaningful way. The best way to do so is select a distance and a direction from yourself or from another point of reference that you can see or touch (or that your DM agrees is well known to you). The point of origin for any area spell always must be an intersection of squares on the grid you use to regulate combat. This rule greatly simplifies the task of deciding exactly where the area extends. Once you choose the point of origin, the spell's area extends from there. The most common area shapes include the following: Burst or Emanation The area extends from the point of origin in a sphere whose radius is specified in the entry (though some bursts are coneshaped areas). Anything that blocks line of effect from the point of origin also blocks the burst or emanation. If a burst or emanation spell is aimed into a location that's too small to hold the entire sphere (or cone), the spell still works, but its area will be only as large as the space allows. A caster can aim a burst or emanation spell at a location where only part of its area is blocked. In this case, the unblocked portion of the spell's area will be its normal size, and the blocked portion extends only as far as the obstacle that blocks line of effect from the spell's point of origin. Spread A spread is similar to a burst, except that it can turn corners. When line of effect from the point of origin is blocked, just go around the obstacle, tracing a path that's as long as the spread's radius. The rules don't tell you what to do when whatever blocks the spread's line of effect isn't a solid object (for example, an antimagic field). In this case, just the treat the antimagic field like a solid obstacle. A spell with a spread area and the sonic descriptor will spread around a silence spell. Cone A cone is a quarter circle that extends from the caster's space for the distance stated in the entry. If the caster's space fills only one square, the cone can start at any corner of the space (that corner is the spell's point of origin). The rules are silent about what to do when the caster's space fills more than one square. I recommend you pick any grid intersection on the outer edge of the space as the point of origin for the spell. Alternatively, you can require the caster to choose a corner of his space as the point of origin. Anything that blocks line of effect from the point of origin blocks the cone, and a cone can be only partly blocked, as noted above. Cylinder A cylindrical area is something like a spread. The area extends from the point of origin in a horizontal circle, and then extends downward. The rules say a cylinder ignores obstructions in its area, which isn't too helpful. In effect, this means that line of effect for a cylinder isn't blocked so long as you can trace an unbroken line from the point of origin without leaving the confines of the cylinder. (You still need line of effect from you to spell's point of origin, however.) Line A line's point of origin is one corner of the caster's space. (If the caster's space fills more than one square, you can use the optional rule suggested for cones to select the point of origin.) The line extends from the point of origin in any direction the caster chooses and reaches as far as the spell's range (or until its line of effect is blocked). The rules regarding lines are somewhat muddled; however, a line affects anything in a square that the line passes though or touches. So, if you send a line straight down a gridline, it will affect the squares to either side of the line. Some people like to limit a line's effects to a width of 5 feet. If so, the caster chooses which side of the line gets affected when a line passes between two squares. (Choose a side when you aim the spell, and once you choose, you have to stick with that side.) If you have to deal with a line aimed into the air, it's easiest to assume that a line affects anything in a 5-foot cube that the line passes through or touches. Creatures or Objects These spells work like targeted spells. They affect their subjects directly rather than filling a volume of space, but all the subjects must fit into the area specified in the entry. Cubes These areas specify a number of cubes. Usually the caster can arrange the cubes any way she likes, and this is indicated by (S) after the entry. The rules are silent on exactly how you can arrange the cubes. At the minimum, however, the cubes all must touch each other (that is share a corner, edge, or side with at least one other cube). No cube can extend farther from you than the spell's range, and you must be able to trace line of effect from at least one point in a cube back to the spell's point of origin through the other cubes in the area. The rules say a cube can't have a dimension smaller than 10 feet. Technically, that means you can't cast a spell with a cubical area in any location with a dimension smaller than 10 feet. If that seems harsh to you (it does to me), assume that a cube must have a dimension of at least 10 feet if space allows. The absolute minimum dimension for a cube in a restricted space is 1 foot -- barriers with openings smaller than that block line of effect, as noted above. 58 Duration The next entry in the spell header tells you how long the spell's effects last. In general, a spell's duration begins at the time in the round when you finish the spell. Spell duration is discussed in detail on page 176 of the Player's Handbook. This section contains some additional notes on a few kinds of durations. Instantaneous A spell with an instantaneous duration lasts only for the instant that the spell is completed, though its effects can last a long time. For example, a fireball spell is an instantaneous spell, but the damage it deals lasts until something heals or repairs it. Wall of stone also is an instantaneous spell. The stone it creates appears in an instant, and after that a mass of nonmagical rock remains behind. Because there's no magic operating after the spell takes effect, you can't dispel a spell with an instantaneous duration. The spell's effects also don't have a magical aura that you can find with detect magic spell (except for a lingering aura that persists for a very short time; see the detect magic spell description). Recipients, Effects, and Areas If the spell affects recipients directly, the results of the spell travel with the subjects for the spell's duration. A spell affects recipients directly when the spell has a target or targets entry or when the spell affects creatures or objects within an area rather than affecting the whole area (see the notes in the section on areas). When a spell produces an effect, the effect lasts for the duration unless the effect is somehow destroyed first. If the spell affects an area then the spell functions in that area for its duration. Recipients become subject to the spell when they enter the area and are no longer subject to it when they leave the area. Touch Spells The duration for a touch spell doesn't begin until the caster touches a subject and delivers the spell to a recipient. Attempting to touch a recipient requires a melee touch attack and that is part of the action used to cast the spell during the round when the spell is completed. If the recipient is willing to be touched, it's usually best to just assume the caster touches the recipient. If the caster does not touch a recipient then (either because she doesn't try to or the melee touch attack fails), she must use an action (usually the attack or full attack action) to touch a recipient during a later round. This is called "holding the charge." A caster holding a charge is considered armed and can use an attack of opportunity to make a melee touch attack and deliver the spell. Whenever the caster touches anything, the held charge is discharged, even if what the caster touches isn't a valid target for the spell (in that case, the spell is wasted). The charge also is lost (and wasted) if the caster casts another spell. Otherwise, a caster can hold a charge indefinitely. DMs should feel free to set some reasonable limit to how long a character can hold a charge, perhaps 1 hour or until the caster has to go to sleep (or trance in the case of elves). A very few touch spells (water breathing, for example) can be partially discharged. If so, this will be mentioned in the spell's target entry and its descriptive text, or both. As a full-round action you can touch up to six friends willing creatures, object that willing creatures hold, or objects just lying round by themselves), provided that all the recipients are within the caster's reach. (The caster can extend her reach a little by taking a 5-foot step during the process.) To use this option, you must first cast the spell and hold the charge. Because the recipients are willing, no melee touch attack is required. You must decide how to distribute the spell's effect before touching anything. Saving Throw The second to last entry in the spell header tells you whether the spell's recipient or recipients are allowed saving throws against the spell's effects. This is an important piece of information because most descriptive text for spells is written with the assumption that the recipient's saving throw (if one is allowed) fails. For example, the text for charm person says the spell makes a humanoid regard you as an ally. It doesn't bother to mention the possibility of a successful saving throw because you are assumed to read the spell header and know that a saving throw is allowed (in this case Will negates, see below). When a spell allows a saving throw, the entry begins with the kind of saving throw the recipient can attempt (Reflex, Fortitude, or Will). Types of saving throw entries include the following: Negates The spell has no effect on a recipient who makes a successful saving throw. If the spell has no obvious physical effects (and most spells that allow saves to negate don't), a recipient that makes a successful saving throw still feels an obviously hostile force or tingle. If the spell has a target or targets entry, the caster knows that the spell has failed. A recipient who makes a successful saving throw doesn't know where the spell came from (though that might be obvious if the caster is visible) or what the spell was. If the spell has a target or targets entry, however, a recipient that makes a successful saving throw can attempt a Spellcraft check (DC 25 plus the spell level) to determine what the spell was. This does not take an action, and the recipient cannot retry the check if it fails. Charm person is a good example of this kind of spell. Partial The spell causes an effect on its subject. A successful saving throw means that some lesser effect occurs. The descriptive text in the spell covers both the full and partial effect. Entangle is a good example of this kind of spell. Half The spell deals damage, and a successful saving throw halves the damage of the recipient (round down). If the save allowed is a Reflex save, a recipient with the evasion class feature takes no damage on a successful saving throw. If the save allowed is a Reflex save, a recipient with the improved evasion class feature takes half damage even on a failed save and no damage on a successful saving throw (provided that the recipient isn't helpless). Fireball is a good example of this kind of spell. None No saving throw is allowed (and enough said). Disbelief A successful save lets a creature ignore the effect. Spells that allow this kind of saving throw usually are from the illusion school and they don't have any direct effects on creatures or objects, but instead have effect or area entries. Creatures make their disbelief saves upon interacting with the area or effect in some fashion. The rules don't give any guidelines on what kind of interaction is required. As a rule of thumb, a creature interacts with something upon attacking it, studying it, touching it, talking to it, or doing something else that one might do with a real creature or object. Merely looking at something usually doesn't qualify as interaction, but using an action (standard or full-round) to study or identify it does. Sometimes a disbelief 59 save is automatic, such as when a character tries to touch an illusory wall and his hand passes right through it (see page 173 in the Player's Handbook for details). Silent image is a good example of this kind of spell. Object When a saving throw entry ends with this notation, it indicates that the spell can be aimed at an object (most spells that have this notation have a target entry). A reminder is in order here -- these spells don't necessarily only affect objects (though some do). An object that receives the spell gets a saving throw only if it is magical or if a creature wears or carries the object. See page 177 in the Player's Handbook for details. Undetectable alignment is a good example of this kind of spell. Harmless When a saving throw entry ends with this notation, it indicates that the spell usually is beneficial, not harmful. The recipient can attempt a saving throw if it desires. Darkvision is a good example of this kind of spell. Spell Resistance The final entry in the spell header tells you if the spell must overcome spell resistance (if any) to affect the recipient. If the entry is "no" then the spell most likely does not affect the recipient directly, but instead either affects an area or produces an effect which then produces the spell's result. Most spells that work only on willing creatures also have a spell resistance entry of "no" because it is assumed that a willing creature lowers its spell resistance before receiving the spell. If the spell entry is "yes," the spell usually goes to work directly on the recipient's mind or body and the caster must make a level check to overcome spell resistance before the spell can affect the creature. Descriptive text After the spell header are one or more paragraphs of text that supplements the information in the spell header. Description text gives details such as how much damage the spell deals, what effect the spell has on the recipient, or other information about how the spell functions. No hard and fast rules exist for interpreting the information found in a spell's descriptive text, but take a look at a few tips: The header takes precedence: None of the information in a spell's descriptive text is intended to contradict what's shown in the spell header, though it often helps modify it in some way. Descriptive text usually doesn't bother saying what the spell does not do: The list of things a spell can't do is theoretically endless, so the spell description usually doesn't even attempt to do so. Instead, the descriptive text tries to explain what the spell does as succinctly as possible. If you don't find something in a spell's descriptive text, it's a pretty good bet the spell doesn't do it. Descriptive text usually doesn't consider the effects of saving throws, spell resistance, or creature immunities: As noted above, most spell descriptions are written with the assumption that the recipient's saving throw against the spell (if one is allowed) fails. Likewise, the spell description doesn't bother to remind you that the spell won't work on recipients that are immune to it. For example, the fireball description doesn't tell you that the spell won't damage things that are immune to fire. You're expected to figure that out for yourself when you note the spell's fire descriptor. Descriptive text is meant to be considered as a whole: The easiest way to completely misunderstand what a spell does is to focus on one part of the descriptive text to the exclusion on the rest of the text. This can prove easy to do when the descriptive text is long or complex. For example, the spiritual weapon spell seems straightforward at first; the spell creates a force weapon that you use to bash your foes. Simple, right? Well, not quite, as the sheer length of the descriptive text (more than a third of a page) attests. Some folks, however, stumble over the last sentence in the first paragraph, which says that the weapon returns to you and hovers when you're not directing it. If you don't consider what the rest of the descriptive text says, you might conclude that you must use an action each round to make the weapon attack. If you did, however, you'd be wrong. The second paragraph of the descriptive text explains that once you select a target, the weapon attacks the previous round's target. So long as the previous round's target is in range in and in your line of sight, the weapon is "directed" without any action from you. Spell chains A group of spells, all at different levels, that resemble each other in terms of their effects or results constitute a spell chain. In general, only the lowest level spell in a spell chain will have a full description, with a complete header and complete descriptive text. The higher-level spells in the chain have incomplete descriptions that contain only those elements that differ from the spell at the beginning of the chain. It's usually pretty easy to note when a spell is part of a chain, because the spell will have a name the includes the words "greater" or "lesser" or the spell name gives some other hint that it's part of a chain (the various cure spells, for example, which all contain "cure" and go from "minor" to "critical" and then begin adding "mass"). Spells that are part of a chain often have incomplete headers and very short bits of descriptive text. Headers, for example, usually only contain entries that make the spell different from other spells in the chain. To get a full picture of what the spell does, you have to flip back to the base spell in the chain. (The spell's descriptive text tells you the spell to reference.) 60 There, not there Foreword The D&D game is many things to many people, but on the whole it's an exercise in the imagination. No matter how many pictures or props we use in our games, we still must "see" the game world through our minds' eyes. Sometimes, that proves very difficult indeed. Invisibility is a concept most of us think we understand, but questions about handling unseen creatures always seem to crop up when such creatures enter play (and those questions seem to generate more trouble than the creatures themselves). Dealing with ethereal, gaseous, or incorporeal things often proves even tougher than dealing with invisibility. How do you wrap your mind around something that you couldn't hold in your hand even if you had it right there with you? Some Definitions Here are a few key terms used both in the rules and in this article when discussing the unseen and the real, but largely untouchable. Adjacent Two things are adjacent in the D&D game when the squares they occupy share a common side or corner. Because of the way the D&D game counts distances on the grid, two adjacent things are at least 5 feet apart. Corporeal Anything that has a physical body or presence. A creature is corporeal if it does not have the incorporeal subtype. Ethereal Present on the Ethereal Plane (see page 151 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). Creatures on the Ethereal Plane can see into the Material Plane. Divination spells, such as see invisibility, allow a user on the Material Plane to see into the Ethereal. Things of the Material Plane can have some interactions with things on the Ethereal, but because the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane are two different places, those interactions are severely limited. Force A magical descriptor (see “Reading Spell Descriptions”). Force effects that deal damage can harm incorporeal creatures without the usual miss chance. Force spells cast on the Material Plane can be aimed at, and harm, creatures on the Ethereal Plane. Force barriers block incorporeal and ethereal creatures. Gaseous A creature or object whose entire mass is a cloud of gas. When something is gaseous, it's still corporeal, but it can avoid or ignore many physical barriers or hazards. Incorporeal A creature subtype. Incorporeal creatures exist without physical bodies and they generally ignore physical barriers and physical dangers. The rules sometimes use the terms ethereal and incorporeal interchangeably, but they are not equivalent (see below). Manifestation A special quality that allows a ghost (an ethereal creature) to partially enter the Material Plane and function there as an incorporeal creature does. Miss Chance A chance, always expressed as a percentage, that an attacker that makes a successful attack roll against a foe misses anyway. Miss chances usually arise because the defender is concealed in some fashion and the attacker does not know exactly where the defender is. A corporeal attacker wielding a magic weapon or spell has a miss chance when attacking an incorporeal foe because whether the magic can do any harm to the incorporeal foe is strictly a matter of chance. (Nonmagical attacks and weaponry cannot harm incorporeal creatures at all.) Pinpoint Not a defined game term. When this article speaks of pinpointing an unseen creature, it means determining where on the battlefield that creature is located; most of the time, that's also what the rules mean when they speak of pinpointing a creature. Even after pinpointing a creature, you'll still have a miss chance when you attack it if you can't actually see it (or perceive it through some other means that's at least as acute as vision). Invisibility Invisibility is unlike the other three states of being we'll discuss because you really are there (and wholly so) when you don't seem to be. The Basics of Invisibility Vision When something is invisible, others cannot perceive that thing with vision. Vision in this case includes darkvision. Nonvisual senses still work with regard to invisible things -- they can be felt, heard, and smelled. Special senses such as blindsight, blindsense, and tremorsense also work with regard to invisible things. Certain spells and magical effects, such as see invisibility and true seeing, allow their users to see invisible things. Although the rules don't specifically say so, assume that a creature using a magical invisibility effect is invisible to others but not to itself. This helps avoid arguments about exactly what an invisible creature can do without a penalty. Even if you assume an invisible creature can see itself, it still does not cast a shadow or a reflection (or at least not one most people could notice; see below). 61 Gear A magical invisibility effect extends to the user and to all the user's gear. Your gear includes everything you wear or carry at the time you receive the invisibility effect; if something sticks out more than 10 feet from you, the portion that extends more than 10 feet is visible. If you put down or drop something, that thing becomes visible if it normally is visible. If you pick up something visible, that thing stays visible unless you stick it into your clothing. That said, you can reasonably assume that a visible thing becomes invisible if an invisible creature imbibes it. The rules are unclear about exactly what happens to other creatures that you might hold or carry when you become invisible. In general, you should treat each creature as a separate individual when you consider how any spell or magical effect works. The invisibility and greater invisibility spells affect one creature only, as does a ring of invisibility (which works just like the spell). It's reasonable to make an exception for creatures you carry tucked into your clothing (or that you pick up and tuck into your clothing), and that can include a familiar, cohort, or animal companion if the creature is small enough to fit into your clothing. Of course, if a familiar, cohort, or animal companion has the share spells ability and you (the master) cast an invisibility spell on yourself, you can share that spell with the creature. If you assume an invisible creature can see itself, it also can see any equipment that it carries (unless that equipment is invisible by some means other than merely being in the invisible creature's possession). Light Invisibility effects don't make light invisible. When you receive an invisibility effect, any light source you carry still sheds visible light, but the object itself becomes invisible if you're wearing or carrying it when you receive the effect. If you pick up a light source while invisible, both the object and the light it sheds remain visible until you tuck it into your clothing, just as any other object does. The rules don't explain what happens when you carry a concealed light source when you become invisible. They also don't say what happens if you're invisible and you tuck a light source into your clothing. If you follow the rules to the letter, the concealed light source just keeps right on shining. In that case, it's best to dump any continual flame effects you might have tucked away in your gear so that their light won't give you away while you're invisible. On the other hand, it's perfectly reasonable to assume that anything that doesn't shed light when you conceal it on your person while visible also doesn't shed light when you conceal it on your person while invisible. So, for example, if you carry a coin with a continual flame spell on it in a belt pouch, where it doesn't shed light, it won't start shedding light when you become invisible. If you later pull it out of the pouch, but hold onto it, the coin stays invisible, but it sheds visible light. Later, you can douse the light by putting the coin back into the pouch. Gaze attacks Invisible creatures cannot use gaze attacks. A gaze attack depends on the subject viewing the attacker's face, so your gaze attacks are negated while you're invisible. Foes that can see invisible things, such as creatures using the see invisibility or true seeing spell, remain susceptible to your gaze attacks while you're invisible. Detection Invisibility does not foil detection spells. A detect spell doesn't make an invisible creature or object visible, but if an unseen subject is in the area where the spell is aimed, the spell can give some hint of the unseen subject's presence. For example, a detect magic spell reveals the presence or absence of magical auras in the area where it is aimed. An invisible creature using an invisibility spell or magic item has a magical aura (thanks to the active spell or magic item) and a detect magic spell aimed into its area will reveal that aura. All the spell user knows, however, is that there is magic present somewhere within the area where the spell is aimed. If the detect magic user scans that same area for 3 consecutive rounds, the spell can reveal the location of the invisible magical aura (if the creature is still in area). The spell doesn't reveal anything else about the creature, or even that it is a creature at all. The spell user could aim an attack at the creature's location and have a chance to hit it (see below). Dealing With Invisibility in Combat Determining the location of the target When you can't see a creature (for whatever reason), you still can attack it, but first you must determine or guess at its location on the battlefield. Several special qualities, such as blindsense, tremorsense, and scent, allow you to locate unseen creatures (though you must be fairly close to the creature to locate it with scent). You can use a Spot or Listen check to locate a creature you cannot see, though doing so is very difficult indeed (see below). Attacking If you locate an unseen creature (or you're just guessing where it is), you can direct a melee or ranged attack into that location. Because you cannot see the creature, your attack has a 50% miss chance. The Dungeon Master's Guide says the DM can waive or reduce the miss chance when the target is particularly large and slow. As a rule of thumb, you can reduce the miss chance by 5% for every size category the target is beyond Large. If the target is size Huge or bigger, also reduce the miss chance 5% for every 5 feet that the creature's current speed is below 30 feet. Also, reduce the miss chance by 20% if the attack is aimed more or less at the creature's center, or if the creature is using the squeezing rules (see page 29 in the Dungeon Master's Guide) to move into a locale narrower than its space. Finally, reduce the miss chance another 10% if the creature is particularly blocky or massive for its size category. All the reductions stack, but a miss chance cannot be less than 0. For example, a black pudding is a Huge creature with a speed of 20 feet. As an ooze, it's just a big blob, and both exceptionally blocky and massive for its size category. Attacking an unseen black pudding entails a miss chance of only 20% (base 50% -10% for size Huge, -10 for speed, -10 for mass). The example black pudding has a space listing of 15 feet (three squares by three squares). If the attack is aimed at the pudding's center square, the miss chance is 0%. 62 Immunities Unseen creatures are immune to certain kinds of special attacks and spells. Any attack that depends on hitting a foe in a particular place or in a particular way doesn't work against an unseen foe. Sneak attacks and bonus damage from the favored enemy class feature falls into this category. The DM might decide to include others as well. If a spell has a target or targets entry, you must see or touch your target to aim the spell at it. Even if you know where your unseen target is, you still can't aim a targeted spell at it if you don't see or touch it. Spotting, Listening, and Pinpointing As noted earlier, you can use a Spot or Listen check to locate something that's invisible. Spotting If you can't discern an invisible thing visually, how on earth do you spot it? Well, the rules aren't clear on that point. However, invisible things often leave visible clues to their presence. Exactly what forms these clues take depend largely on what the invisible thing is and what its surroundings might be like. For example, an invisible creature walking around in a dungeon might leave the occasional footprint or set dust motes swirling in the air. A creature that has been invisible for a long time might even pick up enough dust and debris that it develops a faint outline. Also, some invisibility effects aren't perfect. Perhaps an invisible thing creates the faintest shimmer or distortion in the air, or casts a really feeble shadow. Such phenomena might prove very difficult to detect, but perceptive individuals might see them and recognize them for what they are. Spot Check DCs Considerable confusion often arises regarding how difficult a Spot check to notice or locate an invisible thing is; the latter is much harder than most people realize. That's because the basic Spot DCs noted in the Dungeon Master's Guide are for merely noticing that there's something unseen somewhere within 30 feet. The DC for actually pinpointing an invisible thing's location so that you know where to aim an attack is 20 points higher. The table below shows the Spot DCs for various kinds of invisible things. The DCs given here are higher than those shown in the Player's Handbook's glossary (pages 309-310), and they match the numbers given in the Dungeon Master's Guide glossary (page 295). According to the Spot skill description, it doesn't take an action to make a check to notice or locate an invisible thing when you first have a chance to do so. After that, however, it takes a move action to spot something you failed to see earlier. In this case, however, I recommend that you make spotting an invisible creature a free action each round, at least when there's an active invisible creature (see below) involved. When a Spot check result is too low to locate an invisible creature, but high enough to notice that it's within 30 feet, the character making the check notices the creature (see below). It's best to make the Spot check secretly so that players cannot be sure if they're actually dealing with invisible foes. Invisible Thing Spot DC to Notice Spot DC to Locate Active creature 20 40 Living creature holding still 30 50 Inanimate object, unliving creature holding still, or completely immobile creature 40 60 Spot DC to Notice If the check is successful, you merely know there's something unseen within 30 feet of you. If the invisible thing is more than 30 feet away, you cannot notice it with a Spot check. According to the rules, any time you make a Spot check you take a -1 penalty on the check for every 10 feet of distance between you and what you're spotting. You must repeat the check each turn to keep track of the unseen thing. Spot DC to Locate If the check is successful, you know exactly where the invisible thing is (you have pinpointed its location), including what square or squares on the battlefield it occupies. Apply the penalty for distance to this check (-1 per 10 feet). You must repeat the check each turn to keep track of the unseen thing. I recommend you make this a free action each round. Active Creature For purposes of spotting an invisible creature, it is "active" when it has moved (that is, gone from one place on the battlefield to another) during its last turn. Living Creature Holding Still A living creature has Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. A creature is holding still if it has not moved during its last turn. Inanimate Object An object that's sitting by itself. If an object is in motion but staying in place (such as a swinging pendulum or a spinning wheel), use the Spot DC for a living creature holding still. If the object is actually moving across the battlefield (such as an iron ball rolling along or a pendulum swing across two or more squares) use the DC for an active creature. Unliving Creature Holding Still An unliving creature has Wisdom and Charisma scores, but no Constitution score. It is holding still when it is not moving, as noted above under Living Creature Holding Still. Completely Immobile Creature In this case, complete immobility refers to a creature that is being careful not to move a muscle. It can be a creature that is under paralysis, a hold spell, or some other effect that utterly prevents it from acting, so that it just sits in place like an inanimate object. A sleeping creature might be considered completely immobile if its slumber is deep and untroubled (as it would be if the creature is under a magical sleep effect). A creature sleeping fitfully should be considered holding still. Invisibility and Hiding As noted in the description for the Hide skill, you gain a +20 bonus on Hide checks if you're moving and +40 on Hide checks if you're not moving. To make a Hide check at all, you need some sort of concealment or cover, and that applies even when you're invisible and the creatures trying to spot you can't see invisible things. Invisibility gives you total concealment, but spotting something invisible carries its own Spot DCs and you can't make yourself harder to see without a little extra help from your surroundings. When making your Hide check, apply all the modifiers that normally apply to the check (such as Armor Check penalties and penalties for your movement). Perceptive readers will note that you're effectively paying a double penalty for moving here because the bonus for being invisible is lower and you take a Hide check penalty for that movement as well. That, however, is the nature of invisibility in the D&D game. Any movement makes you easier to spot while you're invisible, whereas your speed makes it harder for you to hide and the effect gets worse the faster you go. 63 Listening As noted in the Dungeon Master's Guide, you can use hearing to notice an invisible creature (inanimate objects don't make any noise). To resolve an attempt to hear an invisible creature, have the listener make a Listen check opposed by the invisible creature's Move Silently check (if the invisible creature has no Move Silently ranks it makes an untrained check). The table below is a modified version of the one included on page 295 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. It includes Move Silently penalties for creature's movement (taken from the Move Silently skill description), and modifiers for barriers. Other Move Silently modifiers (such as the armor check penalties and modifiers for the surface the invisible creatures moves across) are not included. According to the Dungeon Master's Guide, a Listen check to notice or locate an invisible creature is a free action each round. Listen Check DCs Invisible Creature is Listen DC to Notice Listen DC to Locate In combat or speaking 0 20 Moving at half speed Move Silently check result Move Silently check result +20 Moving at full speed Move Silently check result -5 Move Silently check result +15 Running or charging Move Silently check result -20 Move Silently check result Some distance away +1 per 10 feet +1 per 10 feet Behind a door +5 +5 Behind a stone wall +15 +15 Listen DC to Notice If the check is successful, you merely know there's something unseen somewhere near you, but you don't know where or what direction. You must repeat the check each turn to keep track of the invisible creature. Listen DC to Locate If the check is successful, you know exactly where the invisible thing is (you have pinpointed its location), including what square or squares on the battlefield it occupies. You must repeat the check each turn to keep track of the invisible creature. Moving at Half Speed Use this modifier if the invisible creature is moving at all and if the distance it moved during any single action during its last turn was equal to or less than half its current speed. If surface conditions limit its movement, use this modifier only if the creature moves no more than half the distance in speed that the conditions allow. For example, if the creature has a speed of 40, it's moving half speed if it moves 20 feet or less during any single action. If the creature is moving over terrain that hampers its movement, however, it can move only 20 feet with a single action and is considered moving at half speed only if it moves 10 feet or less during one of those actions. Moving at Full Speed Use this modifier if the invisible creature moves at more than half speed, as defined above. Behind a Door Use this modifier for any fairly thin barrier that's no thicker or stronger than an iron door. Behind a Stone Wall Use this modifier for barriers thicker or stronger than an iron door. Other Ways to Deal With Invisible Foes You don't have to rely on Spot or Listen checks, or on magic, to locate and attack an invisible foe. Here are some other options. Probing an Area You can grope or probe about to find an invisible creature as a standard action. To do so, pick two 5-foot squares that are both adjacent to each other and within your melee reach; if you have a natural reach of more than 5 feet, or a reach weapon, you can probe squares that aren't adjacent to you. If the squares you probe contain anything you can't see, you make a melee touch attack (or attacks if there is more than one thing you can't see). There is a 50% miss chance on the touch attack. If an attack succeeds, you deal no damage but you have successfully pinpointed the invisible thing's current location. (If the invisible thing moves, you don't know where it is anymore.) Because you have to use a standard action to probe for unseen things, you usually can't do anything about unseen foes you locate (unless they're foolish enough to stay put until your next turn), but you can use a free action to relay the foe's location to your allies. One effective tactic for a group is to have one member probe while everyone else readies actions to attack whatever you find. They can also simply delay until the probing character finds something. See page 160 in the Player's Handbook for information on readying and delaying. Attacked by an Unseen Foe If a foe you cannot see hits you with a melee attack and is adjacent to you at the time, you know the foe's location. For this reason, smart foes move right after they attack; even a foe that has made a full attack can move after attacking by taking 5foot step (provided it has not already moved during its turn). When an unseen foe hits you with a melee attack from more than 5 feet away, you know the general direction from which the attack came and that the attack came from more than 5 feet away, but you do not know the attacker's location. Looking For Tracks Unseen creatures leave tracks, and you can track them using the normal tracking rules. Footprints in sand, mud, or other soft surfaces can give clues to an invisible creature's location. If the tracks are very clear and the surface that carries them is fairly smooth and unsullied by debris or other tracks, you can locate a creature you cannot see by looking at its visible tracks; tracks aren't visible, however, unless you can see the surface that holds them. For example, it's no good looking for an unseen creature's tracks if the battle is taking place during a blizzard and you're not entirely sure where the ground ends and sky begins. If the battle is taking place in a bright morning when the whole battlefield is covered in fresh snow, however, an unseen creature's tracks probably will betray its location, at least during the first few rounds of a fight (before all the snow becomes thoroughly trampled). Surfaces or conditions that don't leave clear tracks still might give you a bonus (the DM can decide how big) in Spot checks to notice or locate unseen creatures. You might get a Spot bonus in areas covered with tall grass, undergrowth, dust, or running water (assuming the unseen creature is wading and not submerged; see below). 64 Underwater An invisible thing underwater displaces water, and that creates a visible space that reveals the invisible thing's location. The DM might apply this effect under other circumstances as well, such as areas of heavy smoke, areas draped with lots of dangling things (such as vines, cloth, skeins of rope), heavy precipitation, or the like. Marking an Invisible Creature Since a visible object stays visible when an invisible creature picks it up (at least until the invisible creature tucks the object into its clothing), you may make an invisible thing visible (or at least reveal its location) by dousing it with something visible. My own favorite device for doing this is a bag packed with about a pound of flour. You could just as easily use ink or paint. Toss the bag of flour just like a splash weapon. A direct hit leaves an invisible creature smeared with flour, which reveals the creature's location. An invisible creature caught in the flour's splash effect can attempt a Reflex save (DC 20) to avoid getting covered with flour. A creature can shed its outer clothing (at least a full-round action) and be rid of the flour. Otherwise, it must bathe or wait for the flour to wear off on its own (which takes an hour or two in dry conditions). Special Qualities and Feats Against Unseen Foes Creatures with the scent ability can sniff out unseen creatures, as noted in the scent description in the Monster Manual glossary. The blindsense ability reveals unseen things' locations only. Tremorsense reveals unseen creatures' locations, provided that they are in contact with the ground. The blindsight ability effectively negates invisibility. (The user can deal with unseen things just as though they were visible.) Anyone with the Blind-Fight feat has an improved chance to hit an invisible creature. Roll the miss chance twice, and the attacker misses only if both rolls indicate a miss. (Alternatively, make one 25% miss chance roll rather than two 50% miss chance rolls.) Incorporeality The Basics of Incorporeality Incorporeality is, in many ways, the exact opposite of invisibility. You usually can see the creature just fine, but the creature has no physical substance. If you attack it, or try to touch it, nothing seems to be there. An incorporeal creature has the incorporeal subtype, which is described in detail in the Monster Manual glossary (and updated in the Monster Manual III glossary). As with many things in the D&D game, incorporeality is actually pretty straightforward. Figuring out how incorporeal things interact with the rest of the game world gets difficult, though. Take a look at this quick summary of what the Monster Manual has to say about incorporeal creatures. No physical body An incorporeal creature has no physical body. No matter what the creature looks like, it has no flesh, bones, protoplasm, or any other substance that makes up a corporeal creature's body. In effect, an incorporeal creature is a disembodied intellect or spirit. Because it lacks a physical body, it has no Strength score. Theoretically, an incorporeal creature may have a Constitution score, but such a creature would be strange indeed. In any case, incorporeal creatures don't need to eat, drink, or breathe. In fact, they cannot do these things because they have no Strength scores and they can't affect physical objects (or even air). Most incorporeal creatures cannot benefit from magical effects that require physical contact or manipulation of objects. They cannot benefit from bull's strength spells (they have no Strength scores to enhance), potions or oils (they cannot drink potions or apply oils), wear rings, don armor (except for ghost touch armor), or wield weapons (except for ghost touch weapons) or any other magic items that have to be worn or held to be used (which is most of them). Some items, such as ghost touch weaponry, work for incorporeal creatures. In such cases, an item that an incorporeal creature carries or hold also is incorporeal until the incorporeal creature, drops it, throws it, or puts it down (but see below). Incorporeal creatures are weightless. They cannot fall or take falling damage. The rules say incorporeal creatures cannot trigger traps that are activated by weight (such as covered pits). Though the rules don't say so specifically, an incorporeal creature won't trigger any trap that has a purely mechanical trigger. Flying Incorporeal creatures move by flying, and they have perfect maneuverability. An incorporeal creature always moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn't wish to be. Presumably, an incorporeal creature can make some noise if it wants to -- perhaps a series of eerie moans, rattles, or taps. Because it has no body, an incorporeal creature also has no scent and doesn't create any tremors in the ground or any currents in the air. Special qualities such as tremorsense, blindsense, and blindsight usually don't allow their users to discern incorporeal creatures. Immunity to non-magical attacks An incorporeal creature can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all nonmagical attack forms, including energy (acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic) unless they come from a spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability. Without a physical body, most attacks simply have nothing to hit or to affect. A magical attack (including a magic weapon) made by a corporeal creature has a 50% chance to fail (with some exceptions). This reflects the possibility that the magic can somehow reach the creature and affect it. The failure chance works the same way as a miss chance does; for the sake the convenience, most people refer to the failure chance as the incorporeal miss chance. See below for a more detailed discussion of what works against them and what does not. Passing through solid objects An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid objects, but it must remain adjacent to the object's exterior. They cannot see through opaque objects, however. An incorporeal creature cannot pass entirely through an object that is thicker than its own space. For example, a spectre's size is Medium, so it can't pass through an object more than 5 feet thick. Without this rule, an incorporeal creature could use large solid objects to traverse great distances or even travel straight though the planet. The rules are silent on exactly how small an opening an incorporeal creature can pass through when an object is too thick to allow the creature to just move 65 through it. I recommend that you allow an incorporeal creature to pass through any opening big enough to admit its head (if it has one). As a rule of thumb, this is about one eighth as wide as the creature is long or tall. Incorporeal creatures can, and often do, use solid objects or even corporeal creatures as cover in combat; see below for details. In any case, incorporeal creatures ignore most things that hamper movement. Underwater movement Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air. Because water isn't solid, it doesn't block or restrict incorporeal creatures at all. Sense of direction Incorporeal creatures have an innate sense of direction. An incorporeal creature doesn't lose its way when passing through a solid object, and its movement is not slowed when it cannot see. Incorporeal Creatures in Combat Handling a combat with a creature that is present on the battlefield but has no body isn't always easy, but it can be done. Incorporeal Creatures Attacking Most incorporeal creatures can deliver a physical attack by striking at other creatures. Although this attack is called an incorporeal touch attack, it more closely resembles a slam attack. It's called an incorporeal touch attack because it ignores armor, natural armor, and shield bonuses, just as a touch attack does. Unlike a touch attack, however, force effects block an incorporeal touch attack. Deflection bonuses work against incorporeal touch attacks (just as they work against true touch attacks). In most cases, you can resolve the attack using the defender's touch Armor Class -- just be sure to include any force effects the defender is using, such as a mage armor spell (or a magic item that duplicates that spell's effects, such as bracers of armor) or a shield spell. Ghost touch armor also proves effective against an incorporeal touch attack. Because an incorporeal creature has no Strength score, it uses its Dexterity modifier for melee attacks. Because an incorporeal creature cannot exert any Strength and its body (such as it is) passes through material objects, an incorporeal creature cannot use bull rush, disarm, grapple, overrun, sunder, or trip attacks against corporeal creatures or objects. Some of these attack forms are possible against other incorporeal creatures (see below). If an incorporeal creature can cast spells or use other kinds of magic, its spells and magical effects work equally well on both corporeal and incorporeal recipients (no miss chance), except that an incorporeal creature cannot touch a corporeal creature and cannot use spells or other effects with a touch range. Nevertheless, some incorporeal creatures have special attacks that can be delivered through its incorporeal touch attack, such as a spectre's energy drain attack. Ghost Touch Weaponry An incorporeal creature can pick up and wield a ghost touch weapon even though the creature lacks a Strength score. When the creature makes an attack, it uses its Dexterity modifier to modify the attack roll (even for a melee attack) and no Strength modifier applies to the damage roll. (Because the incorporeal attacker does not have a Strength score, its Strength modifier is +0.) According to the Dungeon Master's Guide, a ghost touch weapon functions as either a corporeal or incorporeal object, whichever is better for the wielder at the time. This is convenient for an incorporeal creature that wants to carry a ghost touch weapon through a wall. What this means when an incorporeal wielder uses a ghost touch weapon to attack a corporeal foe is not quite clear, though. Presumably, an incorporeal wielder can choose which way the weapon acts at the time of the attack; this does not require an action on the wielder's part, and the wielder can make the choice even when it is not the wielder's turn. (For example, when the wielder uses the ghost touch weapon for an attack of opportunity.) When an incorporeal attacker wields a ghost touchweapon as a corporeal weapon, the attack is resolved against the defender's normal Armor Class. An incorporeal attacker wielding a ghost touch weapon in this manner can use the weapon to make a disarm or sunder attack. If the weapon can be used for a trip attack (see the weapon's description in Chapter 7 of the Player's Handbook), an incorporeal attacker can make a trip attack with it. When an incorporeal attacker wields a ghost touchweapon as an incorporeal weapon, the attack is resolved as an incorporeal touch attack. If the attack hits, the weapon deals the normal damage for a weapon of its kind, plus any bonus damage from its enhancement bonus, but no Strength modifier applies. If an incorporeal creature fires ghost touch ammunition or throws a ghost touch weapon, the projectile or weapon becomes corporeal the moment it leaves the incorporeal creature's possession, though it retains the ghost touch property. The foregoing suggests that a corporeal attacker could choose to wield a ghost touch weapon as either a corporeal or an incorporeal weapon as well, but I don't recommend that you do so. The ghost touch property isn't priced to reflect such a potent ability. If you don't like the disparity in abilities between corporeal and incorporeal wielders, I recommend that you always have attackers use ghost touchweaponry as a corporeal attack (except that the weapon still ignores incorporeal miss chances). Attacking Incorporeal Creatures As noted above, a corporeal creature has a 50% chance to fail when it attacks an incorporeal creature, and it must use a magic weapon or some kind of magical attack to have any chance to harm the incorporeal creature at all. The failure chance arises from an incorporeal creature's intangible nature -- there's simply no telling if the attack will prove effective. The failure chance applies even to attacks that normally require no attack roll, such as spells and supernatural abilities. For example, a lightning bolt or a dragon's fiery breath both have a 50% chance to fail when aimed at incorporeal creatures. If an attack affects an area that contains multiple incorporeal creatures or otherwise affects multiple incorporeal creatures, check the failure chance separately for each creature. One attack may fail against some incorporeal creatures and succeed against others. The failure chance doesn't apply to nondamaging effects, such as halt undead spells. A nondamaging effect that creates some kind of physical restraint, such as a web or entangle spell, isn't effective against an incorporeal creature. (Force barriers, such as wall of force, still work, though.) Spells or effects that require corporeal targets or subjects, such as implosion, also don't work against incorporeal creatures. Normally, miss chances do not stack (a blur spell's 20% miss chance doesn't stack with the 50% miss chance for being completely unseen, for example). In this case, however, you could combine the incorporeal miss chance with a miss chance for attacking a concealed target because one involves uncertainty about exactly where the target is and the other involves an immaterial target that might not vulnerable to the attack at all. To stack the miss chances, check the miss chance for 66 concealment first, then check the incorporeal miss chance; if the attacker fails either miss chance, the attack misses (to save time, you might want to check the highest miss chance first, or just roll both of them at the same time). Ignoring incorporeal miss chance As noted in above, some attacks ignore the incorporeal miss chance. The list includes the following: Force Anything with the force descriptor has no miss chance against incorporeal subjects. This includes attacks (such as magic missile) and force barriers (such as wall of force). Positive Energy Unfortunately, the game has no positive energy descriptor, so you have to study a spell or effect's description to find out if it involves positive energy. The cleric's ability to turn undead creatures is a positive energy effect. The various cure spells also involve positive energy; however, to deliver a cure spell you must touch a creature and your touch is not a positive energy effect. If you're corporeal, your touch attack has a 50% miss chance and if you fail that chance, your touch attack misses and you don't deliver the spell (but you're still holding the charge as noted on page 176 of the Player's Handbook). If you pass the miss chance, you make a melee touch attack against the incorporeal creature and, if you hit, you deliver the spell. The rules don't say so, but you use the same procedure for any other touch range spell. If your touch attack avoids the miss chance, a successful hit delivers the spell to an incorporeal recipient, even if the spell is not a positive energy effect. Mass versions of cure spells, such as mass cure light wounds, that deliver positive energy over a distance, don't have a miss chance against incorporeal creatures. Negative Energy The notes for positive energy apply equally to negative energy. Ghost Touch Weapons Weapons with the ghost touch property ignore the incorporeal miss chance. Incorporeal Attackers Any attack or effect that an incorporeal creature launches ignores the incorporeal miss chance. Holy Water You can splash an incorporeal undead creature with holy water to damage it, but the attack has a 50% miss chance. The Player's Handbook says you must be adjacent to an incorporeal creature to use holy water against it. There's no reason, however, why you couldn't use the rules for splash weapons. Just aim the holy water at a grid intersection near the creature as noted on page 158 of the Player's Handbook. This trick works only if the incorporeal creature is adjacent to the grid intersection you choose and if it is not getting total cover from a corporeal creature or object (see Combat Tactics for Incorporeal Creatures). Special Attacks An incorporeal creature's lack of a physical body makes certain special attacks moot. For example, a corporeal creature can't bull rush or overrun an incorporeal creature (but it could try to move into its space; see Using Creatures as Cover). A corporeal creature also cannot trip an incorporeal creature. Armor Classes for Incorporeal Creatures An incorporeal creature has a base Armor Class of 10, just as any other creature does. The creature's size and Dexterity score also affects an incorporeal creature's Armor Class in the usual way. An incorporeal creature also has a deflection bonus to Armor Class, which is equal to its Charisma modifier, but is always at least +1. This represents the effect that the incorporeal creature's real but nonphysical presence has on the battlefield. Ghost Touch Armor Ghost touch armor provides a corporeal creature with its full armor bonus (armor bonus from the armor's kind plus the armor's enhancement bonus) against incorporeal touch attacks (but not regular touch attacks). For example, a dwarf wearing +2 ghost touch half-plate gains the +2 enhancement bonus from the armor and the +7 armor bonus from the half-plate against a spectre's incorporeal touch attack. When an incorporeal creature wears ghost touch armor, things are little different. Only the armor's enhancement bonus applies to the creature's Armor Class; the basic armor bonus from the armor does not apply. For example, a spectre wearing +2 ghost touch half-plate gains only the +2 enhancement bonus from the armor and does not benefit from the armor +7 armor bonus. The +2 enhancement bonus from the ghost toucharmor is an armor bonus. It applies against incorporeal touch attacks, but not against other kinds of touch attacks (such as rays or touch-range spells). An incorporeal creature wearing ghost touch armor remains incorporeal and the normal miss chance applies to most attacks made against it. An attack with aghost touch weapon must contend with the ghost touch armor's enhancement bonus, but not with the base armor, as noted above. An incorporeal creature wearingghost toucharmor isn't actually carrying the armor around -- it just floats along with the creature. The armor is effectively weightless when an incorporeal creature wears it. The armor does not encumber the incorporeal creature, and the armor's Dexterity cap does not apply. The spectre wearing +2 ghost touch half-plate from our previous example has an Armor Class of 17 (+3 Dex, +2 deflection, +2 armor). If you're uncomfortable with the foregoing text and you would like the ghost touch armor to work pretty much the same way no matter who wears it, you need to figure out how a creature with no physical body and no Strength score wears armor and you also need to figure out its encumbrance. A fairly easy way to handle this is to use the incorporeal creature's Charisma score as its Strength score for purposes of determining the creature's load. The rules say that a creature cannot fly when carrying more than a light load, but you may want to waive that rule for incorporeal creatures (which often have only a flying speed). You also may want to give an incorporeal wearer the full benefit of the base armor's armor bonus and apply the appropriate speed reductions and Dexterity cap for the base armor. No matter what rules you use for an incorporeal wearer, an incorporeal creature wearing ghost touch armor retains its ability to pass though solid objects and all the special defenses that go along with being incorporeal. Combat Tactics for Incorporeal Creatures Even a dull-witted incorporeal creature should know enough to use these combat tricks when fighting corporeal creatures. The notes in this section were drawn in part from the upcoming Libris Mortis tome from Wizards of the Coast. Staying Mobile Thanks to their flying speeds and ability to pass through (or at least enter) corporeal objects or creatures, incorporeal creatures enjoy unmatched mobility no matter what conditions prevail on battlefield. In fact, the more cramped or choked with obstacles a battle proves, the greater an incorporeal creature's advantage in mobility over a corporeal foe. An incorporeal creature should move around frequently. When it does so, it should take the shortest available route between two 67 points, which might take it through solid objects. Even when an incorporeal creature cannot move straight through an object because the object is thicker than the creature's face, it usually can cut corners by entering the object briefly. Using Objects as Cover An incorporeal creature's ability to pass through (or at least enter) corporeal objects or creatures can prove most exasperating to corporeal foes. In general, an incorporeal creature can claim cover whenever it enters an object that's the same size category that it is or one size category larger. If the incorporeal creature enters an object at least two size categories larger than itself, it has total cover. If, however, the incorporeal creature makes a melee attack outside the larger object's space, it only has cover unless it can retreat back into the object after the attack. For example, if an incorporeal creatures makes a melee attack, then uses a 5-foot step to enter an object at least two sizes bigger than it is, the incorporeal creature has total cover. If the incorporeal creature instead leaves or reaches out of the same object and then attacks, it cannot take a 5-foot step and gains only cover from the object. In either case, the incorporeal creature only has cover while it makes the melee attack. Using Creatures as Cover An incorporeal creature can move through corporeal creatures as well as objects. Likewise, a corporeal can move through an incorporeal creature. When trying to move through a creature, you provoke an attack of opportunity from that creature when you enter its space. To actually enter the other creature's body, you must make a successful touch attack (or incorporeal touch attack) against the other creature. This represents the difficulties involved in actually slipping into the other creature's body. If the attack fails, you must go back to the last space you left. Attempting to move into the other creature's space counts against your movement for the turn, but going back a space does not. A creature threatens its own space, so you provoke an attack of opportunity when leaving its space. An incorporeal creature inside a corporeal creature gains cover as noted above. When an incorporeal creature uses a corporeal creature for cover, that cover lasts only so long as the two creatures share the same space. If either the incorporeal creature or the corporeal creature moves away from the shared space, there's no more cover. When an incorporeal creature is the same size or one size larger than a corporeal creature whose space it shares, the corporeal creature gains concealment. If the incorporeal creature is two or more sizes larger, the corporeal creature has total concealment. However, if the corporeal creature reaches outside the incorporeal creature's space to make a melee attack, it has only concealment unless it can retreat back into the incorporeal creature's space afterward as noted above. You normally could enter the other creature's space due to a difference in size (see page 149 in the Player's Handbook); no touch attack is required. No touch attack is required to simply move through an ally's space or a helpless creature's space. If you don't make the touch attack and succeed, however, you don't get concealment or cover from the other creature. Force Effects A force effect that completely surrounds the user's body, such as the mage armor spell or bracers of armor, prevents an incorporeal creature from occupying the user's space and vice versa, though two creatures' relative sizes might still allow them to share the same space, as noted above. Incorporeal Combat Miscellany Remember that incorporeal creatures cannot see through solid objects. When an incorporeal creature claims total cover from an object (or creature), it cannot see anything and is effectively blinded. An incorporeal creature can make a Listen check to locate corporeal creatures it cannot see (see above). It gains a +2 bonus on Listen checks when inside a solid object. If you're playing an incorporeal creature in combat against corporeal foes, make sure you don't act on information that the incorporeal creature doesn't have. It's pretty difficult, for example, for an incorporeal creature hiding inside a wall or floor to emerge in exactly the right spot to attack round after round (unless the corporeal foes are foolish enough to stay in one place, or are compelled to do so). In most cases, the incorporeal creature will make a Listen check and determine a corporeal creature's location. After that, the incorporeal creature will have to emerge at least partly from the object where it is hiding to make an attack. Incorporeal Against Incorporeal Incorporeal creatures can interact physically with each other -- at least as much as that is possible for creatures that lack physical bodies. They can attack each other without an incorporeal miss chance and they can attempt certain special attacks against each other, as noted here. Grappling You can resolve grapple attempts using the rules on pages 155-157 of the Player's Handbook, except that an incorporeal creature uses its Charisma modifier instead of its Strength modifier when it makes a grapple check. Remember that grappling combat begins with an initial grab attempt, not a grapple check. When one incorporeal creature tries to grab another, it makes a melee touch attack and uses its Dexterity modifier for the attack. Overrun When one incorporeal creature tries to overrun another, use the attacker's Charisma modifier for the opposed check. The defender can use its Charisma modifier or its Dexterity modifier. Incorporeal creatures can't fall, so it's best to assume that they can't be knocked prone if they fail an opposed check. Instead, just assume that the loser is moved 5 feet in a direction of the winner's choosing; this doesn't count as part of the loser's movement. If a barrier that is impassable to an incorporeal creature prevents movement in the direction the winner chose, it must choose a different direction. Trip Although one incorporeal creature can grab another, you can't make an incorporeal creature fall down, even if you're incorporeal yourself. Etherealness The Basics and Misconceptions of Etheralness The fundamental thing to remember about etherealness is that an ethereal creature or object is not present on the Material Plane. The Ethereal and the Material Plane are coexistent (see page 150 in the Dungeon Master's Guide), which makes interactions between creatures on the two planes fairly common. 68 With respect to creatures and objects on the Material Plane, an ethereal creature has many of the properties of invisibility and incorporeality. In fact, the rules often speak of ethereal creatures as invisible and incorporeal. Unfortunately, an ethereal creature is not really invisible (just unseen) and it is not incorporeal at all (though it can do many of the same things that an incorporeal creature can do). This last point is worth repeating: The rules tend to use the terms etherealness and incorporeality interchangeably because it is convenient to do so, but the two are not equivalent. Here's a summary of the abilities and properties an ethereal creature has with respect to objects and creatures on the Material Plane: Effective invisibility and silence Although a creature on the Ethereal can see indistinctly into the Material Plane (see pages 151 and 293 in the Dungeon Master's Guide), creatures on the Material Plane can't see into the Ethereal without some kind of magical aid. A detect invisibility or true seeing spell used on the Material Plane reveals things on the Ethereal. Because an ethereal creature or object is not actually present on the Material Plane, a creature on the Material Plane cannot make a Spot or Listen check to notice or locate it (because there's nothing at hand to see or hear). Likewise, nonvisual senses such as blindsense, blindsight, scent, and tremorsense can't discern or locate ethereal things. Immaterial and weightless Because the Ethereal and the Material Plane are coexistent, each point on the Material Plane corresponds with a point on the Ethereal and vice versa. To an observer on the Material Plane, a creature moving on the Ethereal seems to float along the Material Plane landscape. It also seems to move right through material objects and creatures. That's because most things on the Material Plane don't exist on the Ethereal. Unlike an incorporeal creature, an ethereal creature doesn't have to stay adjacent to the object's exterior when it enters the object, so it can pass through an object of any thickness. An ethereal creature cannot see through opaque objects on the Material Plane; when within a material object, an ethereal creature cannot see anything on the Material Plane, though it usually can see other ethereal things. An ethereal creature can hear sounds from the Material Plane. Unlike an incorporeal creature, it does not get a Listen bonus when it is inside a solid object. Force effects extend into the Ethereal Plane, so a force barrier, such as a wall of force, blocks an ethereal creature. The Ethereal Plane has no gravity. A creature on the Ethereal can move in any direction using its fastest speed rating. Hazards and obstacles on the Material Plane don't interfere with an ethereal creature's movement or damage the ethereal creature (but see Combat with Ethereal creatures). Unable to affect creatures or objects on the Material Plane An ethereal creature cannot touch, damage, move, or otherwise physically interact with things on the Material Plane. It goes without saying, but ghost touch weapons an ethereal creature wields don't affect targets on the Material Plane. Spells and other magical effects that an ethereal creature uses don't have any affects on the Material Plane, and neither do extraordinary abilities. Combat With Ethereal Creatures Although ethereal creatures can't do anything to affect creatures on the Material Plane, the opposite isn't true. Any magical effect with the force descriptor extends to the Ethereal when it is created on the Material Plane (the opposite is not true). A caster can target a spell such as magic missile, for example, at an ethereal creature. Because ethereal creatures can see into the Material Plane, gaze attacks used on the Material Plane also affect ethereal creatures. The rules don't mention it, but you reasonably can assume that a creature looking into the Ethereal Plane with a divination spell (such as true seeing or see invisibility) would be susceptible to a gaze attack from an ethereal creature. Two ethereal creatures can fight and affect each other in the same way that two creatures on the Material Plane can, except that combat on the Ethereal Plane takes place in three dimensions. Ghosts Thanks to its manifestation power, ghosts get most peoples' votes for the most troublesome denizens of the Ethereal Plane. The Basics of Ghosts The most important thing to remember about a ghost is that it is ethereal, not incorporeal, until it uses its manifestation power to move onto the Material Plane. Once a ghost does so, it becomes an incorporeal creature on the Material Plane, though it also remains on the Ethereal Plane as well. Although the ghost template lists the ghost as an incorporeal creature, it is not incorporeal until it manifests and even then it is only incorporeal with respect to the things on the Material Plane. To anyone or anything on the Ethereal, even a manifested ghost is corporeal. As a supernatural ability, manifestation requires a standard action to use. Once manifested, a ghost also can use a standard action to fully return to the Ethereal Plane. With respect to the Material Plane, a manifested ghost functions just like an incorporeal creature as described above, except for two things: A manifested ghost can move through a creature or object of any size (thanks to its etherealness). A manifested ghost that has a magic weapon with it on the Ethereal Plane can use the weapon to strike creatures. A manifested ghost using a magic weapon that is not a ghost touchweapon is making an incorporeal touch attack. The ghost's Strength modifier doesn't apply to the attack roll (even for a melee attack) or to the damage roll. The ghost's Dexterity modifier applies to the attack roll. The attack ignores armor (except ghost touch armor). The attack has a 50% miss chance. Ghosts and Ghost Touch Items A manifested ghost using ghost touch equipment can do so either as a corporeal or an incorporeal user, depending on exactly where the ghost touch equipment is. If a manifested ghost finds a ghost touch weapon or ghost touch armor just lying on the Material Plane, it can handle and use that ghost touch equipment in exactly the same way that an incorporeal creature can. If a ghost on the Ethereal Plane has ghost touch equipment with it on that plane, however, then it uses ghost touch weaponry as a corporeal creature on the Material Plane does when attacking a foe on the Material Plane. (That is, the ghost has no miss chance, it makes a regular attack that must deal with the target's armor, and the ghost's Strength score applies to the attack and damage rolls.) Against most attacks, ghost touch armor worn on the Ethereal Plane protects a manifested ghost the same way it protects an incorporeal creature. The ghost retains its incorporeal miss chance and gains only the armor's enhancement bonus to its Armor Class. Against a ghost touch weapon wielded on the Material Plane, a manifested ghost still uses its manifested Armor Class, though 69 there is no incorporeal miss chance. (The manifested ghost's equipment remains insubstantial against foes on the Material Plane.) If a manifested ghost wears ghost touch armor, the full value of that armor applies against a ghost touch weapon, and the ghost still gets its deflection bonus for being incorporeal. If the same attacker moved to the Ethereal Plane, the ghost would lose its deflection bonus to Armor Class. Manifestation Miscellany The manifestation power can prove troublesome in a few circumstances. Take a look at some suggestions on how to deal with the worst cases. Manifesting Inside Objects or Creatures An ethereal ghost can move to an object's or creature's location on the Material Plane and then manifest so that it appears inside the creature or object. Treat this just like any other attempt to move through a creature or object, except, as noted earlier, the ghost doesn't have to stay adjacent to the creature's or object's exterior. Malevolence If the ghost has the malevolence power, there is no attack of opportunity when it enters a subject's space, and no touch attack is required if the subject has a deflection bonus to Armor Class. If the subject makes a successful saving throw against the malevolence attack, however, the ghost cannot enter the subject's space and must go back to whatever space it left to use the malevolence power. The attempt to enter the subject's space counts against the ghost's movement for the turn, but going back does not. Returning to the Ethereal Plane Because a manifested ghost can't exert any Strength on the Material Plane, it cannot grab things while manifested and drag them back to the Ethereal. It could, however, seize a ghost touch item and bring that back to the Ethereal Plane (where it could then handle the item normally). It's best to assume that a ghost can't use this trick with a ghost touch item in another creature's possession. A dimensional anchor spell used against a manifested ghost has little effect because the ghost already is on both the Material Plane and Ethereal Planes. While the spell lasts, however, the manifested ghost cannot exit the Material Plane. Gaseous Form A creature in gaseous form has a physical body of sorts, but that body is mostly immaterial. The game doesn't describe gaseous form in the same detail as incorporeality, but the two prove similar in many ways. The basics of Gaseous Form Immaterial Gaseous creatures have some mass and physical presence, but they are literally as light as air; as a rule of thumb, you can assume a creature's gaseous form weighs about a tenth as much as it did in solid form. Gaseous creatures have no material armor, and a solid creature that becomes gaseous loses all armor bonuses from armor worn, shields carried, and any natural armor bonuses. Dexterity, deflection bonuses, and armor bonuses from force effects still apply to the gaseous creature's Armor Class. Gaseous Defenses A creature in gaseous form has damage reduction 10/magic. This reflects the mutable and elastic nature of the creature's gaseous body. The rules don't specifically mention it (except in the description for the gaseous form spell), but a gaseous creature isn't subject to critical hits. A gaseous creature does not need to breathe and it is immune to attacks involving breathing (troglodyte stench, poison gas, and the like). Spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities affect gaseous creatures normally. The rules say that winds or other forms of moving air affect gaseous creatures to the extent that the wind pushes them in the direction the wind is moving. However, even the strongest wind can't disperse or damage a creature in gaseous form. Presumably, this means that any wind effect will move a creature in gaseous form. Assume the creature moves 10 feet for each mile per hour of wind speed; apply this movement at the end of the gaseous creature's turn. This movement doesn't count against the gaseous creature's movement for the turn. A solid creature can't bull rush or overrun a creature in gaseous form (but it might be able to move into its space, see Abilities). A solid creature cannot trip a creature in gaseous form, and a gaseous creature cannot fall. Limitations The rules don't say exactly what a gaseous creature can do, but they're pretty clear about what it cannot do. It cannot manipulate objects or activate items, even those carried along with its gaseous form (see below). A gaseous creature cannot make any attacks (though a gaseous creature may have some special attack form), or cast spells with verbal, somatic, material, or focus components. If a solid creature has a touch spell ready to use, that spell is discharged harmlessly when the creature assumes gaseous form. A creature in gaseous form cannot speak, enter water, or run. When a creature assumes gaseous form, it loses supernatural abilities -- except for the supernatural ability to assume gaseous form and the ability to return to solid form. Abilities So what can a gaseous creature do? It can move by flying. If no flying speed is listed for the creature, assume a flying speed of 10 feet and perfect maneuverability. It cannot pass through solid objects, but it can move through any opening that is not airtight, even a pinhole or crack. The rules don't say how quickly a gaseous creature can cram itself through a restricted area. I recommend that you allow a gaseous creature of any size to move through a space at least 6 inches square without squeezing or losing speed no matter what the creature's size category. Allow the creature to move through a space at least 1 inch square, but less than 6 inches square as hampered movement (double movement cost, see page 163 in the Player's Handbook) and a space less than 1 inch square at a rate of 5 feet per action spent moving. I also recommend that a gaseous creature suffer no penalties for squeezing into a tight space. A gaseous creature of any size can move through other creatures' spaces just as incorporeal creatures can (see above), though they cannot give or claim cover or concealment by hiding inside a creature or object. A gaseous creature provokes an 70 attack of opportunity from a creature whose space it enters. A creature threatens its own space, so a gaseous creature also provokes an attack of opportunity when leaving that space. Likewise other creatures can enter a gaseous creature's space; most gaseous creatures cannot make any attacks, if so, it cannot make attacks of opportunity, even if another creature enters its space. If a gaseous creature has a deflection bonus to Armor Class, a creature entering its space must make a successful touch attack to enter the space; see above for details. A gaseous creature has a Strength score, but it has no way to affect solid objects except by moving over them in a puff of air. To simulate that, try this. As a full-round action, a gaseous creature can attempt to create a wind effect in its own space. The wind speed is equal to the gaseous creature's Strength score plus the gaseous creature size modifier for grappling attacks: Colossal +16, Gargantuan +12, Huge +8, Large +4, Medium +0, Small -4, Tiny -8, Diminutive -12, Fine -16. Refer to Table 3-24 in the Dungeon Master's Guide and to the text that accompanies it for wind effects. A gaseous creature cannot use a wind effect to handle material components for a spell or to complete somatic components for a spell. It can, however, use feats (namely Silent Spell, Still Spell, and Eschew Materials) to cast spells. When a creature becomes gaseous, everything it was holding or wearing becomes gaseous (and nearly weightless) along with it. The rules are unclear about exactly what happens to other creatures that you might hold or carry when you become gaseous. In general, you should assume that an ability to become gaseous extends only to the user. You can make a reasonable exception for creatures you carry tucked into your clothing (or that you pick up and tuck into your clothing), and that can include a familiar, cohort, or animal companion if the creature is small enough to fit into your clothing. Of course, if a familiar, cohort, or animal companion has the share spells ability and you (the master) cast the gaseous form spell on yourself, you can share that spell with the creature. Translucent Discerning a creature in gaseous form from natural mist requires a DC 15 Spot check; distance between the spotter and the gaseous creature increases the DC as noted in the Spot skill description. A creature in gaseous form can attempt to hide in an area with mist and smoke, and it gains a +20 Hide bonus when doing so. 71 Using magic items Foreword From the player's or DM's point of view, a magic item is an object that provides the user with some paranormal ability that is stored or channeled within the object itself. Nothing puts a sparkle in a player's eye quite like a magic item. It represents power in the game world and serves as a badge of success among other players. Most of us just can't get enough magic items. Unfortunately, a magic item that looks cool on a character sheet can cause trouble in play, especially when the DM and the player can't quite agree on exactly how the thing works, as is often the case when the course of an adventure hangs in the balance. Some Key Terms Here are a few terms you'll encounter in the rules when they discuss magic items. Activation To make use of a magic item's powers, you must activate the item. In most cases, activating an item requires the activate magic item action, which is a standard action (see pages 138 and 139 in the Player's Handbook for more on standard actions) that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. All magic items in the core D&D game use one of four activation methods: Spell completion, spell trigger, command word, and use-activated. All of these are discussed on page 213 in the Dungeon Master's Guide and below. Aura Most magic items have magical auras that detect magic spells can reveal. The power and school of an item's aura is shown in the item's description. See the detect magic spell description for details. Caster Level Every magic item has a caster level, which the item's description shows. An item's caster level determines the item's own saving throw bonuses when the item must make a saving throw. If an item can produce a spell effect, its caster level determines any level-based variables the spell effect might have (such as range and damage). An item's caster level also determines how susceptible the item or the spell effects it produces are to dispel magic effects. Charge A discrete unit of an item's power that is used up when someone activates the item. For example, a newly created wand has 50 charges. An item becomes nonmagical when all its charges are used up. In general, a charged item cannot be recharged. Item Slot A specific part of the user's body where an item must be worn before it can function. Sometimes it is simply called a slot. Market Price The cost, in gold pieces, that an item brings on the open market. Sometimes this is simply called price. An item's market price is a retail price (or the price a character must pay when buying the item). Characters who sell used items can expect to get only half the market price. Kinds of Magic Items The D&D game divides magic items into nine broad categories, which are described in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. Individual magic item descriptions tend to be very brief, and many details that determine how an item works in play are contained in the notes for the item's category. Here's an overview: Armor and Shields These protective magic items work just like their nonmagical counterparts (see Chapter 7 in the Player's Handbook). That is, a magic heavy shield works pretty much just like a nonmagical heavy shield in addition to any magical properties it has. Though the rules don't come right out and say so, you must wear magic armor to use any of its abilities. Likewise, you must pick up a magic shield and either hold it in your hand or strap it to your arm (or what passes for an arm if you're not humanoid), or both as appropriate for the kind the shield, to get any benefit from the shield. Most purely defensive properties that a set of magic armor or a magic shield has (such as enhancement bonus to Armor Class, resistance to energy, or the like) work continuously once you don the armor or have the shield ready on your arm. Most other special abilities (such as attacking foes or magical travel) require you to both wear the armor (or properly wield the shield) and speak a command word. All magic armor and shields are masterwork items, and any armor check penalties they impose on you are reduced by one point, to a minimum of 0. (Just in case you're wondering, arcane spell failure chances aren't reduced unless the item description specifically says so or the item is made from a special material that reduces them, such as mithral.) Prices given for armor assumes armor made for Medium humanoids. Armor for most other creatures entails an additional cost, as noted on pages 123 in the Player's Handbook. When armor is made for an unusual creature, subtract the armor cost for a Medium humanoid and then add the armor cost for the unusual creature. For example, a suit of +1 half-plate armor usually costs 1,750 gp, which includes 1,000 gp for the +1 enhancement, 600 gp for a suit of half-plate armor, and 150 gp for masterwork armor. A suit of +1 half-plate barding for a war horse would cost 3,550 gp, which includes 1,000 gp for the +1 enhancement, 2,400 gp for a suit of half-plate armor for a large nonhumanoid wearer, and 150 gp for masterwork armor. Weapons Like magic armor and shields, magic weapons function just like normal weapons, and they're masterwork items, too. Even if a magic weapon's magical properties are suppressed (as they would be in an antimagic field), the weapon still provides a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls thanks to its masterwork quality. 72 The rules don't say so, but you must hold a magic weapon in one or two hands (as appropriate for the weapon) to use any of its magical properties. You cannot, for example, use a sword's spell-like abilities while you have the sword put away in its scabbard. You get any enhancement bonus on attack rolls that the weapon provides simply by attacking with the weapon. Most other powers, however, require you to hold the weapon and speak a command word. Most magic ranged weapons that use ammunition impart some of their magical properties to ammunition fired from them. The ranged weapon's enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls applies to the ranged attack, even if the ammunition isn't magical, and the ammunition overcomes damage reduction just as if it were a magic weapon itself. If both the ammunition and the weapon have enhancement bonuses, however, they do not stack under the D&D 3.5 rules (they did stack in D&D 3.0), only the highest enhancement bonus applies. If the weapon has an alignment, it imparts that alignment to the ammunition, and the ammunition overcomes damage reduction accordingly. If the ammunition already has an alignment, it has both its own alignment and the weapon's alignment when fired, even if those two alignments are opposed to each other. (The Dungeon Master's Guide uses the example of anarchic ammunition fired from an axiomatic weapon, making the ammunition both lawful and chaotic when fired; see page 221.) When a ranged weapon has another magical property that can affect things the weapon hits in combat, the weapon might also impart that property to ammunition fired from it; see the descriptions for the various weapon powers on pages 223-226. For example, a flaming bow imparts the flaming property to arrows fired from it. If the ammunition already has one or more magical properties, add the weapon's properties to the ammunition's properties. DMs can, and probably should, place some limits on what properties ammunition can receive. For example, it probably wouldn't do for ammunition to receive the same property twice; that is, you'd get no extra effect from firing arrows with the flaming property from a bow with the flaming property. Like armor, weapon costs assume a Medium wielder; adjust the cost for bigger or smaller wielders as noted for armor. Potions and Oils These items are essentially precast spells in liquid form. You trigger the spell by drinking the potion or smearing on the oil; this is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. If an attack hits you while you're drinking a potion or applying an oil, you must make a Concentration check. The check DC is 10 + the damage dealt. The rules say that you make the check exactly as if you were casting a spell, which would make the check DC 10 + spell level + the damage dealt; however, you aren't really casting a spell when you're drinking a potion or applying an oil, so the spell level isn't relevant. Using a potion or oil on yourself is always a standard action, no matter what casting time the stored spell normally requires (see below). If you fail a Concentration check while drinking a potion or applying an oil, you can't use the potion or oil, but the item isn't wasted. You foes, however, can direct their attacks (even attacks of opportunity) at the vial containing the potion or oil and could break the container and effectively destroy the potion or oil. Rings To use a ring, you must wear it on your hand (or on what passes for a hand). Most rings are activated with a command word, but some work continuously once you put them on, and some work automatically whenever you do something that the ring affects. In general, when a ring produces a spell effect, you must use a command word to activate it. Rings that give you some kind of bonus (such as a skill bonus or an Armor Class bonus) work continuously or work automatically when you need them. Rings with defensive abilities usually work continuously, and rings that allow some kind of attack (such as shooting stars or ramming) require a command word. In most cases, the ring's description will at least give you a hint about how the ring is activated -- look for words and phrases such as "on command," "continuously," or "as a free action." Note that even when you can activate an item as a free action, you usually can do so only during your turn. Beware of rings that produce spell effects with unusual casting times, however. For example, a ring offeather falling requires a free action to activate because you cast the spell as a free action. You also can activate the ring when it's not your turn, just as you can cast the spell when it isn't your turn. Rings generally fit any corporeal creature, regardless of the creature's size. If you don't have a detect magic spell handy, you could try to put on a ring you've found. If it just happens to fit, it could be a magic ring. (Though a crafty DM might decide that a magic ring won't resize itself unless you know it's magical before you put it on.) Rods Rods look like short sticks or scepters, and some of them are heavy and sturdy enough to function as clubs or maces. Many rods are activated by command word, though a few require some specific action, such as pressing a catch in the rod or planting the rod in the ground, and some rods work automatically. Most of the comments on activating rings also apply to rods, but it always pays to check the rod's description for the activation method. Some rods have different activation methods for different functions. For example, you can configure a rod of lordly might to serve as various kinds of weapons, and you do so by pressing catches on the rod. Manipulating a catch works just like drawing a weapon (see the first paragraph in the rod's description). That means you can operate a catch as a move action, or as part of a move action if your base attack bonus is at least +1. Presumably, you can operate a catch as free action if you have the Quick Draw feat. A rod of lordly might also has spell-like abilities that require a command word (and thus a standard action) to activate, though some of those work by touch, so your standard action to activate the spell-like ability also includes the touch attack. Scrolls A scroll is essentially a precast spell in written form. Scrolls can be tricky to use because you must first decipher the writing on them and then read the scroll. The whole process is detailed on page 238 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Also see the Spell Completion section below for notes on activating scrolls. Staffs A staff holds several different spell effects that you trigger with the spell trigger activation method (see below). A staff has charges, and you expend one or more charges whenever you use the staff. To activate a staff, you must hold it forth in at least one hand (or whatever passes for a hand) and speak a single word. A staff is about the size of a quarterstaff made for a Medium creature, and you could assume that a staff can't function as a Medium masterwork quarterstaff. In fact, Table 7-32 in the Dungeon Master's Guide says that the cost to create a staff includes 300 gp for a masterwork quarterstaff (though this is not mentioned in the notes for staff creation on page 287). Staffs also are unusual because the user's caster level and spell save DC modifiers can be used instead of the staff's (see below). 73 Wands A wand is a fairly flimsy stick that holds a single spell. Wands have charges; activating a wand releases the spell in it and consumes a charge. Wands use the spell trigger activation method (see below). To activate a wand, you must hold it one hand (or whatever passes for a hand) and speak a single word. Wondrous Items This is a catchall category for anything that doesn't fall into the other groups. Using a wondrous item usually requires you to wear the item (if it's something that's usually worn, such as a cloak, boot, or gauntlet), or held in the hand (if it's something that's usually held, such as a tool or musical instrument). A few wondrous items work whenever you carry the item with you, for example, a pearl of power. Bigger items, such as magic mirrors, have to be propped up or attached to a wall. And a couple of wondrous items are just plain weird. For example, you have to toss an ioun stone into the air so that it can orbit your head. As always, check the item's description to find out how it's used. The notes on activating rings generally also apply to wondrous items. Also like rings, wondrous items that have to be worn adjust their sizes to fit any user. Activating Magic Items Pages 211-215 of the Dungeon Master's Guide explain item activation in detail, and the introductory text for the various kinds of items in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide contains additional information. This section summarizes that material and offers some additional remarks. Activating a magic item is a standard action unless the item description indicates otherwise. However, the casting time of a spell is the time required to activate the same power in an item, regardless of the kind of magic item or its activation method, unless the item description specifically states otherwise (see page 213 in the Dungeon Masters Guide). Potions (and oils) are an exception. Drinking a potion or applying an oil to yourself is always a standard action, no matter what the stored spell's casting time is. Administering a potion or oil to an unconscious ally is always a full-round action (see page 229 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). When activating an item requires an action from you, you usually also must speak; the rules don't say so, but you reasonably can assume that doing so is much like completing a spell's verbal component. You must speak in a strong voice, and anything that keeps you from speaking, such as a silence spell or being pinned in a grapple, keeps you from activating the item. Spell Completion This is the activation method for scrolls. A scroll is a spell that is mostly finished. The item user must complete the spell's verbal and somatic components (if it has any), but does not need any material, focus, or XP components the spell might have. (The character who scribed the scroll provided those.) To use a spell completion item safely, you must be of high enough level in the right class to cast the spell already. If you can't already cast the spell, there's a chance you'll make a mistake, as noted on page 238 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. To activate a spell trigger item with an arcane spell on it, you must have levels in a class able to cast arcane spells. Likewise, to activate a spell trigger item with a divine spell on it, you must have levels in a class able to cast divine spells. If you don't have enough levels in the class to cast any spells yet, you can still try to use a spell trigger item, but your effective caster level for activating the spell is 0. If a scroll has a caster level higher than your own, you have to make a Spellcraft check (DC = 1 + the scroll's caster level) to activate the scroll. If you fail the check, you don't activate the scroll and the scroll isn't used up. Activating a spell completion item usually is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does. If the spell contained in a spell completion item has a casting time other than 1 standard action, that is its activation time. For example, a scroll containing a summon monster I spell has an activation time of 1 round because that's the casting time for the spell. The rules don't say so (probably because it's an obvious point), but you must be able to see a scroll to read it. If you're blinded, you can't activate a scroll, and you also cannot do so if darkness, fog, or some other condition keeps you from seeing the scroll. Darkvision lets you see in nonmagical darkness, and that allows you to read scrolls in nonmagical darkness. Whenever you activate a scroll, you still need to make any Concentration checks you'd normally need to make to cast a spell, and the spell on the scroll is wasted if you fail the check. For example, if you're damaged while activating a scroll, you must make Concentration check to cast the spell. You can activate a spell completion item defensively; the required Concentration check DC is the same as the DC to cast the spell. If you fail the check, the spell is wasted. Spell completion items are also subject to arcane spell failure if you use them while armored. If you fail an arcane spell failure roll while using a spell completion item, the spell is wasted. You can’t activate a spell completion item if the spell stored in the item isnt on your class spell list or if your ability scores would not allow you to cast the stored spell. For example, a single-classed bard cannot cast a fireball spell from a scroll, because fireball isnt on the bard spell list (see the entry on spell trigger items for a discussion of class spell lists). Likewise, a wizard with an Intelligence score of 12 could not cast a fireball spell from a scroll because a wizard needs an Intelligence score of at least 13 to cast a 3rd-level spell. Spell Trigger This is the activation method for wands and staffs. Activating a spell trigger item requires no gestures or spell finishing, but you must speak a single word, and you must hold the item in your hand (or what passes for your hand). To use a spell trigger item, you must have the spell that is stored in the item on your class spell list. You can use the item even if you're not high enough level to cast the stored spell (or even high enough level to cast any spells at all). It doesn't make any difference if the stored spell is arcane or divine, and your ability scores dont matter. See the Player's Handbook (or other appropriate rulebook) for your class spell list. If you have a prohibited school of spells (if you're a specialist wizard, for example), the spells from that school aren't part of your class spell list. If you have access to clerical spell domains, the spells in the domains you've chosen are on your class spell list (spells from domains you could have chosen, but did not, are not on your class spell list). If you're multiclassed, you can use a spell trigger item that stores a spell that is on at least one of your class spell lists. If a spell trigger item stores more than one spell (for example, a staff), you may find that you can use only some of the item's functions. 74 Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If the spell stored in a spell trigger item has a casting time other than 1 standard action, that is its activation time. Command Word This is the default activation method for rings, rods, and wondrous items when the item description doesn't mention another activation method. To use a command word item, you speak the command word and the item activates. You need no other special knowledge, but you must hold or wear the item as appropriate for that item (see above). Activating a command word magic item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If a command word item produces a spell effect and that spell has a casting time other than 1 standard action, that is the item's activation time. A command word usually is some seemingly nonsensical word, or a word or phrase from an ancient language no longer in common use. Sometimes the command word to activate an item is written right on the item. Occasionally, it might be hidden within a pattern or design engraved on, carved into, or built into the item, or the item might bear a clue to the command word. As noted in the Dungeon Master's Guide, the Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (history) skills might be useful in helping to identify command words or deciphering clues regarding them. A successful check against DC 30 produces the word itself. If you fail that check, succeeding on a second check (DC 25) might provide some insight into what the word might be. For example, a successful check to gain insight might indicate the sort of word the command might be, such as an ancient word for "fire" or a rhyming couplet related to the item's function. You could possibly pick up a command word when you witness the item being used. I recommend a DC 15 Listen check. Subtract 5 from the DC if the area is fairly quiet and add 5 to the DC if the area is very noisy (such as a typical battle). Also apply the DC modifiers from the Listen skill description. If you have at least 5 ranks in the Spellcraft or Knowledge (arcana) skills, you get a +2 bonus on the check. Remember that a command word item is pretty easy to use. These tricks won't help you figure out how to use a spell completion or spell trigger item. The spells identify and analyze dweomer both reveal command words, as noted in the spell descriptions. Some command-activated items use a command thought or other nonverbal command instead of command word (if so, the item description will say so). Such items work just like command word items in play, except that you can't make a Listen check to learn the command word. You might, however, pick up the command using a detect thoughts spell at the right moment or by making a Spot check, as appropriate for the item in question. Use Activated You simply use this type of item to activate it (for example, drinking a potion, swinging a sword, wearing armor, looking through a lens, sprinkling dust, or donning a hat). As noted above, most protective items, and items that give you some sort of bonus on attacks, saves, or checks, are use-activated items. Unless stated otherwise (and as stated in the Dungeon Master's Guide), activating a use-activated item is either a standard action or not an action at all and does not provoke attacks of opportunity, unless the use involves performing an action that provokes an attack of opportunity in itself. For example, a magic bow requires you to make a ranged attack, so you provoke an attack of opportunity when you make the ranged attack. If the use of the item takes time before a magical effect occurs, then use activation is a standard action. If the item's activation is subsumed in its use and takes no extra time, use activation is not an action at all. Use activation doesn't mean that you automatically know what an item can do if you use it. You must know (or at least guess) what the item can do and then use the item to activate it. Sometimes, the item activates automatically when you use it, such as when you drink a potion or swing a sword. In such cases, you can benefit from the item without even knowing it. Sometimes, you must attempt something specific to benefit from a use-activated item. For example, if you wear gloves ofarrow snaring, you can snatch arrows twice a day. You don't use an action to snatch the arrows, but unless you actually try to snatch an arrow the gloves don't work. The Use Magic Device Skill The Use Magic Device skill allows you to activate magic items even when you could not normally do so. For example, you can use it to activate a spell trigger item even when you don't have the spell it stores on your class spell list. You also can use the skill to activate a command item when you don't know the command or decipher the writing on a scroll and then activate the scroll (or other spell completion item) even when you otherwise could not. Some people think that you need the Use Magic Device skill to activate any item, but that's not so. The Use Magic Device skill merely provides a sort of last resort when you want to use an item that you otherwise cannot activate. The DC for a Use Magic Device check depends on the kind of item you're trying to use, as noted in the skill description. Here are a few additional notes for using the skill: Blind Activation You can use the "activate blindly" option with any kind of item. You can even use it to activate a command item when you don't know the command (or even what the device does). If you succeed, you activate the item somehow. Successful activation does not necessarily reveal the command to you, but you do get a +2 bonus on further attempts to activate the item blindly. As an unofficial rule, you might allow a character who has activated an item blindly an immediate Knowledge check (see the section on command activation) with a base DC of 25. Give the character a cumulative circumstance bonus of +2 for each for time the character has previously activated the item blindly. The character gets only one check for each blind activation. If the character doesn't have the appropriate Knowledge skill, the character makes an Intelligence check (with the previously noted circumstance bonus) instead. The skill description doesn't say so, but there's no reason why you could not use blind activation when you don't know a spell trigger item's function. To use this unofficial rule, you must aim the item somewhere. If you aim at the wrong place, you might simply waste a charge from the item, or you might have a disaster on your hands (depending on what the item's effect is and exactly where you aimed). If the spell trigger item produces a visible effect, you probably can surmise what the spell is. Otherwise make a DC 25 Spellcraft check to determine what the spell is. If the effect is visible and your DM decides you might not know what it is, the check DC is only 20. Decipher a Written Spell This works just like deciphering a written spell with the Spellcraft skill, except that the DC is higher. Deciphering a written spell takes 1 minute. Remember that to use a scroll, you must first decipher the writing on it. Once you decipher the writing, 75 you'll know what the spell is and what it does (at least as well as you know the spell if you had it in your spell book or in your personal spell repertoire). Items with limited uses Many items don't work all the time but instead work only a certain number of times or a certain number of times each day, week, or other time period. Charged Items Items such as wands and staffs hold only a specific number of charges. Once those charges are used up, the item becomes inert and nonmagical. Most charged items are activated with a spell trigger or a command (see above), and they usually can function only once a round because it takes a standard action to activate them. Some charged items work automatically, expending their power whenever needed (a brooch of shielding for example) and they work as often as needed so long as their charges haven't run out. Uses Per Day Other items work only a certain number of times each day; for example, most rods fall into this category. The rules don't bother defining a "day" for you, and most of us can figure that out on our own. If it ever becomes important, treat a "day" as any contiguous period of 24 hours. There is no set "recharge" time for a magic item. Instead, the item functions a set number of times in any given period of 24 hours. For example, a rod of enemy detection works three times a day. You cannot activate the rod three times starting at 11 PM one day, then activate it three more times starting 2 hours later (at 1 AM the next day). Instead, you can activate the rod up to three times during any period of 24 consecutive hours. If you activate the rod at 11 PM on a given day, you can activate it only twice more during the following 24 hours. Let's say you activate the rod again at 1 AM the next day and again at 7 AM that same day. You have exhausted your daily limit of activating the rod ability at 7 AM. The earliest you can activate the rod again is 11 PM on the second day, when you can activate the rod only once (because you already have activated the rod twice during the preceding 24 hours). If you don't use the rod at all after 7 AM the second day, the earliest that you will have three activations available again will be 7 AM on the third day. Once you exhaust an item's daily use limit, the item remains magical, it just won't function for awhile. Use Limits for Other Time Periods The foregoing applies to other items that have use cycles longer than a day. For example, if an item works only a few times a week, the use limit applies to any contiguous period of seven days (even if your game world doesn't use 7-day weeks). Elapsed Time Limits A few items work only for a certain total amount of time each day. For example, boots of speed work a maximum of 10 rounds each day. In most cases, the time you use such an item need not be continuous. For example, you can activate or deactivate boots of speed as many times as you like in a day, so long as the boots aren't activated for more than 10 rounds during one day (see the notes under Uses Per Day for a definition of a day). Such items are almost always command activated and it takes a standard action to activate or deactivate them (unless you simply allow the time limit on the item to run out). Wearing Magic Items As noted above, some magic items must be worn on the body before they can function. Most such items work only when they're worn on a specific part of the body (sometimes called an item "slot") as noted on page 214 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. For example, you cannot wear a magic cloak or shirt on your head and expect the item to work. That said, it pays to remember that the game includes item slots mostly as a matter of convenience. The item slot rules, for example, help you decide if it's possible to wear magic gloves under magic gauntlets (if the gauntlets are roomy enough, there's no reason you can't wear gloves under them, but in the D&D game, you can wear only one pair of the two pairs of items. The item slot rules also serves to keep characters from becoming overpowered (by wearing 10 rings, for example) and gives players an important resource to manage. It's worth noting that the item location rules in the Dungeon Master's Guide assume a humanoid body. Nonhumanoid bodies have the same set of 12 item locations noted in the Dungeon Master's Guide, though perhaps in slightly different forms. You can find examples in the Draconomicon and in Wild Life, Part Two (see below). Animal Item Slots This is the Wild Life, Part Two example : although it's easy to imagine an animal benefiting from magic equipment beyond a simple saddle and a suit of barding, fitting a mount's physiology to the list of item slots available to characters is not an easy task. Try the following variant list of item slots for quadruped animals (and other monsters when appropriate). One skull cap or helm One pair of lenses or goggles One collar One saddle blanket or vest One saddle or jacket One belt or strap worn in front of or over the haunches One pectoral or harness worn over the chest or shoulders One pair foreleg bracers One pair of foreleg shoes or mitts -- hoofed creatures wear shoes and creatures with paws wear mitts Two rings -- creatures with toes wear rings on the toes and creatures with hooves wear "rings" just above fore hooves One pair of hind leg shoes or mitts -- hoofed creatures wear shoes and creatures with paws wear mitts Campaigns It's also worth noting here that a campaign can get along without using item slots at all, provided that the DM carefully controls the wealth the PCs have. For most campaigns, the wealth guidelines on page 135 in the Dungeon Master's Guide will suffice. If you follow those guidelines and you're careful to make sure that no single character has significantly more wealth than the all the others, you don't need to worry too much about overpowered characters. Of course, you'll still face arguments over how many items a character can wear on one part of the body. 76 When your campaign uses the item slot rules (as most do) you always can carry more items than you can wear in a particular slot. If you wear more items in a slot than will fit, only the first one (or the first two, in the case of rings) that you put on functions. As a rule of thumb, it takes two move actions to switch around items that you wear -- one to shed a functioning item and put it away, and one to get out the replacement item and put it on. That assumes that you keep the replacement item in some handy location, such as a belt pouch, and that you store the original item somewhere equally handy. Note that you can just drop an item as a free action, but that's for things you hold in your hand. Most items you wear are made to stay in place once you don them and it takes a little fiddling to get them off. Armor and shields have their own rules for donning and shedding (see Chapter 7 in the Player's Handbook). Saving Throws Against Magic Items Effects Some magic item descriptions include saving throw DCs for the effects they produce; however, they usually do so only when the item does something that doesn't correspond to a spell. Most magic items produce spells or spell-like effects. For a saving throw against a spell or spell-like effect from a magic item, the Dungeon Master's Guide gives the following formula: the save DC is 10 + the level of the spell or effect + the ability modifier of the minimum ability score needed to cast that level of spell. As it happens, that formula works out to a DC 10 plus 1-1/2 times the spell level, as shown on the following table: Save DCs for Spells or Spell-Like Effects from Magic Items Spell Level Minimum Ability Score Ability Modifier Save DC 0 10 +0 10 1 11 +0 11 2 12 +1 13 3 13 +1 14 4 14 +2 16 5 15 +2 17 6 16 +3 19 7 17 +3 20 8 18 +4 22 9 19 +4 23 It's important to remember that the item, not the user, sets the save DCs for the item's spells or spell-like effects. In most cases, this means that the save DC for a spell from an item is almost always lower than it would be from a spellcaster. Staffs are an exception to the rule. Calculate the saving throw DC just as if the wielder had cast the spell. If a staff user has an ability score lower than necessary to cast a spell stored in the staff, the character can still use the spell (provided that the character meets the requirements for using a spell trigger item; see above), but the character still must use the lower ability modifier. As a house rule, you might want to allow a staff user to use his own ability modifier or the minimum modifier for the stored spell, whichever is higher. If a staff user has a feat, item, or special ability that improves his spell save DCs, those also apply to spell the character uses from a staff. For example, if a character has the Spell Focus (evocation) feat, the save DC bonus from that feat applies to evocation spells the character uses from staffs. Magic Items and Metamagic When an item stores or duplicates a spell effect, the item user's metamagic feats (if any) don't apply to the spell. An item could produce a spell effect that has been modified with a metamagic feat, but only when the item was made that way in the first place. Such items are more expensive than items that store regular spells. You can see the effect of metamagic on item prices by looking at the prices of the wands shown in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Likewise, other feats the item user has (such as the Spell Focus feat) do not affect spells produced from items. Staffs are an exception (see the previous section), but even a staff does not allow the user to apply metamagic feats to spell effects from the staff. Magic Items and Detect Magic Any magic item has a magical aura unless some other magical effect, such as Nystul's magic aura, masks it, or something suppresses the item's magic, such as a dispel magic spell or an antimagic field. A magic item's aura depends on the school of magic involved in its creation or function, as noted on page 213 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The aura's strength depends on its caster level, as noted in the detect magic spell description. A magic item's description contains an aura entry so you don't have to figure out the details yourself. When a magic item has a use limit and has become nonfunctional because its use limit has been reached, the item still has a magical aura. When a magic item has charges and its charges are exhausted, it is no longer magical and has no magical aura (except for a dim aura that lingers for a short time after the last charge is expended). Recharging Charged Items Most charged items in the D&D game cannot be recharged, which is why some people complain that they can't find the recharging rules. A handful of items can be used again once the spells stored in them have been expended, such as the ring of spell storing and the ring of counterspells, but these items aren't really charged, they're really long-term spell storage devices. A ring of spell storing or ring of counterspells still has a magical aura when it doesn't hold a spell (see the ring descriptions). The game dispenses with rules for recharging items mostly as a matter of play balance. That's because most players expect that recharging something like a wand should be a little cheaper than making one from scratch. A fireball from a wand of fireballs, however, has the same impact on play no matter how many charges happen to be in the wand at the time or how many times the wand has been used before. Magic item costs in the D&D game reflect their game utility, not just the value of magic as commodity. If you'd like to experiment with recharging, simply use the rules for making magic items. 77 Cost To determine the cost for recharging, just divide the full market price for the item by its maximum number of charges. For example, a wand of fireballs that has a caster level of 5th holds 50 charges and costs 11,250 gp. That means a single charge costs 225 gp. To recharge the wand, one needs access to a fireball spell and the Craft Wand feat. Adding a single charge costs 112 gp, 5 sp and 9 XP. Duration Adding charges takes a minimum of one day Aura If you use this rule, assume that an item depleted of charges still has a dim magical aura (see the detect magic spell description) of the same school that the item had before being depleted. For example, a depleted wand of fireballs would have a dim aura of evocation. Limits Before trying out this strictly optional rule in your campaign, consider its impact on play. Under the game's published rules, charged items, particularly wands and staffs, are fairly rare because player characters have to spend quite a bit of money (or money and experience) to obtain a fully charged item. Even if the PCs are lucky enough to find a partly expended item, they must replace it with a fully charged item once its charges run out. If you allow recharging, player characters can keep their charged items "topped off" fairly cheaply and that makes them more powerful characters. Magic Item Caster Levels Any magic item has a caster level that was set when the item is created (see page 215 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). An item's caster level determines all the level-based variables that apply to any spell or spell-like effects that the item can produce, such as range and duration. An item caster level also determines the item's own saving throw bonuses (see below). Magic staffs have fixed caster levels, just as other magic items do; however, a staff user can use her own caster level for spells she uses from the staff if her caster level is higher than the staff's. When a staff wielder uses her caster level for a spell from a staff, also apply any caster level increases that would apply to the user's spells. For example, a staff of fire has a caster level of 8. If a character who can cast spells as a 16th-level wizard uses the staff, she can trigger spell effects from the staff as a 16th-level caster. If that user also has the archmage's spell power ability (which increases caster level by +1), the character casts spells from the staff as a 17th-level caster, just as she would cast her own spells. Damage to Magic Items When a magic item is subjected to a magical attack, it can make a saving throw just as a creature can (though it is still just an object unless it is intelligent). A magic item's saving throw bonus equals 2 + one-half its caster level (round down). Use the same bonus for all the item's saves (Fortitude, Reflex, or Will). The only exceptions to this are intelligent magic items, which make Will saves based on their own Wisdom scores. A magic item is "subjected" to a magical attack when it is unattended when the attack strikes (that is unless no creature holds or carries the item at the time of the attack), when the attack specifically targets the item, or when the wielder rolls a natural 1 on his save. This rule applies even when the wielder doesn't survive the attack. Even if the wielder rolls a natural 1 on his save, only one exposed item is subjected to the attack (see page 177 in the Player's Handbook). A magic item has basically the same hit points and an Armor Class as a nonmagical item of the same kind. Tables 9-8 through 9-12 in the Player's Handbook cover Armor Class and hit points for objects. A magic weapon, shield, or suit of armor gains +2 hardness and +10 hit points per point of enhancement bonus it has. (This doesn't quite match the text in the Dungeon Master's Guide, but the D&D FAQ and the errata for the Dungeon Master's Guide both contain corrections.) The item gains extra hardness and hit points only for its actual enhancement bonus, not for the effective enhancement bonus used to determine its price. For example, a +2 flaming longsword costs as much as +3 longsword, but it has only 4 points of extra hardness and 20 extra hit points. Items that don't have enhancement bonuses don't gain any extra hardness or hit points. If you'd like to make magic items in your game a little more durable, consider giving magic rings, rods, staffs, wands, and wondrous items an extra point of hardness and an extra 5 hit points. 78 Making magic items Foreword The statement "I want to make a magic item" has the power to freeze a DM's blood. Players, too, can find the item creation process intimidating. Sometimes these fears are justified, especially when someone invents an entirely new item and then wants to sit down and make it. Many magic items, however, aren't so hard to make. This series of articles examines the magic item creation process in detail, beginning with fairly straightforward items and moving on to the more troublesome ones. Some Key Terms Take a look at a few terms you'll encounter in this article and in the rules when they discuss magic items. Activation Most items won't work until they are activated, usually with the activate magic item action. All magic items in the core D&D game use one of four activation methods: spell completion, spell trigger, command word, and use. All of these are discussed on page 213 in the Dungeon Master's Guide and in “Using Magic Items”. An item's activation method greatly affects its cost. In general, the easier an item is to use, the more it costs. Base Price A value used to determine how much is costs to make or buy an item. An item's base price depends on what the item does and how often it can do it. Table 7-33 in the Dungeon Master's Guide shows typical base prices for magic items. Caster Level Every magic item must have a caster level, which determines the item's own saving throw bonuses when the item must make a saving throw. If an item can produce a spell effect, its caster level determines any level-based variables the spell effect might have (such as range and damage). An item's caster level also determines how susceptible the item or the spell effects it produces are to dispel magic effects. In general, the higher an item's caster level, the more it costs to buy or make. When creating items, the creator's caster level must be at least as high as the item's caster level. Your caster level is your level in the class that gives you access to a particular spell needed for the item (see the section on prerequisites). In some cases, your caster level will be less than your class level; if so, the class description notes it. For example, a paladin's caster level is one-half her paladin level (a paladin of 3rd level or lower has no caster level at all). If you are multiclassed, you may have different caster levels for the spells you have by virtue of your various classes. For example, a 4th-level paladin/5th-level sorcerer has a caster level of 2 for paladin spells and a caster level of 5 for sorcerer spells. If you have taken a prestige class, your levels in that class may stack with levels in another class to determine your caster level. Otherwise, your levels in your various spellcasting classes usually don't stack for purposes of determining your caster level. If you draw on different classes to get access to different spells you need for an item, you must use the lowest of the various applicable caster levels. Charge A discrete unit of an item's power that is used up when someone activates the item. For example, a newly created wand has 50 charges. An item becomes nonmagical when all its charges are used up. In general, a charged item cannot be recharged. An item also might have a limited number of uses each day (such as a rod of enemy detection, which works three times a day). The rules sometimes refer to these limited daily uses as charges per day. When this article refers to a charge, however, it means something that is permanently used up. Item Slot A specific part of the user's body where an item must be worn before it can function. Sometimes it is simply called a slot. For certain kinds of magic items, some item slots work better than others. For example, items related to movement are cheapest to make when they're made as boots. Items that don't require slots usually cost more to make (and thus to buy) than items that do not. Market Price The cost, in gold pieces, that an item brings on the open market. Sometimes this is simply called price. An item's market price is a retail price (or the price a character must pay when buying the item). Characters who sell used items can expect to get only half the market price. An item's market price is its base price, plus the cost of any extra special materials the item requires, plus an increase for any additional experience the creator must expend when making the item (see below). Spell Level For purposes of creating magic items, a spell's level is the level where the spell appears on the item creator's class spell list. For example, hold person is a 2nd-level spell for a bard or cleric, but a 3rd-level spell for a wizard or sorcerer. In general, the lower the spell's level, the less it costs to make an item that stores or produces the spell. Items from the Dungeon Master's Guide usually are made by whatever character has the required spells available at the lowest possible spell level. Whenever a 0-level spell is used in making a magic item, treat the spell's level as 1/2 when calculating the item's cost (see below). 79 Magic Item Creation Basics Creating a magic item requires time, money, and experience, among other things. Chapter 7 in the Dungeon Master's Guide covers the process in detail. Here's an overview of what's involved, along with some additional notes: Prerequisites Every item has a list of prerequisites, which are shown right after the item's caster level in the item's description. (If a character wants to make a new item, the item's description must include a list of prerequisites.) Typically, a list of prerequisites includes one feat and one or more spells; however, an item's prerequisites can include multiple feats, spells, and also miscellaneous requirements such as level, alignment, skills, and race or kind. When two spells at the end of a prerequisites list are separated by"or," only one of those spells is required in addition to every other spell mentioned prior to the last two. For example, the prerequisites for a ring of three wishes are the Forge Ring feat and wish or miracle, meaning that either the wish or miracle spellis required as well as the Forge Ring feat. In addition, the item's creator must have a caster level at least as high as the item's caster level (see page 215 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). Also, an item's creator must have a caster level high enough to cast any prerequisite spell the item has. Two or more characters can work together to create an item, with each character providing one or more prerequisites. To provide a spell prerequisite, a character must have prepared the spell (or know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard). The rules say you can use a spell completion or spell trigger magic item or a spell-like ability that produces the desired spell effect to provide a spell prerequisite. A command or use-activated item cannot provide a spell prerequisite. Cost Every magic item has a base price. Table 7-33 in the Dungeon Master's Guide gives formulas for estimating base prices. Whenever a formula includes a spell's level, treat a 0-level spell as 1/2 level. For example, a scroll that contains a 0-level spell has a base cost of 1/2 x caster level x 25 gp. Someone, usually the item's creator, must pay half the base price in gold pieces for the supplies consumed while creating the item. The item's creator also must invest experience points. The experience cost is 1/25th the base price. Under the core D&D rules, no one but the item creator can pay this experience cost (but see the notes on cooperatively making an item below). According to the rules, you can never spend so much experience that you lose a level -- though you can delay gaining a level and instead keep your experience points available for item creation (or spellcasting). If you do so, you always can change your mind. That is, you can gain a new level anytime you have enough experience to do so, even after delaying awhile. See “ Reading Spell Descriptions” for information on delaying level advancement. Some items require additional materials, which entail extra costs (see the section on equipment and materials). The extra cost increases the item's market price, but not the experience the creator must expend. Some items might also have an extra experience cost, which usually happens when they involve spells that have an experience cost of their own. An additional experience cost increases the item's market price by 5 gp per extra XP spent. Table 7-32 in the Dungeon Master's Guide summarizes item creation costs. If a character abandons an unfinished magic item to work on a second item (see the section below on time), any money or experience spent on the first item is wasted. The supplies purchased for the abandoned item cannot be reused, and another character cannot pick up where the creator left off. DMs might want make an exception for some kinds of special supplies, such as masterwork items. For example, if someone begins working on a +2 longsword and then abandons the project in favor of another item, the 4,000 gp and 320 XP (the sword's base price of 8,000 gp, take half of that to determine the cost of supplies and 1/25th of that to determine the experience cost) are wasted. However, the masterwork longsword purchased to make the item (at a cost of 315 gp) can be used for another magic sword. When two or more characters cooperate to create an item, they must agree among themselves who will be considered the creator. Use the designated creator's caster level for any aspect of the item creation process that uses the creator's caster level. The designated creator pays the XP required to make the item. The rules don't say so, but it's best to assume that when a character provides a prerequisite spell that has an XP component he or she also pays the XP costs for that spell. Time For every 1,000 gp in an item's base price (or fraction of 1,000 gp), the creator must spend one day working on the item. For example, an item with a base price of 1,000 gp or less takes one day to make. An item that costs more than 1,000 gp, but no more than 2,000 gp, takes two days to make. A potion always takes just one day to make, no matter what the base price (see page 286 Dungeon Master's Guide). For purposes of item creation, a day of work is 8 hours. You cannot rush the process by working longer each day. The rules say that the days you spend working on an item need not be consecutive -- you can leave the project for as long as you like and return to work anytime. Likewise, interruptions during your working day don't affect the process. If an attack breaks your concentration, you can resume working after the danger has passed. As an optional rule, you might want to add 1 hour to the total time required that day for each interruption the creator suffers. In any case, if you can put 8 hours of effort into an item during a day (or 8 hours plus extra time for interruptions), that day counts as a day you've spent working on the item. If you can't put in 8 hours of work on an item, the whole day is lost, but there's no other ill effect on the creation process. A character can work on only one magic item at a time. If a character starts working on a second item, the first item is automatically abandoned (see above). Other than the loss of prerequisite spells (see above), and the time requirement, item creation doesn't impose any restrictions on your activities during the days when you work on an item. You must expend all the money and experience required to make an item when you begin the process. If an item has a spell (or spells) as a prerequisite, you must have the spell or spells available to you at the start of each day that you work on the item; the spell or spells are used up for that day when you begin working on the item. Since you're not actually casting the spell, you don't expend any extra experience or money for expensive material components each day. Instead these costs are added to the item's overall creation cost according to the kind of item (see below). For example, a ring of invisibility has a base price of 20,000 gp (which happens to be the same as its market price), and it takes twenty days to make. A wizard making a ring of invisibility must prepare an invisibility spell each day spent working on the ring, and the spell is expended, just as if cast, each day as soon as work on the ring commences. A sorcerer working on a ring of invisibility need not prepare any spells, but he must know the invisibility spell. Each day the sorcerer works on the ring, one of the sorcerer's 2nd-level spells is expended as soon as work on the ring commences. A character relying on a scroll to provide the required invisibility spell would need at least 20 scrolls -- one for each day of working on the ring. 80 Environment Creating an item requires peace, quiet, and comfort, just as preparing spells does (even when the item creator doesn't need to prepare spells). The surroundings need not be luxurious, but they must be free from overt distractions. Exposure to inclement weather prevents the necessary concentration, as does any injury or failed saving throw the character might experience while working (but see below). Any location a character uses for item creation also must have enough space to hold any special equipment and materials the item requires (see below). If an item requires very little in the way of equipment and materials (for example, a scroll), the character may find a suitable creation environment almost anywhere. Equipment and Materials Chapter 7 in the Dungeon Master's Guide gives very brief descriptions of what's required to create various kinds of items. The details are pretty sketchy, but that helps keep things simple. At the very least, making an item requires supplies that cost one half the item's base price. Some items require additional supplies, such as a masterwork item for a magic weapon or suit of armor or special material components if the item requires spells that have costly components. Some items also require special equipment, such as metalworking tools. Supplies bought to make one magic item cannot be reused in another item, but tools usually can be. See below the required equipment and supplies in detail. Creating Scrolls Of all the magic items described in the Dungeon Master's Guide, scrolls that contain low-level spells are the cheapest and easiest to make. That's because a scroll is just a spell made ready to cast and stored in a written form. Prerequisites To make any scroll, you need the Scribe Scroll item creation feat. (The feat itself has a caster level of 1st as a prerequisite.) The creator must also have prepared the spell to be scribed (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard). Caster Level A character creating a scroll can set the caster level for the scroll at any level from the minimum level that character would have to be to cast the spell up to that character's caster level when casting that spell. For example, a 10th-level wizard creates a scroll with a fireball spell on it. Fireball is a 3rd-level spell for a wizard, and a wizard must be at least 5th level to cast it, so the wizard in this example must create the scroll with a caster level of at least 5th. Since the example wizard is 10th level, the scroll can't have a caster level higher than 10th. Equipment and Materials Making a scroll requires high-quality writing materials (pens, inks, and parchment or paper) that must be previously unused. That is, no matter how many times you write a scroll (even a scroll with the same spell stored on it), you must pay the full cost to create the scroll. You also need any material components or focuses required to cast the spell. Material components are consumed when you make the scroll, but focuses are not (just as would happen if you cast the spell). If the spell description contains any unusual actions in connection with material components (for example, the stoneskin spell requires the caster to sprinkle diamond dust on the spell's recipient), ignore them -- material components are consumed when you create the scroll. The scroll also requires a writing surface (which can be reused). Because a character can write almost any place where the parchment won't blow away in the wind, you can certainly write a scroll while encamped in the wilderness, or just about anywhere else. Base Price You can look up base prices for most scrolls in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, but I find it easier to use the formula for spell trigger items from Table 7-33 in the Dungeon Master's Guide: spell level x caster level x 25 gp. Creation Cost The monetary cost to create a scroll is half the base price, plus the cost for any expensive material component the spell requires. In this case an "expensive" component is any component with a monetary cost listed in the spell description. For example, the stoneskin spell requires 250 gp worth of diamond dust. As noted earlier, you also must provide any focuses the spell requires. The cost for a focus (which can be considerable) is not included in a scroll's creation cost because you can reuse it (for another scroll or to cast the spell or both). The experience cost to create a scroll is 1/25th the base price, plus any experience component the spell has. For example, the commune spell requires 100 XP from the caster; making a scroll with a commune spell costs an extra 100 XP. In the case of spells that have variable XP costs, your best choice is to allow the character creating the scroll to decide how much extra experience to spend. When someone uses the scroll, what the scroll can accomplish is limited by how much extra experience the creator put into the scroll. For example, the permanency spell has an XP component that varies according to a second spell that is to be made permanent. If someone creates a scroll with a permanency spell and decides to spend an extra 1,000 XP, that scroll can make permanent any spell that would take 1,000 XP or less from the permanency caster (such as alarm, magic fang, or invisibility). If the character using the scroll uses it to make a spell with a cost of less than 1,000 XP permanent, the unused XP are wasted. Market Price A scroll's market price is its base price, plus the cost for any expensive material components the spell requires. If a spell also required an extra XP cost, the market price increases by 5 gp per extra point spent. Example Scroll Costs Suppose the 10th-level wizard in our previous examples creates some of the scrolls we've talked about here. The scrolls' creation costs and market prices would be as follows: A scroll of fireball with a caster level of 5th has a base price of 375 gp (3 x 5 x 25). The gp cost to create the scroll is 187 gp, 5 sp (1/2 the base price of 375 gp). The XP cost to create the scroll is 15 XP (1/25 the base price of 375 gp). The market price is the same as the base price. A scroll of fireball with a caster level of 10th has a base price of 750 gp (3 x 10 x 25). The gp cost to create the scroll is 375 gp (1/2 the base price of 750 gp). The XP cost to create the scroll is 30 XP (1/25 the base price of 750 gp). The market price is the same as the base price. 81 A scroll of stoneskin with a caster level of 9th has a base price of 900 gp (4 x 9 x 25). The gp cost to create the scroll is 700 gp (1/2 the base price of 900 gp) plus 250 gp for the diamond dust. The XP cost to create the scroll is 36 XP (1/25 the base price of 900 gp). The market price is 1,150 gp (the base price of 900 gp plus 250 gp for the diamond dust). A scroll of permanency with a caster level of 9th that is suitable for making a spell with extra XP cost of up to 1,000 XP permanent has a base price of 1,250 gp (5 x 10 x 25). The gp cost to create the scroll is 625 (1/2 the base price of 1,250 gp). The XP cost to create the scroll is 1,050 XP (1/25 the base price of 1,250 gp plus the extra 1,000 XP for the spell). The market price is 6,250 gp (the base price of 1,250 gp plus 5,000 gp for the extra XP cost). Scroll Miscellany A couple of other things are worth noting here. First, the permanency scroll takes two days to create because its base price is more than 1,000 gp, but not more than 2,000 gp. Nevertheless, the creator pays extra monetary and XP costs for the permanency spell only once because the scroll only works once. Still, the creator must have the spell permanency prepared (or otherwise available) each day he works on the scroll. Also, all the scrolls shown in the Dungeon Master's Guide contain a single spell. There's not actually any rule that limits scrolls to a single spell (see page 237 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). To create a scroll of multiple spells, combine the spells' base costs to determine the scroll's creation time and XP costs. If the multiple spell scroll is abandoned, the whole expenditure is wasted. One advantage to creating a scroll with multiple spells is that you have to use only one action to get out the scroll during an encounter. Once you have the scroll in hand, you can read any spell it contains. DMs should feel free to set a reasonable limit to the number of spells you can search through on a multispell scroll before you have to use an action to find the one you want. I recommend a maximum of seven spells. If a scroll contains more spells than that, it takes a move action to find the correct one. As spells are used from a scroll, the writing that stores them vanishes from the scroll, which can make the remaining spells easier to search. Creating Potions A potion is somewhat similar to a scroll because it is a stored spell in drinkable form (or in spreadable form in the case of an oil). Unlike a scroll, only certain kinds of spells can be made into potions or oils. The spell must be 3rd level or lower, and it must have a casting time of less than 1 minute. The spell stored in the potion or oil must have a target entry in its spell description (see Reading Spell descriptions) and be a spell that the caster can target upon herself or upon an object she touches. A spell with a personal range cannot be made into a potion or oil, and neither can a spell with an area or effect entry. Spells that can affect multiple targets can be made into potions or oils, but the potion or oil affects only one target, no matter what the potion's caster level. Prerequisites To make any potion or oil, you need the Brew Potion item creation feat. (The feat itself has a caster level of 3rd as a prerequisite.) The creator also must have prepared the spell to be brewed into the potion or oil (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard). Caster Level A character creating a potion or oil can set the caster level for the potion or oil at any level from the minimum level that character would have to be to cast the spell up to that character's caster level when casting that spell, just as noted for scrolls. Equipment and Materials Making a potion or oil requires a level working surface and at least a few containers in which to mix liquids (and to store the finished item), a source of heat to boil the brew, and fresh ingredients from which to make the potion. Some DMs require a potion maker to pay 500 gp for an alchemist's lab, but 5 gp for artisan's tools ought to be sufficient. The tools can be reused and their cost isn't included in the cost to make or buy a potion or oil. Potion making probably isn't something you can do while camping out. Base Price You can look up base prices for most scrolls in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, but I find it easier to use the formula for single use, use-activated items from Table 7-33 in the Dungeon Master's Guide: spell level x caster level x 50 gp. Creation Cost The monetary cost to create a potion or oil is half the base price, plus the cost for any expensive material component the spell requires, just as with a scroll. The experience cost to create a potion or oil is 1/25th the base price, plus any experience component the spell has, just as for a scroll. Market Price A potion or oil's market price is its base price, plus the cost for any expensive material components the spell requires. If a spell also requires an extra XP cost, the market price increases by 5 gp per extra point spent. Potion Miscellany A potion or oil always takes one day to brew, no matter what its base price. Your character may create wondrous items that are similar to potions (for example, an elixir of fire breath), but such items are made with the Craft Wondrous Item feat and their creation times aren't limited to one day. Creating Wands Wands aren't very complex items; they simply store a single spell 50 times. For game purposes, a wand is something like 50 identical scrolls, each waiting to be triggered one at a time. A spell stored in a wand must be 4th level or less, but it can be any kind of spell. 82 Prerequisites To make any wand, you need the Craft Wand item creation feat. (The feat itself has a caster level of 5th as a prerequisite.) The creator also must have prepared the spell to be stored in the wand (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard). Also see the notes on caster level. Caster Level A character creating a wand can set the caster level for the wand at any level from the minimum level that character would have to be to cast the spell up to that character's caster level when casting that spell. For example, a 10th-level wizard creates a wand of fireball. Fireball is a 3rd-level spell for a wizard, and a wizard must be at least 5th level to cast it, so the wizard in this example must create the wand with a caster level of at least 5th. Since the example wizard is 10th level, the wand can't have a caster level higher than 10th. Equipment and Materials Making a wand requires a wand and assorted oddities that serve to focus magic into to the wand and hold it there. Such items might include prisms, expensive inlays for the wand itself, powders to treat the wand, and other sundries that are either consumed in the wand-making process or incorporated into the wand. Base Price You can look up base prices for most wands in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, but I find it easier to use the formula for spell trigger items with 50 charges from Table 7-33 in the Dungeon Master's Guide: spell level x caster level x 750 gp. Creation Cost The monetary cost to create a wand is half the base price, plus 50 times the cost for any expensive material component the spell requires (just as with a scroll, except that you must pay the cost 50 times for the wand's 50 charges). The experience cost to create a wand is 1/25th the base price, plus 50 times any experience component the spell stored in the wand has. Market Price A wand's market price is its base price, plus 50 times the cost for any expensive material components the spell requires. If the spell in the wand also required an extra XP cost, the market price increases by 5 gp per extra point spent, times 50. Example Wand Costs Suppose the 10th-level wizard in our previous examples creates a wand of fireballs or a wand of stoneskin. The wands' creation costs and market prices would be as follows: A wand offireballs with a caster level of 5th has a base price of 11,250 gp (3 x 5 x 750). The gp cost to create the wand is 5,625 gp (1/2 the base price of 11,250 gp). The XP cost to create the wand is 450 XP (1/25 the base price of 11,250 gp). The wand's market price is the same as its base price. A wand offireballs with a caster level of 10th has a base price of 22,500 gp (3 x 10 x 750). The gp cost to create the wand is 11,250 gp (1/2 the base price of 22,500 gp). The XP cost to create the wand is 900 XP (1/25 the base price of 22,500 gp). The wand's market price is the same as its base price. A wand ofstoneskin with a caster level of 10th has a base price of 30,000 gp (4 x 10 x 750). The gp cost to create the wand is 27,500 gp (1/2 the base price of 30,000 gp plus 50 times the spell's component cost of 250 gp). The XP cost to create the wand is 1,200 XP (1/25 the base price of 30,000 gp). The wand's market price is 42,500 gp (the base price of 30,000 gp plus 12,500 gp for the expensive material components). Wand Miscellany All the prices noted here are for fully charged wands (50 charges). As noted in the Dungeon Master's Guide, a wand always has 50 charges when created -- it isn't possible to create a wand with less than full charges. A used wand, however, sells for less. To calculate the price, divide the cost of a fully charged wand by 50 and multiply that by the number of charges remaining. For example, a wand of fireballs with a caster level of 10th and 32 charges remaining is worth 450 gp per charge remaining, or 14,400 gp. As noted for scrolls above, add extra costs for the spell in a wand once for each time the wand can be used, in this case 50 times, not once for each day it takes to make the wand. That is, an extra gold piece cost for a wand is always 50 times the spell's component cost, and an extra XP cost for a spell increases the XP cost to make the wand by 50 times the spell's XP cost. The market price for a wand that stores a spell with an XP component would increase by 50 times the XP cost, times 5 gp. Creating Staffs Staff creation is a little trickier to handle than wand creation because a staff stores multiple spells. A staff can hold a spell of any level. A staff holds 50 charges, and activating the staff releases a spell effect and drains one or more charges from the staff. Prerequisites To make any staff, you need the Craft Staff item creation feat. (The feat itself has a caster level of 12th as a prerequisite.) The creator also must have prepared the spells to be stored in the staff (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard). A few staffs have other prerequisites; for example, you must have a lawful alignment to craft a staff of defense. Also see the notes on caster level. Caster Level Setting the caster level for a staff works much like setting the caster level for a wand, but there are a few catches. A staff has one caster level for all the spells it can produce, and that caster must be at least 8th. As with a wand, however, the caster level must be at least as high as the caster level the creator would have to have to cast any of the spells stored in the staff, and no higher than the creator's caster level. For example, suppose a staff can produce several different spell effects, including sleep and mass suggestion. A 1st-level wizard can cast a sleep spell, but no staff has a caster level lower than 8th. In addition, mass suggestion is a 6th-level spell for a wizard, so the staff would have to have a caster level of at least 11th. 83 Equipment and Materials According to Table 7-32 in the Dungeon Master's Guide, creating a staff requires a masterwork quarterstaff, but the general notes for creating staffs on page 287 says the staff cost is subsumed in the cost to make the item. The extra 300 gp for a masterwork quarterstaff does not seem to be included in the staff prices shown on pages 243-245 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. If you allow magic staffs to function as masterwork quarterstaffs in your campaign, you should add the masterwork quarterstaff cost to the cost to create the staff (and to its market price). In any case, making a staff requires the same sorts of esoteric materials required to make a wand. Base Price You can determine the base price for a staff in much the same way that you determine a wand's base price, but there are catches here, too. Because each staff's spell effects draw on the same pool of charges, you don't have to pay the full cost for every one of them. Instead, the staff's highest level spell has the full base price (spell level x caster level x 750 gp). The staff's next highest-level spell costs only 75% of the usual base price (spell level x caster level x 750 gp x 0.75). All the remaining spells in the staff cost only 50% of the usual base price (spell level x caster level x 750 gp x 0.5). Further reductions in base price are possible. When a spell requires two or more charges, divide the base price by the number of charges required. Creation Cost The monetary cost to create a staff is half the base price, just as with a wand. If a staff stores a spell that has an expensive material component, add the cost of that component, times the maximum number of times the staff could produce that spell. That is 50 divided by the number of charges the spell requires. The experience cost to create a staff is 1/25th the base price, plus any extra costs for the spells the staff stores. Apply the extra experience cost according to the number of times the staff could produce the spell, as noted previously for costly spell components. If a staff holds two or more spells that incur extra creation costs, apply only the largest extra cost. You use only the highest cost because any charge used up reduces the number of spells left in the staff, even when the spell the staff produces doesn't have an extra cost. Market Price A staff's market price is its base price, plus the costs for any expensive material components the spell requires. If any spells in the staff also required an extra XP cost, the market price increases by 5 gp per extra point spent. In both cases, the market price increases according to the number of times the staff could produce the spell that requires either of these elements. If you had two or more spells with extra XP costs or monetary costs, you'd increase the cost to create and market prices for whichever spell you used to set the staff's creation cost (which will be the highest extra cost; see the section on creation costs). Example Staff Costs The staff of frost from the Dungeon Master's Guide has a caster level of 10th and can produce the following spells: ice storm, wall of ice, and cone of cold (2 charges). The staff has a base price of 56,250 gp, which was calculated as follows: Cone of Cold: 18,750 gp ([5 x 10 x 750] x 0.5 for two charges). Since cone of cold also is the highest level power, there are no further reductions. Wall of Ice: 22,500 gp ([4 x 10 x 750] x 0.75 because this is the power with the second highest level). Ice Storm: 15,000 gp ([4 x 10 x 750] x 0.5 because this is an additional power). Adding the base costs for the various powers together gives us our total: 18,750 gp + 22,500 gp + 15,000 gp = 56,250 gp. The monetary cost to create this staff is half the base price: 28,125 gp. The experience cost to create this staff is 1/25th the base price: 2,250 XP. Let's suppose we create a new staff, the staff of remediation. We'll give this staff a caster level of 16th, and the following powers: greater restoration (2 charges), atonement (3 charges), break enchantment (2 charges),and remove curse. This staff has a base price of 83,498 gp, which was calculated as follows: Greater restoration: 27,998 gp ([7 x 16 x 750] x 0.3333 for three charges and rounded up to the nearest whole gold piece). Since greater restoration also is the highest level power, there are no further reductions. The staff can produce 25 atonement effects, for an extra experience cost of 12,500 XP. The staff also can produce 16 greater restoration effects at an XP cost 8,000, but we use the higher cost for the atonement effects. Atonement: 22,500 gp ([5 x 16 x 750] x 0.5 for two charges and x 0.75 for the power with the second highest level). Break Enchantment: 15,000 gp ([5 x 16 x 750] x 0.5 for two charges and x 0.5 again because this is an additional power). Remove Curse: 18,000 gp ([5 x 16 x 750] x 0.5 because this is also an additional power). Adding the base costs for the various powers together gives us our total: 27,998 gp + 22,500 gp + 15,000 gp +18,000 gp = 83,498 gp. The monetary cost to create this staff is half the base price, 41,749 gp. The experience cost to create this staff is 1/25th the base price: 3,340 XP (also rounded up). In addition, the atonement spell costs the caster 500 XP when used to remove the effects of voluntary actions. Let's assume that an atonement spell from the staff can remove the effects of voluntary actions. The staff can produce 25 atonement effects, for an extra experience cost of 12,500 XP. The market price is the base price of 83,498 gp plus 5 times the extra XP cost (62,500), for a total market price of 145,998 gp. As noted for wands, apply extra costs for a spell's material and XP components once for each time the staff can produce that spell, not once for each day the creator spends working on the staff. None of the examples presented here include an extra 300 gp for a masterwork quarterstaff. As noted earlier, add this extra cost to the staff's creation cost and market price if you decide to allow magic quarterstaffs to function as weapons in your campaign. When pricing a staff, don't worry if several powers have the same level. The highest-level power the staff has is always full price (unless it requires multiple charges). The next highest level power costs only 75% of the basic value, even if it happens to be the same level as whatever power you chose as the highest level power, and all remaining powers are only 50% of the basic price. You can see this concept at work in the price examples presented here. 84 Staff Miscellany All the prices noted here are for fully charged staffs (50 charges), just as for wands. You can calculate the market price for a partially charged staff the same way that you calculate the cost for a wand. When a partially charged staff has a power that normally has an extra monetary or XP cost, you must first calculate the staff's base price and then add the extra cost according to the number of times the partially charged staff could produce those effects. For example, if our staff of remediation had 24 charges remaining, its new base price would be 1,670 gp (base price divided by 50 and rounded up) times 24, or 40,080 gp. The partially charged staff could produce atonement 12 times, which raises the price by 30,000 gp (12 x 500 x 5 gp), for a total market price of 70,080 gp. The atonement spell has a variable XP component. It would be possible to create a staff of remediation without the extra cost for the XP component (see the notes on scrolls above), but, if so, an atonement effect from the staff could not remedy the effects of misdeeds. A Note on Rounding Normally one rounds fractions down to the next highest whole number in the D&D game. In the case of magic item prices, it's customary to retain fractional gold pieces when they work out to an even number of silver pieces. So, for example, a cost that works out to 1,251.5 gp would be 1,251 gp, 5 sp, not 1,252 gp. Also note that when calculating the effects of an extra monetary or experience cost for a charged item, use the number of effects the item actually can produce; you should round down. For example, 50/3 is 16.667 (approximately); however, you can't use fractional charges to create a fractional effect, so a fully charged staff with a power that uses 3 charges can produce that power only 16 times. Creating Weapons, Armor, and Shields Any of these items can prove fairly easy to create, particularly when an enhancement bonus is the only magical property the item has. Some items of this kind have a wide array of powers; fortunately, most of these extra powers merely increase the item's effective enhancement bonus, which makes them fairly easy to handle. Prerequisites To make a magic weapon, armor, or shield, you need the Craft Magic Arms and Armor item creation feat. (The feat itself has a caster level of 5th as a prerequisite.) The creator also must have a caster level at least three times the enhancement bonus of the weapon, armor, or shield. If the item has a special ability that is priced as an enhancement bonus increase (see the section on costs), that ability has its own caster level requirement (as shown in the description for the special ability), and the creator must meet the higher of the two caster level prerequisites. For example, to create a +2 longsword, a character must have a caster level of at least 6th. The keen weapon property is the equivalent of a +1 increase to the weapon's enhancement bonus, which requires a caster level of at least 3rd (lower, in fact, than the caster level you need to choose or use the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat). To create a +2 keen longsword, a character must have a caster level of at least 6th, which is the higher of the two prerequisites. This item would be priced as a +3 magic weapon, but the caster level prerequisite is still 6th, not 9th (as it would be if the weapon's actual enhancement bonus was +3). If any spells are listed among the item's prerequisites (or among the prerequisites for any special properties it has), you need to have those spells prepared each day you work on the item (or you must know the spells, in the case of a bard or sorcerer). Each day you work on the items, the prerequisite spells are used up, just as they are for a scroll. Caster Level A weapon, suit of armor, or a shield that has only an enhancement bonus has a caster level equal to three times the enhancement bonus. A special ability for a weapon, suit of armor, or a shield has a caster level given in its description. A weapon, suit of armor, or a shield with a special ability must have an enhancement bonus of at least +1 to have a special ability, and the item uses the highest caster level. These caster levels are fixed -- the creator cannot adjust them as he can for a scroll, potion, wand or staff. Equipment and Materials To make a magic weapon, suit of armor, or shield, you need a set of tools suitable for working the material from which the item is made, such as metalworking tools for a magic longsword. You also need a masterwork item to receive the magic, a fire source, and a collection of oddments similar to materials used to create wands. The rules don't specify the kind of fire source, but a small brazier, campfire, fireplace, or furnace should suffice. The cost for the fire is subsumed in the basic cost for materials, as is the cost of the sundry other materials you need. Cost The base cost for the item's enhancement bonus is shown on Table 7-2 or 7-9 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The base cost for any special abilities of the item is shown in the descriptions for those abilities. Some items have costs expressed in gold pieces, and such costs are added directly to the base cost for the item's enhancement. Most weapon, armor, or shield special abilities, however, are expressed as increases to the item's enhancement bonus (more about below). To determine the cost for such a special ability, apply the modifier to the item's actual enhancement bonus and use the cost for the increased bonus from Table 7-2 or 7-9 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. It's possible for one item to have both kinds of special abilities; in that case, add up the actual enhancement bonus and the modifiers to it and determine the base cost for the effective bonus, then add the costs for any special abilities that have costs expressed in gold pieces. Creation Cost The monetary cost to create a magic weapon, suit of armor, or shield is half the base price, plus the cost of the masterwork item. The experience cost to create the item is 1/25th the base price. If the item (or its special properties) has a prerequisite spell that has an extra monetary or XP cost, you generally do not have to pay those costs to make the item. That is because weapons, suits of armor, or shields usually do not produce spells, so you just need to understand a particular set of spells to create the magic that the item requires. Market Price The market price for a weapon, suit of armor, or shield is the base price, plus the cost of the masterwork item. 85 Example Weapon, Armor, and Shield Costs A +2 keen longsword would have a base price of 18,000 gp and a market price of 18,315 gp calculated as follows: The actual enhancement bonus is +2 and the keen property adds +1 to that for an effective bonus of +3. A +3 weapon has a base price of 18,000 gp according to Table 7-9 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The cost to create this weapon is half the base price (9,000 gp) plus the cost of a masterwork longsword (315 gp). The experience cost to create the weapon is 1/25th the base price, or 720 XP. The market price is the base price plus the cost of the masterwork longsword (18,000 gp + 315 gp = 18,315 gp). This weapon would have a caster level of 10th, which is the caster level for the keen property because that is higher than the caster level for the actual enhancement bonus, which is 6th (3 x 2). A +1 chain shirt of silent moves would have a base price of 4,750 gp and a market price of 5,000 gp calculated as follows: The enhancement bonus is +1 and the silent moves property adds 3,750 gp to the base price. The base price for +1 armor is 1,000 gp according to Table 7-2 in the Dungeon Master's Guide (1,000 gp + 3,750 gp = 4,750 gp). The experience cost to create the armor is 1/25th the base price, or 190 XP. The market price is the base price plus the cost of the masterwork chain shirt (4,750 gp + 250 gp = 5,000 gp). The caster level for the silent moves property is 5th and the caster level for the actual +1 enhancement is 3rd, so the armor has a caster level of 5th. A +3 heavy steel shield of bashing and undead controlling would have a base price of 65,000 gp and a market price of 65,170 gp calculated as follows: The enhancement bonus is +3. The bashing property adds +1 to that for an effective bonus of +4. The undead controlling property adds 49,000 gp to the base price. The base price for +4 armor is 16,000 gp according to Table 7-2 in the Dungeon Master's Guide (16,000 gp + 49,000 gp = 65,000 gp). The experience cost to create the shield is 1/25th the base price, or 2,600 XP. The market price is the base price plus the cost of the masterwork heavy steel shield (65,000 gp + 170 gp = 65,170 gp). The caster level for the bashing property is 8th, the caster level for the undead controlling property is 13th, and the caster level for the actual +3 enhancement is 9th, so the shield has a caster level of 13th. Weapon, Armor, and Shield Miscellany No weapon, armor, or shield made with the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat can have an actual enhancement bonus higher than +5 or an effective enhancement bonus (after adjustments for special abilities) higher than +10. The epic rules allow epic item creators to break these limits. When special properties have prices expressed in gold pieces, there is no limit to the number of those properties you can add, even if you're not playing an epic game. However, the limits on how much experience a character can spend at once (see above) set a practical limit on how powerful an item a non-epic character can make. Special Materials When a magic weapon, suit of armor, or shield is made from a special material, such as adamantine or mithral, the cost for the special material replaces the masterwork cost for the item because the costs for special materials generally include the cost for a masterwork item (check the special material's description to be sure). For example, a +2 adamantine keen longsword would have a base price of 18,000 gp and a market price of 21,015 gp calculated as follows: The actual enhancement bonus is +2 and the keen property adds +1 to that for an effective bonus of +3. A +3 weapon has a base price of 18,000 gp according to Table 7-9 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The cost to create this weapon is half the base price (9,000 gp) plus the cost of an adamantinelongsword (3,015 gp). The experience cost to create the weapon is 1/25th the base price, or 720 XP. The market price is the base price plus the cost of the adamantine longsword (18,000 gp + 3,015 gp = 21,015 gp). Cold iron doubles the cost for an item (but not the cost to make it a masterwork item). In addition, cold iron naturally resists magic and is harder to enspell than other materials. Add 2,000 gp to the cost of an item's enhancement bonus and special abilities. According the D&D FAQ, however, you add the 2,000 gp only once if you're adding multiple abilities. For example, a +2 cold iron keen longsword would have a base price of 20,000 gp and a market price of 20,330 gp calculated as follows: The actual enhancement bonus is +2 and the keen property adds +1 to that for an effective bonus of +3. A +3 weapon has a base price of 18,000 gp according to Table 7-9 in the Dungeon Master's Guide, plus 2,000 for working with a cold iron item. The cost to create this weapon is half the base price (9,000 gp) plus the cost of a cold iron longsword (330 gp). The experience cost to create the weapon is 1/25th the base price, or 800 XP. The market price is the base price plus the cost of the cold iron longsword (20,000 gp + 330 gp = 20,330 gp). Light When creating a magic weapon, you have the option to have the weapon shed light when drawn. Doing so does not alter the cost to make or buy the weapon. Weapons that shed light do so continually and the light is as bright as a light spell (see page 221 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). Double weapons Creating a magic double weapon works just like creating two magic weapons, except that you add the cost of a masterwork weapon only once. For example, a dire flail that has +1 enhancement bonus at each end has a base price of 4,000 gp (2,000 gp for +1 enhancement x 2). The monetary cost to create the weapon is 2,000 gp plus 690 gp for a masterwork dire flail. The experience cost to create the weapon is 1/25th of the base cost (160 XP). The market price 4,690 gp (4,000 gp + 690 gp). A crafter can create a magic double weapon with only one magic end. Creating Rings A ring can duplicate a spell or it can have unique powers. In either case, the procedure a character follows when making the ring is the same. As one would expect, a ring that duplicates a spell has a cost determined in much the same way as a scroll's or staff's costs is determined. Other rings have costs that someone has assigned (more about that below). Fortunately, the rings included in the Dungeon Master's Guide and other rulebooks have complete descriptions, so you don't have to do many calculations to figure out how much the ring might cost. Prerequisites To make a magic ring, you need the Forge Ring item creation feat. (The feat itself has a caster level of 12th as a prerequisite.) The creator also must have a caster level at least equal to the ring's caster level and must meet any other 86 prerequisites noted in the ring's description. Anyone creating an entirely new ring must include a list of prerequisites along with the new ring's item description. Caster Level A ring's caster level is fixed -- the creator cannot adjust it as she can for a scroll, potion, wand or staff. Equipment and Materials To make a magic ring, you need a set of tools suitable for working the material from which the ring is made, which usually includes metalworking tools. You also need a fire source and a collection of oddments similar to materials used to create wands. The rules don't specify the kind of fire source, but a small brazier, campfire, fireplace, or furnace should suffice. The cost for the fire is subsumed in basic cost for materials, as is the cost of the sundry other materials you need. Cost In most cases, a ring's base cost is the same as its market price. You need to beware of rings that duplicate spells with extra costs for material components or with XP components (see the notes on creation cost). Creation Cost The monetary cost to create a magic ring is half the base price. The experience cost to create a ring is 1/25th the base price. When a ring duplicates a costly spell, its description includes a cost entry, which gives the monetary cost to make the ring, plus the experience cost. The monetary cost is based on what the ring can do, and it was derived with help from Table 7-33 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The experience portion of the creation cost is 1/25th the monetary cost, plus the extra XP cost for the spell. That extra cost is based on the number of times the ring can produce the effect (if the ring has charges) or 50 times the extra cost if the ring doesn't have charges. Sometimes, a ring works only a certain number of times each day. If so the cost to create it is reduced (more about that below). Market Price The market price for a ring is the base price, plus the cost of any costly components required for the spell it duplicates, plus 5 times any extra experience required to create the ring because of the spells it duplicates. Example Ring Costs As noted earlier, ring prices can vary quite a bit, depending on what the ring does. You can take most costs for rings directly from their descriptions; however, learning to use Table 7-33 is pretty important when you start designing new items, so let's go that route for our examples: Ring of Protection +3 The ring provides a deflection bonus to Armor Class, which, according to Table 7-33, has a base price equal to the bonus squared x 2,000 gp. For a bonus of +3 that's 18,000 gp (3 x 3 x 2,000 gp). The monetary cost to create the ring is half that (9,000 gp) and the experience cost is 1/25th the base cost (720 XP). Ring of Swimming The ring provides a +5 competence bonus on Swim checks, which, according to Table 7-33, has a base price equal to the bonus squared x 100 gp. For a bonus of +5 that's 2,500 gp (5 x 5 x 100 gp). The monetary cost to create the ring is half that (1,250 gp) and the experience cost is 1/25th the base cost (100 XP). Ring of Feather Falling The ring provides a feather fall spell effect whenever needed. The closest entry on Table 7-33 is a use-activated spell effect, which has a base price equal to the spell level x the caster level x 2,000 gp. Feather fall is a 1st-level spell and the ring has a caster level of 1st; according to the formula, the ring should have a base cost of 1 x 1 x 2,000 gp. According to the ring's description, however, the price is 2,200 gp. Evidently the designer felt that having feather fall instantly available whenever you call is worth a little more than the formula indicates. The cost to create this ring is half the base price (1,100 gp). The experience cost is 1/25th base price (88 XP). Ring of Three Wishes The ring stores three wish spells, which are available to the wearer on command. Once all three wishes are used up, the ring is nonmagical. There are two entries on Table 7-33 that are somewhat like this item; one is the scroll entry (single use, spell completion) which has a cost of spell level x caster level x 25 gp, and the other is the potion entry (single use, spell completion) which has a cost of spell level x caster level x 50 gp. Neither one of these actually matches what the ring does, but it's a good bet that the ring's value falls somewhere in between these two extremes. A look at the other entries in the table shows that a command-activated item costs only about 90% of what the same item would cost if use activated. That is, a command-activated spell effect has a price equal to spell level x caster level x 1,800 gp, which is exactly 90% of the use-activated cost of spell level x caster level x 2,000 gp. If we take 90% of the potion value, we get spell level x caster level x 45 gp (50 x 0.9 = 45). However, a ring takes on an item slot and a potion does not, so another reduction is in order. If we assume the ring is worth about 85% of the use-activated value, we get a formula of spell level x caster level x 42.5 gp (50 x 0.85 = 42.5). Using this formula, we get a base price of 22,950 for the ring (9 x 20 x 42.5 gp x 3 = 22,950). The monetary cost to create the ring would be half the base price, 11,475 gp, which is exactly what the item description shows. The XP cost is 1/25th of the base cost (918 XP) plus the XP components for three wish spells or 15,918 XP (918 + 15,000). The market price for the ring is the base cost of 22,950 gp plus five times the extra XP cost (75,000), or 97,950 gp. Ring Miscellany As with a wand or a staff, a charged ring that has less than full charges is worth less than a fully charged item. A ring of one wish, for example is worth only one third what a ring of three wishes is, or 32,650 gp. Unlike wands and staffs, there's no rule that says you must create a charged ring with full charges. A ring of one wish has a base price of 7,650 (9 x 20 x 42.5 gp) and a cost to create of 3,825 gp plus 5,306 XP. Creating Rods The defining characteristic of a rod is that it has multiple powers that don't duplicate any known spell. 87 Prerequisites To make a magic rod, you need the Craft Rod item creation feat. (The feat itself has a caster level of 9th as a prerequisite.) The creator also must have a caster level at least equal to the rod's caster level and must meet any other prerequisites noted in the rod's description. Anyone creating an entirely new rod must include a list of prerequisites along with the new rod's item description. Caster Level A rod's caster level is fixed -- the creator cannot adjust it as she can for a scroll, potion, wand or staff. Equipment and Materials According to Table 7-32 in the Dungeon Master's Guide, a rod that can function as a weapon requires a masterwork weapon of the appropriate kind (such as a masterwork dire flail for a rod of flailing). If a rod can function as several different weapons, only one masterwork weapon is required (the largest or the most expensive weapon in the array makes the most sense). The prices for the example rods on pages 233-237 in the Dungeon Master's Guide, however, don't include extra costs for masterwork weaponry, so it's best to assume that the weapon cost is subsumed in the creation cost for the rod. Rods that don't function as weapons don't require a masterwork weapon. Otherwise, making any rod requires the same sorts or equipment and materials as making magic armor or a magic weapon. Cost Rod prices are difficult to formalize, so when creating a rod from a rulebook it's best to refer to the rod's description (see below for notes on setting prices for new items). In most cases, a rod's base cost is the same as its market price. Creation Cost The monetary cost to create a magic rod is half the base price. The experience cost to create a rod is 1/25th the base price. Market Price As noted earlier, the market price for a rod is the same as base price. Example Rod Costs Here are the calculations for making a rod of enemy detection from the Dungeon Master's Guide. The listed market price for this rod is 23,500 gp, which is the same as the base price. The monetary cost to make the rod is half the base price (11,750 gp). The experience cost is 1/25th the base cost (940 XP). Creating Wondrous Items A wondrous item can have any kind of magical powers, but in general, creating a wondrous item is just like creating a magic ring or rod. Prerequisites To make a wondrous item, you need the Craft Wondrous item creation feat. (The feat itself has a caster level of 3rd as a prerequisite.) The creator also must have a caster level at least equal to the item's caster level and must meet any other prerequisites noted in the item's description. Anyone creating an entirely new wondrous item must include a list of prerequisites along with the new item description. Caster Level A wondrous item's caster level is fixed -- the creator cannot adjust it as she can for a scroll, potion, wand, or staff. Equipment and Materials A wondrous item requires the same sorts of equipment and supplies as a ring or rod requires. The cost for these items is subsumed in the item's creation cost. Cost As with a rod, it's best to refer to the wondrous item's description (see below for notes of setting prices for new items). In most cases, a wondrous item's base cost is the same as its market price. Creation Cost The monetary cost to create a wondrous item is half the base price. The experience cost to create a rod is 1/25th the base price. Market Price As noted earlier, the market price for a wondrous item is the same as its base price. Minor Variations Sometimes, a player doesn't want an entirely new item, just something with a few alterations. For example, a player with a monk character would love to have an amulet of mighty fists, but she has grown to depend on the extra protection she gets from her amulet of natural armor. So, the inevitable question arises: does an amulet of mighty fists have to be an amulet? The answer is of course not! However, that begs another question: If not an amulet, what kind of item should it be? The Body Slot Affinities sidebar on page 288 in the Dungeon Master's Guide can help answer the second question. A look at the table there shows that bracers (combat), gauntlets (destructive power), or even a belt (physical improvement) are the most appropriate alternatives. Considering that our example monk wants to pound foes with her fists and that she probably already owns bracers of armor, gauntlets probably are the best bet. So, what should the gauntlets cost? You can reasonably assume that a pair of gauntlets of mighty fists ought to have the same base cost and market price as the amulet (6,000 to 150,000 gp), depending on the enhancement bonus the item provides. The +1 version (6,000 gp) has a monetary cost to create of 3,000 gp (half the base price) and an experience cost of 240 XP (1/25th the base cost). On the other hand, a +1 magic weapon (such as a +1 spiked gauntlet) costs only 2,000 gp (for the magical enhancement). Another quick look at the table on page 288 of the Dungeon Master's Guide shows that the amulet slot is best for items that involve protection and discernment, not attack, so it's a good bet that the amulet's price already had an adjustment for an 88 uncustomary item slot. That makes sense, because almost any creature can wear an amulet or necklace and the amulet works on unarmed attacks and natural weaponry. The amulet of mighty fists probably also is intended for familiars and animal companions as well as monks. That uncustomary item slot adjustment is x 1.5 (see Table 7-33), so the base cost and market price for the gauntlets would be 4,000 gp (6,000/1.5). The item should have the same caster level as a magic weapon with the same enhancement bonus (3 x the bonus), and it would require the Craft Wondrous item feat. Okay, what happens if the character in question already has magic gauntlets, too, or just wants to keep that glove/gauntlet item slot available for some other useful item, such as gauntlets of ogre power or gloves of Dexterity? That's not a problem, either. There's no reason why someone could not create a robe of mighty fists, or a vest of mighty fists. Such items should have the same cost as the amulet (remember that we're assuming the amulet already has a cost increase of 50% for an uncustomary slot), so a +1 vest or robe of mighty fists would have a market price of 6,000 gp. DMs who just aren't inclined to give the monk a break on such items might want to charge 6,000 gp for the amulet or gauntlets and 9,000 gp for the robe or the vest. I think that's excessive, and I suspect that most players would, too. New Items As noted above, creating an entirely new item requires writing a full item description. Item Name You can call an item whatever you want, but make sure you don't choose a name that suggests an item slot that doesn't fit the item. For example, don't call your new item a skullcap of ultimate coolness unless it actually uses the headband/hat/helmet/phylactery slot. Description Explain exactly what the item does and how often the item can do it, and what the user must do to activate the item. Remember that many kinds of items have default activation methods, such as spell trigger for a wand or staff, command word for a ring, rod or wondrous item, and use-activated for most weapons and items that provide bonuses. A thorough explanation of the item's powers will help you set the item's price and also will avert many arguments down the road. Beware of evocative descriptions that sound great but don't have any meaning in the game. For example, an item that allows the user to steal another creature's dreams sounds cool, but what does it mean? Such a power could have several game effects. It might, for example, allow a brief glimpse into the subject's mind, much like a discern thoughts spell, or it might simply deny a sleeping victim the benefits of a full night's rest. Aura This is the kind of magic aura the item has when examined with a detect magic spell on it. List only the single most powerful or significant aura the item possesses (or that the item can produce). You should base this on the highest-level spell required to create the item. Aura Power Use one of the following: Faint (caster level 5th or lower) Moderate (caster level 6th-11th) Strong (caster level 12th-20th) Overwhelming (caster level 21st or more) See the section on Caster Level for tips on assigning an item's caster level. School Choose the school from whatever prerequisite or power you used to set the aura power. If there is no spell for you to use here, use one of the following defaults: Armor and protective items Abjuration Weapons or offensive items Evocation Bonus to ability scores or skills Transmutation None of the above Transmutation Caster Level You can always set the caster level at the minimum for the highest-level spell involved with the item or for the highest-level caster level prerequisite for the item creation feats needed for the item. You also can set the caster level higher than the absolute minimum necessary to create the item. In fact, it's a good idea to do this if you want your item to reflect some particular level-based variables in any spell effects the item produces. The examples of wand creation above show the effects of changing the caster level. Some basic rules for setting a caster level follow: Weapons and Armor As noted above, weapons and armor have a minimum caster level of 3 times their enhancement bonus. There's no hard and fast rule for setting the caster level for special properties. The best way to set a caster level for a special property is to find a comparable property in a rulebook and use that. If a special property is similar to a spell, check out the notes on items that duplicate spells. Item that Duplicate Spells The caster level for a spell-producing item should be set at the minimum level required for item's creator to actually cast that spell. If you're a wizard making an item that produces finger of death (Sorcerer/Wizard 7), you should set the caster level at a minimum of 13, since you'd have to be a 13th-level wizard to cast finger of death. Items that Mimic Spells Many items do things that aren't spells, but could be spells. The various flight items, such as the broom of flying or carpetof flying are good examples. These items work very much like the fly spell or overland flight spell (which also is a prerequisite for both items). Think about what spell this effect is most like. 89 Effects You've Never Seen Anywhere A small number of magic items have powers that don't have any parallels elsewhere in the system. The bag of holding and similar items, such as Heward's handy haversack, are prime examples. When an item doesn't do anything that can be easily compared to a spell, you should compare your item against other items that seem to do similar things, and set the caster level appropriately. If you still don't have any idea of how to set the caster level, use the minimum character level required by the particular item creation feat necessary to make the item. Prerequisites Your list of prerequisites must include the item creation feat necessary to make the item, the spells required, and any other prerequisites that you might care to include. Item creation feat names are pretty much self-explanatory. If you need help matching a feat to your item, refer to the earlier parts of this article series. Spells If your item duplicates or mimics several spells, each of those spells should appear in the list of prerequisites. On the other hand, don't go overboard here, especially when multiple spells do something similar to what your item does. For example, the ring of force shield has powers that are similar to both the shield and wall of force spells. This ring doesn't exactly duplicate a shield spell, however, and only wall of force is listed as a prerequisite. Base Price and Market Price of magic items The rules offer you some help in this endeavor, but ultimately your own good judgment will prove the best guide. Assigning a market price to a magic item is covered in detail in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. See Table 7-33. Items that provide simple bonuses to attacks, Armor Class, saving throws, or checks are fairly easy to evaluate. If your item doesn't provide any bonuses and has no clear spell analogy, try comparing it against similar items. If that's not helpful, consider the question of when you think it would be appropriate for a PC to have one of your items. Should he have it at 7th level? According to Table 5-1: Character Wealth by Level in the Dungeon Master's Guide, a 7th-level PC is assumed to have 19,000 gp of gear. A reasonable cost for a single item that such a character might own would be somewhere between 10% and 40% of the character's total wealth. In this case, that's 1,900 gp to 7,600 gp. Weapons, Armor, and Shields Many weapon or armor qualities are not assigned a market price in cash, but they are instead priced as "+1 bonus", "+2 bonus," and so on. This was discussed above. You can use this system when the property directly affects the offense (hit chance or damage dealt) of a weapon, or the defense (likelihood of a hit or damage received) of an armor. Otherwise, your new weapon property should be priced as a noslot item. For example, armor of Strength +4 shouldn't be priced as a +2 or +3 armor bonus; instead it should be priced as a +4 ability enhancement (+16,000 gp), doubled to +32,000 gp because it doesn't use up any item slots (see Table 7-33). Some Things to Avoid Keep in mind that the rules and advice in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide are intended to help a reasonable person estimate what an item is worth in play. It's always a mistake to try to create the most powerful item possible for the lowest possible price or vice versa. When the Formulas Fail Table 7-33 provides the basic tool for determining item prices and costs, but many items don't fit the table. Many spells in the game work fine as spells, but spells come with built-in limits on their power, and chief among those is the simple fact that a spell is used up when cast and a character has only so many spells available each day. Many spells become world beaters when they're placed in items that work continuously or in items that can be reused over and over again. For example, a ring of invisibility is a command-activated item that duplicates a 2nd-level spell, and its caster level is 3rd (the minimum to cast the spell). According to Table 7-33, such an item has a cost of 2 x 3 x 1,800 gp (spell level x caster x 1,800 gp). So, a ring of invisibility costs 10,800 gp, right? Wrong, it costs nearly twice that much (20,000 gp) because an endless supply of invisibility spells are worth something extra. Use the Correct Formula One item people frequently ask me about is a ring of true strike. The spell provides a whopping +20 insight bonus on attack rolls and negates miss chances arising from concealed targets. It's only 1st level, however, because it is a personal range spell with a duration of 1 round. That means you can normally manage one attack every 2 rounds when using the spell. Also, you can't bestow it on an ally (except for a familiar or animal companion) because of its personal range. Assuming such a ring worked whenever it was needed and has a caster level of 1st, it would cost a mere 2,000 gp by the formula for a use-activated spell effect (in this case, 1 x 1 x 2,000 gp). Sharp-eyed readers will note that any continuously functioning item has a cost adjustment of x4 (see the footnotes to Table 7-33), which bumps up the ring's cost to 8,000 gp. That's a real bargain for an item that provides so much boost to a user's combat power. Much too great a bargain. So, what would our example ring of true strike be worth? Insight bonuses aren't included on Table 7-33, but a weapon bonus has a cost equal to the bonus squared x 2,000 gp, so a +20 weapon would cost 800,000 gp. One can argue that the ring isn't quite as good as a +20 weapon because it doesn't provide a damage bonus. That, however, ignores the very potent ability to negate most miss chances. Also, the ring's insight bonus works with any sort of attack the wearer makes. On top of all that, the insight bonus stacks with any enhancement bonus from a magic weapon the wearer might wield. Still, 800,000 gp is a lot of cash and the lack of a damage bonus is significant, so some price reduction is in order. A 50% reduction might be in order, or 400,000 gp for the ring. Would you pay 400,000 gp for a ring of true striking? I would if I could afford it. At a price of 400,000 gp, our mythical ring of true strike is something only an epic-level character could afford. That's fine, because epic play is where the ring belongs. Items With Multiple Powers The sidebar on page 282 in the Dungeon Master's Guide causes a great deal of trouble. Here are a few tips to make the advice in the sidebar work for you. Multiple Similar Abilities Versus Multiple Different Abilities An item with multiple similar abilities costs much less than an item with multiple different abilities, so what's the difference? In this case, "similar" abilities are functions that draw from the same pool of charges, or that can't be used at the same time 90 (or at least don't provide a great deal of extra benefit if they are used together), or all of the above. Sometimes, an item has powers that receive this similar abilities price reduction when the item's multiple powers work together to produce an overall effect, or when an item's powers must be activated separately, but that's fairly rare. A staff is a great example of an item whose multiple powers are priced as "similar" abilities. See above for notes on pricing staffs. Remember, however, that all a staff's powers must have the same caster level; for an item that has a different caster level for different powers, be sure to charge full price for the most expensive power, 75% for the next most expensive power, and 50% for all other powers. An item has multiple different abilities when they do not draw from the same pool of charges or otherwise don't interfere with each other. Usually, such powers must be activated separately. Most rods are good examples of this kind of item. Slotless Powers According to Table 7-33, an item that doesn't take up space on the user's body has double the normal price. In many cases, it's appropriate to levy this extra cost when an item has multiple powers, especially when one power works continuously or the item's multiple powers tend to reinforce each other in play. The weapon that also bestows a Strength boost from an earlier example is a good example of this kind of item. Item Pricing Examples The best way to learn item pricing is to practice, so here are some examples taken from this very site: Bracers of Brachiation The slim bracers of brachiation grant the wearer a climb speed of 20 feet in forested areas. The user gains a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks, and it can always choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened while climbing. In addition, while using its climb speed to move in forested areas, the creature gains a +2 insight bonus on initiative checks and Reflex saving throws. Moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, spider climb, creator must have at least 10 ranks in Climb; Price 18,400 gp; Weight 1 lb. The items were priced as follows: +8 skill bonus = 6,400 (bonus squared x 100 gp). The skill bonus is limited to forested areas, and that would argue for a reduction, but the bracers also grant a climb speed of 20 feet in forested areas, so we'll leave this price alone. +2 insight bonus on Reflex saves = 4,000 gp. A save bonus other than a resistance bonus is worth the bonus squared x 2,000 gp, or 8,000 gp according to Table 7-33. This one, however, is limited to Reflex saves made in forested areas, so we'll reduce that by half to 4,000 gp. The +2 initiative bonus in woods is worth at least as much as the save bonus, 4,000 gp. This is a multifunction item, so the cheaper functions have a price multiplier of x 1.5. That makes the market price (and base price) 6,400 gp + 6,000 (4,000 x 1.5) + 6,000 (4,000 x 1.5) = 18,400. The monetary cost to create is 9,200 gp (half the base price); the XP cost to create is 736 XP (1/25th the base cost). Figurine of Wondrous Power (Limestone Crab) A limestone crab appears as a miniature statuette, often badly eroded, of a crab. When the figurine is tossed down and the correct command word is spoken, it becomes a living monstrous crab. The monstrous crab obeys and serves its owner; it understands Common but does not speak. The monstrous crab can serve as a beast of burden, a mount, or a combatant as its owner desires. Unlike a normal monstrous crab, the limestone crab retains some of the qualities of stone when animated and has hardness 3. A limestone crab can be used twice per week for up to 6 hours per use. If a limestone crab is broken or destroyed in its statuette form, it is forever ruined. All magic is lost -- its power departed. If slain in animal form, the figurine simply reverts to a statuette that can be used again at a later time. A limestone crab always feels damp to the touch, as if it had just been plucked from a tide pool. Moderate transmutation; CL 11th; Craft Wondrous Item, animate objects, stoneskin; Price 10,000 gp. No spell is analogous to what this item does (though the animate objects spell comes close). However, plenty of other figurines of wondrous power are in the Dungeon Master's Guide. A limestone crab is about as tough as a griffon (see the Far Corners of the World feature for monstrous crab stats), so pricing equals the bronze griffon figurine of 10,000 gp. A Completely Unofficial Rule: Cooperative Item Creation As noted above, more than one character can cooperate in the creation of an item, with each participant providing one or more of the prerequisites. According to the rules, however, XP costs cannot be shared. One character must shoulder the XP burden alone. If players in your game are avid magic item creators, you might want to experiment with shared XP costs. You can allow characters who work together on a magic item to divide up the XP cost any way they like. To share the cost, a character must provide at least one of the item's prerequisites. Any division of the XP cost is possible, provided that all the creators agree to the scheme. If you have the kind of campaign in which some of your players pester the others to make magic items for them, you might want to allow any character to share the XP cost to make an item. An XP donor must be present each day during the item's creation (or at least when work begins on the item each day). Allow the XP donation to be strictly voluntary -- it doesn't work if the donor is magically charmed or compelled, or if the donor is bullied or intimidated into contributing. On the other hand, allowing evil spellcasters to force XP from unwilling victims might just add the right touch of nastiness to dark fantasy campaigns. 91 Mounts Foreword In a world that lacks mechanized transportation, such as the typical D&D campaign world, mounts provide the basic means of transportation. Normally, climbing aboard a steed and riding off to some destination, near or far, doesn't pose much of a problem for players and DMs. Unfortunately, player characters seldom take quiet rides in the country: they tend to find trouble. This series focuses on how a mount functions during the rigors of adventuring. Basics of Mounts The basics of mounts are well scattered through the rules. Important stops on our road to understanding mounts include the description of the Ride skill on page 80 in the Player's Handbook, the rules for mounted combat on page 157 of the Player's Handbook, and the rules for mounts on pages 204-205 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Here's an overview: A mount must be at least one size category bigger than the rider Many creatures have the Strength to carry another creature of the same size category, but the game places severe restrictions on which creatures can share space on the battlefield with others (see below). Even if a creature is one or more size categories bigger than you, it can't serve as your mount if it lacks the Strength to carry you and your gear. A mount and rider share the same space on the battlefield For all game purposes, you and your mount function as a single unit on the battlefield. Your mount continues to use its own space and reach while carrying you. You effectively use your mount's space and your own reach (or whatever extended reach your weapon gives you) while mounted. While you're mounted, any attack that can reach a square in the space you and your mount jointly occupy can affect you or your mount (it doesn't make a difference which square). Likewise, you measure your reach for your melee attacks and the range for your ranged attacks from any square you and your mount jointly occupy. You don't get cover from your mount unless you use the Ride skill to get it, and your mount doesn't block your attacks and provide your foes with cover. Normally, you and an ally cannot share the same space on the battlefield unless one of you is helpless or a lot bigger than the other (see page 148 in the Player's Handbook and page 29 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). Your mount handles movement for you When your mount moves, you move along with it, which means that you're using your mount's speed rating. Your mount, however, is actually doing the moving, and that leaves you free to do something else while your mount moves, such as making a ranged attack. You can't always act effectively while your mount moves, however. For example, if your mount moves more than 5 feet and you make a melee attack in the same round, you can make only a single attack. You continue to move with your mount until you fall off the mount or deliberately dismount. You and your mount act on the same initiative count When you're riding a mount, roll initiative normally. When your turn comes in the initiative order, you and your mount act together. Riding an untrained mount in a battle can keep you from acting. If your mount is smart enough to act on its own, it might function as an NPC and keep its own initiative number, which could prove inconvenient for you (see Intelligent Mounts below for details). A mount can give you an advantage in melee If you're mounted and you make a melee attack against a foe that is on foot (that is, not mounted itself) and who is one or more size categories smaller than your mount, you get a +1 bonus on your attack roll for being on higher ground. If the creature you attack is on higher ground than you and your mount, you don't get a bonus on your melee attack. Moving While Mounted When you and your mount move, the two of you use your mount's speed rating, adjusted for the mount's encumbrance and the terrain. Because your mount takes you along with it when it moves, a move for your mount also counts as a move for you. (See Rules of the Game, All About Movement for notes on what constitutes movement.) Even though you're not propelling yourself, you still spend time moving. So, for example, if you and your mount move, neither you nor your mount can take a 5-foot step during the same turn. You can make Ride checks to affect your mount's movement, as noted in the Ride skill description and summarized below: Leap You can get your mount to leap obstacles as part of its movement. Although it's not entirely clear from the Ride skill description, there are two elements to urging your mount to leap. First, you must use either your mount's Jump bonus (which includes an adjustment for the mount's speed rating; see the Jump skill description) or your Ride bonus (which does not include an adjustment for your mount's speed), whichever is lower, to determine how far or how high the mount can jump with you aboard. When using your mount's Jump bonus, you also must succeed on a DC 15 Ride check. If you fail this check, you fall off the mount when it leaps. It's best to assume that you fall off wherever the mount begins the jump and that the mount does not attempt the jump if you fail to stay on. If you use your Ride bonus to determine the distance your mount jumps, handle the check exactly the same way you'd handle the check using the mount's own Jump bonus, but you still fall off (as noted above) if your check result isn't at least 15. Urging your mount to jump isn't an action for you, but it's part of your mount's movement. Spurring Your Mount You can spur your mount to greater speed with a DC 15 Ride check. This is a move action for you. If you succeed, your mount's speed increases by 10 feet for 1 round. It's easiest to add the increase directly to your mount's current speed rating, 92 whatever that happens to be. Normally, you add speed increases to a creature's base speed, then apply reductions for the creature's armor or load (see page 147 in the Player's Handbook). Increasing your mount's speed damages the mount, as noted in the Ride skill description. If you fail the check to spur your mount, you still use a move action. Your mount doesn't get a speed increase, but it doesn't take any damage. In either case, the move action you use to spur your mount takes place along with your mount's movement and does not affect the actions your mount can use. For example, you can use a move action to spur your mount and your mount could still take a double move, or move and attack. Spurring and Leaping Because urging your mount to leap isn't an action for you, you can spur your mount to greater speed and urge it to leap during the same turn. You still use a move action to spur your mount. If you successfully spur your mount to greater speed (and it survives the resulting damage), use the increased speed to determine your mount's Jump bonus; you still might wind up using your Ride bonus for the jump if it's lower than your mount's Jump bonus (see the section on leaping). Mounting or Dismounting It takes a move action from you to get on or off your mount. The act of mounting or dismounting doesn't count as movement for you (see Rules of the Game, All About Movement; however, you must enter your mount's space to mount or exit the mount's space to dismount. You can enter or exit the mount's space as a 5-foot step (if the situation allows a 5-foot step) or as part of your normal movement. For example, if your speed is 30 and your mount is 30 feet away or less, you use one move action to reach the mount's space and a second move action to mount. If your mount has made more than a single move with you aboard this round, you don't have time left to dismount unless you use the Ride skill to make a fast dismount. Likewise, if you and your mount begin the round apart and the mount uses more than a single move to get into a position where you can mount, you don't have time left to do anything this round after mounting, but you could do something else while waiting for your mount to arrive. Falling and Mounts If you and your mount fall down (as you might if the two of you step off a cliff or blunder into a pit), you and your mount take damage based on the distance you fall, as noted on page 303 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. If you fall off your mount, or your mount drops from under you, you could avoid or reduce the damage. Your Mount Falls If your mount trips or falls down for any reason, you must succeed on a DC 15 Ride check to make a soft fall and take no damage (you sort of use the mount as a shock absorber). If the check fails, you take 1d6 points of damage. This assumes your mount was moving or standing on the ground when it fell and that the mount is one size category bigger than you. Your DM might call for more damage if your mount is really big (see below). If your mount was flying when it falls, you fall from whatever altitude you and your mount had attained when the mount fell (your mount isn't that good a shock absorber). You Fall If you fall off your mount (usually because of a failed Ride check) when the mount is moving along the ground, you take 1d6 points of damage when you hit the ground. If your mount was more than one size category bigger than you, you might take more damage (see below). In either case, you can attempt a DC 15 Ride check to soften the fall and take no damage (you use the mount as a brake). If your mount was flying when you fall, you take falling damage according to your altitude and take the appropriate falling damage. You Are Dropped If you are knocked unconscious while mounted, you have a 50% chance to stay in the saddle (or 75% if you're in a military saddle). Otherwise you fall and take 1d6 points of damage (or more if your mount is really big : see below). If you're riding bareback and you're unconscious, you automatically fall off. Attacks of Opportunity While Mounted Being mounted usually doesn't affect your ability to make attacks of opportunity. If your mount is capable of attacking, it can make attacks of opportunity while you're aboard. If, during your turn, you've succeeded on a Ride check to fight along with your mount (see the section on trained war mounts), both you and your mount can make attacks of opportunity during the current turn. If you both threaten the same space or creature, you can even both make attacks of opportunity against the same target. If you have not succeeded on this Ride check, then either you or your mount can make attacks of opportunity this turn, but not both. You don't have to decide which one of you will make attacks of opportunity until one of you gets a chance to make an attack of opportunity. When you and our mount move, you both are subject to attacks of opportunity from your foes (your mount might be the one actually doing the moving, but you're moving as well). For example, when you and your mount leave a threatened space, you both provoke attacks of opportunity from foes that threaten that space. A foe who can make multiple attacks of opportunity in a round (for example, a foe with a high Dexterity score and the Combat Reflexes feat) can make an attack of opportunity against you and one against your mount. As an optional rule, you might want to treat a rider and a trained war mount (or a special mount, such as a paladin's warhorse) as a single creature in battle. When the pair moves, they provoke one attack of opportunity for each foe that threatens them, not one each. Trained Mounts in a Battle When a mount has an Intelligence score of 2 or less and it has been specially trained for combat riding (see the Handle Animal skill description), you'll find that it is quite an asset in battle. Thanks to the mount's training, you and it function more or less as a single unit in combat, and you gain all the benefits noted in the Basics of Being Mounted section. You must succeed on Ride checks to get the full benefit of your mount, as noted in the Ride skill description and summarized below: 93 Fight Along with Your Mount Make a DC 10 Ride check as a free action. If you succeed, you can direct your mount to attack a foe and you also can attack as well. See the section on attacking while mounted for details. If you fail this check, or don't bother to make it, either you or your mount can attack this turn, but not both of you. Get Cover from Your Mount Because you and your mount share a space on the battlefield, you normally cannot claim cover from your mount. Whenever someone attacks you, however, you can attempt a DC 15 Ride check to claim cover from your mount. If you succeed, you get the benefit of cover (+4 to AC). According to the D&D FAQ, the cover benefit applies to all attacks made against you during the same place in the initiative order. If foes attack you several different times during a round, you must make a new Ride check to get cover from your mount against those attacks. You cannot claim cover while you're casting a spell or making any kind of attack. Using your mount for cover isn't an action, and you can do so anytime you're attacked (subject to the limits noted previously). The rules don't say so, but using your mount for cover represents you actively avoiding attacks, and it's reasonable to assume that you cannot do so when you are denied your Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class. Guide the Mount with Your Knees You make a DC 5 Ride check at the beginning of your turn. If you succeed, you don't have to use your hands to control your mount until the beginning of your next turn, when you have to repeat the check to continue guiding your mount with your knees. Although the Ride skill description doesn't specifically say so, guiding a mount with your knees is not an action at all. Mount or Dismount Quickly A successful DC 20 Ride check allows you to get on or off a mount one size bigger than you as a free action, but you must still have a move action available to you this round to do so. The Ride check for a fast mount or dismount is subject to any check penalty you have for armor or for carrying a load. If you fail the check, you still get on or off your mount, but you use a move action to do so. (This is why you must have a move action available to you to attempt a fast mount or dismount.) If your mount makes a single move, you can perform a fast mount or dismount either before or after your mount moves. If your mount runs or makes a double move, you'll have to get on or off while the mount is moving. The rules don't say if the DC for a fast mount or dismount assumes that the mount is stationary, but it's a good bet that they do. Add +5 to the DC for fast mounting or dismounting a moving mount. You perform the fast mount or dismount when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Soft Fall If you fall off your mount, you can succeed on a DC 15 Ride check to avoid damage from the fall (see above). Stay in the Saddle Any sudden movement your mount makes can make you fall off, and you can be knocked off your mount whenever you take damage. Make a DC 5 Ride check whenever either event occurs. If you fail the check, you fall off your mount. You might have to make this check several times during a round. Staying in the saddle doesn't require an action. Unruly Mounts in a Battle When a mount has an Intelligence score of 2 or less and it has not been specially trained for combat riding (see the Handle Animal skill description), it can prove a detriment in battle. Most mounts that aren't battle trained also aren't aggressive and would prefer to flee from danger. A regular camel, horse, mule, or pony is a good example. Adventurers may find it easier to simply get off such a mount and fight on foot. If you want to stay mounted and still fight, you can try to do so, but it takes effort. To keep control of the mount, you must succeed on a DC 20 Ride check as a move action that provokes an attack of opportunity. With a successful Ride check, you can direct your mount to move, stand still, or do anything else it normally could do while carrying a rider. If you decide to make the mount move, your check to control it and the mount's movement are part of the same action, but you've still used up a move action during your turn. You can perform a standard action during the round, either before the mount moves or after. If your check fails, the mount does what it will. Your uncontrolled mount most likely uses the withdraw action to make a double move away from danger. Doing so prevents attacks of opportunity against the mount when it leaves its first space, but not when it leaves other spaces where foes threaten it (see page 143 in the Player's Handbook). Because you and your mount move as one, you reasonably can assume that you involuntarily withdraw as well and that you also get the benefit of the withdraw action. Your frightened mount also might break into a run, which would leave it and you subject to attacks of opportunity from the first space the pair of you leave. If you keep your mount from panicking, you can perform most of the tasks discussed in the section on trained mounts. Most herbivores will not fight unless trained for combat riding, and it is pointless to try to fight along with such a mount. Aggressive Mounts in a Battle A character could ride a mount that isn't cowardly in battle, but still isn't trained to carry a rider into combat. For example, a riding dog might be inclined to fight when danger threatens. If you're a druid or ranger, you might use your wild empathy ability (and maybe a speak with animalsspell or two) to induce some big carnivore to give you a lift. If you find yourself in a battle while still astride your mount/ally, you and your improvised mount still act on your initiative number. You must attempt a Ride check to direct the mount's actions, which is noted in the section on unruly mounts. If you fail, the mount might stick around to fight. If so, the mount moves where it will, but you still can't take any other action in the same round that you made the failed check (you spend your time just staying on). Some Unofficial Optional Rules These rules might come in handy when something unusual comes up. Bailing Out If you fail to control an untrained mount, you don't want your frightened mount to gallop away from a battle with you hanging on for dear life, so you can use a free action to just let go and fall off your mount. Your turn is still over, but at least 94 you're still in the action. Deliberately falling off your mount is a free action for you. If you decide to fall off, you can make a Ride check to soften the fall (which doesn't take an action). Riding Along with an Aggressive Mount If your mount isn't trained for war but chooses to fight with you aboard, you can just give the mount its head. You and your mount make separate initiative rolls. Because there are some full-round actions you cannot perform while your mount moves (see below), you must delay until after your mount's turn to use such actions if your mount's turn in the initiative order comes before your own turn comes. Even then your mount's movements could keep you from performing your intended action. When it's finally your turn to act, you must succeed on a DC 10 Ride check to adjust your actions to fit your mount's uncontrolled movements. The check is a move action for you, but it does not provoke attacks of opportunity. (You're looking after yourself, not your mount.) If you fail, your mount's movements keep you from taking any actions this round. If you succeed, you can use a standard action. Just remember that you're allowing your mount to take you where it will, so your options might prove limited. Standard Actions While Your Mount Moves Table 8-2 in the Player's Handbook and the text accompanying it cover most of the things you can do during combat. Let's consider how being aboard a moving mount affects those actions. The notes here apply whenever you're riding on a moving mount or vehicle and can act. Most standard actions aren't greatly affected when you're mounted. You simply perform them from your perch on your mount. Sometimes, you can perform the standard action while your mount moves, which can prove pretty darn handy. Other times, your mount's movement interferes with the action, especially when you have to be someplace in particular to perform the action. Here's an overview: Melee Attack You can make a melee attack from your moving mount. If your mount makes a single move, you make your attack either before or after the movement. If your mount makes a double move, you can't make a melee attack unless you're charging. If your mount runs, you can't make a melee attack at all. As noted above, you use your mount's space and your own reach (measured from the part of the space you and your mount share). Also as noted above, you gain a +1 bonus (for being on higher ground) if the creature you attack is smaller than your mount and also on foot. All of the foregoing assumes that your foe is not aboard your mount with you. (In other words, your mount's movement carries you toward or away from your foe, or perhaps both during the course of the move.) If you and your foe have both climbed onto the same mount, you, your mount, and your foe all move together when your mount moves, and melee combat between you and your foe isn't affected. Ranged Attack You can make a ranged attack from your moving mount. If your mount makes a single move, you make your attack either before or after the movement, and the rules assume your mount is stationary when you shoot. If your mount makes a double move, you can still make a ranged attack, but you're shooting while the mount is moving and you take a -4 penalty on your attack roll. If your mount runs, you take a -8 penalty on ranged attacks. In either case, you make your attack roll when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Unarmed Attack As with melee attacks,you can make unarmed attacks from your moving mount. If your mount makes a single move, you make your attack either before or after the movement. If your mount makes a double move, you can't make a melee attack unless you're charging. If your mount runs, you can't make a melee attack at all. Most unarmed attacks provoke attacks of opportunity. Activate a Magic Item Your mount's movement doesn't interfere much with using magic items. If you activate a spell completion item (such as a scroll) while your mount is moving, you must make a Concentration check just as you would if casting a spell (see the section on casting spells). Otherwise, using and aiming an effect from a magic item while mounted is pretty much like making a ranged attack while mounted (or like making a melee attack, as appropriate for the item). Aid Another Helping an ally in melee combat while mounted works just like making a melee attack while mounted. Aiding another with a check while mounted works just like using a skill while mounted. You can use the aid another action to assist your mount in melee combat (improving either its attack rolls or its Armor Class against one opponent). If your mount is not attacking this round, you can make an attack roll against AC 10. If your mount is attacking this round, you must first succeed on a DC 10 Ride check to attack along with your mount. Bull Rush Initiating a bull rush while mounted works just like making a melee attack. You and your mount function as a single creature when resolving the bull rush. Use your mount's size and Strength modifier for the opposed Strength check you make to resolve the bull rush. Cast a Spell You can cast a spell with a casting time of one standard action or less normally if your mount makes a single move. You can cast the spell either before or after your mount moves, and the rules assume your mount is stationary when you cast. If your mount makes a double move, then you're casting the spell while the mount is moving, and you have to make a Concentration check due to the vigorous motion (DC 10 + spell level) or lose the spell. If the mount is running, your Concentration check is more difficult due to the violent motion (DC 15 + spell level). In either case, you cast your spell when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. 95 Your mount's movement has no effect on how you aim most spells. If the spell requires you to make a ranged attack roll, you take penalties if your mount makes more than a single move, as noted in the section on ranged attacks. If the spell requires you to make a melee attack roll, you're subject to the limitations listed in the section on melee attacks. Concentrate to Maintain an Active Spell This works just like casting a spell while mounted. Dismiss a Spell Your mount's movement doesn't affect your ability to dismiss a spell. If your mount makes a single move, you can dismiss the spell either before or after your mount moves. If your mount runs or makes a double move, you dismiss the spell when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Draw a Hidden Weapon Your mount's movement doesn't affect your ability to draw a hidden weapon. If your mount makes a single move, you can draw the weapon either before or after your mount moves. If your mount runs or makes a double move, you draw the weapon when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Drink a Potion or Apply an Oil Your mount's movement doesn't affect your ability to drink a potion or apply an oil. If your mount makes a single move, you can drink the potion or apply the oil either before or after your mount moves. If your mount runs or makes a double move, you drink the potion or apply the oil when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Escape a Grapple If you and the foe grappling you are both aboard the same mount, the mount's movement doesn't affect the grapple. If the foe that is grappling you isn't aboard your mount, your mount cannot move away unless you fall off or escape the grapple first. The time you take escaping the grapple limits your mount to a single move. You can instead try to move your opponent. To do so, you must first win an opposed grapple check. If you succeed, your mount can make a single move, dragging your and your foe along (subject to its carrying capacity). Feint Feinting in melee combat is subject to the same limitations that apply to making a melee attack. You must be within melee reach of the foe that is the subject of your feint attempt. Light a Torch with a Tindertwig Your mount's movement doesn't affect using a tindertwig. You need both hands to light the torch (one for the torch and one for the tindertwig), and to have both hands free you need to succeed on a DC 5 Ride check to guide your mount with your knees. Lower Spell Resistance Your mount's movement doesn't affect your ability to lower spell resistance. If your mount makes a single move, you can lower your resistance before or after your mount moves. If your mount runs or makes a double move, you lower your resistance when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Make a Dying Friend Stable Making an ally stable requires using the Heal skill (see the notes on skill use for details). Overrun Performing an overrun while mounted works just like making a melee attack. You and your mount function as a single creature when resolving the overrun. Use your mount's size and Strength modifier for the opposed Strength check you make to resolve the overrun. Read a Scroll Reading a scroll while mounted works just like casting a spell while mounted. Ready Your mount's movement doesn't affect your ability to ready an action. If your mount makes a single move, you can ready an action before or after the mount moves. If your mount runs or makes a double move, you ready your action when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Sunder Sundering a weapon or another object while mounted works just like making a melee attack while mounted. Total Defense Your mount's movement doesn't affect your ability to use the total defense action. If your mount makes a single move, you can begin using total defense before or after the mount moves (it's usually to your benefit to do so before the mount moves). If your mount runs or makes a double move, you begin total defense when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. (In most cases, it pays to slow down when using total defense). Turn or Rebuke Undead Your mount's movement doesn't affect your ability to turn or rebuke undead. If your mount makes a single move, you turn or rebuke undead before or after the mount moves. If your mount runs or makes a double move, you turn or rebuke undead when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Use an Extraordinary Ability Using an extraordinary ability while mounted works much like using a skill (see next entry). 96 Use a Skill That Takes One Action Using a skill that requires you to touch or handle something while mounted (such as Sleight of Hand or Use Rope) is subject to the same limitations that apply to mounted melee attacks. Whatever you touch or handle must be within reach when you use the skill. If you can carry whatever you're touching or handling as part of your skill along with you as your mount moves, your mount's movement doesn't affect the skill use (though the DM might choose to impose a check penalty or DC increase). A skill that works at a distance (such as Listen or Spot) usually isn't affected by your mount's movement (though the DM might choose to impose a check penalty or DC increase). If your mount makes a single move, you can make your skill check before or after the mount moves). If your mount runs or makes a double move, you use your skill check when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Using a Spell-Like Ability Spell-like abilities require some concentration, and using one while mounted works just like casting a spell while mounted. Using a Supernatural Ability Supernatural abilities works like making a ranged attack or casting a spell, except that doing so doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. Move Actions It might seem odd, but you can use several kinds of move actions while your mount moves. Move This is one move action you can't use while mounted -- your mount does the moving for you. Control a Frightened Mount You must use this action to direct the actions of a mount that isn't naturally aggressive and has not been trained for combat riding (see Unruly Mounts in Battle above). If you succeed and direct your mount to move, your move action is part of the mount's movement for the turn. Direct or Redirect an Active Spell Your mount's movement doesn't affect your ability to direct or redirect a spell. If your mount makes a single move, you can direct or redirect the spell before or after the mount moves. If your mount runs or makes a double move, you direct or redirect the spell when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Draw a Weapon You can draw a weapon while your mount moves. (If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you also can draw a weapon while you move on your own.) If your mount makes more than a single move, you can draw the weapon during either the first or the second half of your mount's movement for the turn. Load a Hand or Light Crossbow You can load a hand or light crossbow while your mount moves. If your mount makes more than a single move, you can draw the weapon during either the first or the second half of your mount's movement for the turn. Open or Close a Door It's possible to work a door when mounted, but not while the mount moves. If your mount makes more than a single move during a turn, you don't have time left to open or close the door. Mount or Dismount You can't combine this action with your mount's movement, but you can mount or dismount during a turn when the mount moves (see above for details). Move a Heavy Object Moving something really heavy usually isn't possible while mounted unless you use the mount to do the moving. (Most mounts can either push the object or pull it with the aid of some kind of harness.) Moving an object this way usually is a fairly involved operation and directing the mount is a move action you use as part of the move action the mount uses to shift the object. Pick Up an Item You can pick up an item while your mount moves, but it's usually tough to grab something off the ground when you're sitting atop a mount. As an optional rule, you might want to require a DC 15 Ride check (armor check penalty applies) to swing down and grab an item off the ground without dismounting. The DC increases to 20 if the mount makes a double move and to 25 if the mount runs. You can pick up an item at any point during the mount's movement. Sheathe a Weapon You can sheathe a weapon while your mount moves. If your mount makes more than a single move, you can sheathe a weapon during either the first or the second half of the mount's movement during the turn. Stand Up from Prone You usually cannot be both prone and mounted. If you are, you can get up while the mount moves. If your mount makes more than a single move, you can get up either the first or the second half of the mount's movement during the turn. Ready or Loose a Shield You can ready or loose a shield while your mount moves. (If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you also can ready or loose a shield while you move on your own.) If your mount makes more than a single move, you can ready or loose a shield during either the first or the second half of your mount's movement for the turn. 97 Retrieve a Stored Item You can retrieve a stored item while your mount moves. If your mount makes more than a single move, you can retrieve a stored item during either the first or the second half of your mount's movement for the turn. Full-Round Actions As with standard actions, you can sometimes perform a full-round action while your mount moves. Other times, your mount's movement interferes with the full-round action, especially when you have to be someplace in particular to perform the action. If a full-round action is shown on Table 8-2 but not included here, you can perform it from a moving mount. You complete the action after the mount completes its movement for the turn. Some full-round actions require some additional notes: Full Melee Attack A moving mount usually keeps you from using the full attack action for melee attacks because you spend part of your turn just moving along with your mount. You can make a full melee attack while mounted, however, if your mount moves no more than 5 feet during the turn. The rules don't say so, but common sense dictates that 5 feet of movement in this case constitutes a 5-foot step. If your mount uses the minimum movement rule to move 5 feet though (see page 149 in the Player's Handbook), the best you can manage on the same round is a single melee attack. Full Ranged Attack You can make a full ranged attack from your moving mount. If your mount makes a single move, you make all your ranged attacks either before or after the movement, and the rules assume your mount is stationary when you shoot. If your mount makes a double move, you can still make a full ranged attack, but you're shooting while the mount is moving and you take a -4 penalty on your attack roll. If your mount runs, you take a -8 penalty on ranged attacks. In either case, you make all your attack rolls when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Charge Performing a mounted charge works just like performing a charge on foot. You use your mount's speed rating. Remember that no creature can charge through an obstacle, another creature, or terrain that hampers movement. Due to its larger size, your mount might be unable to charge in a location where you could if on foot (see page 148 in the Player's Handbook). If you're armed with a lance, you deal double damage when you perform a mounted charge. Deliver Coup de Grace You can deliver a coup de grace from a moving mount only when your mount moves 5 feet or less during the current turn. Escape From a Net If you happen to find yourself caught in a net and your mount is not, you can attempt to escape from it while your mount moves. Resolve the attempt after the mount completes its movement. Use a Skill That Takes 1 Round Using a skill that requires you to touch or handle something while mounted (such as Disable Device or Open Lock) is subject to the same limitations that apply to mounted melee attacks. Whatever you touch or handle must be within reach when you use the skill. If you can carry whatever you're touching or handling as part of your skill along with you as your mount moves, your mount's movement doesn't affect the skill use (though the DM might chose to impose a check penalty or DC increase). A skill that works at a distance (such as Search or Survival) usually isn't affected by your mount's movement (though the DM might choose to impose a check penalty or DC increase. If your mount makes a single move, you can make your skill check before or after the mount moves). If your mount runs or makes a double move, you use your skill check when your mount has completed half its movement for the turn. Use a Touch Spell on Up to Six Friends You can deliver a touch spell while your mount moves. You can use your mount's speed to move from friend to friend. If you cast the spell with a casting time of one action during the same round you deliver it, the spell isn't completed until your mount completes half its movement for the turn. Withdraw You can withdraw while mounted. Use your mount's speed rating. The first square you and your mount leave is not considered threatened and neither you nor your mount provoke attacks of opportunity when you leave that square. Mount Height Because your mount gives you a height advantage in combat, it's sometimes worthwhile to consider just how high up you are when sitting astride your mount. The table below gives typical heights for creatures of various sizes: Size Space Natural Reach Fine 1/2 ft. across x 1/2 ft high 0 ft. Diminutive 1 ft. across x 1 ft high 0 ft. Tiny 2 1/2 ft. across x 2 1/2 ft. high 0 ft. Small 5 ft. across x 5 ft. high 5 ft. Medium 5 ft. across x 5 ft. high 5 ft. Large (Long) 10 ft. across x 5 ft. high 5 ft. Large (Tall) 10 ft. across x 5 ft. high 10 ft. Huge (Long) 15 ft. across x 10 ft. high 10 ft. Huge (Tall) 15 ft. across x 15 ft. high 15 ft. Gargantuan (Long) 20 ft. across x 15 ft. high 15 ft. Gargantuan (Tall) 20 ft. across x 20 ft. high 20 ft. Colossal (Long) 30 ft. across x 25 ft. high 15 ft. Colossal (Tall) 30 ft. across x 30 ft. high 25 ft. 98 As noted above, a mounted character measures reach for melee attacks from any part of the space the rider shares with the mount. If you want to limit how far down a mounted character can reach, just assume the rider sits atop the mount, then compare the rider's reach with a foe's height (or the height of anything else the rider wants to reach). You also can use this table to determine falling damage when a rider falls off a mount. Feats in Mounted Combat Several feats from the Player's Handbook give you extra advantages in combat. Here's an overview: Mounted Archery This feat simply reduces the attack penalties you suffer when making ranged attacks from a moving mount. Your penalty is 2 instead of -4 if your mount is taking a double move, and -4 instead of -8 if your mount is running. Remember that if your mount makes only a single move (or does not move at all), you make your ranged attack either before or after your mount moves and your mount is assumed to be stationary when you shoot (or throw). Mounted Combat This feat allows you to negate hits against your mount. You can use this feat once each round when your mount is hit by a melee or ranged attack. You usually use the feat during another creature's turn, but you can use it during your own turn to protect your mount from an attack of opportunity. You can wait until you know if an attack hits before deciding to use the feat, but you should do so before the damage roll from a successful attack. (Your DM should give you a moment to make your decision before any damage rolls.) When you use the feat, your Ride check result effectively becomes your mount's Armor Class if it is higher than your mount's current Armor Class. If the foe has rolled a natural 20 for the attack, it hits your mount automatically no matter what your Ride check (or your mount's Armor Class) is. Ride-By Attack This feat works something like the Spring Attack feat. You can charge a foe, attack, and then keep moving. The total distance you move cannot exceed twice your mount's speed. You and your mount's movements don't provoke attacks of opportunity from the foe you attack. Since you must charge in a straight line and you cannot move through another creature's space when charging, exactly how you use this feat is problematical. According to the D&D FAQ, you charge directly toward your target as normal. After your attack, you can change direction so you can move away in a straight line. Spirited Charge This feat allows you to deal double damage with a melee weapon when you and your mount charge, or triple damage with a lance. You can use this feat along with a ride-by attack. This feat doesn't increase the damage your mount deals if it also attacks during the charge. Trample This feat keeps your opponent from simply stepping aside to avoid you and your mount when you make a mounted overrun (see the notes on mounted overruns above). In addition, if your foe is knocked down in the overrun, your mount can make a free hoof attack. According to the D&D FAQ, a mount that lacks hooves can instead make an attack with any natural weapon it has on its front feet. Intelligent Mounts According to the Dungeon Master's Guide, a mount with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher acts like an NPC ally rather than a mount. Riding such an ally works much like riding an aggressive mount in battle (see above), except that you don't have to make a Ride check to act while riding. (If your mount carries you willingly, the ride is smooth enough so your actions aren't restricted.) You also cannot make a Ride check to control the mount's actions, but you can make a Diplomacy (or possibly a Wild Empathy) check to get the mount to accept your direction. If you do, your mount acts just like a mount trained for combat riding. Even if you cannot (or do not choose to) direct your mount's actions, you still can ride along, making your own initiative roll and possibly delaying until after your mount acts, as noted above. Riding as a Passenger You're riding on a mount or a vehicle as a passenger if you're aboard but someone else is controlling the mount or vehicle. This also works just like riding an intelligent mount, except that you don't have the option of taking control of the mount. (If you did, you wouldn't be a mere passenger.) 99 Grappling Foreword Many a D&D character has gone down to defeat while writhing in an opponent's grasp. Unfortunately, many a D&D game has come to a grinding halt as the DM and players struggled with the grappling rules. This article can't do much about the mayhem that ensues when big a monster grabs your character, but it can ease the confusion surrounding the grappling rules. Grappling Basics Everyone knows that grappling involves grabbing a foe and holding on, but it's a trifle more complicated than that. Here is an overview of the basics: Grabbing A grapple attack begins with grabbing a foe. You can't grapple anything until you get your hands on it first. For most player characters, grabbing a foe for a grapple attack requires a successful melee touch attack. The grab provokes an attack of opportunity from the foe being grabbed. If the attack of opportunity hits and deals damage, the grab automatically fails (see page 156 in the Player's Handbook). If the attack of opportunity doesn't hit, or if it hits and deals no damage (as it might if the target has damage reduction), it doesn't automatically defeat the grab, but the grab still fails if the melee touch attack fails. Successful grab An opposed grapple check follows a successful grab. Once you grab someone, you must establish a hold, and you do that by making an opposed grapple check against your foe. The rules say the opposed grapple check that follows a successful grab is a free action for you, but it's really not an action at all. You make the grapple check as part of the attack you used to make the grab. Likewise, the opposed check your foe makes to resist you is not an action for him. A grapple check is just like a melee attack roll, except that a special size modifier replaces your normal size modifier. In regular melee combat, smaller creatures get both an attack bonus and an Armor Class bonus. When grappling, the advantage goes to the bigger opponent. Table 7-1 in the Monster Manual shows size modifiers for regular and grappling combat. Page 156 in the Player's Handbook also shows special size modifiers for grappling. Because a grapple check is an opposed check, the combatant with the higher total wins the check. If the check is a tie, the combatant with the highest total grapple modifier (base attack bonus + Strength modifier + special size modifier + any miscellaneous that might apply). If there is a tie and both combatants have the same grapple modifier, roll again to break the tie. If you win the opposed check, you deal unarmed strike damage to your foe (1d3 points of nonlethal damage for most Medium characters) and you have your foe in your grasp. If you lose the opposed check, your foe avoids your grasp. Maintaining hold You can maintain a hold on a foe from round to round. Once you establish a hold on a foe (by grabbing that foe and then winning the ensuing opposed grapple check) you can keep holding on by moving into the foe's space. This movement is free for you (it doesn't count against your speed for the current round), but it provokes attacks of opportunity from foes that threaten you (but not from the foe you have in your grasp). You can enter your foe's space even if your relative sizes would normally keep you from ending your move in that foe's space or even passing through that space (see page 148 in the Player's Handbook). When grappling Grappling has consequences. You're grappling whenever you have a foe in your grasp or vice versa. When you're grappling, you don't threaten any squares, not even the square you're in. You lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if you have one) against opponents you aren't grappling. (You can still use it against opponents you are grappling.) You can't move while grappling unless you first win an opposed grapple check, and even then you have to drag your opponent along with you (see below). You share your foe's space when you're grappling. If you and your foe are different sizes, use the larger of the two space entries. Any attack that can reach the shared space can hit you. You don't get cover from a foe you're grappling, but any attack aimed into your shared space has an equal chance to strike you or the creature you're grappling. Roll randomly to determine which creature an attack strikes (see note 3 on Table 8-6 in the Player's Handbook). If you use a weapon against a foe you're grappling (see below), you don't have to roll to determine the target you actually attack. Size limits Grappling has size limits. You can grab a creature of any size, but you cannot establish or maintain a hold on a creature that is two or more size categories bigger than you. For example, if you're a Medium creature, you can establish a hold only on a creature of Large size or smaller. Huge or bigger creatures are too big for you to grapple. Opposed checks You make opposed checks many times when grappling. When someone is trying to do something to you in a grapple, such as establish a hold, deal damage, or use your own weapon against you, you and your foe make opposed checks. An opposed grapple check you make to resist something your foe does is not an action for you, and you can make the opposed check even when you're flat footed or it isn't your turn. 100 Common Misconceptions about Grappling You'll find that many of your problems with grappling will vanish if you avoid these common misconceptions: Helpless You're helpless when a foe has you in a hold, or when a foe has you pinned. You lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) when grappling (even when it's you doing the holding), but you're not helpless. If you've been pinned (see below), you have more troubles, but a pinned character isn't helpless, either. Because a grappling or pinned creature is not helpless, it is not subject to the coup de grace special attack action. Escape If you lose an opposed grapple check while holding on to a foe, your foe automatically escapes. It is true that you must win an opposed grapple check to establish a hold right after you've grabbed a foe. Once you've established a hold, however, you keep holding on until you release your foe or your foe escapes. When you begin your turn with a foe in your grasp, you can make an opposed grapple check to accomplish many things, including damaging or pinning your foe (see below). If you fail the opposed check, you don't accomplish whatever you were trying to do, but your failure doesn't release your foe. If you win an opposed grapple check while a foe is holding on to you, you escape. If you begin your turn in a foe's grasp, you can escape by making and winning an opposed grapple check. If you fail, you don't escape. During your foe's turn, you might have to make additional opposed grapple check to resist whatever your foe tries to do to you. Winning such a check merely foils whatever the foe was trying to do, but you don't escape unless you use an action on your own turn to escape. Grappling Requirements The rules don't go into much detail about when you're capable of making grapple attacks. Common sense, however, suggests a few minimal requirements. Because grappling involves grabbing and holding a foe, you need both hands to do it. Since most shields in the D&D game are strapped to your forearm, you can let go of the shield and use your shield hand for grappling. You can grab or hold a foe with a buckler strapped to your arm at no penalty. A light shield imposes a -1 penalty on grapple checks you make offensively. A heavy shield imposes a -2 penalty. You can't initiate a grapple while using a tower shield. Your shield doesn't affect any grapple checks you make defensively (such as check to escape a foe's hold). Creatures that lack manipulative appendages can make grapple attacks if they have body parts they can wrap around foes or some means of clamping down on a target. For example, a snake can grapple by biting and wrapping its body around a foe. Your Options When Grappling As noted above, you're grappling whenever you have a foe in your grasp or whenever you're in a foe's grasp. When you begin your turn involved in a grapple (no matter who started the grapple), you have several options, as noted on pages 155-157 in the Player's Handbook. Here's a review, with a few additional comments. Many of these maneuvers take the place of an attack (rather than being standard actions or move actions). If your base attack bonus allows you multiple attacks, you can attempt one of these maneuvers in place of each of your attacks, but you use successively lower attack bonuses to resolve any required opposed grapple checks. Many of these maneuvers require you to win an opposed grapple check before you can perform them. If you fail the check, you cannot perform the maneuvers and the action (or attack) you used to perform the maneuver is wasted. Activate a Magic Item You can activate most kinds of magic items except items with a spell completion trigger (such as scrolls). In most cases, activating a magic item is a standard action. Attack Your Opponent You can make an attack with an unarmed strike, natural weapon, or light weapon against another character you are grappling. You take a -4 penalty on such attacks. You can't attack with two weapons while grappling, even if both are light weapons. If you have multiple natural weapons, however, you can use all of them while grappling. In many cases, though, you're better off making an opposed grapple check to damage your opponent rather than making an attack with a natural weapon (see the section on damaging your opponent for details). Cast a Spell You can attempt to cast some spells while grappling or even while pinned (see below). The spell you cast while grappling (or pinned) must have a casting time of no more than 1 standard action. The spell cannot have a somatic component, and you must have in hand any material components or focuses you might need for the spell. To cast the spell, you also must succeed on a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level) or lose the spell. The Still Spell metamagic feat can prove useful for casting spell while grappling, provided that using the feat doesn't increase the spell's casting time to more than 1 standard action (as it would for a bard or sorcerer). A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, material, focus, or XP components, so you can use one while grappling. To do so, you must succeed on a Concentration check; the DC for the check is exactly the same as it would be if you were casting a spell. See Rules of the Game on spell-like abilities. Damage Your Opponent You can make an opposed grapple check to deal damage to your opponent when grappling. If you win the opposed check, you deal nonlethal damage equivalent to an unarmed strike (2d6 for Colossal attackers, 1d8 Gargantuan, 1d6 Huge, 1d4 Large, 1d3 Medium, 1d2 Small, 1 Tiny or smaller; plus Strength modifiers). If you want to deal lethal damage, you take a -4 penalty on your grapple check. Monks (and a few other characters), deal more damage with unarmed strikes than other characters, and the damage is lethal. However, a monk can choose to deal their damage as nonlethal damage when grappling without taking the usual -4 penalty for changing lethal damage to nonlethal damage. Even if a creature has natural weaponry, it doesn’t use those natural weapons as part of this action. It must use the “Attack Your Opponent” action (described above) to do so. 101 Draw a Light Weapon You can draw a light weapon while grappling as a move action. This requires a successful grapple check. Escape from Grapple You can escape from an opponent's grasp by winning an opposed grapple check in place of making an attack. You can make an Escape Artist check in place of your grapple check if you so desire, but this requires a standard action. If you choose to make an Escape Artist check, your foe still makes a grapple check to oppose your check. If more than one opponent is grappling you, your grapple check result (or Escape Artist check result) has to beat all their individual check results to escape. (Opponents don't have to try to hold you if they don't want to.) If you escape, you finish the action by moving into any space adjacent to your opponent or opponents. This movement is part of the attack or standard action you used to escape the grapple. The movement provokes attacks of opportunity from foes who threaten the space you leave, but the movement doesn't count against your speed for the current turn. Move You can move half your speed (bringing all others engaged in the grapple with you) by winning an opposed grapple check. This requires a standard action, and you must beat all the other individual check results to move the grapple. Even if you win the opposed check (or checks) you must be strong enough to drag the combined weights of all the creatures you're moving. Your movement provokes attacks of opportunity from foes that threaten you. Likewise, the creatures you drag along also provoke attacks of opportunity from foes that threaten them when you move them. If you have pinned your foe and nobody else is involved in the grapple (see below), you get +4 bonus on your grapple check to move the pinned opponent. Retrieve a Spell Component By using a full-round action, you can produce a spell component from your pouch while grappling. Pin Your Opponent You can hold your opponent immobile for 1 round by winning an opposed grapple check (made in place of an attack). Once you have an opponent pinned, you have a few new options available to you, but there are a few things you can't do (see below). Break Another's Pin If you are grappling an opponent who has another character pinned, you can make an opposed grapple check in place of an attack. If you win, you break the hold that the opponent has over the other character. The character is still grappling, but is no longer pinned. Use Opponent's Weapon If your opponent is holding a light weapon, you can use it to attack him. Make an opposed grapple check (in place of an attack). If you win, make an attack roll with the weapon (doing this doesn't require another action). You have a -4 penalty on the attack roll. You don't gain possession of the weapon by performing this action; you simply turn the weapon against your foe for one attack. Other Options when Grappling The grappling options presented in the Player's Handbook cover most things you'd want to do while grappling, but here are a few more (strictly optional) possibilities. Break Another's Hold This works just like breaking another's pin, except that you use it against a foe that merely has a hold on another character. If you win the opposed check, you free the character you're helping. Throw Your Foe to the Ground This works just like a trip attack except that you don't make an initial touch attack (because you're grasping your foe already) and you and your foe make opposed grapple checks to resolve the trip attack. If you win, you and your foe fall prone in the space you both share, but you're still grappling. At your option you can take a -4 penalty on the opposed check; if you win you break your foe's hold on you and you throw your foe to the ground in a space adjacent to the space you formerly shared. (You stay on your feet.) Your foe's movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity, nor does it count against her movement for the current turn (or her next turn). If you lose the opposed check, your foe gets a chance to trip you by making an opposed grapple check, just as described above. Release Your Hold Curiously, the Player's Handbook says nothing about voluntarily relinquishing your hold on a foe, so here's a rule to cover that. You can release your foe as a free action. You are still considered to be grappling, however, unless your foe also decides to release you at same time. If your foe does not want to release you, you can escape by winning an opposed grapple check that you make instead of a melee attack. When you and your foe release each other, one of you must go to a space adjacent to the space the two of you once shared. The movement provokes attacks of opportunity from foes who threaten the space the character leaves, but the movement doesn't count against the character's speed for the current turn. If you made a successful opposed grapple check to end the grapple, you decide who moves. If you both decide to release each other, make an opposed grapple check and the winner decides who moves. Retrieve a Stored Item You can use a full-round action to grab an item you're carrying. The stored item must be fairly accessible -- that is stored in a bandoleer, belt pouch, sleeve, pocket, or other location within easy reach. 102 The Effects of Being Pinned As noted last week, a pinned character is held immobile (but not helpless) for 1 round. While you're pinned, you take a -4 penalty to your AC against opponents other than the one pinning you. At your opponent's option, you may also be unable to speak. Your Options While Pinned Speaking or casting a spell You can speak while pinned only if your opponent has not chosen to keep you from speaking. If your foe allows you to speak, you can cast a spell with a verbal component, provided that the spell does not have a somatic component, provided that the spell has a casting time no longer than one standard action, and provided that you have any required material or focus components in hand. You must make a Concentration check to cast the spell, as noted above. You cannot use a full-round action to retrieve a spell component you need as you can when merely grappling. The Still Spell and Silent Spell metamagic feats can prove useful for casting spells while grappling, provided that using the feat doesn't increase the spell's casting time to more than 1 standard action (as it would for a bard or sorcerer). Using a spell-like ability A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, material, focus, or XP components, so you can use one while pinned. To do so, you must make a Concentration check; the DC for the check is exactly the same as it would be if you were casting a spell. See rules on spell-like abilities. Escaping the pin As you might expect, you can't move out of the space you share with a foe that has pinned you. You cannot take any other actions except to make an opposed grapple check to escape the pin in place of an attack. You can make an Escape Artist check in place of your grapple check if you want, but this requires a standard action. If you win the opposed check, you escape the pin, but you're still grappling. If your base attack bonus allows you to make multiple attacks, you can attempt to escape the pin multiple times (at successively lower attack bonuses). If you escape the pin, you're still grappling with your foe, but if you have still have attacks available, you can keep right on grappling, as noted above. Things You Cannot Do While Pinning an Opponent Holding another creature immobile takes quite a bit of effort, so your options while pinning another creature are pretty limited, but you do have an advantage over a foe you have pinned. Pages 156-157 in the Player's Handbook describe what you can and cannot do when you have a foe pinned. Drawing or using a weapon You cannot draw or use a weapon (against the pinned character or any other character) while you are pinning an opponent. Escaping another's grapple, pin another character or break another’s pin You cannot escape another's grapple, pin another character, or break another's pin while you are pinning an opponent. Retrieving a spell component You cannot retrieve a spell component while you are pinning an opponent. Things You Can Do While Pinning an Opponent While pinning a foe, some standard as well as some new grappling maneuvers are available to you. Damaging your opponent You can attempt to damage your opponent with an opposed grapple check or use your opponent's weapon against him (see above). Moving the grapple You can attempt to move the grapple (see above). Casting a spell You can cast a spell (as described above). Snatching Items You can use a disarm action to remove or grab away a well-secured object worn by a pinned opponent, but he gets a +4 bonus on his roll to resist your attempt (see the Disarm action on page 155 in the Player's Handbook). Because your pinned foe can't attack, your attempt to disarm your foe doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity from that foe. Releasing Your Foe When you have a foe pinned, you're more or less in control of the situation. You can voluntarily release a pinned foe as a free action; if you do so, you are no longer considered to be grappling that character (and vice versa). Once released, your foe must go to a space adjacent to the space the two of you once shared. The movement provokes attacks of opportunity from foes who threaten the space your foe leaves, but the movement doesn't count against the foe's speed for the current turn. Other Options While Pinning an Opponent Here are a few optional maneuvers for use against a foe you've pinned. Throw Your Foe to the Ground Make an opposed grapple check as a melee attack. If you win, your foe winds up prone in any square adjacent to the square you and your foe formerly shared. The movement provokes attacks of opportunity from enemies who threaten the space your foe leaves, but the movement doesn't count against the foe's speed for the current turn. You stay on your feet in the space you formerly shared with your foe and you and your foe are no longer grappling. 103 Toss Your Foe Make an opposed grapple check as a melee attack. If you succeed, you can literally pick up your foe (provided you can lift your foe's weight). Make a Strength check; if your result is at least 10, you toss your foe 5 feet. For every 5 points your Strength check result exceeds 10, you toss your foe another 5 feet, to a maximum of 25 feet. Move Your Foe Make an opposed grapple check as a melee attack. If you win, you shift your foe into any square adjacent to the square you and your foe formerly shared. You must be able to carry or drag your foe's weight to move your foe. You can stay in the space you and foe formerly shared; if you do, you release your foe and are no longer grappling. You also can choose to move along with your foe; if you do, your foe remains pinned. The movement provokes attacks of opportunity from enemies who threaten the space you or your foe leaves, but the movement doesn't count against you or your foe's speed for the current turn. Grappling with More than One Foe Sometimes, you'll find it helpful to join a grappling contest that's already in progress, such as when a big monster grabs a key ally. Joining an Existing Grapple When your chosen foe is already grappling, you can use a melee attack to grab him and establish a hold just as described above, except that the target doesn't get an attack of opportunity against you, and your grab automatically succeeds. You still have to make a successful opposed grapple check to become part of the grapple. If multiple opponents are involved in the grapple, you pick one to make the opposed grapple check against. In this case, you don't have to randomly determine which foe your grab attack strikes (see above). If that seems overly generous to you, you can require a full-round action to choose your target. As part of that action, you make the grab and the ensuing opposed grapple check to try and establish a hold. Ganging Up in a Grapple Up to four combatants can grapple a single opponent in a given round. Creatures that are one or more size categories smaller than you count for half, creatures that are one size category larger than you count double, and creatures two or more size categories larger count quadruple. For example, eight halflings (size Small) can grapple one human (size Medium). When Your Foes Gang Up on You When you are grappling with multiple opponents, you usually choose one opponent and make an opposed check against that opponent. If you attempt to escape from the grapple, however, you must make grapple check against every foe that has hold of you. You make one check and compare it to your foes' check results. If you win all the opposed checks, you escape from all your foes. The rules don't say so, but it's reasonable to assume that if you don't win all the opposed checks, you don't escape from any of them (the holds you don't break keep you in place). According to the rules, escaping from multiple grapplers is the only time you have to beat all your foes' opposed rolls. Common sense suggests that moving multiple grapplers (see above) also requires you to beat all their opposed grapple checks. Monsters and Grappling In general, monsters follow the same rules as PCs when conducting a grapple. Monsters in a grapple may use their natural weapons, but only by using the “Attack Your Opponent” option (which applies a – 4 penalty on the attack roll). When using the “Damage Your Opponent” option, the creature deals unarmed strike damage appropriate to its size (see Part 2 of this column) Some options available while grappling (such as “Damage Your Opponent” and “Pin Your Opponent”) state that they may be used in place of an attack. The monster gets as many “attacks” in a full attack action as it would get if it were attacking with a weapon, based on its base attack bonus: +1 to +5, one attack; +6 to +10, two attacks; +11 to +15, three attacks, and +16 and up, four attacks. Each one after the first would suffer a cumulative –5 penalty on the roll (just like a character with a high BAB making multiple weapon attacks). For example, a dire tiger (BAB +12) grappling a PC would be allowed three separate attempts to damage its opponent, escape from the grapple, or pin its opponent; the second would take a –5 penalty on the grapple check, while the third would take a –10 penalty. Improved Grab The improved grab special attack allows a monster to make a grab attack as part of a regular melee attack with a particular natural weapon (usually a bite or claw). If the attack hits, the natural weapon deals damage normally, and the monster immediately makes an opposed check to establish a hold. The attack doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. Since the attack already dealt damage when it hit, a successful hold deals no extra damage. Each successful grapple check the attacker makes during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold. (This works just like making a grapple check to deal damage.) A creature with the improved grab special attack has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use the part of its body it used in the improved grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a -20 penalty on grapple checks, but it is not considered grappled itself; the creature does not lose its Dexterity bonus to AC, still threatens an area, and can use its remaining attacks against other opponents. This is handy for really big monsters, such as giant squids and krakens. When a creature gets a hold after an improved grab attack, it pulls the opponent into its space (rather than entering the foe's space). According to page 310 in the Monster Manual, the grabbed creature's involuntary movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. A creature with the improved grab special attack and reach drags a grabbed foe a considerable distance. A creature with the improved grab special attack can move without making an opposed grapple check, provided it can drag the opponent's weight. The creature's movement and the involuntary movement by anyone it drags along provokes attacks of opportunity normally. 104 Constrict Creatures with the constrict special attack deal extra damage when grappling. Most creatures with this attack usually also have the improved grab special attack. A creature deals extra constriction damage when it first grabs a foe and establishes a hold. If the creature later makes a grapple check to deal damage to a creature in its grasp, it deals damage from the natural weapon it uses in the attack (if any) and extra constriction damage as well. 105 Clerics Foreword Most D&D players feel vulnerable, if not downright naked, without a cleric in the group. A cleric's spells and class features can literally make the difference between life and death for a party. Unfortunately, the rules governing a cleric's extensive array of spells and class abilities can cause confusion when players and DMs start exploring the limits of the cleric's powers. We'll try to clear some of that up. Alignment Most clerics are associated with a deity. When a cleric has a patron deity, his alignment must be the same as the deity's or within one step of his deity's alignment on either the lawful-chaotic axis or the good-evil axis, but not both. A cleric cannot be neutral (that is, neutral on both the law-chaos and the good-evil axis) unless his deity also is neutral. The table below shows the possibilities: Deity Alignment Possible Cleric Alignments Lawful Good Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Neutral Good Neutral Good Neutral Good, Lawful Good, Chaotic Good Chaotic Good Chaotic Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Neutral Lawful Neutral Lawful Neutral, Lawful Good, Lawful Evil Neutral Neutral, Neutral Good, Lawful Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Neutral Evil Chaotic Neutral Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Evil Lawful Evil Lawful Evil, Lawful Neutral, Neutral Evil Neutral Evil Neutral Evil, Lawful Evil, Chaotic Evil Chaotic Evil Chaotic Evil, Chaotic Neutral, Neutral Evil A cleric could have no deity at all (see page 32 in the Player's Handbook). A cleric with no deity can have any alignment, but the cleric's choice of alignment can affect which clerical domains the cleric can choose (see the next section). A cleric of a chaotic, evil, good, or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to the deity's alignment (see the detect evil spell description for details), no matter what the cleric's alignment actually is. For example, a neutral good cleric of a lawful good deity has auras of law and good. A cleric without a deity still has an alignment aura if he chooses the Chaos, Evil, Good, or Lawful domains. The aura matches the domain (or domains). Cleric Spells In most people's minds, the cleric is primarily a spellcaster, and a cleric's spells can prove powerful indeed. The cleric class description on page 32 in the Player's Handbook covers the cleric's spellcasting ability in some detail. The text covering divine spells on pages 179-180 provides additional information. Here's an overview of the basics: A cleric casts divine spells Divine spells are not subject to arcane spell failure chances from armor and shields. Certain divine spells might have different material or focus components than the arcane versions of the same spells. See page 174 in the Player's Handbook for details. Also see “Reading Spell Descriptions”. The number of spells a cleric can use each day is shown on Table 3-6 in the Player's Handbook. Wisdom governs a cleric's spells To prepare or cast a spell, a cleric must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level. For example, a cleric must have a Wisdom score of at least 11 to prepare or cast a 1st-level spell and must have a Wisdom score of at least 13 to prepare or cast a 3rd-level spell. A cleric with a Wisdom score of 9 or less cannot prepare or cast any spells at all. If a cleric suffers a Wisdom reduction after preparing spells for a day (from a Wisdom-damaging attack, for example) the cleric may be unable to cast a prepared spell. The spell becomes available to cast again if the cleric recovers the lost Wisdom. Even if the Wisdom loss turns out to be permanent, the cleric eventually can make use of the spell slot that contains the unusable spell (see the notes on spell preparation below on slots for details). When a cleric casts a spell, the cleric's Wisdom score determines the spell's save Difficulty Class (if the spell allows a save at all). The DC is 10 + spell level + the cleric's Wisdom modifier at the time the cleric casts the spell. A reduction in a cleric's Wisdom score (even a temporary one) reduces the save DCs for the cleric's spells if that reduction is sufficient to lower the cleric's Wisdom modifier (assuming that the cleric can still cast the spell -- see the previous section). An increase in a cleric's Wisdom score (even a temporary one) increases the save DCs for the cleric's spells if that increase is sufficient to raise the cleric's Wisdom modifier. A cleric's Wisdom score might also give him one or more bonus spells each day, as shown on Table 1-1 in the Player's Handbook and explained in the accompanying text. Most of a cleric's spells must be prepared in advance A cleric prepares spells through prayer and meditation. A cleric doesn't need to use spellbooks or other aids to prepare spells (see below). Clerics have a limited ability to cast some spells spontaneously Spontaneous casting is the ability to take any prepared spell and cast it as another spell of the same or lower level. A cleric taps into the stored spell's energy and channels it into another spell. When you use a prepared spell to spontaneously cast another spell, you use up the prepared spell. A good cleric (or a neutral cleric of a good deity) can spontaneously cast cure spells, and a cure spell is any spell with "cure" in its name, such as cure light wounds. An evil cleric (or a neutral cleric of an evil deity) can spontaneously cast inflict spells, and an inflict spell is any spell with "inflict" in its name, such as inflict light wounds. 106 A cleric who is neither good nor evil and whose deity is neither good nor evil can convert spells to either cure spells or inflict spells (player's choice). Once the player makes this choice, it cannot be reversed. This choice also determines whether the cleric turns or commands undead (see below). A cleric can cast domain spells A cleric receives an extra spell slot each day for each spell level he can cast. A cleric chooses two domains from among those belonging to his deity. As noted earlier, a cleric doesn't always have to have a deity. A cleric without a deity simply chooses two domains. In any case, a cleric can select an alignment domain (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law) only if his alignment matches that domain. For example, a cleric can choose the Law domain only if his alignment has a lawful component. This is true even if the cleric is dedicated to a lawful deity. A domain gives the cleric access to a domain spell at each spell level he can cast, from 1st on up (as well as a granted power, see below). This gives the cleric access to two domain spells at a given spell level, and a cleric prepares one or the other each day in his domain spell slot. If a domain spell is not on the cleric spell list, a cleric can prepare it only in his domain spell slot. A cleric's alignment limits the spells he can use A cleric can't cast spells of an alignment opposed to his own or his deity's (if he has one). A spell has an alignment if it has an alignment descriptor (chaos, evil, good, and law). See page 174 of the Player's Handbook and “Reading Spell Descriptions” for details. For example, a neutral good cleric of a lawful good deity cannot use spells with the chaos or evil descriptors. Clerics Preparing Spells As noted above, clerics must prepare spells ahead of time (except for spontaneous spells). Pages 179-180 in the Player's Handbook give the details, but arguments about how and when clerics prepare their spells abound. Here are the basics, along with a few notes to help clarify things. Clerics prepare spells once a day The cleric's deity may specify a time each day for the cleric to cast spells. If the cleric has no deity (or her deity doesn't specify a time), the cleric chooses one time each day for spell preparation. Dawn, dusk, noon, and midnight are common choices. Some deities specify several different times for spell preparation. If so, the cleric chooses one time from among those the deity makes available and must stick with the choice thereafter. Clerics have some flexibility when it comes to preparing spells. The rules say that if something prevents the cleric from preparing spells at the usual time, the cleric can wait until a suitable opportunity for spell preparation comes. The rules don't specify exactly what constitutes being prevented from preparing spells, but here are a few thoughts on the matter. Clerics require the same environment for spell preparation that wizards need; that is, enough peace, quiet, and comfort to allow for proper concentration. Overt distractions such as exposure to inclement weather, injury (or even a credible risk of injury, such as foes attacking), excessive noise, and the like interfere with concentration. If the proper environment isn't available, or if foes are on hand to harass the cleric, that constitutes being prevented. If, however, the proper environment is available at the usual preparation time and the cleric simply decides to skip spell preparation in favor of some other activity, the cleric hasn't been prevented from preparing spells and must wait until the next day to prepare spells. During the course of a campaign, there might be times when a cleric misses an opportunity to prepare spells and it won't be clear if the cleric was truly prevented from doing so. In such cases, it's up to the DM to decide if the cleric could reasonably have found the proper environment for spell preparation. If the DM decides the cleric skipped spell preparation voluntarily, the cleric should have to wait until the next day to prepare spells. In some cases, the DM might decide to allow the cleric to delay spell preparation if the cleric skips her usual spell preparation time to pursue some goal that furthers her deity's interests or the interests of the cleric's ethos. Even if the cleric misses her spell preparation involuntarily, the cleric still must stop and prepare spells just as soon as the proper spell preparation environment becomes available. If the cleric skips the new opportunity, she still must wait until her usual spell preparation time the next day. When a cleric prepares spells for the day, she can choose to change any spells she has left over from the previous day, even if a reduction in Wisdom has made those spells unavailable for casting (see above). Clerics don't require rest prior to preparing spells A cleric doesn't have to be rested before preparing spells. A cleric does have to be able to concentrate to prepare spells, however, as noted in the previous section. Clerics are subject to the recent casting limit rule When preparing spells for the day, any spell the cleric has cast during the previous 8 hours counts against the number of spells the cleric can prepare (see page 180 in the Player's Handbook). This rule means that even though clerics don't require rest before spell preparation, they do best when they prepare spells at the beginning of their daily activities. For example, if the cleric prepares spells at dusk, she'd do well to arrange to start her day at dusk. Clerics don't have to prepare all their spells for the day at once When a cleric prepares spells for the day, the cleric has the option to leave some spell slots open, just as a wizard does. Later in the day, the cleric can stop and repeat her spell preparation to place spells in the empty slots. In effect, the cleric stops, prays, and meditates at the usual time, and those actions make the cleric's spell slots available for the day. The cleric can fill those slots immediately or she can wait until later. See page 178 in the Player's Handbook for details on repeating the spell preparation. Clerics don't use spellbooks or personal spell lists Clerics choose spells to prepare from the cleric spell list when filling their regular spell slots. Clerics fill their domain spell slots from their domain spell lists. If a spell is on both the cleric spell list and at least one of the cleric's domain lists, the clerics can prepare the spell as either a regular spell or as a domain spell. A cleric's spell slot can hold a spell of its level or of a lower level A cleric can prepare a lower-level spell in a higher-level slot, just as any other spellcaster can. If the cleric's Wisdom score won't allow her to prepare spells in her higher-level slots, she still can use those slots for lower-level slots. For example, a 9th-level cleric has 4th-level spell slots available. If the cleric has a Wisdom score of only 13, however, she can prepare and 107 cast up to 3rd-level spells only. She can prepare spells of 3rd level or lower in her otherwise unusable 4th-level spell slots. Although the text on page 32 in the Player's Handbook seems to imply that a domain spell slot can hold a spell of its own level only, there's no good reason to bar a cleric from preparing a lower-level spell from one of her domains for that slot. Like other spellcasters, clerics also can prepare spells using metamagic feats, which make those spells use higher-level spell slots. To prepare or cast a spell modified with most metamagic feats, the cleric's Wisdom score must be at least equal to 10 + the spell's unmodified level. For example, a cleric with a Wisdom score of 14 can use a 5th-level spell slot to prepare a 4thlevel spell modified with the Enlarge Spell metamagic feat (which makes the spell use a slot one level higher than normal). The Heighten Spell metamagic feat actually raises the spell's level, as noted in the D&D FAQ. To prepare or cast a spell modified with the Heighten Spell feat, the cleric's Wisdom score must be equal to 10 + the spell's modified level. Spontaneous Spells As noted above, a cleric doesn't need to prepare a spontaneous spell in advance. Instead, the cleric merely substitutes the spontaneous spell for a previously prepared spell of the same or higher level. For example, if a cleric want to spontaneously cast a cure moderate wounds spell (a 2nd-level spell), he must give up a prepared spell of 2nd-level or higher to do so. It's reasonable to allow a cleric to use a spell slot that has been left empty after daily spell preparation and ready to be filled with a spell (see above) for a spontaneous spell; however, the rules don't say you can do that. The cleric doesn't have to do anything special to cast a spontaneous spell. He simply uses whatever casting time is required for the spell he is actually casting. For example, he uses one standard action to cast a spontaneous cure light wounds spell, no matter what the casting time for whatever prepared spell the cure light wounds replaces happens to be. You can apply any metamagic feat the cleric knows to a spontaneous spell. To do so, you must use a spell slot of the spell's modified level. For example, a maximized spontaneous cure light wounds spell requires a 4th-level spell slot. Casting a spontaneous spell modified with metamagic is a full-round action if the modified spell had a casting time of 1 standard action or less. If the modified spell has a casting time longer than 1 standard action, the modified spell takes an extra full-round action to cast (see page 88 in the Player's Handbook). Because of the minimum casting time of a full-round action, it's a waste to try to quicken a spontaneous spell. Domains and Domain Powers As noted in above, a cleric chooses two domains from the list of domains his deity makes available. If the cleric has no deity, the cleric simply chooses any two domains available in the campaign. DMs should feel free to limit the cleric's choices. Remember that you cannot choose one of the alignment domains (Chaos, Evil, Good, and Law) unless the cleric has the corresponding alignment. When you choose a domain, all the spells in that domain become part of the cleric's class spell list for purposes of using spell completion and spell trigger magic items (see Rules of the Game, Using Magic Items). Treat domain powers as class features. Any level-based variables the power has equal his cleric level. If he becomes an excleric (see page 33 in the Player's Handbook), he loses his domain powers. When a domain gives a cleric a caster level increase, he doesn't gain any extra spellcasting abilities. Instead, all level-based variables for the affected spells increase according to his increased caster level. For example, if you have a 3rd-level cleric with the Healing domain and he casts a cure light wounds spell, he will heal 1d8+4 points of damage with the spell because his caster level is effectively 4th. His caster level increase affects all the level-based variables the spell has, including range, damage, size of area, and number of targets; exactly which aspects of the spell are affected depends on the spell. See the spell's description for details. If the spell can be dispelled, use the cleric's increased caster level to set the DC for any caster level checks another character makes to dispel the spell. When a domain gives the cleric an extra class skill, you effectively add the listed skill to the cleric class skill list. When you spend skill points from the cleric class, you can buy the listed skill as a class skill (at one rank per point spent). Having a skill as a class skill through a domain doesn't help you when spending skill points from any other class that you might have. When a domain gives the cleric a special turning ability (such as the ability to affect certain elemental creatures), his daily uses of that ability are in addition to any undead turning he can use for the day. He can use the Extra Turning feat to gain extra uses of both his special turning ability and his ability to affect undead (see the Extra Turning feat description). For example, if you have a cleric with a Charisma score of 14 and the Air domain, he can effect undead five times a day (3 + his Charisma modifier of +2) and he can affect earth or air creatures five times a day. If he takes the Extra Turning feat, he can affect undead nine times a day and he can affect earth or air creatures nine times a day. The greater turning ability from the Sun domain isn't an extra turning attempt (it simply changes how the cleric's undead turning ability works), and it's not subject to the Extra Turning feat. Turning Undead Good clerics (or neutral clerics who have chosen to spontaneously cast cure spells) have the ability to turn undead. Pages 159-169 in the Player's Handbook cover undead turning in considerable detail. Here are some additional notes. The material in this section applies equally to special turning abilities from domain abilities (see above). A cleric turns undead as a standard action that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. Doing so requires him to present his holy symbol. The rules don't specify exactly what that entails. Common sense suggests that presenting his holy symbol involves holding the symbol in his hand (or what passes for a hand) and holding it up in plain sight (or what would pass for plain sight if anyone could see him; but see the D&D FAQ for the question regarding greater invisibility and turning). Turning works something like a spell with an area (he doesn't need to see the undead he affects, but he needs line of effect to them) and something like a spell that affects multiple targets (he affects undead with a limited number of Hit Dice, with the undead closest to him affected first). You may find it helpful to treat a turning attempt as a 60-foot burst to some extent, though be wary about how far you take the similarities since substantial differences do exist (see the glossary or Rules of the Game, Reading Spell Descriptions; also see the D&D FAQ for a question about bursts and turning). As with any burst, the center can be any grid intersection in the space he occupies. Only undead that are in the burst at the time he makes the turning attempt are affected. He affects only as many undead as his turning check and turning damage rolls allow. As noted earlier, undead closest to the cleric are affected first. If he doesn't have enough Hit Dice available to affect a creature, there's no effect, and he cannot use those dice to affect another, more distant undead creature that's inside the burst. According the rules, evil clerics (or neutral clerics who have chosen to spontaneously use inflict spells) have the ability to rebuke or command undead. They also can use rebuke attempts to dispel a turning effect on an undead creature. The rules don't say so, but there's no reason a good cleric can't dispel an evil cleric's rebuke effect on an undead or dispel an evil cleric's control over an undead creature by making a successful turn attempt against that creature, just as noted on page 159 of the Player's Handbook. 108 Magical Oddities Foreword Magic plays a central role in the D&D game. It provides an essential dose of the fantastic for any campaign. Most players and DMs agree that magic is fun; unfortunately magic also proves inscrutable or even illogical, and arguments about magic and how it works have brought many a game to a standstill. This series explores the D&D game's singular approach to magic. Magical Basics The rules don't include a formal definition of magic; however, when the D&D core rules (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual) discuss magic, they refer to some force or effect that somehow transcends the natural laws that govern the real world. Magic works its wonders in D&D without any discernable physical cause and often without any rational explanation. D&D magic involves tapping into some kind of mysterious force or power source and shaping it into some kind of effect that the magic wielder finds useful. Characters most often do so through spellcasting (see below). Magic in the D&D game follows its own logic, and a magical effect most often works more like a legal contract than a physical law. A magical effect in the D&D game has a description that defines exactly how it works in the game. This approach has its advantages for a roleplaying game, and perhaps the most important of these is that an effect's description limits its power and impact on the game world, which helps keep magic wielders from completely dominating the game. It also allows players and DMs to be reasonably sure how any particular magical effect functions in the context of the game, and that eliminates a lot of arguments and guesswork. The Ins and Outs of Spells Spells represent the form of magic most readily available to player characters in the D&D game. The rules define a spell as a one-time magical effect that usually must be carefully prepared ahead of time by studying a book of spells (the wizard's approach to spells) or petitioning a divine power (the cleric's method). Spells in the D&D game come in two varieties: arcane and divine. Arcane spells are generally more versatile and potent than divine spells, but they can prove more difficult to cast (see below). The Basics of Spell Preparation The act of preparing a spell is the first step of gathering and shaping raw magical power into a useful effect. Earlier versions of the D&D game treated preparing a spell much like committing something to memory. Once a spell was "memorized," it was ready to cast. The act of spellcasting wiped the spell from the caster's memory. In the present version of the game, preparing a spell is the first step of casting the spell, and it is the most difficult and time-consuming part of the casting. Once a spell has been prepared, the spellcaster holds the spell's potential in her mind (or body) and needs only a moment of concentration (usually along with a few words, gestures, and materials) to complete the spell and release its effects. Once cast, a spell's potential is used up, though a spellcaster can prepare the same spell more than once. The rules governing spell preparation are fairly straightforward. Chapter 10 in the Player's Handbook explains spell preparation in considerable detail. Here are the highlights: Spellcasters have limited number of spells they can use each day Spellcasters have limited number of spells they can use each day, as shown in the table of features for the class. For characters who prepare spells, DMs may find it best to enforce the limit by restricting the character to one session of spell preparation each day (though the character doesn't have to prepare those spells all at once; see the section on delayed spell preparation). The act of spell preparation is what makes the character's daily allotment of spells available for use. Most other arcane spellcasters who prepare spells must first sleep to clear the mind A wizard (and most other arcane spellcasters who prepare spells) must first sleep for 8 hours to clear the mind. The spellcaster doesn't have to sleep for every moment of that time, but the character must rest quietly when not asleep. If the character does not need to sleep for some reason, she still must have 8 hours of restful calm before preparing any spells. For example, an elf does not sleep, but instead enters a trance for 4 hours. An elf wizard still must rest for the full 8 hours before preparing any spells. A character is not sleeping or resting quietly when walking around, running, or using any other form of movement. Combat, spellcasting, skill use, conversation, or any other fairly demanding physical or mental task also precludes rest. Such tasks might include breaking down a door, lifting a heavy object, reading, or writing. If something interrupts the spellcaster's rest, all is not lost. Instead, each interruption extends the required rest period by 1 hour. Deciding what constitutes an interruption usually isn't too hard. If the character chooses to do something (or is forced to do something) that precludes rest, then the character's rest is interrupted. Deciding when one interruption ends and the next one begins can prove a little tougher. Here are a few useful rules of thumb: A single interruption lasts until the character tries to begin resting again. If an interruption lasts an hour or more, it's best to assume the character has abandoned his current attempt at rest. No matter how often a character stops and resumes resting, the character must have a full hour's uninterrupted rest immediately prior to preparing spells. Most divine spellcasters don't need to rest before preparing spells Most divine spellcasters don't need to rest before preparing spells. Instead, they must prepare spells at a certain time of day. See pages 179-180 in the Player's Handbook and Rules of the Game: All About Clerics for details. When the character has cast any spells just prior to spell preparation A character's ability to prepare spells is diminished when the character has cast any spells just prior to spell preparation. When a character begins preparing spells for the day, any spells she has cast during the past 8 hours count against the number of spells the character can prepare and cast. See page 178 in the Player's Handbook for an example. Here's another example of the recent casting rule: Harold, a 1st-level wizard who specializes in evocation magic, has a basic daily spell allotment of three 0-level spells and one 1st-level spell (see Table 3-17 in the Player's Handbook). Harold gains an 109 extra 1st-level evocation spell for being a specialist and also gains a bonus 1st-level spell for Intelligence. The additions make three 0-level spells and three 1st-level spells available to Harold each day. Harold goes to sleep at 10 PM one evening and plans to rise 8 hours later (at 6 AM the following morning) to prepare spells. At 5:35 AM, however, a horde of goblins assaults the character's camp and Harold dispatches their leader with a magic missile spell. All is well after the attack, which is over in about 10 minutes (including some time to search the surrounding area for any additional goblins). Harold gets back to bed by 5:45; he will have to rest for an extra hour because of the interruption to his rest. The earliest he can begin preparing spells this day is 7:00 AM (his original wake-up time plus 1 hour). Assuming no further interruptions, Harold will be ready to prepare spells at 7:00 AM, however, he can prepare only two extra spells at that time because he had cast a 1st-level spell at 5:35 AM, which was within 8 hours of his spell preparation time. Spell Preparation Requirements and Options Once a character sleeps 8 hours or reaches the designated time of day, the way is clear for preparing spells -- provided the spellcaster can clear a few more hurdles: Spell preparation requires concentration. In this case, concentration requires freedom from overt distractions. The rules include a short list of distractions that prevent spell preparation: combat nearby, exposure to inclement weather, injury, or a failed saving throw (see page 178 in the Player's Handbook), but otherwise leave the DM free to decide when distractions are sufficient to prevent spell preparation. Here are some additional rules of thumb. Combat nearby Combat nearby interferes with spell preparation when the DM decides that the character has a reasonable chance to become involved in the fight. This occurs whenever the character is within range of a foe's ranged attacks or spells and one of those spells or ranged attacks is directed at the character or anywhere the character could reach with a double move. Likewise, a character could reasonably become involved in a fight whenever the character finds himself within a double move of any ally or enemy that is attacking or being attacked during the fight. Use either the character's speed or the enemy or ally's speed, whichever is greater, to determine the distance. These are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. The key element is the potential danger to the character attempting to prepare spells and the character's ability to perceive that danger. If the character trying to prepare spells remains blissfully unaware of the fight, it's a good bet the fight won't distract the character from spell preparation. Weather Weather is inclement and sufficiently harsh to disrupt spell preparation when it can damage, fatigue, or otherwise hinder the character. As a rule of thumb, I recommend that winds of moderate or stronger force (see Table 3-24 in the Dungeon Master's Guide), interfere with spell preparation, at least for any character who uses spellbooks to prepare spells. Characters who don't have to read spellbooks probably don't have to worry about spell preparation until the wind reaches at least strong force. Precipitation of any kind intense enough to reduce vision or provide concealment also interferes with spell preparation, as does heat or cold intense enough to deal damage (lethal or nonlethal) or to cause the character to become fatigued or exhausted. DMs might want to make some exceptions to these rules for divine spellcasters who revere nature or the elements or who are associated with nature or elemental deities. A druid, for example, might not find even a severe thunderstorm distracting when it comes to preparing spells. One hour A character needs 1 hour to prepare his daily allotment of spells, no matter how many spells that might be. The rules don't say what happens when spell preparation is interrupted; however, the rules say that the minimum time to prepare any spell is 15 minutes (the time required to achieve the correct mental state). Therefore, a DM could decide that a spellcaster prepares no spells at all if interrupted less than 15 minutes after commencing spell preparation. Otherwise, a character prepares about a quarter of his daily spell allotment every 15 minutes spent in preparation until all his daily spells are prepared. Since a spellcaster doesn't have to prepare all his spells at once (see below), being interrupted during spell preparation doesn't have much effect on a character except that the character must function with less than his full daily allotment for a time. A character need not prepare all his spells at once. A character who prepares spells can opt to halt spell preparation at any time. If he does so, he prepares about a quarter of his available spell slots for every 15 minutes spent in preparation (see above). All the character's remaining spell slots still can hold spells during the current day (subject to the rule on recent spellcasting, see the section on rest), but the character cannot fill them with spells until he takes the time to prepare spells for them. See page 178 in the Player's Handbook for details. A character might find it handy to leave a few spell slots empty at the start of the day so he can fill them later when he has a better idea what spells he might need. When filling the empty slots, the character still needs the proper environment (see above) and at least 15 minutes of preparation time. A character can fill any spell slots used up the previous day When initially preparing spells for the day, a character can fill any spell slots used up the previous day (subject to the recent casting limit rule). The character also can replace any unused spells left over from the previous day. The character doesn't have the option to replace previously prepared spells if he chooses to wait and prepare some spells later in the day. A character can choose any spell of the slot's level or lower When selecting a spell to place into an available spell slot, a character can choose any spell of the slot's level or lower, provided that the chosen spell is one the character normally can prepare. This option allows you to load up with a few extra copies of your favorite spell. It's also a good way to use spell slots that you have available, but of a level too high for you. For example, Cinda, an 11th-level wizard with an Intelligence score of 15 normally has a single 6th-level spell slot available each day. A wizard, however, needs an Intelligence score of at least 16 to cast a 6th-level spell (see page 56 in the Player's Handbook). Fortunately, Cinda can place a spell of 5th level or lower into 110 the 6th-level spell slot. The spell functions at its usual spell level despite being in a higher-level slot. For example, if Cinda places a 5th-level cone of cold spell in her otherwise unusable 6th-level spell slot, the spell has a saving throw DC of 17 (10 + spell level + Cinda's Intelligence modifier of +2). All other variables or characteristics that depend on the example spell's level, such as its ability to penetrate a globe of invulnerability effect, function at the spell's original level (5th). Instinctive Spellcasting Some spellcasters (such as sorcerers and bards) have a natural talent for spellcasting and essentially employ a spell merely by completing its final portion. An instinctive caster readies spells each day rather preparing them (see page 179 in the Players Handbook). To ready spells for the day, an instinctive caster must first rest for 8 hours. This works exactly as described above for characters who prepare spells. After waking, an instinctive caster requires 15 minutes of concentration to make all his daily spell slots available. The rules don't specifically say so, but this works much like preparing spells, at least in terms of the environment required. The rules don't say what happens if the character is interrupted, but DMs may want to rule that an interruption foils the attempt to ready spells and that the character can simply try again when conditions permit. Spontaneous Spellcasting Clerics (and other divine spellcasters, such as druids) can cast spells spontaneously; see page 32 in the Player's Handbook and Rules of the Game: All About Clerics. To spontaneously cast a spell, a character uses up a previously prepared spell and casts the spontaneous spell instead, rechanneling the prepared spell's raw magical force or energy into the new spell. Doing so doesn't require any special effort, but the character needs a prepared spell to convert into the desired spell. I suppose the character could use an empty spell slot the character has saved from her initial spell preparation for the day (see above) for the spontaneous spell, but that doesn't match the spirit (or the letter) of the rule. Spells and Saves Spells that harm, alter, hinder, or otherwise affect a subject usually allow saving throws to resist their effects. Kinds of saving throws and the results of a successful save are detailed on pages 176 and 177 of the Player's Handbook and in Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions. People overlook a few other things about saves. What the Subject Knows Whenever a spell (or other magical effect) that has obvious physical results affects a subject that has a Wisdom score, the subject is aware of those effects. As an unofficial rule of thumb, obvious physical effects include damage, transformation, disability, or other effects that the subject can see, hear, feel, taste, smell, or otherwise perceive or deduce using the normal human senses. The subject notices the spell's effects even if the subject fails a saving throw (if one is allowed). If the magical effect kills the subject or renders the subject unconscious, the DM might decide that the subject doesn't notice what hit her. If the attack happens when the victim is flat-footed and the caster is unseen or unnoticed, a DC 15 Wisdom, Spot, or Listen check (whichever the DM thinks is most appropriate) can determine if the subject realizes what's happening before losing consciousness. As always, adjust the DC up or down according to the circumstances. Even when the subject notices obvious physical effects, she does not necessarily know that a spell or other magic was involved. A Spellcraft check with a DC of 20 + the spell level reveals the spell. When the effect is not a spell, assign it a level based on a spell with a similar effect. A dragon's breath weapon, for example, might be the equivalent of a 3rd- or 4th-level spell for this purpose. The DM might waive the Spellcraft check when the spell or effect is something the character has used or witnessed before. When a spell or other magic has no obvious physical effects, a subject that fails a saving throw remains unaware of the assault. If the subject makes a successful saving throw, she feels a hostile tingle. This is true whether the successful save completely negates the spell or results in a reduced or partial effect. The subject knows she has shaken off some hostile magic, but gains no clues about what the effect was or what its source might be. What the Caster Knows When a spell has a target entry, the caster knows when the target makes a successful saving throw or not. The caster immediately senses when a target makes a successful saving throw and likewise knows if a target has failed a saving throw by virtue of not noticing a successful saving throw. When a spell can affect several targets at once, the caster notes each successful or failed saving throw. The caster does not sense successful or failed saving throws when a spell has an area or effect entry instead of a target entry. For magical effects that aren't presented in the same format as a spell, refer to a similar spell to determine if the user can sense a successful or failed saving throw. For example, a supernatural or spell-like ability that works just like the charm monster spell is a targeted effect and the user knows when the target's save succeeds or fails. When Spells Fail A successful saving throw isn't the only thing that foils a spell. Sometimes, a spellcaster knows when one of these other circumstances has prevailed and other times he does not. Here's an overview: Antimagic A spell's magical effects become nonfunctional within an area of antimagic, such as an antimagic field. When a spell is aimed into an area of antimagic from somewhere outside the area, the antimagic blocks line of effect for the spell and the spell most likely fails. If the spell doesn't produce any sort of visible display or manifestation that the caster (or other witness to the event) can perceive, then there's no clue as to why the spell failed or even that it has failed. If the blocked spell has a target entry, however, the caster will not note any failed or successful saving throws in response to the spell (see above) and that in itself might alert the caster to something amiss. If the spell's effects are visible (for example, a lightning bolt or magic missile spell -- at least when I'm the DM), the spell's visible effects stop where they meet the area of antimagic. Anyone who sees the spell being blocked can attempt a DC 26 Spellcraft check to realize that antimagic has blocked the spell. When a spellcaster is inside an antimagic area, any spells she casts are suppressed. Such spells don't actually fail unless their durations are instantaneous. Spells with longer durations are suppressed until the caster somehow leaves the antimagic area (though time spent within the antimagic area counts against the spell's duration). If the caster isn't aware she's in an 111 antimagic area, handle the situation in the same way you'd handle it if the caster has aimed a spell into the antimagic area from outside. Arcane Spell Failure Wearing armor or using a shield can interfere with an arcane spell that has a somatic component. Arcane spells that don't have somatic components, and divine spells of all kinds, are not subject to arcane spell failure. When an arcane spellcaster fails an arcane spell failure roll, the spell fails and is completely wasted. Any material or XP components used in the spell also are wasted. No outwardly obvious sign indicates that the spell has failed due to an arcane spell failure roll (though the DM can create one as a house rule), but I recommend that the caster be aware of the failure immediately. The character realizes she has miscast the spell and probably feels the spell's power uselessly draining away. Lapse in Concentration A spell is completely ruined when any character has to make a Concentration check while casting a spell and fails the check. The spell is lost along with any material and XP component used in the spell. In most cases, the caster is aware of the failed check, though in some instances a character might not notice. For example, a character must make a Concentration check whenever she fails a saving throw while casting a spell. If the saving throw was from a spell that has no obvious physical effects (see above), then the affected character is not aware that a hostile spell has affected her. The DM should secretly make the required Concentration check (the DC is equal to the hostile spell's saving throw DC; see the Concentration skill description). If the Concentration check fails, the spell is ruined. Misaimed Spell A spell aimed at the wrong subject or place usually fails utterly. When a spell has a target entry, the caster must aim the spell at a target that can receive the spell. For example, a magic missile spell works only on creatures. If the caster aims a magic missile spell at an object (that is, anything that lacks a Charisma score and a Wisdom score), the spell fails. I recommend that DMs give the players no special clues about what's going on when a character misaims a spell. If something else is going on that might give a clue that a spell has failed, however, the caster still gets that clue. For example, a charm person spell works only when aimed at a humanoid. If someone aims a charm person effect at a giant, the spell fails. Because charm person also is a spell with a target entry, the caster will know if the target made a successful saving throw or not (see above). In this example, the caster notes neither a successful nor a failed save. Spell Resistance When a subject has spell resistance, the caster must make a caster level check to overcome the resistance before the spell has any chance to take effect. I recommend that you handle the effects of spell resistance in the same way you handle saving throws. That is, when a targeted spell fails to overcome spell resistance, the caster knows what has happened. When a spell has an effect or area entry and no obvious physical effects, the caster cannot tell if the spell overcame a subject's spell resistance (if any). If a spell has an obvious physical effect, but has an effect or area entry, the caster might notice the spell's failure to overcome spell resistance by noting the absence of those effects. In some cases, the absence of such effects is fairly easy to notice. For example, the burning hands spell works at fairly short range and burns everything within the spell's area. It's fairly easy to notice when a foe has completely avoided all effects from the flames. In other cases, a DC 15 Spot check might be in order (remember that a -1 penalty applies to a Spot check for each 10 feet of distance between the observer and the subject). Subject Immune to the Spell Immunity to spells works just like spell resistance that the spell cannot defeat. Follow the guidelines for spell resistance when a spell fails due to the subject's immunity. Metamagic The various metamagic feats allow spellcasters to adjust their spells in various ways. In earlier versions of the D&D game, metamagic was available in the form of spells that altered other spells. The current game uses feats instead. The rules governing metamagic feats are detailed on see page 88 in the Player's Handbook. Several aspects of metamagic can prove troublesome in play. Here's an overview, along with some commentary. Metamagic feats on spells you instinctively or spontaneously cast You can use most metamagic feats on spells you instinctively or spontaneously cast. Applying a metamagic feat to such a spell increases the spell's casting time to a full-round action (or adds a full-round action to the casting time if it's normally longer than a standard action). The casting time increase makes applying the Quicken Spell feat a waste of effort (and a waste of a higher-level spell slot. As noted in the Player's Handbook, casting a spell as a full-round action is not the same as casting a spell with a casting time of 1 full round. For example, a sorcerer applies the Silent Spell feat to charm person spell. The spell's casting time increases from a standard action to a full-round action. The spell takes effect during the same turn that the sorcerer cast the spell. If the same sorcerer casts a summon monster I spell, that spell doesn't take effect until the turn after the sorcerer casts the spell (just prior to the sorcerer's next turn). If our example sorcerer applies the Silent Spell feat to her summon monster I spell, the spell's casting time would be 1 full round plus a full-round action. The spell takes effect on the round after the sorcerer first cast the spell, but not until the sorcerer uses a full-round action to complete it. Several metamagic feats to a single spell You can apply several metamagic feats to a single spell. You cannot, however, apply the same metamagic feat to a single spell more than once. When adding several different metamagic feats to a single spell, add up the required level increases to determine what level spell slot is required for the enhanced spell. The Player's Handbook uses an example of a charm person spell modified with Still Spell and Silent Spell. Each of the example feats requires a spell slot one level higher than normal, so the modified spell requires a 3rd-level spell slot. A spell modified with metamagic functions at its normal spell level A spell modified with metamagic functions at its normal spell level, even though it requires a spell slot of higher level than normal. 112 Using our previous example of a charm person spell placed into 3rd-level spell slot because of metamagic, the spell functions as a 1st-level spell in all respects. If a wizard with an Intelligence score of 11 casts the spell, the saving throw DC is 11 (10 + 1 [spell level] + 0 [Intelligence modifier]). The wizard can cast the modified spell even though his Intelligence score is only 11, which is sufficient for a 1st-level spell but not for a 3rd-level spell. All other variables or characteristics that depend on the example spell's level, such as its ability to penetrate a minor globe of invulnerability effect, function at the spell's original level (1st). The Heighten Spell feat is an exception to the foregoing. When increasing a spell with the Heighten Spell feat, the spell functions at its increased level. For example a charm person spell heightened to 3rd level has a base save DC of 13, requires a relevant ability score of at least 13, and functions as a 3rd-level spell in all other respects. Polymorph Assuming New Types A creature that assumes a new form through a polymorph effect generally assumes all the types and subtypes of the assumed form. It loses its own type, but its base attack bonus and base saving throws don't change. In effect, the polymorphed creature gains the augmented subtype for its original type. For example, a human polymorphed into a cat becomes an animal (augmented humanoid). The change in types makes the polymorphed subject immune to certain effects and attacks that could affect it when in normal form and also makes the subject susceptible to effects and attacks that affect the assumed form. For example, a human polymorphed into a cat is no longer susceptible to the charm person spell (despite its augmented humanoid subtype), but it becomes susceptible to a ranger's favored enemy ability (if the ranger has chosen animals as a favored enemy). Changes in Size When a polymorph spell or effect changes its subject's size, DMs can decide that the size change does not stack with other effects that change the subject's size. For example, a human druid is a Medium creature. Our example druid uses the wild shape class ability to assume the form of a brown bear, which is a Large creature. The druid has used magic to gain one size category. The druid can't benefit from the enlarge person spell because the wild shape effect (which works just like the polymorph spell) changes the druid's creature type to animal (see above). As an animal (albeit temporarily), the druid could benefit from an animal growth spell, except that animal growth makes its subject only one size category bigger than normal and the wild shape effect already has increased the druid's size by that amount. Transforming Equipment When polymorph magic changes a subject's form, any equipment carried or worn is either worn or held by the new form (and remains functional) if the assumed form is capable of wearing or holding the item. If the assumed form cannot hold or wear the subject's equipment, the equipment melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. For example, if you change from a human into an orc (two creatures with the same general size and shape), you can go right on using your armor, weapons, and other gear while in orc form. If, however, you change from a human into a pony, your equipment melds into your new form. The rules suppose that any equipment melded into your assumed form merely vanish into the form. It's fine, however, to assume that the assumed form carries some hint of the melded equipment. For example, if a humanoid assumes an animal form while wearing goggles, the animal form might sport spots or rings around its eyes if you want. If the subject acquires some piece of gear while in an assumed form, it can go on holding or wearing that equipment when it resumes its normal form if the normal form can hold or wear the equipment. If not, the equipment falls off and lands at the subject's feet. For example, if a human assumes the form of a horse and allows someone to fit him with a saddle and bridle, those items fall off when the character returns to human form. Items that might be touching the subject of a polymorph spell (or vice versa), but that aren't exactly equipment, usually don't change form along with the subject. For example, a character chained to a wall with a set of manacles probably ought to just slip out of the manacles (or pop them open) when polymorphing. Other Creatures A polymorph effect usually transforms only one creature at a time. If a polymorphed subject touches, holds, or carries another creature when changing form, the other creature doesn't change along with the polymorph user. If the polymorph user can share the effect with the other creature (as a wizard can share an effect with his familiar) or the polymorph effect can transform more than one creature at a time, then the two creatures can change form together. In cases where a change of form results in two creatures sharing the same space on the battlefield when they otherwise could not, it's usually best to have the smaller creature move to a space that can safely hold it and that is adjacent to the larger creature. If no space adjacent to the larger creature is available to hold the smaller creature, it winds up prone in the larger creature's space instead. Use this rule even in unusual cases. For example, a human uses a polymorph effect to assume the form of some Colossal creature with the swallow whole special attack and then proceeds to swallow several foes of Large size. When the human reverts to normal (Medium) size, the human can no longer hold the Large foes inside. As the human reverts to normal size, just assume the Large foes are ejected from the human's changing body. Polymorphing and the Shapechanger Subtype According to the polymorph spell description, creatures with the shapechanger subtype can revert to their natural forms as a standard action when they have been polymorphed. This poses a bit of a problem, because a polymorphed creature is supposed to lose all its own subtypes and gain all the assumed form's subtypes (see above). In this case, DMs may rule that a polymorphed creature always retains its shapechanger subtype when polymorphed. Interactions between magical effects You can find general rules for interactions between magical effects in several places. Key pieces of text include the section entitled Combining Magical Effects on page 171 in the Players Handbook, the text on spell schools on page 172 in the Players Handbook, and the discussion of spell descriptors on page 174 in the Players Handbook.Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions also deals with this topic. Some of the most important interactions between magical effects arise when one effect blocks or negates another effect. Unfortunately, the general rules for magical interactions don't cover these effects very well. Instead, you must look at the descriptions for the individual effects before you can resolve the interaction or refer to the sections below. 113 Counterspells A counterspell represents a potent option for any spellcaster who faces another spell user. Unfortunately, many players shy away from counterspells because they don't think they understand how counterspells work. That's a shame, because there isn't much to using a counterspell. You can find the rules governing counterspells on page 170 in the Player's Handbook. The counterspell rules are only a few paragraphs long, but here's a summary of the details, along with additional commentary. Spells that can be used as counterspells You can cast just about any spell as a counterspell. (See below on counterspells as readied actions for some key exceptions.) When you know how to cast a spell, you also know how to cast it as a counterspell. Casting a spell as a counterspell involves altering the spell slightly so that its magical energy suppresses and negates another spell rather than producing the spell's usual result. Except where noted here, casting a counterspell works just like casting a spell. You must concentrate to cast a counterspell and your counterspell is ruined and wasted if something disrupts your concentration while you're casting. When you cast a spell as a counterspell, the spell is used up, just as if you had cast the spell normally. You also expend any material or experience point components the spell normally requires. Spells that can be countered using a given spell The basics In general, a spell can counter only itself. For example, you use a fireball spell to counter another character's fireball spell. Variations on a spell cannot counter each other. For example, you cannot use a fireball spell to counter delayed blast fireball spell or vice versa. Metamagic Metamagic generally doesn't affect counterspells because a spell altered with a metamagic feat doesn't change a spell into a different spell. A maximized fireball, for example, is still a fireball and anyone can use a regular fireball spell to counter the maximized spell. You can even counter a spell altered with metamagic with the same spell that has been altered with a different feat. For example you might counter a maximized fireball spell with an enlarged fireball or a widened fireball. Spells that naturally counter each other Exceptions to these general rules abound. First, some spells naturally counter each other, such as haste and slow. Such pairings are noted in the spells' descriptions. Feats Second, the Improved Counterspell feat allows you to counter a spell with any higher level spell of the same school. With the Improved Counterspell feat, for example, you could use delayed blast fireball to counter a fireball spell because both spells are evocation spells and delayed blast fireball is a higher level spell than fireball. According to the D&D FAQ, you can use the Heighten Spell feat to increase a spell's level for use with the Improved Counterspell feat. For example, the fireball spell is a 3rd-level evocation spell. Shatter also is an evocation spell, but it's only a 2nd-level spell. If, however, you use Heighten Spell to increase a shatter spell's level to at least 4th level, you can use it to counter a fireball spell if you also have the Improved Counterspell feat. Dispel magic Finally, a dispel magic or greater dispel magic spell can be cast as a counterspell. See the Resolving a Counterspell section for details. Ready action You use the ready action to cast a counterspell. A counterspell requires you to loose your magic at just the right moment to nullify another spell. To manage that trick, you must use the ready action, which is described on page 160 of the Player's Handbook. Because the ready action is a standard action, you can move up to your speed either before or after you ready your counterspell (but not both). If you don't otherwise move during the turn you ready a counterspell, you can take a 5-foot step either before or after you ready the counterspell or as part of the counterspell itself (but you're still allowed only one 5-foot step in a round). See Rules of the Game: All About Movement for details. Since you use a standard action as a readied action (see the Player's Handbook), you should use a spell with a casting time of one standard action or less as a counterspell (but see the section on counterspell variants below). Identifying the spell cast In most cases, you'll need to identify the spell your foe is casting before you can choose the correct counterspell. You can identify any spell as it is being cast by making a Spellcraft check with a DC of 15 plus the spell's level. This does not require an action (see the Spellcraft skill description). You can make a Spellcraft check to identify a spell as it is being cast whenever you can see the caster performing the spell's somatic components (if any) or when you can hear the spell's verbal components (if any). The rules don't say so, but you also ought to be able to identify any spell as it is being cast if you can see the spell's material components (if any), provided that the material component is something unique to the spell. For example, if you note a ball of bat guano and sulfur in a spellcaster's hand, that's a good indication that a fireball spell is on the way. If your foe is wielding a holy symbol, however, that could indicate any number of divine spells. In general, it's pretty easy to notice a spell's somatic, verbal, or material components as the caster uses them. When in doubt, however, the DM can call for a DC 5 Spot or Listen check (as appropriate) to note the component. Remember to apply check penalties for distance or other conditions as noted in the skill descriptions. The rules don't come right out and say so, but since you must see a somatic (or material) component or hear a verbal component to identify any spell as it is being cast, you cannot identify a spell that doesn't have any verbal, somatic, or material components. An example of this is a silent and stilled spell that doesn't have a material component. This makes such spells difficult to counter (but see the next section). 114 Resolving a Counterspell The basics If you've selected the correct spell to counter another character's spell (by using the same spell cast as a counterspell, by using a spell that naturally counters the foe's spell [such as using slow to counter haste], or by taking advantage of the Improved Counterspell feat), the target spell is automatically negated. Neither your spell nor the other character's spell has any of its normal results. Instead, the two spells completely nullify each other. Dispel magic If you decide to use a dispel magic or greater dispel magic spell as a counterspell against another spell, success isn't automatic. You target the other spellcaster with your dispel magic or greater dispel magic spell, and you must make a caster level check with a DC of 11 + the other spellcaster's caster level to successfully counter the other spell. If you use the dispel magic spell, your maximum bonus on your caster level check is +10, as noted in the spell description. If you use the greater dispel magic spell, your maximum bonus on your caster level check is +20, also as noted in the spell description. It's possible to blindly counter another character's spell using a dispel magic or greater dispel magic spell as a counterspell. You simply skip the Spellcraft check to identify the other character's spell as it is being cast. Failing to identify the other character's spell has no affect on your chance to counter the spell. The rules don't specifically say so, but you can use a dispel magic or greater dispel magic spell to counter any spell, even a spell that normally isn't subject to dispelling. For example, you could use a dispel magic spell to counter another character's wall of force spell. This works because when you use a counterspell, you're catching and disrupting the spell before it actually has any results. You can also use a dispel magic spell or greater dispel magic spell as a standard counterspell against another dispel magic spell or greater dispel magic spell. In this case, you must first identify the opposing spell. If you succeed, you can counter the target spell normally, without making a caster level check. Saving throws and spell resistance There is no saving throw against a counterspell, nor does spell resistance apply to counterspells (because a counterspell affects the target spell, not the spell's caster). Range, line of sight and line of effect The rules don't specifically say so, but you need to see or touch the other spellcaster to counter a spell (because the other spellcaster is your counterspell's target). You also need line of effect to the other spellcaster and the other spellcaster must be within range for the spell you're using as a counterspell. If your line of effect is blocked or you're out of range, your counterspell's magical energy cannot reach the other spellcaster and negate that character's spell. This means you cannot use a spell with a personal range as a counterspell (because the spell's range is limited to your person) under most circumstances. You still can counter another character's personal range spell, however, by using a dispel magic or greater dispel magic spell as a counterspell, or by taking advantage of the Improved Counterspell feat and using a spell with sufficient range to reach your opponent. Dispel Magic Understanding the dispel magic spell provides a good basis for understand how antimagic effects work in general. This section provides a summary of the dispel magic spell description along with some additional commentary. Everything noted here also applies to the greaterdispel magicspell unless noted otherwise. Dispel magic defeats spells and spell-like effects. Everything here also applies to spell-like effects unless noted otherwise. You can cast dispel magic three different ways (and that alone makes it an unusual spell): As a targeted spell, as an area spell, or as a counterspell. As a Counterspell Effect As when casting dispel magic as a counterspell, you must make a caster level check with a DC of 11 + the subject spell's caster level to end the subject spell. When using the dispel magic spell, your maximum bonus for the caster level check is +10. When using the greater dispel magic spell, your maximum bonus for the caster level check is +20. See the previous section on counterspells. As a Targeted Effect When casting a targeted dispel magic, you aim the spell at a creature, object, or spell. You must follow all the rules for selecting a target for the spell -- that is, you must be able to see or touch the target (see page 175 in the Player's Handbook and Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions. Targeting a creature or object is pretty straightforward. Targeting a spell, however, can prove tricky. If the spell you're targeting has a visible or tangible effect, you can select the target just by looking at it or touching it, as appropriate. If the spell you target is intangible, things get a little tougher. A detect magic spell can determine the location of the target spell's magical aura, and you reasonably can assume that locating the spell's aura with detect magic is sufficient to target the spell with dispel magic. The DM might also allow you to target a specific spell with dispel magic when you can surmise what the spell is. For example, the barbarian in your group enters a rage and then abruptly freezes in place, not attacking. You might sensibly work out that the character is the subject of a hold person or hold monster spell, and you could target that spell with dispel magic without first resorting to detect magic. A targeted dispel magic affects only the target, not other creatures, objects, or spells nearby. If the target is an object or creature, the dispel magic has a chance to end every spell that is currently operating on that object or creature, as noted in the spell's description. A dispel magic targeted on a creature does not also affect the creature's equipment, and a dispel magic targeted on a single object in a creature's possession does not affect the creature itself or any other objects in its possession. It's worth pointing out here that a creature and its equipment usually are treated as one entity when the creature receives a spell. For example, when a creature receives a displacement spell, both it and its equipment are displaced. Exceptions to this general rule abound, and dispel magic is one of them. When you aim a targeted dispel magic spell at a particular spell, only that spell is subject to dispelling. This can be very helpful when you wish to free an ally of one detrimental spell without dispelling any beneficial spells the character has received. When you select an object as the dispel magic's target, you can end every spell or spell-like effect currently operating on the object. If the target object is a magic item, you can make a caster level check to suppress all the item's magical powers for 115 1d4 rounds, as noted in the dispel magic spell description. An item's nonmagical properties remain unaffected by dispel magic. A +1 longsword suppressed by a dispel magic spell remains a masterwork longsword. If the target object is a magic item that also has received one or more spells, you have a chance to end each spell currently operating on the item and a chance to suppress all the item's magical abilities. The spell description doesn't make this point clear, but it's the easiest way to handle things. Dispel magic can't suppress an artifact's magical properties, but it can end spells an artifact has produced. Aiming a targeted dispel magic at a summoned creature proves similar to aiming the spell at a magic item. The spell has a chance to banish the summoned creature, as noted in the spell description (and in the notes on the summoning subschool on page 173 in the Player's Handbook). If the summoned creature also has received one or more spells, you have a chance to end each spell, plus a chance to banish the summoned creature. If a single summoning effect has brought forth multiple creatures and you target your dispel magic spell on one of them, you can banish only the creature you have targeted. As an Area Effect Instead of casting a targeted dispel magic (or using the spell as a counterspell), you can cast the spell as an area spell that fills a 20-foot burst. An area dispel can't suppress magic items, but it can remove ongoing spells from creatures or objects. For each creature within the burst that has received one or more spells, you make a caster level check against the spell with the highest caster level. If that check fails, you make checks against progressively weaker spells until you dispel one spell or fail all your checks against the spells affecting that subject. Once the area dispel magic removes one spell from a subject, it has no further effects on that subject. An area dispel magic also ends spells operating in the same area as the burst. If the burst covers the subject spell's point of origin, a successful caster level check from you negates the whole effect, even if the burst does not cover the subject effect's whole area. See page 175 in the Player's Handbook and Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions for discussions of a magical effect's point of origin. If the dispel magic's burst merely overlaps the subject spell's area without covering the spell's point of origin, a successful caster level check from you negates only the portion of the subject spell that the burst covers. When the burst from an area dispel magic covers two or more summoned creatures, make a single caster level check. If the check succeeds, you banish each creature the burst covers. If a summoned creature also has received one or more spells, your area dispel has a chance to remove one spell (as noted previously) and a chance to banish the summoned creature. A targeted or area dispel magic can affect only a spell that is currently operating. When a spell has an instantaneous duration, it can't be dispelled because the magical effect is already over before the dispel magic can take effect. Some spells aren't subject to dispel magic, as noted in their descriptions (for example, wall of force). A dispelled spell ends as if its duration had expired. Usually, this means that the spell ends immediately. Be alert for spells that remain for awhile after they expire (for example, the fly spell). Opposing Spells Some spells or groups of spells negate each other. For example, haste and slow counter or dispel each other, and the darkness spell can counter or dispel any spell with the light descriptor, provided the subject spell is of an equal or lower level. When two spells counter or dispel each other, either spell can function as a counterspell against the other, as noted above. The rules aren't very clear about what happens when opposing spells dispel each other. In general, you can rule that the two spells negate each other. When two opposing spells have targets, one spell can remove the other when aimed at the same target. Treat the second spell just like a targeted dispel magic except that no caster level check is required and only the opposing spell is negated. For example, if a creature has received a haste spell, targeting a slow spell on the same creature automatically removes the haste effect, leaving the subject neither slowed nor hasted. When two opposing spells can affect multiple targets, they only negate each other when they share the same targets. For example, when you cast a slow spell on six enemies and two of them have received haste effects, the spell removes the two haste effects, leaving the other four targets subject to the slow spell's normal effects. When two opposing spells have areas, one spell can remove the other when aimed at the same area. If the second spell's area covers the first spell's point of origin, both spells are completely negated (no caster level check is required). If the second spell's area of effect merely overlaps the first spell's area without covering the spell's point of origin, the two spells negate each other only the area where the areas overlap. Light and Darkness Descriptor Spells Most spells with the light and darkness descriptors have target entries. This means that you must aim a spell with the darkness descriptor at the same target as a spell with the light descriptor if you want to use the former spell to dispel the latter spell. Spells with the light and darkness descriptor have an unusual property, however; they cause their targets to emit light or darkness and when cast on moveable objects, the illuminated or darkened areas also are mobile. Whenever two such areas are aimed or moved so that the areas they affect overlap, the two spells usually temporarily suppress each other. This means that the usual light conditions prevail in the area of overlap. For example, a daylight spell makes a dim chamber bright with light. A darkness spell fills the same room with shadows. If the two spell effects are allowed to overlap, there will be an area of dim light in the area of overlap bordered on one side (the daylight side) by bright light and on the other (the darkness side) by shadowy light. In this case, the two spells otherwise do not affect each other. If the two effects move away, both spells work again. It's also possible that the higher level spell keeps working and the lower level is suppressed. For example, when you cast a darkness spell on an object and then move the object so that the darkened area covers the area where a light spell provides illumination, the lower level light spell stops working until someone moves the darkness effect away. Though this discussion of mobile spell effects pertains to spells with the darkness and light descriptors, you might find it helpful when dealing with other mobile spell effects as well. 116 Actions Foreword Whether your roleplaying style leans toward kicking in doors and hacking up everything that moves or more toward detailed storytelling, chances are you expect your character to do a few things every adventure. Fortunately, the D&D game has plenty of rules governing how characters act. At the core of those rules lies the game's system of actions. When you understand the terminology and basic rules governing actions, you can avoid many errors and misunderstandings -- and head off many arguments. The Language of Actions Here are a few terms. Action The Player's Handbook glossary defines an action as a character activity, which doesn't tell the whole story. In practical terms, an action is something you do during your own turn that uses up time (usually) and changes (or has the potential to change) something in the game world. As a general rule, you can use an action only during your own turn. You sometimes can act during someone else's turn, but when you do so that's usually an extra activity for you, and it doesn't affect the actions available to you during your next turn. PH pg 304: "action: A character activity. Actions are divided into the following categories, according to the time required to perform them (from most time to least): full-round actions, standard actions, move actions, and free actions." The basic kinds of actions in the D&D game include standard actions, move actions, full-round actions, free actions, and nonactions. Free Action A free action is an activity that takes only a minor amount of time. You can take any number of free actions during your turn, subject to your DM's approval. Taking one or more free actions doesn't affect the other actions available to you during your turn. Full-Round Action A full-round action is an activity that effectively consumes all of your time during your turn. Consequently, you cannot use either a standard or a move action (see below) during a turn when you use a full-round action. You can, however, use a 5foot step during a turn when you use a full-round action (see the nonaction entry). You also can use free actions during a turn when you use a full-round action. Move Action A move action is an activity that allows you to move your speed across the battlefield or perform some other activity that takes a similar amount of time. You're allowed one move action during your turn. You can take a second move action during your turn in place of the standard action you're also allowed (see below). You cannot, however, take a second standard action in place of a move action. Nonaction A nonaction is an activity that effectively takes no time at all (as opposed to a free action, which takes an insignificant amount of time), but it nevertheless involves some effort on your part. Often, a nonaction is something that you do as part of another action, such as making a Use Magic Device skill check while trying to activate a magic wand. Activating the wand is a standard action and making the check is not an action at all. Some activities that are described in the rules as free actions are actually nonactions; one example is trying to establish a hold on a foe after a successful grab in a grapple attack. (Readers may remember the entry for "Not an Action" on page 139 of the Player's Handbook.) PH pg 139: "Not an Action: Some activities are so minor that they are not even considered free actions. They literally don't take any time at all to do and are considered an inherent part of doing something else. For instance, using the Use Magic Device skill (page 85) while trying to activate a device is not an action, it is part of the standard action to activate a magic item." A 5-foot step is a nonaction you can use to move a short distance when you don't otherwise move during your turn; see Rules of the Game: All About Movement. Many nonactions are things you can do when it's not your turn, such as making opposed checks to avoid being disarmed or tripped or making an attack of opportunity. Standard Action A standard action is a kind of action that covers any activity you can perform and still have time left to move your speed during the same turn (see Rules of the Game: All About Movement). You are allowed only one standard action each turn, and sometimes you can't perform any standard actions at all. Using Actions In most cases, you have the following three options available to you during your turn (choose one): One standard action plus one move action. Two move actions. One full-round action. You can add any number of nonactions or a reasonable number of free actions (your DM decides what's reasonable) to the option you choose. Some of these extras impose their own limits on what you can do; for example, you can take only one 5foot step during your turn. Various expansions to the D&D rules introduce more ways to sneak in little extras while you act during your turn. An example is the immediate action from the Expanded Psionics Handbook. We'll take a look at those below. 117 You cannot combine your action options. For example, if you use the Multi-Shot feat, which allows you to fire multiple arrows as a standard action, you cannot also use the full attack action, which is a full-round action. Action Restrictions Circumstances often reduce your options for acting. Sometimes, you simply don't have a complete round in which to act. Other times, you find yourself unable to act quickly or decisively. Surprise Rounds Whenever some combatants in a battle are aware of their opponents and some are not, the battle begins with a surprise round (see page 137 in the Player's Handbook). Combatants who begin the combat aware of the opposition can act during a surprise round, but can use only a standard action during their turns (plus any free actions the DM allows and nonactions as appropriate). Remember that when you have a standard action available, you can use a move action instead (but not vice versa). PH pg 137: "The Surprise Round: If some but not all of the combatants are aware of their opponents, a surprise round happens before regular rounds begin. Any combatants aware of the opponents can act in the surprise round, so they roll for initiative. In initiative order (highest to lowest), combatants who started the battle aware of their opponents each take a standard action during the surprise round (see Standard Actions, page 139). You can also take free actions during the surprise round, at the DM's discretion. If no one or everyone is surprised, no surprise round occurs." Character Conditions Many conditions also restrict the actions you can perform. See page 300 in the Dungeon Master's Guide for a complete list of character conditions. DMG pg 300: "Ability Damaged, Ability Drained, Blinded, Blown Away, Checked, Confused, Cowering, Dazed, Dazzled, Dead, Deafened, Disabled, Dying, Energy Drained, Entangled, Exhausted, Fascinated, Fatigued, Flat-Footed, Frightened, Grappling, Helpless, Incorporeal, Invisible, Knocked Down, Nauseated, Panicked, Paralyzed, Petrified, Pinned, Prone, Shaken, Sickened, Stable, Staggered, Stunned, Turned, Unconscious." Ability Damaged or Drained You become unable to act when any ability score is reduced to 0. When your Constitution score falls to 0 you die (see dead below). When your Strength score falls to 0 you collapse, limp as a rag doll. When your Dexterity falls to 0, you're paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. These latter two situations generally rule out any action or nonaction unless you have a way to affect yourself or your surroundings purely through mental activity. For example, moving with a fly or levitate spell doesn't require any physical activity, and either spell would allow you to use a move action to move at the speed the spell in question allows. Likewise, a mage hand or telekinesis spell would allow some move actions (such as picking up an item), some standard actions (such as lighting a torch with a tindertwig), or some full-round actions (such as lighting a torch with flint and steel). Some actions, such as concentrating to maintain an active spell, also are purely mental. You can use free actions and nonactions while your Dexterity or Strength score is reduced to 0, provided such actions are purely mental. It's reasonable for a DM to limit exactly what you can accomplish when your Strength or Dexterity is reduced to 0. After all, your field of vision and other faculties are likely to be restricted. When your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma falls to 0, parts of your brain shuts down and you lose consciousness. While unconscious, you cannot act at all. Cowering You cannot act when cowering. Dazed You cannot act when dazed. Dead When you're dead, your spirit departs and your body becomes a mere object. Neither your departed spirit nor your lifeless body can act. Of course, either your spirit or your body may regain some semblance of life, such as becoming an undead creature, but then you're no longer truly dead. Disabled You're limited to one move action or one standard action (you can't use both) when disabled. You cannot use a full-round action when disabled. If you use a standard action (or anything strenuous) while disabled, you take 1 point of damage after completing the action. See below for more notes on the disabled condition. Dying When you're dying, you're unconscious and unable to act; see the notes under ability damage and ability drain. Fascinated When fascinated, you must stand or sit quietly, taking no actions other than to pay attention to the source of your fascination. In effect, you use a standard action during your turn to focus on the source of your fascination, and you cannot move, or even take a 5-foot step, while fascinated. Fatigued When fatigued, you can neither run nor charge, but your actions aren't otherwise restricted. Frightened If you're frightened, you must use two move actions each round to flee from the source of your fright. If unable to flee, you can fight; you take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Grappling When engaged in a grapple (either holding onto a foe or in a foe's grasp) you can undertake only a limited number of actions, as noted on page 156 of the Player's Handbook. 118 PH pg 156: "If You're Grappling: When you're grappling (regardless of who started the grapple), you can perform any of the following actions. Some of these actions take the place of an attack (rather than being a standard action or a move action). If your base attack bonus allows you multiple attacks, you can attempt one of these actions in place of each of your attacks, but at successfully lower base attack bonuses: activate a magic item, attack your opponent, cast a spell, damage your opponent, draw a light weapon, escape from grapple, move, retrieve a spell component, pin your opponent, break another's pin, use opponent's weapon." Helpless You cannot act when helpless. Nauseated When nauseated, you're limited to a single move action during your turn. Panicked If you're panicked, you must use two move actions each round to flee from the source of your panic. If unable to flee, you cower; you take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Paralyzed If paralyzed, you cannot act; see the notes under ability damage and ability drain. Petrified When you're petrified, you're considered unconscious; see the notes under ability damage and ability drain. Pinned Being pinned is just like being held in a grapple, except you have even fewer options. See page 156 of the Player's Handbook for details. PH pg 156: "When an opponent has pinned you, you are held immobile (but not helpless) for 1 round. While you're pinned, you take a -4 penalty to your AC against opponents other than the one pinning you. At your opponent's option, you may also be unable to speak. On your turn, you can try to escape the pin by making an opposed grapple check in place of an attack. You can make an Escape Artist check in place of your grapple check if you want, but this requires a standard action. If you win, you escape the pin, but you're still grappling." Prone You cannot use a ranged weapon (except for a crossbow) when prone. You actions aren't otherwise limited. Stable When you're stable you're also unconscious; see the notes under ability damage and ability drain. Staggered When staggered, you can use a single move action or standard action each round (but not both, nor can you use a full-round action). Stunned You can't act when stunned. Turned Turned creatures must make two move actions each round. If they cannot do so, they cower. Unconscious See the notes under ability damage and ability drain. Kinds of Nonactions As noted above, a nonaction is something that effectively takes you no time at all, but still requires some attention or effort. The rules don't go into any detail about the kinds of nonactions in the game, but for our purposes they fall into three categories: Aggressive Nonactions There's only one activity that falls into this category: the attack of opportunity. An attack of opportunity is similar to the attack action. In general, if you cannot use a standard action during your turn, you also cannot make an attack of opportunity during someone else's turn. When the notes on conditions in above say that you cannot act (for example, when stunned), you cannot make an attack of opportunity. It's worth noting here that to threaten a space on the battlefield you must be able to make an armed attack into that space (see Rules of the Game: All About Attacks of Opportunity). If you cannot use at least a standard action you cannot make an armed attack into any space. The rules don't say so, but making an attack of opportunity should be considered strenuous; if you make an attack of opportunity while disabled, you take 1 point of damage after completing the attack. Nonactions with Other Actions When you can't perform the main action, you can't perform any nonactions that might accompany it. For example, if you can't use a standard action, you cannot activate most magic items and you also cannot make a Use Magic Device check to activate an item that requires a standard action to activate. You can take a 5-foot step anytime you don't otherwise move across the battlefield. You usually take a 5-foot step before, after, or during another action. The rules don't say so, but it's best to assume that you cannot take a 5-foot step unless you can take at least a move action during your turn. Reactive Nonactions It's usually best to allow characters to use nonactions, such as making opposed checks to resist being tripped or grappled, unless they're helpless (any ability score reduced to 0, paralyzed, petrified, or unconscious). It's worth noting, however, that 119 even a helpless character can make a Reflex save (albeit with a -5 penalty for an effective Dexterity score of 0). That's because the game generally favors at least some involvement from the player -- and a chance for a miraculous escape -whenever a character is in danger. A player reasonably can expect to make opposed checks that have a basically defensive nature, such as resisting a trip or grapple, even when a character is helpless. In such cases, the opposed check really represents fate intervening to foil the attacker rather than any determined resistance on the defender's part. No matter what kind of opposed check a helpless character makes, its best to apply a -5 penalty on the check for a relevant ability score that's effectively 0 when the action is basically physical (such as avoiding being tripped or grappled). All that said, a character cannot make or succeed at some opposed checks. For example, a blind character cannot make a Spot check to see a hidden foe, nor can a deaf character make a Listen check to hear someone sneaking up on her. The Disabled Condition As noted above, you're limited to one standard action or one move action (but not both) when you're disabled. You cannot use a full-round action while disabled. If you use a standard action or do anything strenuous while disabled, you take 1 point of damage after completing the action. The rules leave it to the DM to decide what's "strenuous." Since a standard action deals you damage when you're disabled, however, you can use the list of standard actions shown on Table 8-2 in the Player's Handbook as a guide. Anything that resembles one of the standard actions shown there probably is sufficiently strenuous to hurt you when you're disabled. For example, making an attack of opportunity (as noted earlier) resembles the attack action and you take 1 point of damage if you make an attack of opportunity while disabled. Likewise, casting a quickened spell (a free action) also deals you damage because it's similar to casting a spell as a standard action. Some options you have when disabled aren't obvious. For example, the charge action is a full-round action; however, you can charge as a standard action when you're limited to standard actions (such as during a surprise round). You also can charge as a standard action when disabled; you take 1 point of damage when you do so. You also can withdraw as a standard action when disabled, but you also take 1 point of damage when you do so. When an action you take when disabled deals you damage, you complete the action first, then take the damage. Since you have 0 hit points when disabled, you usually collapse and immediately begin dying. If the action you use gains you hit points, you still take 1 point of damage for using a standard or strenuous action while disabled, but your condition after taking that damage depends on your current hit point total. For example, you have 0 hit points and are disabled. You cast a cure light wounds spell that gives you 5 hit points. After casting the spell, you take 1 point of damage, leaving you with 4 hit points. Because you have a positive hit point total, you are not dying or disabled after taking the damage. The Free Action and Its Relatives As noted above, a free action is something you do during your turn that takes hardly any time at all. Many people believe that a free action never provokes an attack of opportunity, but that is not a feature of free actions. It is true, however, that free actions rarely provoke attacks of opportunity. For example, none of the free actions noted on page 144 of the Player's Handbook provokes attacks of opportunity. PH pg 144: "Free Actions: Free actions don't take any time at all, though your DM may limit the number of free actions you can perform in a turn. Free actions rarely incur attacks of opportunity. Some common free actions are as follows: Drop an Item, Drop Prone, Speak, Cease Concentration on Spell, Cast a Quickened Spell." You usually can perform a free action before, after, or during another action, circumstances permitting. For example, dropping an item is a free action. If you also move during your turn, you could drop an item at any point during the move. On the other hand, speaking a few words also is a free action. If you move, you could speak at any point during your move, but you could not speak while simultaneously casting a spell with a verbal component. If you tried to do so, you'd interrupt your own spell. You could, however, speak a few words before or after casting the spell. Likewise, you can cast only one spell at a time. You can't cast a quickened spell while casting another spell. When in doubt about when a free action can occur, the player and DM should discuss the matter. You cannot use a free action during another creature's turn. For example, speaking is a free action, but if you know where an invisible creature lurks, you can't tell a colleague where the creature is the moment your colleague acts. (You could ready such an action, however see below.) It's Like a Free Action but It Isn't The Expanded Psionics Handbook introduced two new kinds of actions that are very similar to free actions. Like free actions, these actions take little or no time. Unlike free actions, there are strict limits on how many of these actions you can use in a single turn and when you can use them. Here's an overview: Swift Actions You can perform one (and only one) swift action during your turn. A swift action is otherwise just like a free action. Immediate Actions You can use an immediate action any time, even during another creature's turn. If you use an immediate action during your turn, you cannot use a swift action during your next turn. You cannot use another swift or immediate action until after your next turn. Standard Actions As noted above, you can use a standard action and still have time for a move action as well. You can substitute a move action for a standard action, but not vice versa. You can use only one standard action each round, and you can't use any standard action if you use a full-round action. Attack Use this action to make a single melee or ranged attack. (Some feats, such as Manyshot , allow you to make more than one attack with a standard action.) If your base attack bonus allows you to make multiple attacks during your turn, or if you wield two weapons, you need to use the full-attack action (a full-round action) to make the multiple attacks. From PH pg 150: "Cover: One of the best defenses available is cover. By taking cover behind a tree, a wall, the side of a wagon, or the battlements of a castle, you can protect yourself from attacks, especially ranged attacks, and also from being spotted. To determine whether your target has cover from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If 120 any line from this corner to any corner of the target’s square passes through a square or border that blocks line of effect or provides cover, or through a square occupied by a creature, the target has cover (+4 to AC)." To make a melee attack, your target must be within reach (usually adjacent to you if you're a Medium creature). To make a ranged attack, your target must be within range. You must have line of effect (at least one unbroken, straight, line from any corner of your space to any corner of your target's space) to make a melee or ranged attack. If one or more of those lines is blocked, your target has cover against your attack. If you're making a melee attack, your target has cover if any line between any corner of your square and any corner of your target's square is blocked. If you're making a ranged attack, pick any corner of your square. Your target has cover only if any line connecting that corner with any corner of the target's space is blocked. Remember that a natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1) on the attack roll is always a miss, no matter what your attack bonus or what your target's Armor Class. A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a hit, provided that you have line of effect to your target and your target is in reach (for a melee attack) or range (for a ranged attack). If you make a ranged attack at a target engaged in melee with a character friendly to you, you take a -4 penalty on your attack roll. Two creatures are engaged in melee if they are enemies of each other and either threatens the other. In this case, it's best to assume one creature threatens the other if it can make an armed or an unarmed melee attack against the other. (As noted earlier, you must be able to make an armed melee attack into a space to threaten that space.) A creature that cannot make any attacks is not considered engaged unless a foe is actually attacking it. In this case, a creature is being attacked when a foe has attacked during the current or previous round. If you have the Precise Shot feat, you can shoot or throw into a melee without the -4 penalty. If your target (or the part of the target you're aiming at, if it's a big target) is at least 10 feet away from the nearest friendly character, you can avoid the -4 penalty, even if the creature you're aiming at is engaged in melee with a friendly character. That's because you can easily aim your shot to avoid hitting your ally. If your attack succeeds, you deal damage and might inflict a critical hit as noted on page 139 in the Player's Handbook. As a nonaction while attacking, you can choose to fight defensively as noted on page 140 in the Player's Handbook. Making an armed melee attack doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. An unarmed melee attack provokes an attack of opportunity from your target if the target is armed. (A character could be considered armed even when she attacks without a weapon; see page 139 in the Player's Handbook.) A ranged attack provokes an attack of opportunity from every foe that threatens you when you make the attack. Cast a Spell Most spells require one standard action to cast. To cast any spell, you must provide any components the spell requires. See Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions for details. Casting a spell usually provokes an attack of opportunity from every foe that threatens you when you cast. As a nonaction, you can make a Concentration check to cast a spell defensively. Doing so allows you to cast the spell without provoking attacks of opportunity, but you must succeed at the Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell. Other conditions, such as poor weather, continuing damage, or hostile spells also can break your concentration; see the Concentration skill description in the Player's Handbook for details. If you cast a spell with a range of touch, you can touch one recipient as a nonaction that's part of the action you used to cast the spell. You also can opt to hold the charge for a spell with touch range. Though you can lose the charge by accident, you must use a standard action to deliver the spell where you want it. As a full-round action, you can touch up to six friends with a touch spell, but that's worthwhile with only a few spells. See Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions for details. Concentrate to Maintain a Spell Some spells require continued concentration to keep them going. Concentrating to maintain a spell doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity, but anything that could break your concentration when casting a spell can keep you from concentrating to maintain a spell. If your concentration breaks, the spell ends. Sometimes, you'll need to perform some other action to get the benefit from your spell. In most cases this is a nonaction that's part of the standard action you use to concentrate on the spell; an example is making a Spellcraft check to determine the school of a magical aura you've discovered with a detect magic spell. Activate a Magic Item Many magic items don't need to be activated, either because they work continuously or activate on their own when you use them; see Rules of the Game: Using Magic Items. You use a standard action to activate most items that require activation. As noted above, making a Use Magic Device skill check to help activate magic item is a nonaction you use as part of activating the item. Use Special Ability Using a special ability is usually a standard action, but whether it is a standard action, a full-round action, or not an action at all is defined by the ability. A spell-like ability requires a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity; see Rules of the Game: All About SpellLike Abilities for details. A supernatural ability usually requires a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, though sometimes using a supernatural ability is a nonaction or simply works when the user takes some other action. For example, energy drain works when the user makes a successful slam (or incorporeal touch) attack. Using an extraordinary ability is usually not an action because most extraordinary abilities automatically happen when the user takes some other action. Those extraordinary abilities that are actions are usually standard actions that cannot be disrupted, do not require concentration, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity. Total Defense This standard action gives you a dodge bonus to your Armor Class for 1 round; see page 142 in the Player's Handbook for details. The bonus lasts from the moment you declare the total defense action until the beginning of your next turn. You can use a move action either before or after you declare the action, but you're better off if you declare the action, then use a move action (because you get the benefit of total defense against any attacks of opportunity provoked by your move action). From PH pg 142: "Total Defense: You can defend yourself as a standard action. You get a +4 dodge bonus to your AC for 1 round. Your AC improves at the start of this action, so it helps you against any attacks of opportunity you incur during the round. You can't combine total defense with fighting defensively or with the benefit of the Combat Expertise 121 feat (since both of those require you to declare an attack or full attack). You can't make attacks of opportunity while using total defense." Start or Complete a Full-Round Action This standard action lets you start a full-round action and finish it the following round by using another standard action. You can't use this action to start or complete a full attack, charge, run, or withdraw. You can use this action to begin or complete a spell with a full-round casting time, to perform a coup de grace, or to begin or complete moving 5 feet through difficult terrain (see Rules of the Game: All About Movement. As with any other standard action, you can use a move action either before or after starting or completing the full-round action (provided you have both a standard action and move action available during your turn). If you use this action to start a full-round action and fail to use another standard action to complete the full-round during the following turn, your previous standard action is wasted. Move Actions As noted above, a move action either moves you across the battlefield a distance equal to your speed (or less) or is something that takes a similar amount of time. As noted earlier too, you can substitute a move action for a standard action, but not vice versa. This allows you to use one or two move actions each round. Leaving a threatened space using a move action provokes an attack of opportunity, though there are ways to avoid triggering an attack of opportunity, such as using the Tumble skill. Move You use this action to move up to your speed. If you choose to travel across the battlefield at less than your speed, you still use up a whole move action. This helps simplify play. Accelerated Climbing You can climb up to one-half your speed as a move action by accepting a -5 penalty on your Climb check. All the normal risks and penalties involved in climbing apply to acceleratedclimbing; see the Climb skill description in the Player's Handbook. Crawling You can crawl 5 feet as a move action. Crawling incurs attacks of opportunity from any attackers who threaten you at any point of your crawl. This means that you trigger an attack of opportunity when you enter or leave a threatened space by crawling. Drawing or Sheathing a Weapon Drawing a weapon so that you can use it in combat, or putting it away so that you have a free hand, usually is a move action. If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, drawing (but not sheathing) a weapon is a nonaction that you can take along with a regular move (that is, a move action that you use to move up to your speed across the battlefield). If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can draw two weapons (either light or one-handed weapons) either as a move action or as a nonaction along with a regular move. The draw a weapon action (and nonaction) also applies to weaponlike objects carried in easy reach. The rules don't give much guidance about which objects are "weaponlike," other than to use a wand as an example. As a practical matter, I suggest treating any object that is no bigger than a weapon for the character as weaponlike for this purpose. To be retrieved as a weapon, the weaponlike object also has to be stored in some convenient place, such as a sheath or loop in a belt or on some kind of harness or bandoleer. Drawing ammunition for use with a ranged weapon (such as arrows, bolts, sling bullets, or shuriken) is a free action. The Quick Draw feat allows you to draw (but not sheathe) a weapon as a free action during your turn. If you also have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can draw two weapons as a free action during your turn. Though the rules don't say so, it is reasonable to assume that you also can use Quick Draw to draw weaponlike objects. Readying or Loosing a Shield Strapping a shield to your arm to gain its shield bonus to your Armor Class is a move action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The rules don't specifically say so, but to ready a shield as a move action you must carry it on your person (perhaps strapped to your back). If you pick up a shield off the ground, that takes a separate move action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Unstrapping and dropping a shield so you can use your shield hand for another purpose requires a move action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity (to unstrap it) and a free action (to drop it). You also can merely loose the shield and keep it on your person, usually by slinging it over your back by a strap. If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you can ready or loose a shield as a free action combined with a regular move. Manipulating an Item Moving, lifting, storing, retrieving, or otherwise handling an item is a move action. See Table 8-2 in the Player's Handbook for variations on this action and which variations provoke attacks of opportunity. Directing an Existing Spell Some spells, such as flaming sphere, allow you to redirect the effect to new targets or areas while the spell lasts. Directing a spell requires a move action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity or require concentration. Standing Up When you're prone (lying down), standing up requires a move action and provokes attacks of opportunity.See Rules of the Game: All About Movement for variations on standing up. Mounting or Dismounting a Steed You can mount or get off a steed no more than one size category bigger than you as a move action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. With a DC 20 Ride check, you can mount or dismount a steed no more than one size category bigger than you as a free action, provided that you have at least one move action available to you during the current turn at the time you attempt the mount or dismount. For example, if you ride your mount for a double move, you've exhausted your 122 move actions for the round and cannot dismount during the same round, even with a Ride check. See the Ride skill description in the Player's Handbook or Rules of the Game: All About Movement for more on mounting and dismounting. Full-Round Actions As noted above, a full-round action uses up all your time in a round. You can't combine a full-round action with a standard or a move action, though if your full-round action does not involve moving any distance, you can take a 5-foot step. Remember that you complete a full-round action during your turn. You do not have to wait until the next round to complete the action (unless you use two standard actions to start the action during one turn and finish it the next; see above). Full Attack This works just like the attack standard action except that you can make any extra attacks you have available because of your base attack bonus or equipment. You do not need to specify the targets of your attacks ahead of time. You can see how the earlier attacks turn out before assigning the later ones. You decide between the full attack and attack actions after you make your first attack. If you decide to use a move action after attacking, then your first attack is considered the attack standard action. Even if you choose the full attack action, you can take a 5-foot step before, after, or during the action. You can interrupt your attacks with a 5-foot step to bring new opponents within reach. Cast a Spell Spells with 1 round casting times break the rule about completing full-round actions during your turn. You use a full-round action to cast the spell, but the spell comes into effect just before the beginning of your turn in the round after you began casting the spell. When a spell takes longer than 1 round to cast, you use a full-round action each turn for the entire casting time, and the spell takes effect just before your turn the round after you finish. For example, a spell with a 1-minute casting time comes into effect just before your turn 1 minute later. Your full-round actions must be consecutive and uninterrupted, or the spell automatically fails. You can, however, take a 5-foot step each round you spend casting. When you begin a spell that takes 1 round or longer to cast, you must continue the invocations, gestures, and concentration from one round to just before your turn in the next round (at least). If you lose concentration after starting the spell and before it is complete, you lose the spell. Any material or XP components the spell requires are used up when you begin the spell. You provoke attacks of opportunity only when you begin casting a spell, even though you might continue casting for at least 1 full round. While casting a spell, you don't threaten any squares around you. Spontaneous spellcasters, such as sorcerers and bards, must use at least a full-round action to cast spells modified with metamagic feats. If such a spell has a casting time of less than 1 round, the character uses one full-round action to cast the spell, and the spell takes effect on the character's turn (see page 88 in the Player's Handbook). If the spell has a casting time of 1 round or longer, the spellcaster must use an extra full-round action to complete the spell. From PH pg 188: "Spontaneous Casting and Metamagic Feats: A cleric spontaneously casting a cure or inflict spell can cast a metamagic version of it instead. For instance, an 11th-level cleric can swap out a prepared 6th-level spell to cast an empowered cure critical wounds spell. Extra time is also required in this case. Casting a 1-action metamagic spell spontaneously is a full-round action, and a spell with a longer casting time takes an extra full-round action to cast." Use Special Ability As noted above, using a special ability is usually a standard action, but some may be full-round actions, as defined in the ability description. Withdraw When you withdraw, you can move up to double your speed. The space you start out in is not considered threatened by any opponent you can see, and therefore visible enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against you when you move from that space. (Enemies you cannot see still get attacks of opportunity against you, and you can't withdraw from combat if you're blinded.) The withdraw action doesn't exempt you from attacks of opportunity when you leave spaces other than the first one you exit during the withdraw action. Because you move when you withdraw, you cannot take a 5-foot step during the same turn. If you're limited to a standard action during your turn, you can withdraw as a standard action. Run When you run, you can move up to four times your speed in a straight line (or three times your speed if you're in heavy armor). You lose any Dexterity bonus to AC unless you have the Run feat. You can run for only a limited time; see page 144 in the Player's Handbook. You can't run if the terrain slows your movement or if you can't see where you're going. Move 5 Feet Through Difficult Terrain In some situations, your movement may be so hampered that you don't have sufficient speed even to move 5 feet (a single square). In such a case, you may spend a full-round action to move 5 feet (1 square) in any direction, even diagonally. Even though this looks like a 5-foot step, it's not (you can't take a 5-foot step if your movement is hampered), and thus it provokes attacks of opportunity normally. Special Actions Most special actions are standard actions or nonactions. Aid Another As a standard action, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. The opponent must be within melee reach. You make an attack roll against Armor Class 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next melee attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to Armor Class against that opponent's next melee attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and the bonuses stack. You also can use this action to assist with a skill check, as noted on page 154 of the Player's Handbook. From PH pg 154: "Aid Another: In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you're in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee 123 combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent's next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack." Bull Rush You perform a bull rush as a standard action (the attack action) or as part of a charge. You must move into your foe's space to initiate a bull rush. If you're charging, moving into the foe's space is part of your charge movement (this is an exception to the general rule against charging through occupied spaces). If you're bull rushing with the attack action, you must move into the foe's space using a move action or a 5-foot step. See page 154 of the Player's Handbook for more information on bull rushing. Charge The charge action lets you move up to twice your speed in a straight line and make a single melee attack. If you're limited to standard actions during your turn, you can charge as a standard action, moving up to your speed. Because you move when you charge, you cannot take a 5-foot step during the same turn. See page 154 of the Player's Handbook for more information on charging. Disarm You can attempt to disarm someone as a melee attack. You usually use the attack or full attack action for a disarm, but you also can disarm as an attack of opportunity. You can knock something out of a creature's hands with the disarm action, or you can use a free hand to snatch away something. In the latter case, you wind up with the target item in your hand if the disarm succeeds. See page 155 of the Player's Handbook for more information on disarming. Feint Feinting is a standard action you use in melee combat. It does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The rules don't say so, but you may want to assume that your foe does not notice a successful feint attempt. If a player character is subjected to feint attempt, the DM should make the required opposed check (see page 155 in the Player's Handbook) secretly. To take advantage of a successful feint, you must make a melee attack against your foe on or before your next turn. If you cannot make the attack in time, the feint is wasted. The Improved Feint feat allows you to feint as a move action. Grapple You grapple using the attack or full-attack action. Grappling requires several steps; see Page 155 in the Player's Handbook and Rules of the Game: All About Grappling. Initially in a grapple, you grab your foe as an attack action; all the opposed grapple checks you make after that to resolve the grapple attempt are nonactions for you and for your opponent. Because you grapple as a melee attack, you can initiate a grapple as an attack of opportunity. If you begin your turn with a foe in your grasp (or vice versa), your initial grapple check to affect your foe (or escape) is an attack action and the check your foe makes to resist you is a nonaction. Overrun You attempt an overrun as a standard action that you take concurrently with a move action. This means that you can move up to your speed when overrunning. (As noted in the errata for the Player's Handbook, you cannot overrun as part of a charge.) See page 157 in the Player's Handbook for more information on overruns. Sunder You can attempt to sunder an object as a melee attack. You usually use the attack or full attack action for a sunder, but you also can sunder as an attack of opportunity. Throw Splash Weapon You throw a splash weapon as a ranged attack. It takes a move action to draw a splash weapon (though if it is stored in easy reach, you can draw it as a nonaction as part of a move or as a free action with the Quick Draw feat). You use the attack or full attack action to throw a splash weapon. If your splash weapon requires any special preparations, such as lighting a wick, you need a full-round action to prepare the weapon. The splash weapon descriptions in Chapter 7 of the Player's Handbook (acid, alchemist's fire, and holy water) make no mention of preparation and I recommend that DMs simply allow characters to draw and throw these weapons. Save the prepare splash weapon action for improvised splash weapons such as flasks of lamp oil. Trip You can attempt to trip someone as a melee attack. You usually use the attack or full attack action for a trip, but you also can trip as an attack of opportunity. Tripping usually is an unarmed attack, but you can use some weapons to make trip attacks as well. Refer to the weapon's description to determine if it's useful for tripping. Turn or Rebuke Undead You turn or rebuke as a standard action that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity, which is the norm for a supernatural ability. The rules don't say so, but it may help to treat a turn or rebuke as a supernatural effect that fills a burst (60 feet in the case of a cleric or paladin, though be aware that it has a maximum number of targets it can affect, and the effect cannot exceed a designated HD cap). See page 159 in the Player's Handbook for details on turning and rebuking. Two-Weapon Fighting As noted above, you must use the full attack action to attack with multiple weapons. Ready You can use a standard action to prepare another action later in the round. Readying does not provoke an attack of opportunity. 124 You can ready a standard action, a move action, or a free action; regardless of the readied action, it always costs you a standard action to ready it. When you ready, you must specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. It pays to be as general as possible when specifying conditions. For example, it's far better to prepare to shoot the first creature that comes around a corner than the first orc that comes around the corner (unless you really are interested in shooting only orcs, or if you're concerned that an ally may come around the corner). When in doubt, ask your DM how specific you must be. If you do not take your readied action by the time your next turn comes, your opportunity to act is lost, but you can ready your action (or another action) again. When you take a readied action, your initiative number changes, as noted on page 160 of the Player's Handbook. When you take your readied action, you usually resolve your action before resolving whatever triggered the readied action. For example, if you readied to shoot a creature coming around a corner, you take the shot before your foe completes his movement. You can use a readied action to disrupt an enemy's spell or deal extra damage to a charging enemy, as noted in the Player's Handbook. From PH pg 160: "Initiative Consequences of Readying: Your initiative result becomes the count on which you took the readied action. If you come to your next action and have not yet performed your readied action, you don't get to take the readied action (though you can ready the same action again). If you take your readied action in the next round, before your regular turn comes up, your initiative count rises to that new point in the order of battle, and you do not get your regular action that round." From PH pg 160: "Distracting Spellcasters: You can ready an attack against a spellcaster with the trigger "if she starts casting a spell." If you damage the spellcaster, she may lose the spell she was trying to cast (as determined by her Concentration check result). Readying a Weapon against a Charge: You can ready certain piercing weapons, setting them to receive charges (see Table 7-5: Weapons, page 116). A readied weapon of this type deals double damage if you score a hit with it against a charging character." Delay Delay is a nonaction you use to put off your turn until a point in the initiative order that's more favorable to you. You act normally (that is you can choose from the menu of actions noted above) when you finally decide to act. When you finally take your delayed action, your initiative number changes, as noted on page 160 of the Player's Handbook. If you delay until another creature's turn, you can choose to act either before or after that creature acts, but of you choose to act before the creature, you must do so before you know what that creature will do. From PH pg 160: "Initiative Consequences of Delaying: Your initiative result becomes the count on which you took the delayed action. If you come to your next action and have not yet performed an action, you don't get to take a delayed action (though you can delay again). If you take a delayed action in the next round, before your regular turn comes up, your initiative count rises to that new point in the order of battle, and you do not get your regular action that round." Readying vs. Delaying Readying gives you fewer options than delaying, but readying also allows you to interrupt a foe's action, as noted above. 125 Constructs Foreword The cast of villains in the D&D game includes a host of creatures that range from the familiar, such as animals and humanoids, to the utterly alien, such as aberrations and undead. Constructs fit into the unfamiliar end of the spectrum. Many players and DMs have some difficulty understanding what makes these creatures tick (though few constructs literally tick). The addition of living constructs in Monster Manual III clouds the picture further. This month, we'll work on demystifying the construct creature type. We'll start with a few basics. What Is A Creature? A construct is a kind of creature. According to the glossary in the Player's Handbook, a creature is a living or otherwise active being that is not an object. Unfortunately, the glossary doesn't include an entry for objects. So what's the difference between a creature and an object? The Monster Manual glossary gives us a clue. A creature has both a Charisma score, which gives it self-awareness, and a Wisdom score, which gives it perception. In the D&D game, perception and self-awareness come as a set -- you don't have one without the other. Anything that lacks Charisma and Wisdom scores is an object, not a creature. In this case, self-awareness can be rudimentary. In game terms, anything capable of distinguishing between itself and that which is not itself to any degree at all is self-aware. From page 312 of the Monster Manual: Nonabilities: Some creatures lack certain ability scores. These creatures do not have an ability score of 0--they lack the ability altogether. The modifier for a nonability is +0. Other effects of nonabilities are detailed below. Strength: Any creature that can physically manipulate other objects has at least 1 point of Strength. A creature with no Strength score can't exert force, usually because it has no physical body (a spectre, for example) or because it doesn't move (a shrieker). The creature automatically fails Strength checks. If the creature can attack, it applies its Dexterity modifier to its base attack bonus instead of a Strength modifier. Dexterity: Any creature that can move has at least 1 point of Dexterity. A creature with no Dexterity score can't move (a shrieker, for example). If it can perform actions (such as casting spells), it applies its Intelligence modifier to initiative checks instead of a Dexterity modifier. The creature automatically fails Reflex saves and Dexterity checks. Constitution: Any living creature has at least 1 point of Constitution. A creature with no Constitution has no body (a spectre, for example) or no metabolism (a golem). It is immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect works on objects or is harmless. For example, a zombie is unaffected by any type of poison but is susceptible to a disintegrate spell. The creature is also immune to ability damage, ability drain, and energy drain, and automatically fails Constitution checks. A creature with no Constitution cannot tire and thus can run indefinitely without tiring (unless the creature's description says it cannot run). Intelligence: Any creature that can think, learn, or remember has at least 1 point of Intelligence. A creature with no Intelligence score is mindless, an automaton operating on simple instincts or programmed instructions. It has immunity to mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects) and automatically fails Intelligence checks. Mindless creatures do not gain feats or skills, although they may have bonus feats or racial skill bonuses. Wisdom: Any creature that can perceive its environment in any fashion has at least 1 point of Wisdom. Anything with no Wisdom score is an object, not a creature. Anything without a Wisdom score also has no Charisma score. Charisma: Any creature capable of telling the difference between itself and things that are not itself has at least 1 point of Charisma. Anything with no Charisma score is an object, not a creature. Anything without a Charisma score also has no Wisdom score. Philosophers can argue about whether the D&D game's method of distinguishing between creatures and objects is valid, but the definition works for game purposes. It's worth noting that in the D&D game, some objects are alive and some creatures are not. A tree, for example, is a living thing. It lacks a Charisma and a Wisdom score, however, and is an object. The D&D game teems with unliving creatures, including undead and constructs. It's also worth noting that you can mimic perception. For example, a trap that fires an arrow when someone trips a wire could be said to have a limited ability to perceive intruders. In game terms, however, true perception requires a Wisdom score (and consequentially a Charisma score). Construct Traits The Monster Manual glossary includes a brief entry stating what distinguishes a construct from another kind of creature. Here are a few notes to flesh out the glossary entry. Artificial Beings An object animated with the animate objectspell is a construct. So are most creatures that are built through some artificial means rather than bred, cloned, sprouted, or created through any natural process. Not all artificial creatures are constructs. Spells such as animate dead and create undead produce undead creatures, not constructs. The simulacrum spell creates a duplicate of some other creature and the duplicate has the same creature type as the original. In general, a construct is a unique kind of creature, not a previously existing creature brought back from death or an attempt to copy another creature. A construct also usually is built up, piece by piece (except in the case of an animated object) from inert materials. Unassailable Mind Many constructs have no Intelligence scores and no minds. This gives them immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). Constructs that have Intelligence scores effectively have minds hardwired into their bodies -- their minds aren't subject to outside manipulation and they have the same immunities that mindless constructs have. 126 Unliving A construct is not alive. It has no Constitution score and it has no biological processes to disrupt (or to sustain it, either). This gives a construct several benefits and a few drawbacks. Constructs don't eat, sleep, or breathe, and most constructs cannot do any of these things. One could, however, build a construct that can mimic these activities. Constructs lack nervous systems, circulatory systems, and vital organs. As a consequence, a construct isn't subject to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and necromancy effects. A construct also is not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain. The rules don't say so, but a construct also cannot be nauseated or sickened. A living construct can use the run action, but doing so will tire it out, as noted on page 144 in the Player's Handbook. A living construct suffers all the normal effects of a forced march (see page 164 in the Player's Handbook). A regular construct can run or force march without tiring. The lack of any biological activity in a construct's body leaves it immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless. When dealing with a spell, see the spell's area, target, or effect entry to determine if the spell affects objects. See the spell's saving throw and spell resistance entries to determine if the spell is harmless. Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions contains further notes on determining what a spell can affect. A construct's unliving body cannot heal damage on its own unless the construct also has the fast healing special quality. However, one could repair damage to a construct through the Craft Construct feat (see below). The various cure wounds spells from the Player's Handbook don't work on constructs. Specific spells or effects noted in the construct's description can restore hit points a construct has lost. For example, fire heals damage an iron golem has suffered. Certain arcane spells, such as the repair damage spells from the Complete Arcane, also can remove damage from a construct. A living creature's body is subject to premature death if it suffers a massive shock or injury sufficient to disrupt its biological functions. In the D&D game, the death from massive damage rule (see page 145 in the Player's Handbook) represents this vulnerability. A living creature also has the ability to cling to life and recover from wounds that render it nonfunctional. The rules for death and dying (see pages 145-146 in the Player's Handbook) represent this capacity. A construct's hit points represent its body's total ability to withstand punishment and keep functioning. It has no biological functions to disrupt, but it also has nothing to keep it hovering on death's door when badly injured. It is not subject to the death from massive damage rule; however, it is immediately destroyed (broken into junk) when reduced to 0 hit points or less. Since it was never alive, a construct cannot be raised or resurrected. Mass Equals Hit Points Destroying a construct requires smashing so much of its structure that it literally falls apart. A construct gains bonus hit points based on size, as shown on page 307 in the Monster Manual. Standard Senses All constructs in the D&D game can see unless otherwise noted in their descriptions. Vision is either built into the construct or magically bestowed through the spell or ritual that animates it. All constructs have low-light vision and darkvision with a range of 60 feet. The rules don't say so, but it's a reasonable assumption that a typical construct sees at least as well as typical human does when it does not have to rely on low-light vision or darkvision. Constructs have no special ability or inability to hear sounds, and it's reasonable to assume that a construct hears at least as well as a human unless its description says otherwise. Constructs don't eat, so it's a pretty good bet they don't have a sense of taste or smell. A construct's immunity to critical hits and death from massive damage suggests that it doesn't have much of a sense of pain, though a construct with an Intelligence score probably has some way to assess how much damage it has suffered. Likewise, a construct also probably doesn't have much sense of touch. It probably can recognize some textures. I imagine a construct probably can feel about as well as a human wearing a pair of household work gloves. Building a Construct The easiest way to make a construct requires a suitable object and an animate objectsspell. If you're not satisfied with a mere animated object, however, you have to put in a bigger effort. Creating a fairly elaborate construct such as a golem or shield guardian requires the Craft Construct feat (described on page 303 in the Monster Manual). Craft Construct [Item Creation] The creature can create golems and other magic automatons that obey its orders. Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item. Benefit: A creature with this feat can create any construct whose prerequisites it meets. Enchanting a construct takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its market price. To enchant a construct, a spellcaster must spend 1/25 the item's price in XP and use up raw materials costing half of this price (see the Golem, Homunculus, and Shield Guardian monster entries for details). A creature with this feat can repair constructs that have taken damage. In one day of work, the creature can repair up to 20 points of damage by expending 50 gp per point of damage repaired. A newly created construct has average hit points for its Hit Dice. The process of construct creation is just like creating a magic item. The process is described in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide and in Rules of the Game: Making Magic Items. Here are the highlights: Prerequisites A construct has a list of prerequisites, which is included in the creation section of the construct's description. A list of prerequisites might include one or more feats, spells, and miscellaneous requirements such as level, alignment, skills, and race or kind. A construct's creator must have a caster level high enough to cast any prerequisite spell the construct has. In most cases, the construct's creator must provide any required spells personally; you can't have another character cast them for you, but you can use a scroll that you activate yourself. Cost A construct's description (usually) includes a market price and a cost to create the construct. To calculate the creation cost for a construct, subtract the cost of any special materials the construct requires from the market price. Divide the remainder in half. The result you get represents the basic materials you must buy to build the construct. This basic cost includes the 127 cost of the construct's body. Most construct descriptions include a separate cost for the body to allow DMs and players to use the Craft skill to create the body. The total cost to create the construct is the basic cost plus the cost of special materials. For example, a construct with a market price of 100,000 gp and 10,000 gp worth of required special materials has a creation cost of 55,000 gp. (Here's the math: 100,000 - 10,000 = 90,000; then 90,000/2=45,000; then 45,000 + 10,000 = 55,000 gp.) Making the construct also requires experience points equal to 1/25th the market price minus the cost of special materials. The construct from the previous example has an XP cost of 3,600. You can make an advanced version of a construct (one that has more Hit Dice than shown in the creature description). Each extra Hit Die adds 5,000 gp to the construct's market price. If you add enough Hit Dice to increase the construct's size, add an extra 50,000 gp to the construct's market price. Time For every 1,000 gp in a construct's market price (or fraction of 1,000 gp), the creator must spend one day working on the construct. The construct from the previous example would require 100 days of work. Environment Creating a construct requires peace, quiet, and comfort, just as preparing spells does (even when the creator doesn't need to prepare spells). Any location a character uses for construct creation also must have enough space to hold any special equipment and materials the construct requires. Equipment Some constructs also require a specially equipped laboratory similar to an alchemist's lab. The cost for setting up such a laboratory (if it is required at all) is given in the construct's description. The cost for a lab is not included in the construct's market price or base price. Once you set up a lab, you can use it over and over again. Repairing a Construct If you have the Craft Construct feat, you can repair damage that a construct has taken. With one day of work and an expenditure of 50 gp per hit point repaired, you can repair up to 20 points of damage to a single construct. You don't need to make a check to repair a golem, but your DM might want to require one. Use the same Craft skill and DC required to make the construct's body. For example, repairing an iron golem requires a DC 20 Armorsmithing or Weaponsmithing check. It's also reasonable to assume that construct repair also requires a set of artisan's tools. Construct Encounters A construct that has an Intelligence score acts pretty much like any other creature during an encounter. It reacts and creates strategies to the best of its ability. A mindless construct, however, often proves more difficult to run. Many constructs can offer foes a few surprises as well. Mindlessness It's helpful to think of a mindless construct as a fairly simple robot that has just enough built-in programming to allow it to get along in its environment. It can recognize and avoid barriers, obstacles, and hazards. For example, it won't walk into walls or tumble into uncovered pits. It also can operate very simple devices such as levers, pulleys, and doorknobs. Mindless constructs aren't aggressive (but see below). If attacked, however, they return the favor. The construct strikes at whoever damages it. A mindless construct has no ability to learn and effectively has no memory, but it can retain and act on simple instructions. A mindless construct's orders must be simple and clear, but they can be general. As a rule of thumb, I recommend keeping instructions to things that can be expressed in 25 words or less, using simple words. Keep in mind that a mindless construct has no capacity to reason and cannot fill in gaps or omissions in its instructions. Also remember that a construct can see and hear, but doesn't have a sense of smell and not much sense of touch (see above). In general, a mindless construct responds only to visual or audible triggers. Spotting a Construct Most constructs resemble inanimate objects when they aren't moving themselves. A simple animated object is indistinguishable from a regular object until it moves (though a detect magic spell will reveal the magic aura from the spell that animates the object). When an animated object moves or acts, it's fairly obvious the object isn't quite normal. A character can make a DC 26 Spellcraft check to note the spell in play. Permanent constructs, such as golems, usually offer a few clues that can alert an observant adventurer to its true nature, even when at rest. Such clues can include articulated joints, gemlike eyes, and weaponry and bits of equipment that aren't part of the creature's main structure. A DC 20 Spellcraft or Knowledge (arcana) check ought to be sufficient to reveal these clues. Living Construct Traits A living construct is built from a combination of organic and inorganic materials, much like any other construct, except that some of the organic material is either living or imbued with life during the creation process. For example, the warforged living constructs from the Eberron Campaign Setting have bundles of rootlike fibers that serve as muscles. In any case, this fusion of living and nonliving elements makes for a unique creature with characteristics all its own. Vulnerable Minds Most living constructs have Intelligence scores. Those that do have organic minds (or the artificial equivalent) are susceptible to mind-affecting magic. Living, But Tough A living construct has a Constitution score and at least rudimentary biological processes. Living constructs don't eat, sleep, or breathe, and most living constructs cannot do any of these things. One could, however, build a living construct that can mimic these activities. The living tissues in a living construct are either self sustaining or 128 capable of drawing nourishment from the environment in some non-intrusive way. In any case, a living construct's need for sustenance is so small it can live indefinitely without breathing or eating. A living construct may or may not have a nervous system and a circulatory system. If it does, these systems are very hardy and difficult to disrupt. A living construct isn't subject to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, fatigue, exhaustion, energy drain, nausea, or sickening. A living construct can use the run action, but doing so will tire it out, as noted on page 144 in the Player's Handbook. A living construct suffers all the normal effects of a forced march (see page 164 in the Player's Handbook). Run You can run as a full-round action. (If you do, you do not also get a 5-foot step.) When you run, you can move up to four times your speed in a straight line (or three times your speed if you're in heavy armor). You lose any Dexterity bonus to AC since you can't avoid attacks, unless you have the Run feat (page 99), which allows you to keep your Dexterity bonus to AC when running. You can run for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution score, but after that you must make a DC 10 Constitution check to continue running. You must check again each round in which you continue to run, and the DC of this check increases by 1 for each check you have made. When you fail this check, you must stop running. A character who has run to his limit must rest for 1 minute (10 rounds) before running again. During a rest period, a character can move no faster than a normal move action. Forced March In a day of normal walking, a character walks for 8 hours. The rest of the daylight time is spent making and breaking camp, resting, and eating. A character can walk for more than 8 hours in a day by making a forced march. For each hour of marching beyond 8 hours, a Constitution check (DC 10, +2 per extra hour) is required. If the check fails, the character takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A character who takes any nonlethal damage from a forced march becomes fatigued. Eliminating the nonlethal damage also eliminates the fatigue. It's possible for a character to march into unconsciousness by pushing himself too hard. A living construct has some life process that are subject to failure and the creature is vulnerable to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, death effects, and necromancy effects. The low level of biological activity in a living construct's body leaves it susceptible to effects that require Fortitude saves unless the effect is one that is listed in the previous paragraph. Since it is alive, a construct can be raised or resurrected if slain. Thanks to the inorganic elements in a living construct's body and the rudimentary nature of its biological components, a living construct cannot heal damage on its own unless it also has the fast healing special quality. It is possible, however, to repair damage to a living construct through the Craft Construct feat (see above). The various cure wounds spells from the Player's Handbook work on living constructs, but only at half effect; roll the spell's effect as usual, but divide the amount of healing in half, rounded down. The repair damage spells from Complete Arcane have full effect on a living construct. Though the Eberron Campaign Setting describes how a warforged can be repaired by a character with ranks in certain Craft skills, this does not extend to all living constructs." A living construct's body is subject to premature death if it suffers a massive shock or injury sufficient to disrupt its biological functions. A living construct is subject to the death from massive damage rule (see page 145 in the Player's Handbook). A living construct also has the ability to cling to life when heavily damaged. Most rules for death and dying (see pages 145-146 in the Player's Handbook) apply to living constructs, except as noted here. A living construct reduced to 0 hit points is disabled and limited to only a single standard or move action each turn. A strenuous activity, however, doesn't deal any damage to the disabled living construct. For example, a warforged wizard with 0 hit points could cast a spell as a standard action. The character could not use a move action during the same turn. Unlike a human wizard, casting the spell while disabled would not damage the warforged wizard. A living construct with fewer than 0 hit points, but more than -10 hit points is inert. The creature is helpless and unconscious. The living construct, however, is automatically stable. It doesn't lose any more hit points unless something deals the creature more damage. Constitution, Not Mass A living construct gains (or loses) hit points based on its Hit Dice and Constitution modifier. A living construct does not gain any bonus hit points due to size. Standard Senses Living constructs don't automatically have low-light vision and darkvision with a range of 60 feet (though they could have these abilities; check the creature's description to be sure). Unless stated otherwise in the creature's description, assume that a living construct can see, hear, taste, touch, and smell at least as well as a human can. 129 Familiars Foreword Managing a familiar can prove taxing for DMs and players alike. Exactly how vulnerable is a familiar during combat? What can the master do to protect the familiar? What happens to the familiar when the master and familiar must enter a dangerous environment together, such as traversing a fiery corridor or going underwater? Exactly what can the familiar communicate with the master? Familiar Basics Basic rules The sidebar on pages 52-54 of the Player's Handbook details a familiar's abilities and the advantages it brings to the master. Here's an overview, along with a few comments and clarifications. All the following traits and features apply to a familiar for as long as it remains a familiar -- that is, for as long as the familiar and the master are both alive and the master has not chosen to dismiss the familiar. Familiars and their masters Familiars are magically linked to their masters. In some sense, the familiar and the master are practically one being. That's why, for example, the master can cast a personal range spell on a familiar even though he can normally cast such a spell only on himself. A familiar is a normal animal that gains new powers and becomes a magical beast when summoned to service by a sorcerer or wizard. It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but it is treated as a magical beast instead of an animal for the purpose of any effect that depends on its type. Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar. Thus, a druid/sorcerer can't use her animal companion as a familiar. A familiar also grants special abilities to its master (a sorcerer or wizard), as given on the table below. These special abilities apply only when the master and familiar are within 1 mile of each other. Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars (such as sorcerer and wizard) stack for the purpose of determining any familiar abilities that depend on the master's level. Familiar Special Notes Bat Master gains a +3 bonus on Listen checks Cat Master gains a +3 bonus on Move Silently checks Hawk Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in bright light Lizard Master gains a +3 bonus on Climb checks Owl Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in shadows Rat Master gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves Raven Master gains a +3 bonus on Appraise checks A raven familiar can speak one language of its master's choice as a supernatural ability. Snake Master gains a +3 bonus on Bluff checks Tiny viper Toad Master gains +3 hit points Weasel Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves Statistics Use the basic statistics for a creature of the familiar's kind, as given in the Monster Manual, but make the following changes Hit Dice For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master's character level or the familiar's normal HD total, whichever is higher. Hit Points The familiar has one-half the master's total hit points (not including temporary hit points), rounded down, regardless of its actual Hit Dice. For example, at 2nd level, Hennet has 9 hit points, so his familiar has 4. Attacks Use the master's base attack bonus, as calculated from all his classes. Use the familiar's Dexterity or Strength modifier, whichever is greater, to get the familiar's melee attack bonus with natural weapons. Damage equals that of a normal creature of the familiar's kind. Saving Throws For each saving throw, use either the familiar's base save bonus (Fortitude +2, Reflex +2, Will +0) or the master's (as calculated from all his classes), whichever is better. The familiar uses its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn't share any of the other bonuses that the master might have on saves (from magic items or feats, for example). Skills For each skill in which either the master or the familiar has ranks, use either the normal skill ranks for an animal of that type or the master's skill ranks, whichever are better. In either case, the familiar uses its own ability modifiers. Regardless of a familiar's total skill modifiers, some skills (such as Craft) may remain beyond the familiar's ability to use. Familiar Ability Descriptions All familiars have special abilities (or impart abilities to their masters) depending on the master's combined level in classes that grant familiars, as shown on the table below. The abilities given on the table are cumulative. Master Class Level Natural Armor Adj Int. Special 1st-2nd +1 6 Alertness, improved evasion, share spells, empathic link 3rd-4th +2 7 Deliver touch spells 5th-6th +3 8 Speak with master 7th-8th +4 9 Speak with animals of its kind 9th-10th +5 10 11th-12th +6 11 Spell resistance 13th-14th +7 12 Scry on familiar 130 15th-16th +8 13 17th-18th +9 14 19th-20th +10 15 Natural Armor Adjustment The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar's existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of a spellcaster's familiar. Intelligence The familiar's Intelligence score. Familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people. Alertness (Ex) The presence of the familiar sharpens its master's senses. While a familiar is within arm's reach, the master gains the Alertness feat (see Player’s Handbook page 89). Improved Evasion (Ex) When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails. Share Spells At the master's option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of "You" on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar's type (magical beast). Empathic Link (Su) The master has an empathic link with his familiar out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master cannot see through the familiar's eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content (such as fear, hunger, happiness, curiosity) can be communicated. Note that the low Intelligence of a low-level master's familiar limits what the creature is able to communicate or understand, and even intelligent familiars see the world differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always possible. Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does. For instance, if his familiar has seen a room, the master can teleport into that room as if he has seen it too. Deliver Touch Spells (Su) If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the "toucher." The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates. Speak with Master (Ex) If the master is 5th level or higher, a familiar and the master can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help. Speak with Animals of Its Kind (Ex) If the master is 7th level or higher, a familiar can communicate with animals of approximately the same kind as itself (including dire varieties): bats with bats, rats with rodents, cats with felines, hawks and owls and ravens with birds, lizards and snakes with reptiles, toads with amphibians, weasels with similar creatures of the family Mustelidae (weasels, minks, polecats, ermines, skunks, wolverines, and badgers). Such communication is limited by the intelligence of the conversing creatures. Spell Resistance (Ex) If the master is 11th level or higher, a familiar gains spell resistance equal to the master's level + 5. To affect the familiar with a spell, another spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level; see Spell Resistance, page 177) that equals or exceeds the familiar's spell resistance. Scry on Familiar (Sp) If the master is 13th level or higher, he may scry on his familiar (as if casting the scrying spell) once per day. Obtaining and losing familiars A sorcerer can obtain a familiar. Doing so takes 24 hours and uses up magical materials that cost 100 gp. A familiar is a magical beast that resembles a small animal and is unusually tough and intelligent. The creature serves as a companion and servant. The sorcerer chooses the kind of familiar he gets. As the sorcerer advances in level, his familiar also increases in power. If the familiar dies or is dismissed by the sorcerer, the sorcerer must attempt a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw. Failure means he loses 200 experience points per sorcerer level; success reduces the loss to one-half that amount. However, a sorcerer's experience point total can never go below 0 as the result of a familiar's demise or dismissal. For example, suppose that Hennet is a 3rd-level sorcerer with 3,230 XP when his owl familiar is killed by a bugbear. Hennet makes a successful saving throw, so he loses 300 XP, dropping him below 3,000 XP and back to 2nd level (see the Dungeon Master's Guide for rules for losing levels). A slain or dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and day. A slain familiar can be raised from the dead just as a character can be, and it does not lose a level or a Constitution point when this happy event occurs. A character with more than one class that grants a familiar may have only one familiar at a time. A wizard can obtain a familiar in exactly the same manner as a sorcerer can. Clarifications Hit Dice and resolving spells and other effects For purposes of resolving spells and other effects, a familiar has Hit Dice equal to its own or equal to the master's character level, whichever is higher. This effective Hit Dice total applies only when the familiar is subjected to some effect whose resolution depends on Hit Dice, such as sleep, holy word, circle of death, and the frightful presence special attack. The familiar does not gain any skills, improved ability scores, base saving throw bonus, base attack bonus, feats, or hit points from its effective Hit Dice (though being a familiar improves most of these things -- read on), nor does the familiar increase in size. For example, a cat normally has 1/2 a Hit Die, and a sleep spell could normally affect eight cats (because sleep affects up to 4 Hit Dice worth of creatures). If a cat familiar has a 5th-level master, however, it effectively has 5 Hit Dice for purposes of how spells affect it and it is not subject to a sleep spell. 131 Temporary Hit Dice increases that the master gains (such as from a bard'sinspire greatness power) don't increase a familiar's effective Hit Dice. Hit points A familiar's hit points are equal to one-half the master's hit points, rounded down. The rules don't say so, but you can reasonably assume that a familiar uses its own hit points if they're higher than half the master's hit points. Use the master's permanent hit point total when calculating the familiar's hit points. Include hit points from all the master's Hit Dice, including race and class Hit Dice. Include bonus hit points from the Toughness feat and from the master's permanent Constitution score. Do not add or subtract hit points from temporary changes to the master's Constitution score or temporary hit point boosts from spells such as aid or from effects that increase Hit Dice, such as the bard's inspire greatness power. Base attack bonus A familiar's base attack bonus is the same as the master's. As with hit points, use the master's base attack bonus from all classes and racial Hit Dice. When attacking, a familiar uses the master's base attack bonus, its own relevant ability modifier (Strength or Dexterity as appropriate for the attack), plus the familiar's size modifier. Skill ranks A familiar uses its own skill ranks or the master's, whichever are higher. A familiar is considered trained in any skill for which it has at least one rank. It also is trained in any skill for which the master has at least one rank. When both the master and the familiar have ranks in a skill, use only the highest number of ranks. When making a skill check, a familiar uses its effective skill ranks, its own relevant ability modifier (as appropriate for the skill), plus the familiar's size modifier (if applicable), any applicable feats the familiar has, its racial modifier, and any synergy bonuses the familiar has from its effective skill ranks. For example, a cat making a Hide check has a +4 racial modifier (+8 in areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth), a +8 size modifier, and a +2 Dexterity modifier. A standard cat has no Hide ranks, giving it a +14 Hide bonus. If the cat is a familiar whose master has 2 ranks in the Hide skill, the cat gets the benefit of those ranks and its Hide bonus becomes +16 (+20 in tall grass or heavy undergrowth). Special Traits and Features Familiars have several abilities and traits that function only when the familiar is in fairly close proximity to the master, and a few more that function more or less all the time. Many of a familiar's special abilities depend on the master's level. In this case, "level" is the master's class level in a class that can have a familiar. If the master has two classes that can have familiars, add the class levels together. For example, a human 10th-level wizard, 5th-level fighter has 10 levels for purposes of determining familiar's special abilities (because fighter is not a class that can have a familiar). The example familiar still has 15 effective Hit Dice for resolving effects that depend on Hit Dice, and the familiar's hit points, base attack bonus, base saving throw bonuses, and skill ranks still are derived from the master's total Hit Dice (15). A 5th-level wizard/5th-level sorcerer also is level 10 (because both classes can have familiars). Such a familiar, however, has only 10 effective Hit Dice for resolving effects that depend on Hit Dice, and the familiar's hit points, base attack bonus, base saving throw bonuses, and skill ranks are derived from their 10 Hit Dice master. Some prestige classes grant spellcasters extra spells or extra levels of spellcasting. Such classes do not increase a familiar's abilities unless they also include an ability to have a familiar. Any negative levels the master accrues have no effect on the familiar. If the master actually loses a level, however, the familiar's abilities are reduced accordingly. A master does not lose an improved familiar (from the Improved Familiar feat) if the character's level drops below the minimum requirement to obtain the improved familiar, but the improved familiar still suffers the effects of the level loss on its familiar abilities. Here's an overview of familiar abilities that are affected by proximity to the master or the master's level, or both. Natural armor bonus The familiar's natural armor bonus improves. The table on page 53 of the Player's Handbook shows the increase. Add the value shown on the table to the familiar's normal natural armor bonus. For example, a standard cat's natural armor bonus is +0. A cat familiar with a 1st- or 2nd-level master has a natural armor bonus of +1. This trait doesn't simply provide an extra natural armor bonus, it actually improves the familiar's racial natural armor bonus. Additional natural armor bonuses from items or spells, such as amulets of natural armor or barkskin spells stack with the natural armor bonus from this trait, as noted in their descriptions. The natural armor bonus from this trait increases with the master's level, as shown on the table. The familiar gets the benefit of this trait for as long as it remains a familiar; distance between the master and familiar is not a factor. Intelligence A familiar's Intelligence score improves. A familiar has an Intelligence score of at least 6, or higher if the master's level is 3rd or higher, as shown on page 53 of the Player's Handbook. The threshold for humanlike intelligence is 3 (see page 9 in the Player's Handbook), so a familiar is as smart as a person, but not necessarily as smart as a brilliant person or even an average person. A familiar's minimum Intelligence score of 6 makes it smart enough to understand at least one language, usually Common (though it doesn't gain the power of speech until the master reaches 5th level). This allows the familiar to respond to fairly elaborate commands and undertake fairly complex tasks. As rule of thumb, a 1st-level master's familiar is capable of doing anything a preadolescent human child can do. As the master's level increases, so does the familiar's ability to follow orders and perform tasks. A familiar does not learn new languages as its Intelligence increases along with its master's level. A familiar uses its own Intelligence score if it is higher than what its master's level allows. A familiar can benefit from spells and effects that boost Intelligence, such as the fox's cunning spell. As with any temporary Intelligence increase, the Intelligence enhancement does not give the familiar any extra skill points or languages, but the familiar uses its new, higher, Intelligence modifier for Intelligence checks and Intelligence-based skill checks. 132 More Special Abilities As noted above, most of these abilities are affected by proximity to the master or the master's level, or both. Alertness A familiar gives the master the benefits of the Alertness feat when it is within arm's reach of the master. When a familiar's master is at least 1st level, the master gains a +2 bonus on Spot and Listen checks when the familiar is nearby. These bonuses don't stack with the Alertness feat (if the master has it). The rules don't define "arm's reach" as it applies to familiars. It's worth noting, however, that the Player's Handbook is written with Small or Medium characters in mind. It is also written so as to downplay the 5-foot grid that governs movement and combat. So, the master gains the benefits of the Alertness feat while the familiar is within 5 feet and while there is an unbroken line of effect between the master and the familiar (but see below). For example, if there's a closed door between the master and familiar, the master doesn't get the Alertness benefit. Improved evasion A familiar gains the improved evasion special quality. If a familiar with a master of at least 1st level is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, the familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails. The familiar gets the benefit of this ability even when flat-footed or denied a Dexterity bonus (though in the latter case it probably is less likely to make a successful save). Share spells A familiar and master can share spells. The master decides when spells are shared. To be shared, the master must cast the spell and the spell must have the master as its target. The spell must have a target entry; effect and area spells cannot be shared. See “Reading Spell Descriptions” for a discussion of targets, effects, and areas. Spells with touch range cannot be shared unless the master targets himself with the touch. The master and familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar's type (usually magical beast). The shared spell does not have to be an arcane spell; any spell the master casts himself can be shared with the familiar. The master cannot share spell-like abilities or supernatural abilities, nor can the master and familiar share effects from magic items. To share a spell, the familiar must be within 5 feet of the master and there must be an unbroken line of effect between the master and the familiar. If the shared spell has a duration other than instantaneous, the familiar must remain with 5 feet of the master and maintain an unbroken line of effect to the master or lose the spell's benefits. Once the familiar loses the benefits from a particular casting of a spell, it cannot regain them again. When the familiar and the master share a spell, they function as one being where the spell's effects are concerned. For example, if the master chooses to share a teleport spell with his familiar, the familiar doesn't count toward the spell's creature limit. Likewise, if the master shares a water breathing spell with his familiar, the familiar shares the master's portion of the spell's duration and does not count as another creature touched. A shared mirror image spell creates duplicates of both the master and the familiar, and a successful hit on either the master's or the familiar's image eliminates one duplicate master and one duplicate familiar. A shared protection from energy spell shields both the master and the familiar, but all energy damage that either the familiar or the master suffers is deducted from the total amount of energy the spell can absorb. In spite of the foregoing, some aspects of the master and familiar always remain distinct. The master and familiar have two separate pools of hit points. If the master casts a cure wounds spell, the hit points bestowed must go either to the master or to the familiar. If points are left over after the chosen recipient reaches full hit points, the excess can go to the other pool. In a similar fashion, the master and familiar both have their own ability scores, and magic that enhances or improves an ability score must all go to either the master or the familiar. Some spells have benefits that can be fully shared and other benefits that must be allocated to the familiar or to the master. For example, an aid spell grants temporary hit points and bestows a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects. If the master and the familiar share an aid spell, only one of them gets the temporary hit points, but both receive the morale bonus. Some spells require special handling when shared. See “All About Polymorph” for an example. The master also has the option of casting any spell with a target of "you" on the familiar as a spell with touch range. If the master does so, he does not share the effect with the familiar, but the familiar retains the spell's benefits for as long as the spell lasts no matter where the familiar goes afterward. Empathic link The familiar and master have an empathic link with a range of one mile. The rules don't say so, but master and familiar don't need line of sight or line of effect to each other for the empathic link to work. The link, however, does not cross planar boundaries. If the master and familiar are on different planes, the link is temporarily broken, just as though they were out of range. This is a supernatural ability, so if either the master or the familiar is within an antimagic field, telepathic communication between the two is not possible. Empathy is nonverbal, but limited. The master and familiar don't share senses and can exchange only emotions. This requires as much effort as speaking (usually a free action), but empathic communication doesn't require a common language (or any language at all). So, what, exactly, can a master and familiar communicate over the empathic link? As noted earlier, the link only transmits basic emotions, such as fear, hunger, happiness, or curiosity. So, the link is useful only for determining the master or familiar's emotional state. The familiar or master can report a state of fear over the link, but not what's causing that fear. You can reasonably assume that the link can transmit intensity of emotion. I suggest a four-step system: faint emotion (the merest stirring of an emotion, such as a feeling of fear when approaching a creepy building); moderate emotion (notable emotion, such as seeing a dangerous creature fairly close by); strong emotion (emotion that floods the mind, such as fear felt when a dangerous creature attacks); overwhelming emotion (emotion that drives out all other thoughts and feelings, such as when a dangerous creature has you in its claws). Certain other key bits of information can travel over the empathic link (though the rules don't specifically say they do). If your familiar makes a successful saving throw against a hostile spell and feels a tingle, you'll feel the tingle, too. Likewise, you'll know if the familiar is unconscious, dazed, stunned, nauseated, sickened, or suffering from any other impairment that 133 keeps it from acting. If the familiar falls prey to a charm or compulsion effect, you'll sense the familiar's muddled state of mind. Some familiars (such as ravens and some improved familiars) have the ability to speak a language. Such familiars can use their empathic link power, but it still carries only basic emotions. The familiar can converse in the language the familiar knows (provided that the master also knows that language), but the two must be within normal speaking range to do so. The empathic link makes a familiar an extension of the master's being, which means that when a familiar has been somewhere or experienced something, the master has the same connection to it as the familiar has. Once a familiar has been in a room, for example, the master can use a teleport spell to travel to that room as though he had been there himself. Likewise, if the familiar has seen an object, the master can use a locate object spell to find that object as though he had seen it himself (even though the master cannot view the object through the familiar's eyes while the familiar looks at it). Deliver touch spells A familiar can deliver touch spells for its master if the master is 3rd level or higher. When casting a spell with touch range, the master can designate his familiar as the "toucher." The master and the familiar must be touching at the time of casting, and this requires the familiar and master to share the same space or be in adjacent spaces. Once designated, the familiar can deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As normal, if the master casts another spell, the touch spell dissipates. If the familiar touches anything, the spell also dissipates. Delivering a touch spell is a supernatural ability. The familiar uses an action to touch the spell recipient, usually the attack action, but no action is required to trigger the ability to deliver the spell. Some touch spells have noticeable effects after they have been cast, and those effects are transferred to the familiar. For example, the chill touch spell makes the caster's hand glow blue. If the caster uses his familiar to deliver chill touch, the familiar glows blue. The spell to be delivered does not have to be an arcane spell; the familiar can deliver any touch spell the master casts. The familiar can make a melee touch attack to deliver the spell, or the familiar can use a natural weapon to make a melee attack that delivers the spell. In the latter case, the attack must defeat the defender's normal Armor Class, but a hit deals the attack's normal damage plus the spell effect. If the familiar misses with the natural weapon, it is still holding the spell. If the familiar is allowed more than one attack, the first attack in the series that hits delivers the spell. It's worth noting that all the foregoing applies to spells with range touch (see “Reading Spell Descriptions”). Sometimes, a spell allows the caster to make a ranged touch attack to deliver the spell. Such a spell does not have touch range. Speak with master A familiar can speak with its master if the master is at least 5th level. The familiar and master can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication. In effect, the master and familiar have their own private language. Eavesdroppers can use spells such as tongues to understand a conversation between a master and familiar. Speaking with the master is an extraordinary ability; using it usually is a free action, just as speaking is. Familiars that can speak a language (or several languages) can converse with their masters normally if they choose. If they do so, anyone who overhears the conversation understands it, provided that the listener speaks the language used, just as with any other normal conversation. Speak with animals of its kind When the master is 7th level or higher, a familiar can speak with animals of its kind. An animal that becomes a familiar becomes a magical beast (see below), so this ability causes some confusion. An animal familiar can communicate with animals of approximately the same sort as itself (including dire variants) before it became a familiar (as shown on the table below). Familiar Speaks With Bat Normal and dire bats Cat Normal and dire felines (housecats to dire tigers) Hawk Normal and dire avians (sparrows to eagles) Lizard Normal and dire reptiles (lizards to giant constrictor snakes) Owl Normal and dire avians (sparrows to eagles) Rat Normal and dire rodents (mice to dire rats) Raven Normal and dire avians (sparrows to eagles) Snake Normal and dire reptiles (lizards to giant constrictor snakes) Toad Normal and dire amphibians (frogs and toads) Weasel Normal and dire weasels, badgers, wolverines, and ferrets Speaking with an animal is an extraordinary ability; using it usually is a free action, just as speaking is. Speaking with an animal is otherwise similar to using a speak with animals spells (though not magical). Improved familiars do not have the ability to speak with other creatures of their kind, but many improved familiars already speak one or more languages. Spell resistance A familiar with a master of 11th level or higher has spell resistance. The spell resistance rating is the master's level +5. See above for a discussion of what constitutes the master's level. If the familiar already has spell resistance (as some improved familiars do), the two don't stack. The familiar uses the higher number. The rules don't mention how a familiar's spell resistance interacts with the master's spells. I recommend that you do not apply the familiar's spell resistance to spells the caster shares with the familiar. It does, however, apply to spells anyone casts on the familiar, including the master. The familiar can, of course, lower its spell resistance to receive a spell from anyone; see page 298 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. From page 298 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: a creature can voluntarily lower its spell resistance. Doing so is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Once a creature lowers its resistance, it remains down until the creature's next turn. At the beginning of the creature's next turn, the creature's spell resistance automatically returns unless the creature intentionally keeps it down (also a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity). 134 Scrying A master of 13th level or higher can scry on her familiar once a day. This is a spell-like ability that the master gains through the familiar. The power works just like the scry spell cast at the master's caster level. Abilities by Familiar Kind The animal familiars shown in the Player's Handbook grant their masters additional abilities based on their kind, as shown on the table on page 52. As noted in the text accompanying the table, these abilities function whenever the master and familiar are within one mile of each other. Line of sight and line of effects between master and familiar aren't necessary, but the master and familiar must be on the same plane. The rules don't say so, but I recommend that you treat these abilities as a function of the empathic link between master and familiar (see above). When the empathic link does not function, neither does the benefit the master gets from the familiar. From page 52 of the Player's Handbook: Familiar Special Bat Master gains a +3 bonus on Listen checks Cat Master gains a +3 bonus on Move Silently checks Hawk Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in bright light Lizard Master gains a +3 bonus on Climb checks Owl Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in shadows Rat Master gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves Raven (1) Master gains a +3 bonus on Appraise checks Snake (2) Master gains a +3 bonus on Bluff checks Toad Master gains +3 hit points Weasel Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves (1) A raven familiar can speak one language of its master's choice as a supernatural ability. (2) Tiny viper. Familiars as Creatures As noted in the Player's Handbook, an animal that becomes a familiar effectively becomes a magical beast. For purposes of resolving effects that depend on a creature's type, a familiar is not an animal but a magical beast. Spells such as speak with animals or animal growth do not work on familiars. Likewise, a ranger with animals as a favored enemy would not gain favored enemy bonuses when dealing with the familiar (but a ranger with magical beasts as a favored enemy would). The change from animal to magical beast has no other effects on the familiar. The familiar's Hit Dice, hit points, ability scores, attack bonus, skills, feats, and saving throw bonuses do not change as a result of the change in type. Once a creature becomes a familiar, however, most of its statistics change to reflect the master, as noted above. Improved familiars that are not animals retain their type when they become familiars, as noted on page 200 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. Any familiar becomes an extension of the master and its powers improve as the master improves, as noted earlier. A familiar cannot earn experience points or have a class. In spite of its links to the master, a familiar can think and act on its own. It can perform any number of tasks that don't exceed its physical limits. All familiars are as smart as people (the minimum Intelligence score for a familiar is 6), but usually not as smart as a particularly bright person. This makes familiars much better at most tasks than trained animals. All familiars have some sense of past, present, and future, can count (at least up to 100), and can recognize everyday creatures, objects, and activities. Animal familiars, especially if they have Intelligence scores of 9 or less, are apt to be distracted by things that are important to animals, such as food, other animals, and big, dangerous creatures lurking nearby (and remember that when you're Tiny, just about everyone else seems really big). The master probably will have to remind the familiar about the business at hand. Unless the familiar actually speaks a language, it cannot relay the contents of any conversations it overhears, even when it can speak with the master. It can, however, describe who is talking, single out the creature who does the most talking, and assess the mood of the speakers. No matter what its Intelligence score, a familiar cannot read or write, so it cannot copy documents or relay their contents. A familiar probably can swipe a document, however. Acquiring a Familiar The rules speak of summoning a familiar, but do not go into much detail about the process other than noting that the process takes 24 hours and uses up materials that cost 100 gp. Here are a few thoughts to flesh out the process. A familiar is not a conjured creature and is not subject to effects, such as protection from evil or dismissal, that banish or hedge out conjured creatures. It is better to think of the process as one of binding a familiar rather than summoning it. To begin, the master must first locate the kind of creature desired. Unless the master has the Improved Familiar feat, the prospective familiar must be a normal, unmodified animal. The prospective familiar cannot be an advanced animal, nor can it be another character's animal companion (through the animal companion class feature) or another character's familiar. If the master has the Improved Familiar feat, the character can acquire a more powerful creature as a familiar, but still must locate the creature first, and the creature cannot be an advanced specimen, nor can it be another character's companion or familiar. The master can use any convenient means to locate the intended familiar. In cities, one could visit a shop and perhaps purchase a suitable animal. Improved familiars usually take more effort to locate. The familiar should be one or two size categories smaller than the master. Pages 203-204 of the Dungeon Master's Guide show alternative familiars for masters of various sizes. After locating the familiar, the master must arrange to keep the familiar nearby for the daylong ritual that binds the two together. Lucky masters choose familiars that are friendly enough to stick around on their own, but sometimes the creature must be tethered or caged to keep it from wandering off. The ritual fails if the intended familiar is hostile or unfriendly to the master (see Diplomacy skill description). If the intended familiar has an Intelligence score of 3 or higher (before any increase for becoming a familiar), the creature must be friendly toward the character. If the creature's attitude is unsuitable, the master can try any nonmagical means to alter the creature's attitude, such as Diplomacy checks or bribes (or both). The ritual will not succeed if the intended familiar is under any charm or compulsion effect. 135 A character can have only one familiar at a time and a familiar can have only one master at time. A creature that already is (or has ever been) another character's familiar cannot become a new master's familiar. The ritual itself can take any form the DM desires; however, a few gestures, chants, and perhaps some drawings sketched on the floor around the pair -- all repeated at intervals throughout the day -- is all that's necessary. Familiars in Combat Most masters usually avoid physical combat, which is a very good idea. When you have your familiar along, it's even more important to stay out of harm's way. Even when you're a high-level character, your familiar is easy prey for any foe powerful enough to challenge you. Perhaps the best protection you can offer your familiar while adventuring is to leave the familiar at home or at least in camp. Not only does this strategy keep the familiar safe from the perils you face, it also leaves a trustworthy sentinel in charge. The familiar can keep watch over your goods and defend them if necessary. Even if the familiar cannot prevent a raid on your abode, it can provide you with valuable information about the event (in the form of an eyewitness account given to the best of the familiar's ability) or even shadow the trespassers back to their base. If you remain within a mile of your familiar, you can get instant warning about any trouble thanks to the empathic link between master and familiar. Due to the limited nature of the link (see above), you'll need to be prepared for false alarms. If you range farther afield, you can use scrying to keep up to date. The familiar provides an easy subject for the scrying attempt, and if you are 13th level or higher, you can scry on the familiar once a day without recourse to a spell or a scrying device. Protection from Physical Threats Even with its increased Armor Class and hit points, a familiar is even more vulnerable to melee and ranged attacks than you are. Since most familiars are size Tiny or smaller, the familiar can share your space. This doesn't provide the familiar with cover or any special defense, but at least you'll be on hand to intervene if the familiar gets into trouble. You might want to consider letting your familiar use you as a mount. If it does so, it can make a Ride check to claim cover (+4 to Armor Class) for 1 round. This is "soft" cover, and the familiar does not get a bonus on Reflex saves while claiming cover from you. The familiar cannot attack while claiming cover from you, but that's usually not a problem. Remember that if you have the Ride skill, the familiar can use your ranks (and its Dexterity score) to make Ride checks. You can try to conceal your familiar inside a cloak or big pocket. Remember, however, that even a Tiny creature can create a considerable bulge. (Imagine what you'd look like when trying to carry a cat under your shirt.) When you're carrying your familiar in this fashion, your foes can still attack it. Use the rules for sundering a carried item. The attack provokes an attack of opportunity from you if you threaten the attacker. Use the familiar's Armor Class and your Dexterity modifier. Because the familiar is concealed in your clothing, the attack against it has a 50% miss chance. SUNDER (from page 158 of the Player's Handbook): You can use a melee attack with a slashing or bludgeoning weapon to strike a weapon or shield that your opponent is holding. If you're attempting to sunder a weapon or shield, follow the steps outlined here. (Attacking held objects other than weapons or shields is covered below.) Step 1: Attack of Opportunity. You provoke an attack of opportunity from the target whose weapon or shield you are trying to sunder. (If you have the Improved Sunder feat, you don't incur an attack of opportunity for making the attempt.) Step 2: Opposed Rolls. You and the defender make opposed attack rolls with your respective weapons. The wielder of a twohanded weapon on a sunder attempt gets a +4 bonus on this roll, and the wielder of a light weapon takes a -4 penalty. If the combatants are of different sizes, the larger combatant gets a bonus on the attack roll of +4 per difference in size category. Step 3: Consequences. If you beat the defender, you have landed a good blow. Roll damage and deal it to the weapon or shield. See Table 8-8: Common Armor, Weapon, and Shield Hardness and Hit Points to determine how much damage you must deal to destroy the weapon or shield. If you fail the sunder attempt, you don't deal any damage. Sundering a Carried or Worn Object: You don't use an opposed attack roll to damage a carried or worn object. Instead, just make an attack roll against the object's AC. A carried or worn object's AC is equal to 10 + its size modifier + the Dexterity modifier of the carrying or wearing character. Attacking a carried or worn object provokes an attack of opportunity just as attacking a held object does. To attempt to snatch away an item worn by a defender (such as a cloak or a pair of goggles) rather than damage it, see Disarm, page 155. You can't sunder armor worn by another character. A familiar concealed in your clothing is still subject to magical attacks, including area attacks that affect you. Normally things you carry aren't affected by area attacks unless you roll a natural 1 on your saving throw (see page 177 in the Player's Handbook); however, a familiar is a creature, not just a piece of equipment. Familiar Carriers You also can carry a box or other container where the familiar can hide and claim total cover against all forms of attack. The table below gives statistics for such familiar carriers. All these carriers have latches inside and out that the familiar can operate. It takes the familiar a move action to enter or leave the carrier. Familiar Size[1] Cost[2] Weight Hardness Hit Points Break DC Fine 8 gp 8 lbs. 5 5 23 Diminutive 15 gp 18 lbs. 5 7 23 Tiny 30 gp 40 lbs. 5 9 23 Small 60 gp 90 lbs. 5 11 23 Medium 120 gp 200 lbs. 5 15 23 1 A carrier's size as an object is the same as the size of the familiar for which it is made. 2 For an extra cost a carrier can be made airtight and watertight; see below. A familiar carrier has a handle and straps so it can be carried in the hand or strapped to the back. For an extra 20% of the base cost (or an extra 10 gp, whichever is higher), a carrier can be airtight and watertight. A familiar sealed inside such a carrier can breathe for 30 minutes before suffering the effects of suffocation. The careful master also provides his familiar with defensive magic. The ability to share spells makes this easy to do. Spells such as blink, blur, displacement, mage armor, and mirror image provide protection for both you and your familiar. You can get double duty from most of these spells by casting them on yourself and sharing them with your familiar (see above). If 136 you plan to have your familiar operate more than 5 feet away from you, however, it's best to simply cast these spells on your familiar. Remember that you can cast a spell with a target entry of "you" on your familiar instead of on yourself (see above). Protection from Magical Threats Area spells probably are the biggest threats to a familiar's long-term survival. Fortunately, most area spells allow Reflex saving throws for half damage, and a familiar's improved evasion ability often allows the familiar to escape damage from an area spell altogether with a successful save and take only half damage even if it fails its save. Unfortunately, a failed save can still be deadly to a familiar because it does not have very many hit points. Anything that improves the familiar's Reflex saves improves its chance to survive. Some cover (see the previous section on physical threats) grants the familiar a +2 bonus on Reflex saves, so keep your familiar close by unless you have good reason to have it elsewhere. Spells that provide protection from attacks provide good protection against your familiar's occasional failed Reflex save. Protection from energy can be very effective in this regard, but you have to correctly guess what types of attacks you will encounter. Fortunately, this spell can be shared. If you expect a prolonged battle, you would do well to cast minor globe of invulnerability or globe of invulnerability. These spells create immobile spheres that exclude hostile spell effects while allowing you to cast your own spells without hindrance. Of course, if you or the familiar has to move, the protection is lost, but the spells are very effective so long as you can afford to stand your ground. Effects that fill an area or affect multiple targets, but do not allow Reflex saves, are particularly dangerous to familiars, and there are more of these than you might think: acid fog, cloudkill, horrid wilting, sound burst, shout, magic missile, the various power word spells, and wail of the banshee, just to name a few. Many of these spells are high level, so you probably don't need to worry about them too much -- at least not right away. On the other hand, if you do have to face them, otherwise reliable defenses won't be effective. For example, minor globe of invulnerability cannot stop spells higher than 3rd level, and spells such as protection from energy won't stop horrid wilting. One defensive spell that offers some protection is spell resistance, which is worth casting even if your familiar already has spell resistance (because the spell probably provides better spell resistance than your familiar has). Best of all, you and your familiar can share the spell resistance spell. If you know what spells you'll face, getting the party cleric to cast spell immunity or greater spell immunity on your familiar can be very effective, as can casting protection from spells. You will occasionally encounter foes who employ spells such as magic missile, charm monster, or finger of death to attack your familiar directly. It can be difficult to defend against these assaults, but the tips in the previous paragraph are effective here, too. Having your familiar charmed can be most inconvenient, but it need not be a disaster. Any time your familiar makes a successful save against a charm or compulsion spell (or against any other spell without a visible effect), you'll know it if the familiar is within one mile -- the hostile force or tingle that it felt when making the successful save can be communicated over the empathic link. If your familiar fails a save against a charm or compulsion effect, you'll immediately know something is wrong if you're within one mile (the change in the familiar's thinking is detectable through the empathic link). There's little you can do if your familiar falls under a compulsion effect. If the familiar is within reach, you can try to grab it and hold on before it can hurt itself or do something you don't like. Or you can try to dispel the effect. Charm effects are easier to deal with. If someone charms your familiar and you give the familiar a contradictory order, the familiar gets a new saving throw (provided the spell affecting the familiar allows a new save when the subject is ordered to do something that's against its nature). Sometimes, a master will wish to be rid of a familiar, usually because the familiar has suffered some debilitating injury or because the master simply wishes to acquire a new familiar. To dismiss a familiar, the master simply wills it so, though breaking the link that binds the two is a full-round action. Dismissing a Familiar Immediately upon completing the dismissal, the master must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw to avoid losing experience points as noted on page 54 of the Player's Handbook. Immediately on being dismissed, the familiar loses all familiar abilities and becomes a normal creature of its kind. It suffers no other ill effects, except that its reduced Intelligence score most likely makes it unable to remember most of what it experienced as a familiar. Once a master dismisses a familiar, he cannot obtain a new one for a year and a day. From the Sorcerer Entry (Player's Handbook, page 54): if the familiar dies or is dismissed by the sorcerer, the sorcerer must attempt a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw. Failure means he loses 200 experience points per sorcerer level; success reduces the loss to one-half that amount. However, a sorcerer's experience point total can never go below 0 as the result of a familiar's demise or dismissal. For example, suppose that Hennet is a 3rd-level sorcerer with 3,230 XP when his owl familiar is killed by a bugbear. Hennet makes a successful saving throw, so he loses 300 XP, dropping him below 3,000 XP and back to 2nd level (see the Dungeon Master's Guide for rules for losing levels). A slain or dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and day. A slain familiar can be raised from the dead just as a character can be, and it does not lose a level or a Constitution point when this happy event occurs. Death of a Familiar When a familiar dies, the master must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw to avoid losing experience points as noted in page 54 of the Player's Handbook. The master cannot obtain a new familiar for a year and a day. Most familiars can be raised from the dead. (If the familiar is of the elemental or outsider type, it takes a wish or miracle spell to bring it back from the dead.) Bringing back the familiar from the dead reestablishes the link between master and familiar; however, the reincarnate spell is an exception. The spell brings back the familiar as an independent being and the resulting creature is no longer a familiar. No matter how the familiar returns from the dead, the process does not erase the experience loss the master suffers. The familiar does not suffer any level or Constitution loss. If the master's experience loss has reduced the master's level, however, the familiar's abilities are reduced accordingly. Death of a Master If the master dies, and the familiar survives, it loses all abilities associated with being a familiar (as if it had been dismissed). As a house rule, you might want to delay the familiar's loss of abilities for a short time, say one day per level of the master. If the master is later brought back from the dead, the familiar has whatever abilities that go along with the master's new level. 137 Familiars and Magic Items A great way to both protect your familiar and perhaps give it some offensive power is to equip it with magic items. Consider purchasing items for your familiar or just give it items you no longer need (such as your +1 ring of protection when you acquire a +2 ring of protection). Once you do so, however, you and your DM face a potentially difficult decision. Exactly which items can familiars use? Since most magic items fit users of any size, the simple answer is that it can use pretty much any item. No familiar can use an item that requires spell completion or spell knowledge because they are not spellcasters. Likewise, most familiars cannot speak, so they can't use command word items (the ability to speak with the master doesn't count). Familiars usually lack prehensile appendages, so they cannot employ weapons, either. What does that leave? That leaves potions (though you may have to open the potion vial and pour out the liquid), rings, and most items that can be worn or carried. Your DM may decide that your familiar's body type simply will not allow some items to fit your familiar. For example, you might persuade your DM to let your cat wear boots, citing the tale of "Puss in Boots" as an example, but don't count on your snake wearing boots. Creatures like owls and bats may have a have hard time with cloaks (since the garment interferes with their wings). All familiars have item locations similar to those found on a humanoid character, though the items worn there might have a considerably different shape. For example, a quadruped uses its back feet for the "foot" location and its front feet for the "hand" location. The hind legs correspond to a humanoid's legs and the front legs correspond to a humanoid's arms. For avians, treat the feet and legs as hands and arms and the wings as legs and feet. (If your familiar is a winged humanoid or winged quadruped, such as an imp or pseudodragon, its wings do not provide extra locations for magic items. The creature can wear "leg" items on its wings or hind legs, but not both.) A snake simply wears items over its head or body. In most cases, even if your familiar can't use an item you've found, it should be possible to make (or have made) an item your familiar can use. For example, you might fashion wing bands of speed for your bat or hawk's wings, and they would work just like boots of speed for your familiar. For an in depth look at what items an animal can use or wear, check out “Wild Life”. 138 Enchantments Foreword The ability to magically force others to do your bidding is one of the more exciting -- and terrifying -- aspects of magic. In the D&D game, spells of the enchantment school provide the primary means of controlling others. Enchantment spells can prove extremely powerful in play because of their potential to immediately remove a foe from a combat or even turn it against its allies. This short series takes a quick look at enchantments and offers some tips for handling the more troublesome spells in the school. DM advice for charmed characters can be found in the Save My Game articles “Adjudicating Charms”. In addition, Tactics & Tips looked at dealing with charmed characters turned against their own party, in “When Good Friends Go Bad”. The Language of Enchantments Charm Spell A charm spell changes how the subject views you, typically making it see you as a good friend. One of two subschools of the enchantment school. A charm spell changes the subject's perception so that the subject thinks of the spell's caster (or possibly some other creature the caster designates) as a valued friend or ally. A charm spell differs from a compulsion spell in that it does not force the subject to do anything. Instead, the spell prompts a change in thinking in the subject that in turn affects how the subject behaves. Compulsion Spell A compulsion spell forces the subject to act in some manner or changes the way her mind works. Some compulsion spells determine the subject's actions or the effects on the subject, some compulsion spells allow you to determine the subject's actions when you cast the spell, and others give you ongoing control over the subject. One of the two subschools of the enchantment school. A compulsion spell forces the subject to act as the spell's caster dictates. Some compulsion spells short circuit the subject's mind and prevent the subject from acting. Other compulsions force a limited set of instructions in the subject's mind and the subject then follows those instructions to the best of its ability. Still other compulsions allow the user to seize control over the subject's mind and consequently dictate the subject's actions. Enchantment Enchantment spells affect the minds of others, influencing or controlling their behavior. Representative spells include charm person and suggestion. All enchantments are mind-affecting spells. Two types of enchantment spells grant you influence over a subject creature. One of the eight schools of magic in the D&D game. As Rules of the Game pointed out in Reading Spell Descriptions, "enchantment" has a fairly restricted meaning in the D&D game. Fantasy literature often uses the term "enchantment" as a catchall for any magical effect. In the D&D game, however, enchantment spells affect the mind and cause the recipient to think and act in ways that the subject would not do otherwise. Spells from this school always have the mind-affecting descriptor. Consequently, enchantment spells affect only creatures (and not all creatures). Language-Dependent A spell descriptor (see Reading Spell Descriptions) indicating a spell that depends on some kind of intelligible speech between the spell caster and the subject. That is, the caster must speak to the recipient in a language that the recipient understands. One could use a magical means, such as the tongues spell, to provide the necessary means of communication. You can use some means of nonverbal "speech" (such as a helm of telepathy) when verbal communications aren't possible or desirable. Many enchantment spells have the language-dependent descriptor, but not all of them do. Even when an enchantment spell does not have the language-dependent descriptor, a subject cannot obey a spellcaster's orders unless the caster finds some way to communicate with the subject (see the discussion of the charm person spell below for an example). Mind-Affecting A spell descriptor (see Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions) indicating a spell that alters the subject's thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. In the latter case, the subject's senses aren't affected, but the subject's mental responses to her senses are changed. Mind-affecting effects include charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, fear effects, and morale effects. Mind-affecting spells don't work on creatures that lack Intelligence scores (such creatures literally do not have minds), nor do they affect constructs, oozes, plants, undead, and vermin. If a mind-affecting special attack from a creature also has the sonic descriptor, you can become immune to the attack by stopping your ears, but only if you do so before you're subjected to the attack (see page 314 in the Monster Manual). As noted in the glossary entry (see the sonic attack entry for more information), stopping one's ears ahead of time allows opponents to avoid having to make saving throws against mind-affecting sonic attacks, but not other kinds of sonic attacks (such as those that deal damage). Enchantment Basics As noted earlier, all enchantment spells are mind-affecting spells. Enchantments don't work on mindless creatures, nor do they work on certain other kinds of creatures, such as undead (see above). A few other basics follow: Detecting Enchantments When you suspect that an ally has been enchanted, you can confirm your suspicion using the detect magic spell or the Sense Motive skill. Anyone who has received an enchantment spell has an aura of enchantment magic that a detect magic spell can detect. The aura's power depends on the spell level, as shown in the detect magic spell description. If the subject has received multiple spells, stronger auras might mask weaker ones, making it more difficult or impossible to identify the enchantment aura, also as noted in the spell description. 139 An enchanted creature does not act entirely under its own volition, and its speech, movements, posture, and expressions can betray the enchantment to a careful observer. If you study or interact with a subject for 1 minute, you can make a Sense Motive check to determine if the subject is enchanted. The task isn't easy, and the usual Sense Motive DC for noting an enchantment is 25. A domination effect (such as dominate person or dominate monster) brings the subject under such firm control that the DC to note the enchantment is only 15. The rules don't say so, but DMs should feel free to allow a Sense Motive bonus of +2 to +4 when the character using the skill knows the subject well. Sense Motive (Wis) From the Sense Motive skill description on page 81 of the Player's Handbook: Use this skill to tell when someone is bluffing you, to discern hidden messages in conversations, or to sense when someone is being magically influenced. This skill represents sensitivity to the body language, speech habits, and mannerisms of others. Check A successful check lets you avoid being bluffed (see the Bluff skill). You can also use this skill to determine when "something is up" (that is, something odd is going on) or to assess someone's trustworthiness. Your DM may decide to make your Sense Motive check secretly, so that you don't necessarily know whether you were successful. Task Sense Motive DC Hunch 20 Sense enchantment 25 or 15 Discern secret message Varies Sense Enchantment You can tell that someone's behavior is being influenced by an enchantment effect (by definition, a mind-affecting effect), such as charm person, even if that person isn't aware of it. The usual DC is 25, but if the target is dominated (see the dominate person spell), the DC is only 15 because of the limited range of the target's activities. Action Trying to gain information with Sense Motive generally takes at least 1 minute, and you could spend a whole evening trying to get a sense of the people around you. Try Again No, though you may make a Sense Motive check for each Bluff check made against you. Special A ranger gains a bonus on Sense Motive checks when using this skill against a favored enemy. If you have the Negotiator feat, you get a +2 bonus on Sense Motive checks. Synergy If you have 5 or more ranks in Sense Motive, you get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks. Negating Enchantments Characters who receive enchantment spells tend to attract additional spells as the subject's allies try to intervene and get the character acting normally again. The tried and true dispel magic spell can end most enchantments; a few, such as binding, aren't subject to dispelling, so always check the spell description to learn if a spell cannot be dispelled. You can cast dispel magic several different ways. When trying to remove an unwanted enchantment from an ally, a targeted dispel usually is the best bet. See the spell description and Rules of the Game: More Magical Oddities for details. Dispel magic From the dispel magic spell text on page 223 of the Player's Handbook: Targeted Dispel One object, creature, or spell is the target of the dispel magic spell. You make a dispel check (1d20 + your caster level, maximum +10) against the spell or against each ongoing spell currently in effect on the object or creature. The DC for this dispel check is 11 + the spell's caster level. Binding From the binding spell text on page 205 of the Player's Handbook: You can't dispel a binding spell with dispel magic or a similar effect, though an antimagic field or Mordenkainen's disjunction affects it normally. A bound extraplanar creature cannot be sent back to its home plane due to dismissal, banishment, or a similar effect. You can use dispel chaos, dispel evil, dispel good, or dispel law to remove one enchantment spell from a creature you touch. The spell you remove must have been cast by a character with the appropriate alignment. For example, a dispel chaos spell removes enchantments that a chaotic character has cast. No roll is required to dispel the enchantment; you need only touch the creature that has received the enchantment. Removing an enchantment discharges and ends the dispel chaos, dispel evil, dispel good, or dispel law spell, as noted in the spell description. The rules don't say what happens when the creature you touch has received more than one enchantment. The DM can allow the dispel chaos, dispel evil, dispel good, or dispel law user to specify the spell to be removed (see Rules of the Game: More Magical Oddities for some suggestions about how a character might do that). Or, you can assume the spell removes the highest level enchantment (that is subject to dispelling) that the subject has received. Dispel evil From the dispel evil spell text on page 222 of the Player's Handbook: Third, with a touch you can automatically dispel any one enchantment spell cast by an evil creature or any one evil spell. Exception: Spells that can't be dispelled by dispel magic also can't be dispelled by dispel evil. Saving throws and spell resistance do not apply to this effect. This use discharges and ends the spell. Many enchantment spells allow the subject a chance to throw off the spell when ordered to do something contrary to its interests or nature. Exactly what sort of orders prompt a new saving throw vary with the spell and are noted in the spell description. Not all enchantments allow new saving throws. When a subject gains a new saving throw, the effects of a successful save usually negate the spell (at least for that recipient). Check the saving throw entry in the spell description for the effects of any successful saving throw against the spell. 140 Aiming Enchantments Most (but not all) enchantment spells have target entries. That means the caster must see or touch the recipient to aim the spell. See Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions for details. If the spell affects multiple targets, the caster must be able to see or touch all of them to affect them with the spell. Aiming From the Aiming a Spell section on page 175 of the Player's Handbook: Target or Targets Some spells, such as charm person, have a target or targets. You cast these spells on creatures or objects, as defined by the spell itself. You must be able to see or touch the target, and you must specifically choose that target. For example, you can't fire a magic missile spell (which always hits its target) into a group of bandits with the instruction to strike "the leader." To strike the leader, you must be able to identify and see the leader (or guess which is the leader and get lucky). However, you do not have to select your target until you finish casting the spell. If the target of a spell is yourself (the spell description has a line that reads Target: You), you do not receive a saving throw, and spell resistance does not apply. The Saving Throw and Spell Resistance lines are omitted from such spells. Some spells restrict you to willing targets only. Declaring yourself as a willing target is something that can be done at any time (even if you're flat-footed or it isn't your turn). Unconscious creatures are automatically considered willing, but a character who is conscious but immobile or helpless (such as one who is bound, cowering, grappling, paralyzed, pinned, or stunned) is not automatically willing. Some spells, such as flaming sphere and spiritual weapon, allow you to redirect the effect to new targets or areas after you cast the spell. Redirecting a spell is a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. When an enchantment doesn't have a target entry, you usually don't have to see or touch the recipient. Instead, you can aim the spell at some location you can see or specify; see Aiming a Spell on page 175 of the Player's Handbook and Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions for details. An Enchantment Spell's Results When an enchantment spell (or any spell) has a target entry, you usually know when the spell works and when it does not. When an enchantment's target fails a saving throw against a spell, you may know promptly that the spell worked because the target's behavior may change abruptly. However, trying to feign being enchanted by a targeted spell after a successful save does not work because the caster will note the successful saving throw. When an enchantment spell (or any spell) has an area or effect entry, the caster does not note successful saves against the spell. From the Saving Throw section on page 177 of the Player's Handbook: Likewise, if a creature's saving throw succeeds against a targeted spell, such as charm person, you sense that the spell has failed. You do not sense when creatures succeed on saves against effect and area spells. Stacking Enchantment Spells When a creature receives more than one enchantment spell, refer to the rules on pages 171-172 in the Player's Handbook. As a rule of thumb, all enchantment spells a creature receives continue to function when the creature receives additional enchantment spells. The spells' effects might stack, overlap, or override each other, as noted below: COMBINING MAGICAL EFFECTS From the Saving Throw section on pages 171 and 172 of the Player's Handbook: Spells or magical effects usually work as described, no matter how many other spells or magical effects happen to be operating in the same area or on the same recipient. Except in special cases, a spell does not affect the way another spell operates. Whenever a spell has a specific effect on other spells, the spell description explains that effect. Several other general rules apply when spells or magical effects operate in the same place: Stacking Effects Spells that provide bonuses or penalties on attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and other attributes usually do not stack with themselves. For example, two bless spells don't give twice the benefit of one bless. Both bless spells, however, continue to act simultaneously, and if one ends first, the other one continues to operate for the remainder of its duration. Likewise, two haste spells do not make a creature doubly fast. More generally, two bonuses of the same type don't stack even if they come from different spells (or from effects other than spells; see Bonus Types, above). For example, the enhancement bonus to Strength from a bull's strength spell and the enhancement bonus to Strength from a divine power spell don't stack. You use whichever bonus gives you the better Strength score. In the same way, a belt of giant Strength gives you an enhancement bonus to Strength, which does not stack with the bonus you get from a bull's strength spell. Different Bonus Names The bonuses or penalties from two different spells stack if the modifiers are of different types. For example, bless provides a +1 morale bonus on saves against fear effects, and protection from evil provides a +2 resistance bonus on saves against spells cast by evil creatures. A character under the influence of spells gets a +1 bonus against fear effects, a +2 bonus against spells cast by evil beings, and a +3 bonus against fear spells cast by evil creatures. A bonus that isn't named (just a "+2 bonus" rather than a "+2 resistance bonus") stacks with any bonus. Same Effect More than Once in Different Strengths In cases when two or more identical spells are operating in the same area or on the same target, but at different strengths, only the best one applies. For example, if a character takes a -4 penalty to Strength from a ray of enfeeblement spell and then receives a second ray of enfeeblement spell that applies a -6 penalty, he or she takes only the -6 penalty. Both spells are still operating on the character, however. If one ray of enfeeblement spell is dispelled or its duration runs out, the other spell remains in effect, assuming that its duration has not yet expired. Same Effect with Differing Results The same spell can sometimes produce varying effects if applied to the same recipient more than once. For example, a series of polymorph spells might turn a creature into a mouse, a lion, and then a snail. In this case, the last spell in the series trumps the others. None of the previous spells are actually removed or dispelled, but their effects become irrelevant while the final spell in the series lasts. One Effect Makes Another Irrelevant Sometimes, one spell can render a later spell irrelevant. For example, if a wizard is using a shapechange spell to take the shape of an eagle, a polymorph spell could change her into a goldfish. The shapechange spell is not negated, however, and 141 since the polymorph spell has no effect on the recipient's special abilities, the wizard could use the shapechange effect to take any form the spell allows whenever she desires. If a creature using a shapechange effect becomes petrified by a flesh to stone spell, however, it turns into a mindless, inert statue, and the shapechange effect cannot help it escape. Multiple Mental Control Effects Sometimes magical effects that establish mental control render each other irrelevant. For example, a hold person effect renders any other form of mental control irrelevant because it robs the subject of the ability to move. Mental controls that don't remove the recipient's ability to act usually do not interfere with each other. For example, a person who has received a geas/quest spell can also be subjected to a charm person spell. The charmed person remains committed to fulfilling the quest, however, and resists any order that interferes with that goal. In this case, the geas/quest spell doesn't negate charm person, but it does reduce its effectiveness, just as nonmagical devotion to a quest would. If a creature is under the mental control of two or more creatures, it tends to obey each to the best of its ability, and to the extent of the control each effect allows. If the controlled creature receives conflicting orders simultaneously, the competing controllers must make opposed Charisma checks to determine which one the creature obeys. Spells with Opposite Effects Spells with opposite effects apply normally, with all bonuses, penalties, or changes accruing in the order that they apply. Some spells negate or counter each other. This is a special effect that is noted in a spell's description. Instantaneous Effects Two or more spells with instantaneous durations work cumulatively when they affect the same target. For example, when two fireballs strike a same creature, the target must attempt a saving throw against each fireball and takes damage from each according to the saving throws' results. If a creature receives two cure light wounds spells in a single round, both work normally. Enchantments That Provide Bonuse When any spell produces a bonus with a name, that bonus usually doesn't stack with bonuses that have the same name (see page 21 in the Dungeon Master's Guide and Rules of the Game: Does it Stack?), so the two effects overlap. For example, the +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects from an aid spell won't stack with the +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects from a bless spell. The aid and bless spells don't negate each other, however. If the aid spell lasts longer that the bless spell (or vice versa), the target still gets the benefits of the remaining spell. When two or more spells provide bonuses with different names, their effects stack. For example, the +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects from an aid spell stacks with the +1 luck bonus on attack rolls and all saves from a prayer spell. Prayer's luck bonus applies to more than just attack rolls and saves (see the spell description), but only the portion of the spell that stacks with aid concerns us here. Enchantments That Render Other Enchantments Irrelevant In many cases, one enchantment spell renders another spell irrelevant. For example, a hold person spell effectively paralyzes the target, rendering just about every other enchantment spell the target might receive (either before or after the hold person spell) irrelevant while the hold person lasts. For example, you might use a spell such as charm person, suggestion, confusion, or dominate person spell to control or influence a creature's actions. A creature that also receives a hold person spell freezes in place, making that creature unable to act as the charm person, suggestion, confusion, or dominate person spell dictates (or allows the caster to dictate) while the hold person lasts. When one enchantment spell makes another enchantment spell (or any other spell) irrelevant, the irrelevant spell does not end. When the overriding spell ends, any spells it has rendered irrelevant reassert themselves if their durations haven't expired. Multiple Enchantments That Provide Control Two enchantments that don't remove the recipient's ability to act usually do not interfere with each other. If a creature has received enchantments that make it obey orders from two or more creatures, it tends to obey each to the best of its ability, and to the extent of the control each enchantment allows. If the controlled creature receives conflicting orders simultaneously, the competing controllers must make opposed Charisma checks to determine which one the creature obeys. Making the opposed check isn't an action for either caster. For example, a creature receives a dominate person spell from one caster and a charm person spell from another. Both spells work, and the creature must obey both casters. If the creature simultaneously receives orders and cannot obey both casters (for example, when the casters each orders the subject to approach a different location), the casters make opposed Charisma checks and the subject obeys the caster who wins the check. See below for additional notes on charm person and dominate person. This rule applies only when a creature receives simultaneous orders, or orders that override each other. If only one caster gives orders, the subject obeys that caster. Charms As noted above, charm spells grant the caster some degree of control over the subject. Charms tend to be the most troublesome enchantments because arguments arise over the extent of the control the spell provides, especially when a player character falls victim to a charm spell. Fortunately, a quick review of the spell description usually proves sufficient to establish what the spell can do. When a player character falls victim to a charm and the player finds it hard to cooperate to the extent that the spell requires, it's usually best for the DM to point out a course of action for the character that properly reflects the enchantment. If the player continues to balk, the DM should to step in and treat the character as an NPC for a short time. INFLUENCING NPC ATTITUDES From page 72 of the Player's Handbook: Use the table below to determine the effectiveness of Diplomacy checks (or Charisma checks) made to influence the attitude of a nonplayer character, or wild empathy checks made to influence the attitude of an animal or magical beast. The Dungeon Master's Guide has more information on NPC attitudes. Initial Attitude New Attitude (DC to achieve) Hostile Unfriendly Indifferent Friendly Helpful Hostile Less than 20 20 25 35 50 142 Unfriendly Less than 5 5 15 25 40 Indifferent Less than 1 1 15 30 Friendly Less than 1 1 20 Helpful Less than 1 1 For example, if a character encounters a nonplayer character whose initial attitude is hostile, that character needs to get a result of 20 or higher on a Diplomacy check (or Charisma check) to change that NPC's attitude. On any result less than 20, the NPC's attitude is unchanged. On a result of 20 to 24, the NPC's attitude improves to unfriendly. Attitude Means Possible Actions Hostile Will take risks to hurt you Attack, interfere, berate, flee Unfriendly Wishes you ill Mislead, gossip, avoid, watch suspiciously, insult Indifferent Doesn't much care Socially expected interaction Friendly Wishes you well Chat, advise, offer limited help, advocate Helpful Will take risks to help you Protect, back up, heal, aid Charm Person The quintessential charm spell, charm person makes the target creature friendly to the caster. According to the sidebar on page 72 of the Player's Handbook, a friendly creature wishes you well and will chat with you, advise you, offer you limited help, and act as your advocate. In general, a charmed (or otherwise friendly) person might be expected to be roughly as accommodating to you as a coworker that trusts you and gets along well with you or as obliging as an old school chum. You shouldn't expect a charmed character to make any truly painful or costly sacrifices for you. You have a limited ability to persuade a charmed creature to go out on a limb for you when the consequences to the charmed creature aren't immediately obvious. The spell description uses holding off a red dragon while you escape as an example (and that works only when the charmed subject is a fighter type with appropriate equipment). For more suggestions on handling charms, see Save My Game: Adjudicating Charm Spells From page 209 of the Player's Handbook: Charm Person Enchantment (Charm) [Mind-Affecting] Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target: One humanoid creature Duration: 1 hour/level Saving Throw: Will negates Spell Resistance: Yes This charm makes a humanoid creature regard you as its trusted friend and ally (treat the target's attitude as friendly; see Influencing NPC Attitudes, page 72). If the creature is currently being threatened or attacked by you or your allies, however, it receives a +5 bonus on its saving throw. The spell does not enable you to control the charmed person as if it were an automaton, but it perceives your words and actions in the most favorable way. You can try to give the subject orders, but you must win an opposed Charisma check to convince it to do anything it wouldn't ordinarily do. (Retries are not allowed.) An affected creature never obeys suicidal or obviously harmful orders, but a charmed fighter, for example, might believe you if you assured him that the only chance to save your life is for him to hold back an onrushing red dragon for "just a few seconds." Any act by you or your apparent allies that threatens the charmed person breaks the spell. You must speak the person's language to communicate your commands, or else be good at pantomiming. In any case, when you give a charmed subject orders (rather than just take advantage of its friendly attitude), you must win an opposed Charisma check against the creature to persuade it obey. Giving an order usually is a free action for you, and making the opposed check is part of that free action. If your subject also is under another creature's mental control, you first must make an opposed check against the subject to make it obey you, then you must make a separate check against the other controlling character. The extra check isn't an action for you. Speak From page 144 of the Player's Handbook: In general, speaking is a free action that you can perform even when it isn't your turn. Some DMs may rule that a character can only speak on his turn, or that a character can't speak while flatfooted (and thus can't warn allies of a surprise threat until he has a chance to act). Speaking more than few sentences is generally beyond the limit of a free action; to communicate more information than that, your DM may require that you take a move action or even a full-round action. Charm person isn't a language-dependent spell, but it isn't much good to you if you don't have some way to communicate with the subject. Speaking in a language that the subject can understand allows you to make the best possible use of a charm person spell. You can use pantomime to communicate with a subject; however, gestures won't allow you much in the way of detailed communication with a subject, but you can convey simple things such as "come," "go," "pick that up," or "open that." When in doubt, the DM might call for an Intelligence check to decide if the subject can understand the gestures. For something fairly simple, such as "come" or "go," a DC of 10 is sufficient. For something more complex, such as "pick that up" or "open that," the DC is 15. Concepts that merit a higher DC probably are too complex to communicate through gestures that you make up on the spot. As always, adjust the DC upward for unfavorable conditions, such as poor visibility, a particularly obtuse subject, or any situation that makes the gestures hard to understand, such as an overabundance of things that your gestures might indicate. If the creature you target with a charm person spell is currently under attack by you or your allies, or under the threat of attack, the subject gets a +5 bonus on its saving throw. See page 171 in the Player's Handbook for a definition of attack as it pertains to spells. The DM must decide if the subject is under the threat of attack; this usually requires nothing more than a common sense judgment about what you and your allies are doing. If the subject can reasonably assume that you or your group will attack, it is under threat. For example, you and your group threaten attack if you've already attacked the subject's allies, when you menace the subject with weapons or spells, or when you've invaded some building or territory where you don't belong. 143 Attacks From Special Spell Effects on page 171 of the Player's Handbook: Some spell descriptions refer to attacking. For instance, invisibility is dispelled if you attack anyone or anything while under its effects. All offensive combat actions, even those that don't damage opponents (such as disarm and bull rush) are considered attacks. Attempts to turn or rebuke undead count as attacks. All spells that opponents resist with saving throws, that deal damage, or that otherwise harm or hamper subjects are attacks. Summon monster I and similar spells are not attacks because the spells themselves don't harm anyone. Charm person affects only humanoids. Many other spells work just like the charm person spell, except that they affect other kinds of creatures. These spells include charm animal (affects only creatures of the animal type), charm monster (affects creatures of all types, though not creatures immune to mind-affecting spells), mass charm monster (just like charm monster, but multiple creatures), and symbol of persuasion. Enthrall This spell makes other creatures pay attention exclusively to you. The creatures must be able to see you and hear you speak or sing for a full round in a language they can understand (enthrall is language-dependent, see above). Though the spell description speaks of an area, enthrall is a targeted spell and you can select any number of creatures within range as targets for the spell. If any creature comes within range after you cast the spell, you can target it, too. From page 227 of the Player's Handbook: Enthrall Enchantment (Charm) [Language Dependent, Mind-Affecting, Sonic] Level: Brd 2, Clr 2 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 round Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) Targets: Any number of creatures Duration: 1 hour or less Saving Throw: Will negates; see text Spell Resistance: Yes If you have the attention of a group of creatures, you can use this spell to hold them spellbound. To cast the spell, you must speak or sing without interruption for 1 full round. Thereafter, those affected give you their undivided attention, ignoring their surroundings. They are considered to have an attitude of friendly while under the effect of the spell (see the Dungeon Master's Guide for information about NPC attitudes). Any potentially affected creature of a race or religion unfriendly to yours gets a +4 bonus on the saving throw. A creature with 4 or more HD or with a Wisdom score of 16 or higher remains aware of its surroundings and has an attitude of indifferent. It gains a new saving throw if it witnesses actions that it opposes. The effect lasts as long as you speak or sing, to a maximum of 1 hour. Those enthralled by your words take no action while you speak or sing and for 1d3 rounds thereafter while they discuss the topic or performance. Those entering the area during the performance must also successfully save or become enthralled. The speech ends (but the 1d3-round delay still applies) if you lose concentration or do anything other than speak or sing. If those not enthralled have unfriendly or hostile attitudes toward you, they can collectively make a Charisma check to try to end the spell by jeering and heckling. For this check, use the Charisma bonus of the creature with the highest Charisma in the group; others may make Charisma checks to assist (as described in Aid Another, page 65). The heckling ends the spell if this check result beats your Charisma check result. Only one such challenge is allowed per use of the spell. If any member of the audience is attacked or subjected to some other overtly hostile act, the spell ends and the previously enthralled members become immediately unfriendly toward you. Each creature with 4 or more HD or with a Wisdom score of 16 or higher becomes hostile. Once the spell takes affect on a target, that creature does nothing but stand quietly and pay attention to you. It looks at you and listens to you. The spell lasts for as long as you speak or sing and for 1d3 rounds after you stop speaking or singing (but see below), up to a maximum of 1 hour. If any member of the audience is attacked or subjected to some other overtly hostile act, the spell ends immediately (no 1d3 rounds of additional effects occur), and the enchanted creatures become unfriendly or hostile to you, as noted in the spell description. Any attack or hostile action ends the spell, not just acts from you or your allies. The spell description doesn't say so, but if some third party ends the spell by attacking your audience, it's a good bet that the party who disrupted the spell also draws the audience's wrath. Compulsions Most compulsion spells literally force the subject to act in some manner, or not act at all. Many compulsions simply make their subjects feel particularly good (or bad) and provide bonuses (or penalties) when the subjects take certain actions. The bless, good hope, bane, and crushing despair spells are examples of the latter type of spell. Many compulsions grant the caster some degree of control over the subject, however, and require the same careful handling as charm spells. Here are a few examples: Animal Messenger This spell affects one Tiny creature of the animal type. From page 198 of the Player's Handbook: Animal Messenger Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting] Level: Brd 2, Drd 2, Rgr 1 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target: One Tiny animal Duration: One day/level Saving Throw: None; see text Spell Resistance: Yes 144 You compel a Tiny animal to go to a spot you designate. The most common use for this spell is to get an animal to carry a message to your allies. The animal cannot be one tamed or trained by someone else, including such creatures as familiars and animal companions. Using some type of food desirable to the animal as a lure, you call the animal to you. It advances and awaits your bidding. You can mentally impress on the animal a certain place well known to you or an obvious landmark (such as the peak of a distant mountain). The directions must be simple, because the animal depends on your knowledge and can't find a destination on its own. You can attach some small item or note to the messenger. The animal then goes to the designated location and waits there until the duration of the spell expires, whereupon it resumes its normal activities. During this period of waiting, the messenger allows others to approach it and remove any scroll or token it carries. Unless the intended recipient of a message is expecting a messenger in the form of a bird or other small animal, the carrier may be ignored. The intended recipient gains no special ability to communicate with the animal or read any attached message (if it's written in a language he or she doesn't know, for example). Material Component: A morsel of food the animal likes. The target animal cannot be one tamed or trained by someone else. This includes familiars (which are magical beasts and not subject to the spell anyway) and animal companions. It also includes any animal that has been taught tricks or trained for a purpose with the Handle Animal skill. The spell gives you the power to impress upon the animal a set of directions to some location you specify, and the animal will carry a message to that location for you. You can attach the message or item to the animal somehow (such as with a collar or leg band) or have the animal carry it in its mouth or a manipulative appendage (if the animal has one). You must know the route to that location yourself and the directions you give must be fairly simple. The spell description doesn't define "simple" in the context of the spell, but I recommend something based on obvious landmarks and a minimal number of landmarkbased steps, say three steps per point of Intelligence the animal has. Such directions might include "go to the top of that hill" (This would require the hill to be in sight and you would have to point at the hill.) Other possibilities would include walk a half mile in that direction (you point in the direction), follow the left bank to the rapids, walk into the woods, and wait by the lightning-struck oak. You cannot communicate with the target animal in any way other than to direct it to the location you desire. When the animal reaches the location you specified, it waits there for the remaining duration of the spell. The spell doesn't give creatures at the location any special ability to communicate with the animal or any special ability to read or decipher any message the animal might carry for you. Animal Trance This spell affects 2d6 Hit Dice worth of animals or magical beasts with Intelligence scores of 1 or 2. Roll the dice to determine how many Hit Dice worth of creatures, then select targets for the spell. If you select more targets than the roll allows, the targets closest to you are affected first. If you select a target that the spell can't affect (because it is not an animal or magical beast or because it has an Intelligence higher than 2), that creature doesn't count against the number of Hit Dice the spell can affect. From page 198 of the Player's Handbook: Animal Trance Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting, Sonic] Level: Brd 2, Drd 2 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Targets: Animals or magical beasts with Intelligence 1 or 2 Duration: Concentration Saving Throw: Will negates; see text Spell Resistance: Yes Your swaying motions and music (or singing, or chanting) compel animals and magical beasts to do nothing but watch you. Only a creature with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2 can be fascinated by this spell. Roll 2d6 to determine the total number of HD worth of creatures that you fascinate. The closest targets are selected first until no more targets within range can be affected. For example, if Vadania affects 7 HD worth of animals and there are several 2 HD wolves within close range, only the three closest wolves are affected. A magical beast, a dire animal, or an animal trained to attack or guard is allowed a saving throw; an animal not trained to attack or guard is not. A creature affected by this spell becomes fascinated with you. It takes no actions other than to pay attention to you. It takes a -4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Listen and Spot checks. Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, allows the creature a new saving throw against the spell; however, only a dire animal or an animal trained to attack or guard (see the Handle Animal skill description) is allowed a saving throw against the spell. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the fascinated creature, automatically breaks the spell, even when a subject is not allowed a saving throw. Command You use this spell to issue a single order to one living creature. You must give the order in a language the subject can understand (command is language-dependent; see above). The spell provides a short list of orders you can use. When affected by this spell, a creature must obey its order to the best of its ability and at the soonest possible moment, usually during its next turn after receiving the spell. The subject generally obeys you for 1 round. See the spell description for details. From page 211 of the Player's Handbook: Command Enchantment (Compulsion) [Language-Dependent, Mind-Affecting] Level: Clr 1 Components: V Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target: One living creature Duration: 1 round Saving Throw: Will negates Spell Resistance: Yes 145 You give the subject a single command, which it obeys to the best of its ability at its earliest opportunity. You may select from the following options. Approach: On its turn, the subject moves toward you as quickly and directly as possible for 1 round. The creature may do nothing but move during its turn, and it provokes attacks of opportunity for this movement as normal. Drop: On its turn, the subject drops whatever it is holding. It can't pick up any dropped item until its next turn. Fall: On its turn, the subject falls to the ground and remains prone for 1 round. It may act normally while prone but takes any appropriate penalties. Flee: On its turn, the subject moves away from you as quickly as possible for 1 round. It may do nothing but move during its turn, and it provokes attacks of opportunity for this movement as normal. Halt: The subject stands in place for 1 round. It may not take any actions but is not considered helpless. If the subject can't carry out your command on its next turn, the spell automatically fails. The greater command spell functions just like the command spell, except that you command multiple creatures and the creatures you command might obey you for multiple rounds. You must give the same command to each creature. An affected creature obeys you for at least 1 round if it fails its initial save. Each round thereafter, at the start of its turn, the creature gets a new saving throw to end the effect. A successful save from one creature doesn't affect any other creatures you have targeted with the spell. Suggestion Here's a potent spell that often provokes arguments. Using suggestion, you can compel a subject to undertake some activity that you can describe briefly. The spell description says you must be able to describe the activity in a sentence or two. I recommend that you limit suggestions to two fairly simple sentences of no more than 25 to 30 words total. From page 285 of the Player's Handbook: Suggestion Enchantment (Compulsion) [Language-Dependent, Mind-Affecting] Level: Brd 2, Sor/Wiz 3 Components: V, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target: One living creature Duration: 1 hour/level or until completed Saving Throw: Will negates Spell Resistance: Yes You influence the actions of the target creature by suggesting a course of activity (limited to a sentence or two). The suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the activity sound reasonable. Asking the creature to stab itself, throw itself onto a spear, immolate itself, or do some other obviously harmful act automatically negates the effect of the spell. However, a suggestion that a pool of acid is actually pure water and that a quick dip would be refreshing is another matter. Urging a red dragon to stop attacking your party so that the dragon and party could jointly loot a rich treasure elsewhere is likewise a reasonable use of the spell's power. The suggested course of activity can continue for the entire duration, such as in the case of the red dragon mentioned above. If the suggested activity can be completed in a shorter time, the spell ends when the subject finishes what it was asked to do. You can instead specify conditions that will trigger a special activity during the duration. For example, you might suggest that a noble knight give her warhorse to the first beggar she meets. If the condition is not met before the spell duration expires, the activity is not performed. A very reasonable suggestion causes the save to be made with a penalty (such as -1 or -2) at the discretion of the DM. Material Component: A snake's tongue and either a bit of honeycomb or a drop of sweet oil. Suggestion is language-dependent, so you must speak to the subject in a language it can understand (but see above). You can't use the spell to compel a subject to do something suicidal or obviously harmful. The course of action you suggest must seem reasonable. The DM is the final judge of what's reasonable, but as a rule of thumb a suggestion should be something that the subject might decide to do on his own if the circumstances were appropriate or if the subject shared the caster's point of view. You can word a suggestion so as to make the requested activity seem reasonable. The spell description uses an example in which the caster suggests that a pool of acid is pure water and suggests a swim therein. Very reasonable suggestions impose a penalty on the saving throw. The DM must decide what is very reasonable, but in general, these are things that the subject might do without any special prompting from anyone else. A suggestion to flee from a fight and get as far away as possible would be very reasonable, especially if the subject was already facing defeat (or the subject has a credible expectation of defeat). A suggestion effect ends when the subject follows the course of action the caster specifies. You should be careful to word suggestions so that they can't be fulfilled in a round or two. For example, a suggestion to "flee" or "hide" can be completed pretty quickly, and nothing in those suggestions prevents the subject from rejoining a battle immediately afterward. The spell also allows you to specify some action that the subject must take in response to a trigger you specify. The triggered action can't be anything you couldn't normally do with the spell. For example, you can't use suggestion to order someone to kill himself at sundown. When describing a trigger, you must fit the description into the two fairly simple sentences of no more than 25 to 30 words total that the spell allows you. Many spells and effects in the D&D game allow you to make suggestions, including the bard's fascinate class feature (when the bard is 6th level or higher), and the demand, guards and wards, and illusory script spells. The mass suggestion spell works just like suggestion except that it affects more than one creature. You must give the same suggestion to each subject you affect with a single spell. Dominate Person This spell functions much like a supercharged version of the charm person spell. The spell is not language-dependent and it provides you with a telepathic link with the subject. The link allows you to control the subject from afar (even when you can't see the subject; see the spell description) and to know what the subject is experiencing, as noted in the spell description. From page 224 of the Player's Handbook: Dominate Person Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting] Level: Brd 4, Sor/Wiz 5 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 round 146 Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target: One humanoid Duration: One day/level Saving Throw: Will negates Spell Resistance: Yes You can control the actions of any humanoid creature through a telepathic link that you establish with the subject's mind. If you and the subject have a common language, you can generally force the subject to perform as you desire, within the limits of its abilities. If no common language exists, you can communicate only basic commands, such as "Come here," "Go there," "Fight," and "Stand still." You know what the subject is experiencing, but you do not receive direct sensory input from it, nor can it communicate with you telepathically. Once you have given a dominated creature a command, it continues to attempt to carry out that command to the exclusion of all other activities except those necessary for day-to-day survival (such as sleeping, eating, and so forth). Because of this limited range of activity, a Sense Motive check against DC 15 (rather than DC 25) can determine that the subject's behavior is being influenced by an enchantment effect (see the Sense Motive skill description, page 81). Changing your instructions or giving a dominated creature a new command is the equivalent of redirecting a spell, so it is a move action. By concentrating fully on the spell (a standard action), you can receive full sensory input as interpreted by the mind of the subject, though it still can't communicate with you. You can't actually see through the subject's eyes, so it's not as good as being there yourself, but you still get a good idea of what's going on (the subject is walking through a smelly courtyard, the subject is talking to a guard, the guard looks suspicious, and so forth). Subjects resist this control, and any subject forced to take actions against its nature receives a new saving throw with a +2 bonus. Obviously self-destructive orders are not carried out. Once control is established, the range at which it can be exercised is unlimited, as long as you and the subject are on the same plane. You need not see the subject to control it. If you don't spend at least 1 round concentrating on the spell each day, the subject receives a new saving throw to throw off the domination. Protection from evil or a similar spell can prevent you from exercising control or using the telepathic link while the subject is so warded, but such an effect neither prevents the establishment of domination nor dispels it. If you don't share a common language with the subject, you can give her only simple commands, such as "Come here," "Go there," "Fight," and "Stand still." If you and the subject share a common language, you can compel the subject to do just about anything you want. You can't force a subject to do anything obviously self-destructive, but just about anything else goes. If you try to force the subject to act against its nature, it gets a new saving throw with a +2 bonus, and a successful saving throw ends the spell. (It pays to be careful about what you order a dominated subject to do.) The DM must decide what's contrary to the subject's nature. The discussion of things you can accomplish with a charm person spell provides a good basis for what a dominated subject can be made to do without getting a new saving throw. Once a dominated subject receives an order, it tends to follow that order to the exclusion of all other activities (other than basic activities such as eating, drinking, and sleeping) until it fulfills the order. If the DM decides the order is against the subject's nature, it gets only one saving throw to resist the order and throw off the spell, even if the order takes some time and effort to accomplish. As with the suggestion spell, it pays to be careful how you phrase orders. For example, if you order a subject to attack its ally, it almost certainly will get a saving throw to throw off the spell. The subject, however, can accomplish this order with a single action. If you repeat the order, the subject will get a new saving throw. On the other hand, if you order a subject to slay one of its allies, the subject will get only one saving throw. Each day the spell lasts, you must spend 1 round concentrating on the subject to maintain your influence. If you don't do so, the spell doesn't necessarily end, but the subject gets a new saving throw to throw off the effect. Dominate person affects only humanoids. The dominate monster spell works just like dominate person except that it works on any kind of creature (provided it is subject to mind-affecting spells). 147 Carrying Things Foreword Sooner or later, every character has to worry about carrying a hefty amount of weight. Piles of treasure represent a pleasant burden, but characters might also have to haul unconscious, dead, or petrified comrades out of dungeons, tote piles of loose debris to clear out a collapsed tunnel, or lug jugs of water and bags of supplies through a wasteland to avoid dying of hunger and thirst. This series examines several aspects of the mundane, but all too necessary, job of carrying things around. Carrying Capacity Creatures that lack Strength scores can't carry much of anything because they have no way to exert force on other creatures or objects. Other creatures have a carrying capacity based on their sizes and Strength scores. The bigger and stronger a creature is, the more it can carry. Why a Size Adjustment? According to the Player's Handbook, a Strength score measures a creature's muscle and physical power. So, why should two different creatures with the same Strength score have different carrying capacities? The answer is fairly complex, but it boils down to this: Some body arrangements are better suited to use their Strength than others in some situations, and less able to use their Strength than others in other situations. Here's an example: A typical draft horse (a heavy horse) found on a farm and a fairly low-level human fighter have similar Strength scores (around 16). The horse, however, can carry three times what the human can because of its sheer size (Large), and because it's a quadruped. Size helps the horse carry more simply because its greater mass allows it to handle more weight (just as a bridge can support more weight than a footstool). Likewise, the horse's four motive limbs keep it more stable than the two-legged human when carrying a load, and give it more ability to exert a pulling force when carrying a load on its back or when dragging something. So, why not just give the horse a higher Strength score? Well, because a creature's Strength score also helps with melee combat. A draft horse is a fine animal for doing heavy work, but it's not really designed for fighting. It can carry or drag a great deal, and its hooves can prove deadly, but not so much more dangerous than the fighter's sword. If we used the same scale to calculate the carrying capacity for both horse and human, the horse's Strength score would have to be somewhere around 24. The horse's Strength modifier for melee attacks and damage would be +7 instead of +3, and it would be quite a melee machine. By limiting the horse's Strength score and keeping it in line with what the human fighter has, while also increasing its carrying capacity, the rules more accurately represent what each creature can do in the game world. The forgoing is only one example of how the rules handle size. Many kinds of special combat, such as grappling and tripping, also include a size modifier to reflect the inherent advantages (or disadvantages) of being bigger than your foe. Load and Encumbrance A creature slows down as its load increases. Pages 161-162 in the Player's Handbook and Rules of the Game: All About Movement discuss loads and encumbrance in detail, but here are the highlights. From the pages 161-162 of the Player's Handbook: CARRYING CAPACITY Encumbrance rules determine how much a character's armor and equipment slow him or her down. Encumbrance comes in two parts: encumbrance by armor and encumbrance by total weight. Encumbrance by Armor A character's armor (as described on Table 7-6: Armor and Shields, page 123 in the Player's Handbook) defines his or her maximum Dexterity bonus to AC, armor check penalty, speed, and running speed. Unless your character is weak or carrying a lot of gear, that's all you need to know. The extra gear your character carries, such as weapons and rope, won't slow him or her down any more than the armor already does. If your character is weak or carrying a lot of gear, however, then you'll need to calculate encumbrance by weight. Doing so is most important when your character is trying to carry some heavy object, such as a treasure chest. Weight If you want to determine whether your character's gear is heavy enough to slow him or her down more than the armor already does, total the weight of all the character's items, including armor, weapons, and gear. Compare this total to the character's Strength on Table 9-1: Carrying Capacity. Depending on how the weight compares to the character's carrying capacity, he or she may be carrying a light, medium, or heavy load. Like armor, a character's load affects his or her maximum Dexterity bonus to AC, carries a check penalty (which works like an armor check penalty), reduces the character's speed, and affects how fast the character can run, as shown on Table 9-2: Carrying Loads. A medium or heavy load counts as medium or heavy armor for the purpose of abilities or skills that are restricted by armor. Carrying a light load does not encumber a character. If your character is wearing armor, use the worse figure (from armor or from load) for each category. Do not stack the penalties. Lifting and Dragging A character can lift as much as his or her maximum load over his or her head. A character can lift as much as double his or her maximum load off the ground, but he or she can only stagger around with it. While overloaded in this way, the character loses any Dexterity bonus to AC and can move only 5 feet per round (as a fullround action). A character can generally push or drag along the ground as much as five times his or her maximum load. Favorable conditions (such as being on smooth ground or dragging a slick object) can double these numbers, and bad circumstances (such as being on broken ground or pushing an object that snags) can reduce them to one-half or less. 148 Bigger and Smaller Creatures The figures on Table 9-1: Carrying Capacity are for Medium bipedal creatures. A larger bipedal creature can carry more weight depending on its size category, as follows: Large x2, Huge x4, Gargantuan x8, Colossal x16. A smaller creature can carry less weight depending on its size category, as follows: Small x3/4, Tiny x1/2, Diminutive x1/4, Fine x1/8. Thus, a human with a Strength score magically boosted to equal that of a giant would still have a harder time lifting, say, a horse or a boulder than a giant would. Tremendous Strength For Strength scores not shown on Table 9-1, find the Strength score between 20 and 29 that has the same number in the "ones" digit as the creature's Strength score does. Multiply the figures by 4 if the creature's Strength is in the 30s, 16 if it's in the 40s, 64 if it's in the 50s, and so on. For example, a cloud giant with a 35 Strength can carry four times what a creature with a 25 Strength can carry, or 3,200 pounds x 4 because the cloud giant is Huge, for a total of 12,800 pounds. Speed, Dexterity, Armor Class and flight Table 9-1 in the Player's Handbook shows carrying capacity and loads for Medium humanoid creatures. The first column shows light loads for various Strength scores. A creature carrying a light load isn't slowed down by the load it carries. The second column in the table shows medium loads. A creature carrying a medium load suffers a speed reduction as shown on Table 9-2 in the Player's Handbook. For creatures with speeds not shown on Table 9-2, see page 20 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. A creature carrying a medium load also has a limit on the Dexterity bonus it can apply to its Armor Class and a penalty on Dexterity checks, also as shown on Table 9-2. A creature that has a fly speed from wings or similar appendages cannot fly when carrying a medium load. The third column in the table shows heavy loads. The highest number in this column also is the maximum weight the creature can lift over its head (assuming that the creature has limbs that allow it to perform such an act). A creature carrying a heavy load also has a limit on the Dexterity bonus it can apply to its Armor Class and a penalty on Dexterity checks, also as shown on Table 9-2. In addition, a heavy load limits a creature's running speed, also as shown on Table 9-2. A heavy load prevents some kinds of flight just as a medium load does. A creature wearing armor uses the maximum Dexterity bonus, Dexterity check penalty, speed reduction, and reduction in running speed as shown on the armor on Table 7-6 in the Player's Handbook or the values shown for its load on Table 9-2, whichever is worse. For example, a human with a Strength score of 18, wearing full plate armor, and carrying a total of 100 pounds of gear and loot (including the armor) is carrying only a light load. The full plate armor, however, impedes the character, reducing the human's speed to 20 feet, imposing a maximum Dexterity bonus to Armor Class of +1 and imposing a Dexterity check penalty of -6. The character also moves at only three times speed when running. A speed reduction from armor also prevents flying. A creature that has a fly speed from wings or similar appendages cannot fly when wearing medium or heavy armor. From the page 131 of the Player's Handbook: Flying mounts can't fly in medium or heavy barding. Expanded Carrying Capacity Tables Table 9-1 in the Player's Handbook shows carrying capacities for Medium bipeds. Larger or smaller bipeds have greater or smaller carrying capacities, as follows: Fine x1/8, Diminutive x1/4, Tiny x1/2, Small x3/4, Large x2, Huge x4, Gargantuan x8, Colossal x16. Calculating these values on the fly can be a chore, so I've calculated them for you. If you look at the numbers on the following tables, closely, you'll notice that not all of them conform strictly to the formulas. That's because Table 9-1 gives a continuous range of numbers for a Medium humanoid's carrying capacity. When you start multiplying the numbers on the table, you get gaps in the numbers, however. I've closed the gaps by adjusting the number at the lower end of each load range. The tables for bipeds that are size Small or smaller, I've given loads in pounds and ounces. This allowed me to give load numbers that are as close to the formula as possible. What Is a Biped? A bipedal creature stands upright on two legs. In most cases, creatures of the following types usually should be treated as bipeds: fey, giants, humanoids, monstrous humanoids, outsiders, and undead. Be alert for exceptions. For example, a centaur is a monstrous humanoid, but its horse body makes it a quadruped. I've included outsiders and undead here because most of them have basically humanoid shapes, but not always. A yeth hound, for example, is an outsider and a quadruped. Most elementals and plants don't really have motive limbs, but are essentially upright and should use biped carrying capacities. In addition, many constructs, such as golems, are bipedal. Many aberrations are bipedal (such as mind flayers) or probably ought to use biped carrying capacity, such as beholders. Animals that use only two motive limbs at a time, such as most birds, should use biped carrying capacities. Some animals, such as monkeys and apes, can switch between locomotion types. 149 Fine Biped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 6 oz. or less 2 12 oz. or less 3 1 lb. 4 oz. or less 4 1 lb. 10 oz. or less 5 2 lb. or less 6 2 lb. 8 oz. or less 7 2 lb. 14 oz. or less 8 3 lb. 4 oz. or less 9 3 lb. 12 oz. or less 10 4 lb. 2 oz. or less 11 4 lb. 12 oz. or less 12 5 lb. 6 oz. or less 13 6 lb. 4 oz. or less 14 7 lb. 4 oz. or less 15 8 lb. 4 oz. or less 16 9 lb. 8 oz. or less 17 10 lb. 12 oz. or less 18 12 lb. 8 oz. or less 19 14 lb. 8 oz. or less 20 16 lb. 10 oz. or less 21 19 lb. 2 oz. or less 22 21 lb. 10 oz. or less 23 25 lb. or less 24 29 lb. 2 oz. or less 25 33 lb. 4 oz. or less 26 38 lb. 4 oz. or less 27 43 lb. 4 oz. or less 28 50 lb. or less 29 58 lb. 4 oz. or less 30 66 lb. 8 oz. or less Medium Load 7 oz.-12 oz. 13 oz.-1 lb. 10 oz. 1 lb. 5 oz.-2 lb. 8 oz. 1 lb. 11 oz.-3 lb. 4 oz. 2 lb. 1 oz.-4 lb. 2 oz. 2 lb. 9 oz.-5 lb. 2 lb. 15 oz.-5 lb. 12 oz. 3 lb. 5 oz.-6 lb. 10 oz. 3 lb. 13 oz.-7 lb. 8 oz. 4 lb. 3 oz.-8 lb. 4 oz. 4 lb. 13 oz.-9 lb. 8 oz. 5 lb. 7 oz.-10 lb. 12 oz. 6 lb. 5 oz.-12 lb. 8 oz. 7 lb. 5 oz.-14 lb. 8 oz. 8 lb. 5 oz.-16 lb. 10 oz. 9 lb. 9 oz.-19 lb. 2 oz. 10 lb. 13 oz.-21 lb. 10 oz. 12 lb. 9 oz.-25 lb. 14 lb. 9 oz.-29 lb. 2 oz. 16 lb. 11 oz.-33 lb. 4 oz. 19 lb. 3 oz.-38 lb. 4 oz. 21 lb. 11 oz.-43 lb. 4 oz. 25 lb. 1 oz.-50 lb. 29 lb. 3 oz.-58 lb. 4 oz. 33 lb. 5 oz.-66 lb. 10 oz. 38 lb. 5 oz.-76 lb. 10 oz. 43 lb. 5 oz.-86 lb. 10 oz. 50 lb. 1 oz.-100 lb. 58 lb. 5 oz.-116 lb. 10 oz. 66 lb. 9 oz.-133 lb. Heavy Load 13 oz.-1 lb. 4 oz. 1 lb. 11 oz.-2 lb.8 oz. 2 lb. 9 oz.-3 lb. 12 oz. 3 lb. 5 oz.-5 lb. 4 lb. 3 oz.-6 lb. 4 oz. 5 lb. 1 oz.-7 lb. 8 oz. 5 lb. 13 oz.-8 lb. 12 oz. 6 lb. 11 oz.-10 lb. 7 lb. 9 oz.-11 lb. 4 oz. 8 lb. 5 oz.-12 lb. 8 oz. 9 lb. 9 oz.-14 lb. 6 oz. 10 lb. 13 oz.-16 lb. 4 oz. 12 lb. 9 oz.-18 lb. 12 oz. 14 lb. 9 oz.-21 lb. 14 oz. 16 lb. 11 oz.-25 lb. 19 lb. 3 oz.-28 lb. 12 oz. 21 lb. 11 oz.-32 lb. 8 oz. 25 lb. 1 oz.-37 lb. 8 oz. 29 lb. 3 oz.-43 lb. 12 oz. 33 lb. 5 oz.-50 lb. 38 lb. 5 oz.-57 lb. 8 oz. 43 lb. 5 oz.-65 lb. 50 lb. 1 oz.-75 lb. 58 lb. 5 oz.-87 lb. 8 oz. 66 lb. 11 oz.-100 lb. 76 lb. 11 oz.-115 lb. 86 lb. 11 oz.-130 lb. 100 lb. 1 oz.-150 lb. 116 lb. 11 oz.-175 lb. 133 lb. 1 oz.-200 lb. Medium Load 13 oz.-1 lb. 8 oz. 1 lb. 9 oz.-3 lb. 4 oz. 2 lb. 9 oz.-5 lb. 3 lb. 5 oz.-6 lb. 8 oz. 4 lb. 1 oz.-8 lb. 4 oz. 5 lb. 1 oz.-10 lb. 5 lb. 13 oz.-11 lb. 8 oz. 6 lb. 9 oz.-13 lb. 4 oz. 7 lb. 9 oz.-15 lb. 8 lb. 5 oz.-16 lb. 8 oz. 9 lb. 9 oz.-19 lb. 10 lb. 13 oz.-21 lbs. 8 oz. 12 lb. 9 oz.-25 lb. 14 lb. 9 oz.-29 lb. 16 lb. 9 oz.-33 lb. 4 oz. 19 lb. 1 oz.-38 lb. 4 oz. 21 lb. 9 oz.-43 lb. 4 oz. 25 lb. 1 oz.-50 lb. 29 lb. 1 oz.-58 lb. 4 oz. 33 lb. 5 oz.-66 lb. 8 oz. 38 lb. 5 oz.-76 lb. 8 oz. 43 lb. 5 oz.-86 lb. 8 oz. 50 lb. 1 oz.-100 lb. 58 lb. 5 oz.-116 lb.8 oz. 66 lb. 9 oz.-133 lb. 4 oz. 76 lb. 9 oz.-153 lb. 4 oz. 86 lb. 9 oz.-173 lb. 4 oz. 100 lb. 1 oz.-200 lb. 116 lb. 9 oz.-233 lb. 4 oz. 133 lb. 1 oz.-266 lb. Heavy Load 1 lb. 9 oz.-2 lb. 8 oz. 3 lb. 5 oz.-5 lb. 5 lb. 1 oz.-7 lb. 8 oz. 6 lb. 9 oz.-10 lb. 8 lb. 5 oz.-12 lb. 8 oz. 10 lb. 1 oz.-15 lb. 11 lb. 9 oz.-17 lb. 8 oz. 13 lb. 5 oz.-20 lb. 15 lb. 1 oz.-22 lb. 8 oz. 16 lb. 9 oz.-25 lb. 19 lb. 1 oz.-28 lb.12 oz. 21 lb. 9 oz.-32 lb. 8 oz. 25 lb. 1 oz.-37 lb. 8 oz. 29 lb. 1 oz.-43 lb. 12 oz. 33 lb. 5 oz.-50 lb. 38 lb. 5 oz.-57 lb. 8 oz. 43 lb. 5 oz.-65 lb. 50 lb. 1 oz.-75 lb. 58 lb. 5 oz.-87 lb. 8 oz. 66 lb. 9 oz.-100 lb. 76 lb. 9 oz.-115 lb. 86 lbs .9 oz.-130 lb. 100 lb. 1 oz.-150 lb. 116 lb. 9 oz.-175 lb. 133 lb. 5 oz.-200 lb. 153 lb. 5 oz.-230 lb. 173 lb. 5 oz.-260 lb. 200 lb. 1 oz.-300 lb. 233 lb. 5 oz.-350 lb. 266 lb. 1 oz.-400 lb. Diminutive Biped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 12 oz. or less 2 1 lb. 8 oz. or less 3 2 lb. 8 oz. or less 4 3 lb. 4 oz. or less 5 4 lb. or less 6 5 lb. or less 7 5 lb. 12 oz. or less 8 6 lb. 8 oz. or less 9 7 lb. 8 oz. or less 10 8 lb. 4 oz. or less 11 9 lb. 8 oz. or less 12 10 lb. 12 oz. or less 13 12 lb. 8 oz. or less 14 14 lb. 8 oz. or less 15 16 lb. 8 oz. or less 16 19 lb. or less 17 21 lb. 8 oz. or less 18 25 lb. or less 19 29 lb. or less 20 33 lb. 4 oz. or less 21 38 lb. 4 oz. or less 22 43 lb. 4 oz. or less 23 50 lb. or less 24 58 lb. 4 oz. or less 25 66 lb. 8 oz. or less 26 76 lb. 8 oz. or less 27 86 lb. 8 oz. or less 28 100 lb. or less 29 116 lb. 8 oz. or less 30 133 lb. or less 150 Tiny Biped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load Medium Load 1 1 lb. 8 oz. or less 1 lb. 9 oz-3 lb. 2 3 lb. or less 3 lb. 1 oz.-6 lb. 8 oz. 3 5 lb. or less 5 lb. 1 oz.-10 lb. 4 6 lb. 8 oz. or less 6 lb. 9 oz.-13 lb. 5 8 lb. or less 8 lb. 1 oz.-16 lb. 8 oz. 6 10 lb. or less 10 lb. 1 oz.-20 lb. 7 11 lb. 8 oz. or less 11 lb. 9 oz.-23 lb. 8 13 lb. or less 13 lb. 1 oz.-26 lb. 8 oz. 9 15 lb. or less 15 lb. 1 oz.-30 lb. 10 16 lb. 8 oz. or less 16 lb. 9 oz. -33 lb. 11 19 lb. or less 19 lb. 1 oz.-38 lb. 12 21 lb. 8 oz. or less 21 lb. 9 oz. -43 lb. 13 25 lb. or less 25 lb. 1 oz.-50 lb. 14 29 lb. or less 29 lb. 1 oz.-58 lb. 15 33 lb. or less 33 lb. 1 oz.-66 lb. 8 oz. 16 38 lb. or less 38 lb. 1 oz.-76 lb. 8 oz. 17 43 lb. or less 43 lb. 1 oz.-86 lb. 8 oz. 18 50 lb. or less 50 lb. 1 oz.-100 lb. 19 58 lb. or less 58 lb. 1 oz.-116 lb. 8 oz. 20 66 lb. 8 oz. or less 66 lb. 9 oz.-133 lb. 21 76 lb. 8 oz. or less 76 lb. 9 oz.-153 lb. 22 86 lb. 8 oz. or less 86 lb. 9 oz.-173 lb. 23 100 lb. or less 100 lb. 1 oz.-200 lb. 24 116 lb. 8 oz. 116 lb. 9 oz.-233 lb. 25 133 lb. or less 133 lb. 1 oz.-266 lb. 8 oz. 26 153 lb. or less 153 lb. 1 oz.-306 lb. 8 oz. 27 173 lb. or less 173 lb. 1 oz.-346 lb. 8 oz. 28 200 lb. or less 200 lb. 1 oz.-400 lb. 29 233 lb. or less 233 lb. 1 oz.-466 lb. 8 oz. 30 266 lb. or less 266 lb. 1 oz.-532 lb. Heavy Load 3 lb. 1 oz.-5 lb. 6 lb. 9 oz.-10 lb. 10 lb. 1 oz.-15 lb. 13 lb. 1 oz.-20 lb. 16 lb. 9 oz.-25 lb. 20 lb. 1 oz.-30 lb. 23 lb. 1 oz.-35 lb. 26 lb. 9 oz. -40 lb. 30 lb. 1 oz.-45 lb. 33 lb. 1 oz.-50 lb. 38 lb. 1 oz.-57 lb. 8 oz. 43 lb. 1 oz.-65 lb. 50 lb. 1 oz.-75 lb. 58 lb. 1 oz.-87 lb. 8 oz. 66 lb. 9 oz. -100 lb. 76 lb. 9 oz. -115 lb. 86 lb. 9 oz. -130 lb. 100 lb. 1 oz.-150 lb. 116 lb. 9 oz. -175 lb. 133 lb. 1 oz.-200 lb. 153 lb. 1 oz.-230 lb. 173 lb. 1 oz.-260 lb. 200 lb. 1 oz.-300 lb. 233 lb. 1 oz.-350 lb. 266 lb. 9 oz.-400 lb. 306 lb. 9 oz.-460 lb. 346 lb. 9 oz.-520 lb. 400 lb. 1 oz.-600 lb. 466 lb. 9 oz. -700 lb. 532 lb. 1 oz.-800 lb. Small Biped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 2 lb. 4 oz. or less 2 4 lb. 8 oz. or less 3 7 lb. 8 oz. or less 4 9 lb. 12 oz. or less 5 12 lb. or less 6 15 lb. or less 7 17 lb. 4 oz. or less 8 19 lb. 8 oz. or less 9 22 lb. 8 oz. or less 10 24 lb. 12 oz. or less 11 28 lb. 8 oz. or less 12 32 lb. 4 oz. or less 13 37 lb. 8 oz. or less 14 43 lb. 8 oz. or less 15 49 lb. 8 oz. or less 16 57 lb. or less 17 64 lb. 8 oz. or less 18 75 lb. or less 19 87 lb. or less 20 99 lb. 12 oz. or less 21 114 lb. 12 oz. or less 22 129 lb. 12 oz. or less 23 150 lb. or less 24 174 lb. 12 oz. or less 25 199 lb. 8 oz. or less 26 229 lb. 8 oz. or less 27 259 lb. 8 oz. or less 28 300 lb. or less 29 349 lb. 8 oz. or less 30 399 lb. or less Medium Load 2 lb. 5 oz-4 lb. 8 oz. 4 lb. 9 oz.-9 lb. 12 oz. 7 lb. 9 oz.-15 lb. 9 lb. 13 oz.-19 lb. 8 oz. 12 lb. 1 oz.-24 lb. 12 oz. 15 lb. 1 oz.-30 lb. 17 lb. 5 oz.-34 lb. 8 oz. 19 lb. 9 oz.-39 lb. 12 oz. 22 lb. 9 oz.-45 lb. 24 lb. 13 oz.-49 lb. 8 oz. 28 lb. 9 oz.-57 lb. 32 lb. 5 oz.-64 lb. 8 oz. 37 lb. 9 oz.-75 lb. 43 lb. 9 oz.-87 lb. 49 lb. 9 oz.-99 lb. 12 oz. 57 lb. 1 oz.-114 lb. 12 oz. 64 lb. 9 oz.-129 lb. 12 oz. 75 lb. 1 oz.-150 lb. 87 lb. 1 oz.-174 lb. 12 oz. 99 lb. 13 oz.-199 lb. 8 oz. 114 lb. 13 oz.-229 lb. 8 oz. 129 lb. 13 oz.-259 lb. 8 oz. 150 lb. 1 oz.-300 lb. 174 lb. 13 oz.-349 lb. 8 oz. 199 lb. 9 oz.-399 lb. 12 oz. 229 lb. 9 oz.-459 lb. 12 oz. 259 lb. 9 oz.-519 lb. 12 oz. 300 lb. 1 oz.-600 lb. 349 lb. 9 oz.-699 lb. 12 oz. 399 lb. 1 oz.-798 lb. Heavy Load 4 lb. 9 oz.-7 lb. 8 oz. 9 lb. 13 oz.-15 lb. 15 lb. 1 oz.-22 lb. 8 oz. 19 lb. 9 oz.-30 lb. 24 lb. 13 oz.-37 lb. 8 oz. 30 lb. 1 oz.-45 lb. 34 lb. 9 oz.-52 lb. 8 oz. 39 lb. 13 oz.-60 lb. 45 lb. 1 oz.-67 lb. 8 oz. 49 lb. 9 oz.-75 lb. 57 lb. 1 oz.-86 lb. 4 oz. 64 lb. 9 oz.-97 lb. 8 oz. 75 lb. 1 oz.-112 lb. 8 oz. 87 lb. 1 oz.-131 lb. 4 oz. 99 lb. 13 oz.-150 lb. 114 lb. 13 oz.-172 lb. 8 oz. 129 lb. 13 oz.-195 lb. 150 lb. 1 oz.-225 lb. 174 lb. 13 oz.-262 lb. 8 oz. 199 lb. 9 oz.-300 lb. 229 lb. 9 oz.-345 lb. 259 lb. 9 oz.-390 lb. 300 lb. 1 oz.-450 lb. 349 lb. 9 oz.-525 lb. 399 lb. 13 oz.-600 lb. 459 lb. 13 oz.-690 lb. 519 lb. 13 oz.-780 lb. 600 lb. 1 oz.-900 lb. 699 lb. 13 oz.-1,050 lb. 798 lb. 1 oz.-1,200 lb. 151 Large Biped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 6 lb. or less 2 12 lb. or less 3 20 lb. or less 4 26 lb. or less 5 32 lb. or less 6 40 lb. or less 7 46 lb. or less 8 52 lb. or less 9 60 lb. or less 10 66 lb. or less 11 76 lb. or less 12 86 lb. or less 13 100 lb. or less 14 116 lb. or less 15 132 lb. or less 16 152 lb. or less 17 172 lb. or less 18 200 lb. or less 19 232 lb. or less 20 266 lb. or less 21 306 lb. or less 22 346 lb. or less 23 400 lb. or less 24 466 lb. or less 25 532 lb. or less 26 612 lb. or less 27 692 lb. or less 28 800 lb. or less 29 932 lb. or less 30 1,064 lb. or less Medium Load 7 lb.-12 lb. 13 lb.-26 lb. 21 lb.-40 lb. 27 lb.-52 lb. 33 lb.-66 lb. 41 lb.-80 lb. 47 lb.-92 lb. 53 lb.-106 lb. 61 lb.-120 lb. 67 lb.-132 lb. 77 lb.-152 lb. 87 lb.-172 lb. 101 lb.-200 lb. 117 lb.-232 lb. 133 lb.-266 lb. 153 lb.-306 lb. 173 lb.-346 lb. 201 lb.-400 lb. 233 lb.-466 lb. 267 lb.-532 lb. 307 lb.-612 lb. 347 lb.-692 lb. 401 lb.-800 lb. 467 lb.-932 lb. 533 lb.-1,066 lb. 613 lb.-1,226 lb. 693 lb.-1,386 lb. 801 lb.-1,600 lb. 933 lb.-1,866 lb. 1,065 lb.-2,128 lb. Heavy Load 13 lb.-20 lb. 27 lb.-40 lb. 41 lb.-60 lb. 53 lb.-80 lb. 67 lb.-100 lb. 81 lb.-120 lb. 93 lb.-140 lb. 107 lb.-160 lb. 121 lb.-180 lb. 133 lb.-200 lb. 153 lb.-230 lb. 173 lb.-260 lb. 201 lb.-300 lb. 233 lb.-350 lb. 267 lb.-400 lb. 307 lb.-460 lb. 347 lb.-520 lb. 401 lb.-600 lb. 467 lb.-700 lb. 533 lb.-800 lb. 613 lb.-920 lb. 693 lb.-1,040 lb. 801 lb.-1,200 lb. 933 lb.-1,400 lb. 1,067 lb.-1,600 lb. 1,227 lb.-1,840 lb. 1,387 lb.-2,080 lb. 1,601 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,867 lb.-2,800 lb. 2,129 lb.-3,200 lb. Medium Load 13 lb.-24 lb. 25 lb.-52 lb. 41 lb.-80 lb. 53 lb.-104 lb. 65 lb.-132 lb. 81 lb.-160 lb. 93 lb.-184 lb. 105 lb.-212 lb. 121 lb.-240 lb. 133 lb.-264 lb. 153 lb.-304 lb. 173 lb.-344 lb. 201 lb.-400 lb. 233 lb.-464 lb. 265 lb.-532 lb. 305 lb.-612 lb. 345 lb.-692 lb. 401 lb.-800 lb. 465 lb.-932 lb. 533 lb.-1,064 lb. 613 lb.-1,224 lb. 693 lb.-1,384 lb. 801 lb.-1,600 lb. 933 lb.-1,864 lb. 1,065 lb.-2,132 lb. 1,225 lb.-2,452 lb. 1,385 lb.-2,772 lb. 1,601 lb.-3,200 lb. 1,865 lb.-3,732 lb. 2,129 lb.-4,256 lb. Heavy Load 25 lb.-40 lb. 53 lb.-80 lb. 81 lb.-120 lb. 105 lb.-160 lb. 133 lb.-200 lb. 161 lb.-240 lb. 185 lb.-280 lb. 213 lb.-320 lb. 241 lb.-360 lb. 265 lb.-400 lb. 305 lb.-460 lb. 345 lb.-520 lb. 401 lb.-600 lb. 465 lb.-700 lb. 533 lb.-800 lb. 613 lb.-920 lb. 693 lb.-1,040 lb. 801 lb.-1,200 lb. 933 lb.-1,400 lb. 1,065 lb.-1,600 lb. 1,225 lb.-1,840 lb. 1,385 lb.-2,080 lb. 1,601 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,865 lb.-2,800 lb. 2,133 lb.-3,200 lb. 2,453 lb.-3,680 lb. 2,773 lb.-4,160 lb. 3,201 lb.-4,800 lb. 3,733 lb.-5,600 lb. 4,257 lb.-6,400 lb. Huge Biped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 12 lb. or less 2 24 lb. or less 3 40 lb. or less 4 52 lb. or less 5 64 lb. or less 6 80 lb. or less 7 92 lb. or less 8 104 lb. or less 9 120 lb. or less 10 132 lb. or less 11 152 lb. or less 12 172 lb. or less 13 200 lb. or less 14 232 lb. or less 15 264 lb. or less 16 304 lb. or less 17 344 lb. or less 18 400 lb. or less 19 464 lb. or less 20 532 lb. or less 21 612 lb. or less 22 692 lb. or less 23 800 lb. or less 24 932 lb. or less 25 1,064 lb. or less 26 1,224 lb. or less 27 1,384 lb. or less 28 1,600 lb. or less 29 1,864 lb. or less 30 2,128 lb. or less 152 Gargantuan Biped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 24 lb. or less 2 48 lb. or less 3 80 lb. or less 4 104 lb. or less 5 128 lb. or less 6 160 lb. or less 7 184 lb. or less 8 208 lb. or less 9 240 lb. or less 10 264 lb. or less 11 304 lb. or less 12 344 lb. or less 13 400 lb. or less 14 464 lb. or less 15 528 lb. or less 16 608 lb. or less 17 688 lb. or less 18 800 lb. or less 19 928 lb. or less 20 1,064 lb. or less 21 1,224 lb. or less 22 1,384 lb. or less 23 1,600 lb. or less 24 1,864 lb. or less 25 2,128 lb. or less 26 2,448 lb. or less 27 2,768 lb. or less 28 3,200 lb. or less 29 3,728 lb. or less 30 4,256 lb. or less Medium Load 25 lb.-48 lb. 49 lb.-104 lb. 81 lb.-160 lb. 105 lb.-208 lb. 129 lb.-264 lb. 161 lb.-320 lb. 185 lb.-368 lb. 209 lb.-424 lb. 241 lb.-480 lb. 265 lb.-528 lb. 305 lb.-608 lb. 345 lb.-688 lb. 401 lb.-800 lb. 465 lb.-928 lb. 529 lb.-1,064 lb. 609 lb.-1,224 lb. 689 lb.-1,384 lb. 801 lb.-1,600 lb. 929 lb.-1,864 lb. 1,065 lb.-2,128 lb. 1,225 lb.-2,448 lb. 1,385 lb.-2,768 lb. 1,601 lb.-3,200 lb. 1,865 lb.-3,728 lb. 2,129 lb.-4,264 lb. 2,449 lb.-4,904 lb. 2,769 lb.-5,544 lb. 3,201 lb.-6,400 lb. 3,729 lb.-7,464 lb. 4,257 lb.-8,512 lb. Heavy Load 49 lb.-80 lb. 105 lb.-160 lb. 161 lb.-240 lb. 209 lb.-320 lb. 265 lb.-400 lb. 321 lb.-480 lb. 369 lb.-560 lb. 425 lb.-640 lb. 481 lb.-720 lb. 529 lb.-800 lb. 609 lb.-920 lb. 689 lb.-1,040 lb. 801 lb.-1,200 lb. 929 lb.-1,400 lb. 1,065 lb.-1,600 lb. 1,225 lb.-1,840 lb. 1,385 lb.-2,080 lb. 1,601 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,865 lb.-2,800 lb. 2,129 lb.-3,200 lb. 2,449 lb.-3,680 lb. 2,769 lb.-4,160 lb. 3,201 lb.-4,800 lb. 3,729 lb.-5,600 lb. 4,265 lb.-6,400 lb. 4,905 lb.-7,360 lb. 5,545 lb.-8,320 lb. 6,401 lb.-9,600 lb. 7,465 lb.-11,200 lb. 8,513 lb.-12,800 lb. Colossal Biped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 48 lb. or less 2 96 lb. or less 3 160 lb. or less 4 208 lb. or less 5 256 lb. or less 6 320 lb. or less 7 368 lb. or less 8 416 lb. or less 9 480 lb. or less 10 528 lb. or less 11 608 lb. or less 12 688 lb. or less 13 800 lb. or less 14 928 lb. or less 15 1,056 lb. or less 16 1,216 lb. or less 17 1,376 lb. or less 18 1,600 lb. or less 19 1,856 lb. or less 20 2,128 lb. or less 21 2,448 lb. or less 22 2,768 lb. or less 23 3,200 lb. or less 24 3,728 lb. or less 25 4,256 lb. or less 26 4,896 lb. or less 27 5,536 lb. or less 28 6,400 lb. or less 29 7,456 lb. or less 30 8,512 lb. or less Medium Load 49 lb.-96 lb. 97 lb.-208 lb. 161 lb.-320 lb. 209 lb.-416 lb. 257 lb.-528 lb. 321 lb.-640 lb. 369 lb.-736 lb. 417 lb.-848 lb. 481 lb.-960 lb. 529 lb.-1,056 lb. 609 lb.-1,216 lb. 689 lb.-1,376 lb. 801 lb.-1,600 lb. 929 lb.-1,856 lb. 1,057 lb.-2,128 lb. 1,217 lb.-2,448 lb. 1,377 lb.-2,768 lb. 1,601 lb.-3,200 lb. 1,857 lb.-3,728 lb. 2,129 lb.-4,256 lb. 2,449 lb.-4,896 lb. 2,769 lb.-5,536 lb. 3,201 lb.-6,400 lb. 3,729 lb.-7,456 lb. 4,257 lb.-8,528 lb. 4,897 lb.-9,808 lb. 5,537 lb.-11,088 lb. 6,401 lb.-12,800 lb. 7,457 lb.-14,928 lb. 8,513 lb.-17,024 lb. Heavy Load 97 lb.-160 lb. 209 lb.-320 lb. 321 lb.-480 lb. 417 lb.-640 lb. 529 lb.-800 lb. 641 lb.-960 lb. 737 lb.-1,120 lb. 849 lb.-1,280 lb. 961 lb.-1,440 lb. 1,057 lb.-1,600 lb. 1,217 lb.-1,840 lb. 1,377 lb.-2,080 lb. 1,601 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,857 lb.-2,800 lb. 2,129 lb.-3,200 lb. 2,449 lb.-3,680 lb. 2,769 lb.-4,160 lb. 3,201 lb.-4,800 lb. 3,729 lb.-5,600 lb. 4,257 lb.-6,400 lb. 4,897 lb.-7,360 lb. 5,537 lb.-8,320 lb. 6,401 lb.-9,600 lb. 7,457 lb.-11,200 lb. 8,529 lb.-12,800 lb. 9,809 lb.-14,720 lb. 11,089 lb.-16,640 lb. 12,801 lb.-19,200 lb. 14,929 lb.-22,400 lb. 17,025 lb.-25,600 lb. 153 What Is a Quadruped? Most quadrupeds literally move on four limbs. For purposes of carrying capacity, creatures that literally use their whole bodies to move, such as snakes and fish, also should be treated as quadrupeds. Most creatures of the following types are quadrupeds, or should be treated as such when determining how much they can carry: animals, dragons, magical beasts, oozes, and vermin. As noted last week, some animals, such as avians, should use biped carrying capacities because of the way they move. Be alert for other exceptions. For example, a wyvern has a basically avian body layout (two legs, two wings) and should use a biped's carrying capacity. Most flying creatures fly on only two wings, but move over land on at least four legs (dragons and many flying vermin, for example). In these cases, it's easiest to use quadruped carrying capacity even when the creature is aloft. (Besides, dragons are famous for their sheer physical power, and many vermin have two pairs of wings.) Many constructs should be treated as quadrupeds when calculating carrying capacity. Some outsiders are quadrupeds, as noted last week. Some aberrations have basically horizontal body layouts (delvers, for example), and should use quadruped carrying capacities. From the page 162 of the Player's Handbook: Quadrupeds, such as horses, can carry heavier loads than characters can. Instead of the multipliers given above, multiply the value corresponding to the creature's Strength score from Table 9-1 by the appropriate modifier, as follows: Fine x1/4, Diminutive x1/2, Tiny x3/4, Small x1, Medium x1-1/2, Large x3, Huge x6, Gargantuan x12, Colossal x24. Fine Quadruped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 12 oz. or less 2 1 lb. 8 oz. or less 3 2 lb. 8 oz. or less 4 3 lb. 4 oz. or less 5 4 lb. or less 6 5 lb. or less 7 5 lb. 12 oz. or less 8 6 lb. 8 oz. or less 9 7 lb. 8 oz. or less 10 8 lb. 4 oz. or less 11 9 lb. 8 oz. or less 12 10 lb. 12 oz. or less 13 12 lb. 8 oz. or less 14 14 lb. 8 oz. or less 15 16 lb. 8 oz. or less 16 19 lb. or less 17 21 lb. 8 oz. or less 18 25 lb. or less 19 29 lb. or less 20 33 lb. 4 oz. or less 21 38 lb. 4 oz. or less 22 43 lb. 4 oz. or less 23 50 lb. or less 24 58 lb. 4 oz. or less 25 66 lb. 8 oz. or less 26 76 lb. 8 oz. or less 27 86 lb. 8 oz. or less 28 100 lb. or less 29 116 lb. 8 oz. or less 30 133 lb. or less Medium Load 13 oz.-1 lb. 8 oz. 1 lb. 9 oz.-3 lb. 4 oz. 2 lb. 9 oz.-5 lb. 3 lb. 5 oz.-6 lb. 8 oz. 4 lb. 1 oz.-8 lb. 4 oz. 5 lb. 1 oz.-10 lb. 5 lb. 13 oz.-11 lb. 8 oz. 6 lb. 9 oz.-13 lb. 4 oz. 7 lb. 9 oz.-15 lb. 8 lb. 5 oz.-16 lb. 8 oz. 9 lb. 9 oz.-19 lb. 10 lb. 13 oz.-21 lbs. 8 oz. 12 lb. 9 oz.-25 lb. 14 lb. 9 oz.-29 lb. 16 lb. 9 oz.-33 lb. 4 oz. 19 lb. 1 oz.-38 lb. 4 oz. 21 lb. 9 oz.-43 lb. 4 oz. 25 lb. 1 oz.-50 lb. 29 lb. 1 oz.-58 lb. 4 oz. 33 lb. 5 oz.-66 lb. 8 oz. 38 lb. 5 oz.-76 lb. 8 oz. 43 lb. 5 oz.-86 lb. 8 oz. 50 lb. 1 oz.-100 lb. 58 lb. 5 oz.-116 lb. 8 oz. 66 lb. 9 oz.-133 lb. 4 oz. 76 lb. 9 oz.-153 lb. 4 oz. 86 lb. 9 oz.-173 lb. 4 oz. 100 lb. 1 oz.-200 lb. 116 lb. 9 oz.-233 lb. 4 oz. 133 lb.1 oz.-266 lb. Heavy Load 1 lb. 9 oz.-2 lb. 8 oz. 3 lb. 5 oz.-5 lb. 5 lb. 1 oz.-7 lb. 8 oz. 6 lb. 9 oz.-10 lb. 8 lb. 5 oz.-12 lb. 8 oz. 10 lb. 1 oz.-15 lb. 11 lb. 9 oz.-17 lb. 8 oz. 13 lb. 5 oz.-20 lb. 15 lb. 1 oz.-22 lb. 8 oz. 16 lb. 9 oz.-25 lb. 19 lb. 1 oz.-28 lb.12 oz. 21 lb. 9 oz.-32 lb. 8 oz. 25 lb. 1 oz.-37 lb. 8 oz. 29 lb. 1 oz.-43 lb. 12 oz. 33 lb. 5 oz.-50 lb. 38 lb. 5 oz.-57 lb. 8 oz. 43 lb. 5 oz.-65 lb. 50 lb. 1 oz.-75 lb. 58 lb. 5 oz.-87 lb. 8 oz. 66 lb. 9 oz.-100 lb. 76 lb. 9 oz.-115 lb. 86 lbs .9 oz.-130 lb. 100 lb. 1 oz.-150 lb. 116 lb. 9 oz.-175 lb. 133 lb. 5 oz.-200 lb. 153 lb. 5 oz.-230 lb. 173 lb. 5 oz.-260 lb. 200 lb. 1 oz.-300 lb. 233 lb. 5 oz.-350 lb. 266 lb. 1 oz.-400 lb. 154 Diminutive Quadruped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 1 lb. 8 oz. or less 2 3 lb. or less 3 5 lb. or less 4 6 lb. 8 oz. or less 5 8 lb. or less 6 10 lb. or less 7 11 lb. 8 oz. or less 8 13 lb. or less 9 15 lb. or less 10 16 lb. 8 oz. or less 11 19 lb. or less 12 21 lb. 8 oz. or less 13 25 lb. or less 14 29 lb. or less 15 33 lb. or less 16 38 lb. or less 17 43 lb. or less 18 50 lb. or less 19 58 lb. or less 20 66 lb. 8 oz. or less 21 76 lb. 8 oz. or less 22 86 lb. 8 oz. or less 23 100 lb. or less 24 116 lb. 8 oz. or less 25 133 lb. or less 26 153 lb. or less 27 173 lb. or less 28 200 lb. or less 29 233 lb. or less 30 266 lb. or less Medium Load 1 lb. 9 oz-3 lb. 3 lb. 1 oz.-6 lb. 8 oz. 5 lb. 1 oz.-10 lb. 6 lb. 9 oz.-13 lb. 8 lb. 1 oz.-16 lb. 8 oz. 10 lb. 1 oz.-20 lb. 11 lb. 9 oz.-23 lb. 13 lb. 1 oz.-26 lb. 8 oz. 15 lb. 1 oz.-30 lb. 16 lb. 9 oz. -33 lb. 19 lb. 1 oz.-38 lb. 21 lb. 9 oz. -43 lb. 25 lb. 1 oz.-50 lb. 29 lb. 1 oz.-58 lb. 33 lb. 1 oz.-66 lb. 8 oz. 38 lb. 1 oz.-76 lb. 8 oz. 43 lb. 1 oz.-86 lb. 8 oz. 50 lb. 1 oz.-100 lb. 58 lb. 1 oz.-116 lb. 8 oz. 66 lb. 9 oz.-133 lb. 76 lb. 9 oz.-153 lb. 86 lb. 9 oz.-173 lb. 100 lb. 1 oz.-200 lb. 116 lb. 9 oz.-233 lb. 133 lb. 1 oz.-266 lb. 8 oz. 153 lb. 1 oz.-306 lb. 8 oz. 173 lb. 1 oz.-346 lb. 8 oz. 200 lb. 1 oz.-400 lb. 233 lb. 1 oz.-466 lb. 8 oz. 266 lb. 1 oz.-532 lb. Heavy Load 3 lb. 1 oz.-5 lb. 6 lb. 9 oz.-10 lb. 10 lb. 1 oz.-15 lb. 13 lb. 1 oz.-20 lb. 16 lb. 9 oz.-25 lb. 20 lb. 1 oz.-30 lb. 23 lb. 1 oz.-35 lb. 26 lb. 9 oz. -40 lb. 30 lb. 1 oz.-45 lb. 33 lb. 1 oz.-50 lb. 38 lb. 1 oz.-57 lb. 8 oz. 43 lb. 1 oz.-65 lb. 50 lb. 1 oz.-75 lb. 58 lb. 1 oz.-87 lb. 8 oz. 66 lb. 9 oz. -100 lb. 76 lb. 9 oz. -115 lb. 86 lb. 9 oz. -130 lb. 100 lb. 1 oz.-150 lb. 116 lb. 9 oz. -175 lb. 133 lb. 1 oz.-200 lb. 153 lb. 1 oz.-230 lb. 173 lb. 1 oz.-260 lb. 200 lb. 1 oz.-300 lb. 233 lb. 1 oz.-350 lb. 266 lb. 9 oz.-400 lb. 306 lb. 9 oz.-460 lb. 346 lb. 9 oz.-520 lb. 400 lb. 1 oz.-600 lb. 466 lb. 9 oz. -700 lb. 532 lb. 1 oz.-800 lb. Tiny Quadruped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 2 lb. 4 oz. or less 2 4 lb. 8 oz. or less 3 7 lb. 8 oz. or less 4 9 lb. 12 oz. or less 5 12 lb. or less 6 15 lb. or less 7 17 lb. 4 oz. or less 8 19 lb. 8 oz. or less 9 22 lb. 8 oz. or less 10 24 lb. 12 oz. or less 11 28 lb. 8 oz. or less 12 32 lb. 4 oz. or less 13 37 lb. 8 oz. or less 14 43 lb. 8 oz. or less 15 49 lb. 8 oz. or less 16 57 lb. or less 17 64 lb. 8 oz. or less 18 75 lb. or less 19 87 lb. or less 20 99 lb. 12 oz. or less 21 114 lb. 12 oz. or less 22 129 lb. 12 oz. or less 23 150 lb. or less 24 174 lb. 12 oz. or less 25 199 lb. 8 oz. or less 26 229 lb. 8 oz. or less 27 259 lb. 8 oz. or less 28 300 lb. or less 29 349 lb. 8 oz. or less 30 399 lb. or less Medium Load 2 lb. 5 oz-4 lb. 8 oz. 4 lb. 9 oz.-9 lb. 12 oz. 7 lb. 9 oz.-15 lb. 9 lb. 13 oz.-19 lb. 8 oz. 12 lb. 1 oz.-24 lb. 12 oz. 15 lb. 1 oz.-30 lb. 17 lb. 5 oz.-34 lb. 8 oz. 19 lb. 9 oz.-39 lb. 12 oz. 22 lb. 9 oz.-45 lb. 24 lb. 13 oz.-49 lb. 8 oz. 28 lb. 9 oz.-57 lb. 32 lb. 5 oz.-64 lb. 8 oz. 37 lb. 9 oz.-75 lb. 43 lb. 9 oz.-87 lb. 49 lb. 9 oz.-99 lb. 12 oz. 57 lb. 1 oz.-114 lb. 12 oz. 64 lb. 9 oz.-129 lb. 12 oz. 75 lb. 1 oz.-150 lb. 87 lb. 1 oz.-174 lb. 12 oz. 99 lb. 13 oz.-199 lb. 8 oz. 114 lb. 13 oz.-229 lb. 8 oz. 129 lb. 13 oz.-259 lb. 8 oz. 150 lb. 1 oz.-300 lb. 174 lb. 13 oz.-349 lb. 8 oz. 199 lb. 9 oz.-399 lb. 12 oz. 229 lb. 9 oz.-459 lb. 12 oz. 259 lb. 9 oz.-519 lb. 12 oz. 300 lb. 1 oz.-600 lb. 349 lb. 9 oz.-699 lb. 12 oz. 399 lb. 1 oz.-798 lb. Heavy Load 4 lb. 9 oz.-7 lb. 8 oz. 9 lb. 13 oz.-15 lb. 15 lb. 1 oz.-22 lb. 8 oz. 19 lb. 9 oz.-30 lb. 24 lb. 13 oz.-37 lb. 8 oz. 30 lb. 1 oz.-45 lb. 34 lb. 9 oz.-52 lb. 8 oz. 39 lb. 13 oz.-60 lb. 45 lb. 1 oz.-67 lb. 8 oz. 49 lb. 9 oz.-75 lb. 57 lb. 1 oz.-86 lb. 4 oz. 64 lb. 9 oz.-97 lb. 8 oz. 75 lb. 1 oz.-112 lb. 8 oz. 87 lb. 1 oz.-131 lb. 4 oz. 99 lb. 13 oz.-150 lb. 114 lb. 13 oz.-172 lb. 8 oz. 129 lb. 13 oz.-195 lb. 150 lb. 1 oz.-225 lb. 174 lb. 13 oz.-262 lb. 8 oz. 199 lb. 9 oz.-300 lb. 229 lb. 9 oz.-345 lb. 259 lb. 9 oz.-390 lb. 300 lb. 1 oz.-450 lb. 349 lb. 9 oz.-525 lb. 399 lb. 13 oz.-600 lb. 459 lb. 13 oz.-690 lb. 519 lb. 13 oz.-780 lb. 600 lb. 1 oz.-900 lb. 699 lb. 13 oz.-1,050 lb. 798 lb. 1 oz.-1,200 lb. 155 Small Quadruped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 3 lb. or less 2 6 lb. or less 3 10 lb. or less 4 13 lb. or less 5 16 lb. or less 6 20 lb. or less 7 23 lb. or less 8 26 lb. or less 9 30 lb. or less 10 33 lb. or less 11 38 lb. or less 12 43 lb. or less 13 50 lb. or less 14 58 lb. or less 15 66 lb. or less 16 76 lb. or less 17 86 lb. or less 18 100 lb. or less 19 116 lb. or less 20 133 lb. or less 21 153 lb. or less 22 173 lb. or less 23 200 lb. or less 24 233 lb. or less 25 266 lb. or less 26 306 lb. or less 27 346 lb. or less 28 400 lb. or less 29 466 lb. or less 30 532 lb. or less Medium Load 4 lb.-6 lb. 7 lb.-13 lb. 11 lb.-20 lb. 14 lb.-26 lb. 17 lb.-33 lb. 21 lb.-40 lb. 24 lb.-46 lb. 27 lb.-53 lb. 31 lb.-60 lb. 34 lb.-66 lb. 39 lb.-76 lb. 44 lb.-86 lb. 51 lb.-100 lb. 59 lb.-116 lb. 67 lb.-133 lb. 77 lb.-153 lb. 87 lb.-173 lb. 101 lb.-200 lb. 117 lb.-233 lb. 134 lb.-266 lb. 154 lb.-306 lb. 174 lb.-346 lb. 201 lb.-400 lb. 234 lb.-466 lb. 267 lb.-533 lb. 307 lb.-613 lb. 347 lb.-693 lb. 401 lb.-800 lb. 467 lb.-933 lb. 533 lb.-1,064 lb. Heavy Load 7 lb.-10 lb. 14 lb.-20 lb. 21 lb.-30 lb. 27 lb.-40 lb. 34 lb.-50 lb. 41 lb.-60 lb. 47 lb.-70 lb. 54 lb.-80 lb. 61 lb.-90 lb. 67 lb.-100 lb. 77 lb.-115 lb. 87 lb.-130 lb. 101 lb.-150 lb. 117 lb.-175 lb. 134 lb.-200 lb. 154 lb.-230 lb. 174 lb.-260 lb. 201 lb.-300 lb. 234 lb.-350 lb. 267 lb.-400 lb. 307 lb.-460 lb. 347 lb.-520 lb. 401 lb.-600 lb. 467 lb.-700 lb. 534 lb.-800 lb. 614 lb.-920 lb. 694 lb.-1,040 lb. 801 lb.-1,200 lb. 934 lb.-1,400 lb. 1,065 lb.-1,600 lb. Medium Quadruped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 4 lb. 8 oz. or less 2 9 lb. or less 3 15 lb. or less 4 19 lb. 8 oz. or less 5 24 lb. or less 6 30 lb. or less 7 34 lb. 8 oz. or less 8 39 lb. or less 9 45 lb. or less 10 49 lb. 8 oz. or less 11 57 lb. or less 12 64 lb. 8 oz. or less 13 75 lb. or less 14 87 lb. or less 15 99 lb. or less 16 114 lb. or less 17 129 lb. or less 18 150 lb. or less 19 174 lb. or less 20 199 lb. 8 oz. or less 21 229 lb. 8 oz. or less 22 259 lb. 8 oz. or less 23 300 lb. or less 24 349 lb. 8 oz. or less 25 399 lb. or less 26 459 lb. or less 27 519 lb. or less 28 600 lb. or less 29 699 lb. or less 30 798 lb. or less Medium Load 4 lb. 9 oz.-9 lb. 9 lb. 1 oz.-19 lb. 8 oz. 15 lb. 1 oz.-30 lb. 19 lb. 9 oz.-39 lb. 24 lb. 1 oz.-49 lb. 8 oz. 30 lb. 1 oz.-60 lb. 34 lb. 9 oz.-69 lb. 39 lb. 1 oz.-79 lb. 8 oz. 45 lb. 1 oz.-90 lb. 49 lb. 8 oz.-99 lb. 57 lb. 1 oz.-114 lb. 64 lb. 9 oz.-129 lb. 75 lb.1 oz.-150 lb. 87 lb. 1 oz.-174 lb. 99 lb. 1 oz.-199 lb. 8 oz. 114 lb. 1 oz.-229 lb. 8 oz. 129 lb. 1 oz.-259 lb. 8 oz. 150 lb. 1 oz.-300 lb. 174 lb. 1 oz.-349 lb. 8 oz. 199 lb. 9 oz.-399 lb. 229 lb. 9 oz.-459 lb. 259 lb. 9 oz.-519 lb. 300 lb. 1 oz.-600 lb. 349 lb. 9 oz.-699 lb. 399 lb. 1 oz.-799 lb. 8 oz. 459 lb. 1 oz.-919 lb. 8 oz. 519 lb. 1 oz.-1,039 lb. 8 oz. 600 lb. 1 oz.-1,200 lb. 699 lb. 1 oz.-1,399 lb. 8 oz. 798 lb. 1 oz.-1,596 lb. Heavy Load 9 lb. 1 oz.-15 lb. 19 lb. 9 oz.-30 lb. 30 lb. 1 oz.-45 lb. 39 lb. 1 oz.-60 lb. 49 lb. 9 oz.-75 lb. 60 lb. 1 oz.-90 lb. 69 lb. 1 oz.-105 lb. 79 lb. 9 oz.-120 lb. 90 lb. 1 oz.-135 lb. 99 lb. 1 oz.-150 lb. 114 lb.1 oz.-172 lb. 8 oz. 129 lb. 1 oz.-195 lb. 150 lb. 1 oz.-225 lb. 174 lb. 1 oz.-262 lb. 8 oz. 199 lb. 9 oz.-300 lb. 229 lb. 9 oz.-345 lb. 259 lb. 9 oz.-390 lb. 300 lb. 1 oz.-450 lb. 349 lb. 9 oz.-525 lb. 399 lb. 1 oz.-600 lb. 459 lb. 1 oz.-690 lb. 519 lb. 1 oz.-780 lb. 600 lb. 1 oz.-900 lb. 699 lb. 1 oz.-1,050 lb. 799 lb. 9 oz.-1,200 lb. 919 lb. 9 oz-1,380 lb. 1039 lb. 9 oz.-1,560 lb. 1,200 lb. 1 oz.-1,800 lb. 1,399 lb. 9 oz.-2,100 lb. 1,596 lb. 1 oz.-2,400 lb. 156 Large Quadruped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 9 lb. or less 2 18 lb. or less 3 30 lb. or less 4 39 lb. or less 5 48 lb. or less 6 60 lb. or less 7 69 lb. or less 8 78 lb. or less 9 90 lb. or less 10 99 lb. or less 11 114 lb. or less 12 129 lb. or less 13 150 lb. or less 14 174 lb. or less 15 198 lb. or less 16 228 lb. or less 17 258 lb. or less 18 300 lb. or less 19 348 lb. or less 20 399 lb. or less 21 459 lb. or less 22 519 lb. or less 23 600 lb. or less 24 699 lb. or less 25 798 lb. or less 26 918 lb. or less 27 1,038 lb. or less 28 1,200 lb. or less 29 1,398 lb. or less 30 1,596 lb. or less Medium Load 10 lb.-18 lb. 19 lb.-39 lb. 31 lb.-60 lb. 40 lb.-78 lb. 49 lb.-99 lb. 61 lb.-120 lb. 70 lb.-138 lb. 79 lb.-159 lb. 91 lb.-180 lb. 100 lb.-198 lb. 115 lb.-228 lb. 130 lb.-258 lb. 151 lb.-300 lb. 175 lb.-348 lb. 199 lb.-399 lb. 229 lb.-459 lb. 259 lb.-519 lb. 301 lb.-600 lb. 349 lb.-699 lb. 400 lb.-798 lb. 460 lb.-918 lb. 520 lb.-1,038 lb. 601 lb.-1,200 lb. 700 lb.-1,398 lb. 799 lb.-1,599 lb. 919 lb.-1,839 lb. 1,039 lb.-2,079 lb. 1,201 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,399 lb.-2,799 lb. 1,597 lb.-3,192 lb. Heavy Load 19 lb.-30 lb. 40 lb.-60 lb. 61 lb.-90 lb. 79 lb.-120 lb. 100 lb.-150 lb. 121 lb.-180 lb. 139 lb.-210 lb. 160 lb.-240 lb. 181 lb.-270 lb. 199 lb.-300 lb. 229 lb.-345 lb. 259 lb.-390 lb. 301 lb.-450 lb. 349 lb.-525 lb. 400 lb.-600 lb. 460 lb.-690 lb. 520 lb.-780 lb. 601 lb.-900 lb. 700 lb.-1,050 lb. 799 lb.-1,200 lb. 919 lb.-1,380 lb. 1,039 lb.-1,560 lb. 1,201 lb.-1,800 lb. 1,399 lb.-2,100 lb. 1,600 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,840 lb.-2,760 lb. 2,080 lb.-3,120 lb. 2,401 lb.-3,600 lb. 2,800 lb.-4,200 lb. 3,193 lb.-4,800 lb. Huge Quadruped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 18 lb. or less 2 36 lb. or less 3 60 lb. or less 4 78 lb. or less 5 96 lb. or less 6 120 lb. or less 7 138 lb. or less 8 156 lb. or less 9 180 lb. or less 10 198 lb. or less 11 228 lb. or less 12 258 lb. or less 13 300 lb. or less 14 348 lb. or less 15 396 lb. or less 16 456 lb. or less 17 516 lb. or less 18 600 lb. or less 19 696 lb. or less 20 798 lb. or less 21 918 lb. or less 22 1,038 lb. or less 23 1,200 lb. or less 24 1,398 lb. or less 25 1,596 lb. or less 26 1,836 lb. or less 27 2,076 lb. or less 28 2,400 lb. or less 29 2,796 lb. or less 30 3,192 lb. or less Medium Load 19 lb.-36 lb. 37 lb.-78 lb. 61 lb.-120 lb. 79 lb.-156 lb. 97 lb.-198 lb. 121 lb.-240 lb. 139 lb.-276 lb. 157 lb.-318 lb. 181 lb.-360 lb. 199 lb.-396 lb. 229 lb.-456 lb. 259 lb.-516 lb. 301 lb.-600 lb. 349 lb.-696 lb. 397 lb.-798 lb. 457 lb.-918 lb. 517 lb.-1,038 lb. 601 lb.-1,200 lb. 697 lb.-1,398 lb. 799 lb.-1,596 lb. 919 lb.-1,836 lb. 1,039 lb.-2,076 lb. 1,201 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,399 lb.-2,796 lb. 1,597 lb.-3,198 lb. 1,837 lb.-3,678 lb. 2,077 lb.-4,158 lb. 2,401 lb.-4,800 lb. 2,797 lb.-5,598 lb. 3,193 lb.-6,384 lb. Heavy Load 37 lb.-60 lb. 79 lb.-120 lb. 121 lb.-180 lb. 157 lb.-240 lb. 199 lb.-300 lb. 241 lb.-360 lb. 277 lb.-420 lb. 319 lb.-480 lb. 361 lb.-540 lb. 397 lb.-600 lb. 457 lb.-690 lb. 517 lb.-780 lb. 601 lb.-900 lb. 697 lb.-1,050 lb. 799 lb.-1,200 lb. 919 lb.-1,380 lb. 1,039 lb.-1,560 lb. 1,201 lb.-1,800 lb. 1,399 lb.-2,100 lb. 1,597 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,837 lb.-2,760 lb. 2,077 lb.-3,120 lb. 2,401 lb.-3,600 lb. 2,797 lb.-4,200 lb. 3,199 lb.-4,800 lb. 3,679 lb.-5,520 lb. 4,159 lb.-6,240 lb. 4,801 lb.-7,200 lb. 5,599 lb.-8,400 lb. 6,385 lb.-9,600 lb. 157 Gargantuan Quadruped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 36 lb. or less 2 72 lb. or less 3 120 lb. or less 4 156 lb. or less 5 192 lb. or less 6 240 lb. or less 7 276 lb. or less 8 312 lb. or less 9 360 lb. or less 10 396 lb. or less 11 456 lb. or less 12 516 lb. or less 13 600 lb. or less 14 696 lb. or less 15 792 lb. or less 16 912 lb. or less 17 1,032 lb. or less 18 1,200 lb. or less 19 1,392 lb. or less 20 1,596 lb. or less 21 1,836 lb. or less 22 2,076 lb. or less 23 2,400 lb. or less 24 2,796 lb. or less 25 3,192 lb. or less 26 3,672 lb. or less 27 4,152 lb. or less 28 4,800 lb. or less 29 5,592 lb. or less 30 6,384 lb. or less Medium Load 37 lb.-72 lb. 73 lb.-156 lb. 121 lb.-240 lb. 157 lb.-312 lb. 193 lb.-396 lb. 241 lb.-480 lb. 277 lb.-552 lb. 313 lb.-636 lb. 361 lb.-720 lb. 397 lb.-792 lb. 457 lb.-912 lb. 517 lb.-1,032 lb. 601 lb.-1,200 lb. 697 lb.-1,392 lb. 793 lb.-1,596 lb. 913 lb.-1,836 lb. 1,033 lb.-2,076 lb. 1,201 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,393 lb.-2,796 lb. 1,597 lb.-3,192 lb. 1,837 lb.-3,672 lb. 2,077 lb.-4,152 lb. 2,401 lb.-4,800 lb. 2,797 lb.-5,592 lb. 3,193 lb.-6,396 lb. 3,673 lb.-7,356 lb. 4,153 lb.-8,316 lb. 4,801 lb.-9,600 lb. 5,593 lb.-11,196 lb. 6,385 lb.-12,768 lb. Heavy Load 73 lb.-120 lb. 157 lb.-240 lb. 241 lb.-360 lb. 313 lb.-480 lb. 397 lb.-600 lb. 481 lb.-720 lb. 553 lb.-840 lb. 637 lb.-960 lb. 721 lb.-1,080 lb. 793 lb.-1,200 lb. 913 lb.-1,380 lb. 1,033 lb.-1,560 lb. 1,201 lb.-1,800 lb. 1,393 lb.-2,100 lb. 1,597 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,837 lb.-2,760 lb. 2,077 lb.-3,120 lb. 2,401 lb.-3,600 lb. 2,797 lb.-4,200 lb. 3,193 lb.-4,800 lb. 3,673 lb.-5,520 lb. 4,153 lb.-6,240 lb. 4,801 lb.-7,200 lb. 5,593 lb.-8,400 lb. 6,397 lb.-9,600 lb. 7,357 lb.-11,040 lb. 8,317 lb.-12,480 lb. 9,601 lb.-14,400 lb. 11,197 lb.-16,800 lb. 12,769 lb.-19,200 lb. Colossal Quadruped Carrying Capacity Strength Score Light Load 1 72 lb. or less 2 144 lb. or less 3 240 lb. or less 4 312 lb. or less 5 384 lb. or less 6 480 lb. or less 7 552 lb. or less 8 624 lb. or less 9 720 lb. or less 10 792 lb. or less 11 912 lb. or less 12 1,032 lb. or less 13 1,200 lb. or less 14 1,392 lb. or less 15 1,584 lb. or less 16 1,824 lb. or less 17 2,064 lb. or less 18 2,400 lb. or less 19 2,784 lb. or less 20 3,192 lb. or less 21 3,672 lb. or less 22 4,152 lb. or less 23 4,800 lb. or less 24 5,592 lb. or less 25 6,384 lb. or less 26 7,344 lb. or less 27 8,304 lb. or less 28 9,600 lb. or less 29 11,184 lb. or less 30 12,768 lb. or less Medium Load 73 lb.-144 lb. 145 lb.-312 lb. 241 lb.-480 lb. 313 lb.-624 lb. 385 lb.-792 lb. 481 lb.-960 lb. 553 lb.-1,104 lb. 625 lb.-1,272 lb. 721 lb.-1,440 lb. 793 lb.-1,584 lb. 913 lb.-1,824 lb. 1,033 lb.-2,064 lb. 1,201 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,393 lb.-2,784 lb. 1,585 lb.-3,192 lb. 1,825 lb.-3,672 lb. 2,065 lb.-4,152 lb. 2,401 lb.-4,800 lb. 2,785 lb.-5,592 lb. 3,193 lb.-6,384 lb. 3,673 lb.-7,344 lb. 4,153 lb.-8,304 lb. 4,801 lb.-9,600 lb. 5,593 lb.-11,184 lb. 6,385 lb.-12,792 lb. 7,345 lb.-14,712 lb. 8,305 lb.-16,632 lb. 9,601 lb.-19,200 lb. 11,185 lb.-22,392 lb. 12,769 lb.-25,536 lb. Heavy Load 145 lb.-240 lb. 313 lb.-480 lb. 481 lb.-720 lb. 625 lb.-960 lb. 793 lb.-1,200 lb. 961 lb.-1,440 lb. 1,105 lb.-1,680 lb. 1,273 lb.-1,920 lb. 1,441 lb.-2,160 lb. 1,585 lb.-2,400 lb. 1,825 lb.-2,760 lb. 2,065 lb.-3,120 lb. 2,401 lb.-3,600 lb. 2,785 lb.-4,200 lb. 3,193 lb.-4,800 lb. 3,673 lb.-5,520 lb. 4,153 lb.-6,240 lb. 4,801 lb.-7,200 lb. 5,593 lb.-8,400 lb. 6,385 lb.-9,600 lb. 7,345 lb.-11,040 lb. 8,305 lb.-12,480 lb. 9,601 lb.-14,400 lb. 11,185 lb.-16,800 lb. 12,793 lb.-19,200 lb. 14,713 lb.-22,080 lb. 16,633 lb.-24,960 lb. 19,201 lb.-28,800 lb. 22,393 lb.-33,600 lb. 25,537 lb.-38,400 lb. 158 Extradimensional Spaces Everyone knows you can haul around more loot in a bag or backpack than you can just using your hands, and most adventurers equip themselves with at least a few containers for transporting the spoils of victory. The most useful containers for carrying piles of treasure are literally bigger on the inside than on the outside. These are bags of holding, portable holes, and a few related items, such as Heward's handy haversack. These are collectively known as extradimensional spaces, though this is not a defined game term. Extradimensional spaces are notorious for creating spectacular and dangerous effects when placed inside each other; however, the dangers can be somewhat overrated. One bag of holding can be placed safely inside another (of course, the first bag's weight counts against what the second bag can hold). Likewise, one portable hole can be placed safely inside another. A bag of holding placed inside a portable hole, however, creates a rift to the Astral Plane. (See the bag of holding excerpt.) Oddly enough, objects aren't drawn through the gate. From the bag of holding description on page 248 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: If a bag of holding is placed within a portable hole (page 264), a rift to the Astral Plane is torn in the space: Bag and hole alike are sucked into the void and forever lost. If a portable hole is placed within a bag of holding, it opens a gate to the Astral Plane: The hole, the bag, and any creatures within a 10-foot radius are drawn there, destroying the portable hole and bag of holding in the process. It's best to treat a Heward's handy haversack as a bag of holding when it interacts with a portable hole. Other interactions between extradimensional spaces are possible. For example, the rope trick and Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion both create extradimensional spaces. The rope trick spell description makes a passing mention of "hazards" associated with placing one extradimensional space inside another, but gives no details. (See the rope trick excerpt.) I recommend that you ignore this reference. Your campaign won't be improved if rope trick effects implode when someone carries a bag of holding or portable hole inside. A Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion should likewise prove benign if someone carries a bag of holding or portable hole inside. From the rope trick description on page 273 of the Player's Handbook: Note: It is hazardous to create an extradimensional space within an existing extradimensional space or to take an extradimensional space into an existing one. What Can Fit Inside a Bag of Holding? Sometimes player characters can get downright silly about what they place in their bags of holding and will attempt to stuff inside it anything that's not nailed down. Player characters also love to stuff their comrades, living or dead, into their bags of holding. Since most bodies are somewhat pliable, it's fine to simply use a bag's weight limit to determine how many creatures fit inside. There should be a reasonable limit to just how big a rigid object can fit inside a bag of holding. The table below includes some suggested limits. The rules say a living creature can breathe inside a bag of holding for up to 10 minutes. That's not a bad number for a type I bag of holding, which has 30 cubic feet of space inside. The larger bags ought to contain a bit more air, and I've included some suggested numbers. The numbers given are for Medium creatures. Small creatures use only half as much air and can breathe inside a bag of holding for twice the listed time. Double the breathing time for each additional size category below Small (x4 for Tiny creatures, x8 for Diminutive creatures, and x16 for Fine creatures. From the bag of holding description on page 248 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: If living creatures are placed within the bag, they can survive for up to 10 minutes, after which time they suffocate. When characters use bags of holding to carry essential supplies, such as water, it's useful to know how much water a bag can hold. Water weighs about 8-1/2 pounds per gallon, so this isn't a difficult calculation, but I've included it as well. Bag Type Inside Dimension[1] Breathing Time Water Capacity[2] I 5 ft. 10 minutes 30 gallons II 8 ft. 15 minutes 60 gallons III 10 ft. 20 minutes 120 gallons IV 12 ft. 25 minutes 180 gallons 1. This limits the size of any inflexible object placed inside the bag of holding. 2. These numbers have been rounded off to the nearest whole factor of 10. What Can Fit Inside a Portable Hole? The description for the portable hole includes information about its dimensions: From the portable hole description on page 264 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: When opened fully, a portable hole is 6 feet in diameter, but it can be folded up to be as small as a pocket handkerchief. When spread upon any surface, it causes an extradimensional space 10 feet deep to come into being. This hole can be picked up from inside or out by simply taking hold of the edges of the cloth and folding it up. Either way, the entrance disappears, but anything inside the hole remains. The only air in the hole is that which enters when the hole is opened. It contains enough air to supply one Medium creature or two Small creatures for 10 minutes. (See Suffocation, page 304.) As described in the excerpt, the space inside a portable hole is a cylinder 6 feet wide and 10 feet deep, which contains about 280 cubic feet of space. That's enough to hold about 100,000 standard coins or 2,100 gallons of water. 159 Weights for a Few Unusual Items The equipment tables in the Player's Handbook don't quite cover everything a character might decide to pick up and carry. Here are weight figures for a few such items. Item Weight Armchair 20 lb. Chair, simple 5 lb. Door, iron 3,200 lb. Door, stone 2,200 lb. Door, simple wooden 150 lb. Door, good wooden 225 lb. Door, strong wooden 350 lb. Footstool 2 lb. Petrified creature x8 lb. Spirits, cask 18 lb. Spirits, hogshead 750 lb. Spirits, keg 90 lb. Spirits, barrel 375 lb. Statue, Colossal metal 1,750 tons Statue, Colossal stone 1,250 tons Statue, Gargantuan metal 875 tons Statue, Gargantuan stone 625 tons Statue, Huge metal 112 tons Statue, Huge stone 80 tons Statue, Large metal 14 tons Statue, Large stone 10 tons Statue, Medium metal 3,500 lb. Statue, Medium stone 2,500 lb. Statue, Small metal 420 lb. Statue, Small stone 300 lb. Table, banquet 225 lb. Table, small 60 lb. Tapestry 100 lb. Workbench 300 lb. Table Notes Here are a few notes to clarify the table entries. Armchair This entry assumes fine hardwood construction and a leather or cloth cover. The weight given is for a chair built for a Medium creature. Cut the weight in half for each size category below Medium and double the weight for each size category above Medium. Chair, Simple This is a plain chair made from inexpensive hardwood, and it has no arms. See the armchair entry to adjust the weight for larger or smaller creatures. Doors All doors are assumed to be 8 feet high and 5 feet wide, with thickness as noted on Table 3-10 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The listed weight includes hinges, handle, and lock appropriate for the door's overall construction. Footstool This assumes a plain, wooden stool about 6 inches high, with a round top about 18 inches across. Petrified Creature To calculate a petrified creature's weight, multiply the creature's normal weight by 8 and add the weight of any gear the creature was carrying at the time of petrification. When a creature is magically turned to stone, it and all its gear turn to stone. This tends to make metal gear weigh a little less, but nonmetal gear gets heavier, so the two tend to average out. Table, Banquet This table is built to comfortably seat twelve Medium creatures (about 4-1/2 feet wide and 8 feet long). See the armchair entry to adjust the weight for a table built to seat larger or smaller creatures. Table, Small The represents a plain wooden table that might be found in a modest home or merchant's shop. It's big enough to seat six Medium creatures (about 3-1/2 feet wide and 7 feet long). See the armchair entry to adjust the weight for a table built to seat larger or smaller creatures. Spirits The spirits entry assumes a barrel-shaped container made from hardwood staves and iron hoops. A cask contains 2 gallons of liquid, a hogshead holds 88 gallons, a keg holds 10 gallons, and a barrel holds 44 gallons. You can use these figures for any liquid-based contents. Containers with dry contents might weigh anywhere from one quarter to two-thirds as much. Statues Metal statues assume hollow construction from bronze or wrought iron. Stone statues are solid marble. Statue sizes refer to creature sizes from Table 7-1 in the Monster Manual, and they represent figures in the mid range for each size category. A 160 statue of the listed size could easily weigh anywhere from one half to twice the listed weight. All statue weights include an attached base or pedestal. Tapestry Assumes a woven wool tapestry about 10 feet square and about 1/4 inch thick. You also can use this figure for carpets or rugs. Workbench This is a bench about 3 feet high, 3 feet wide, and 8 feet long, with sturdy legs and top and a shelf or footrest below. 161 All About Initiative Foreword Player characters in the D&D game often go looking for trouble and, more often than not, they find it. When trouble arises, combat is sure to follow. The action during a round of battle in the D&D game takes place more or less simultaneously; however, resolving everyone's activities at the same time isn't too practical, so everybody must take turns. That's where initiative comes in. Initiative doesn't pose too many difficulties for players and DMs. Nevertheless, situations often arise that can make even something as simple as initiative seem hopelessly confusing. These series examines those times when the action in a D&D campaign makes the initiative rules break down. Initiative Basics A complete tour of the initiative rules requires several stops. Pages 136-137 in the Player's Handbook cover initiative fundamentals. The descriptions of special initiative actions, which begin on page 160 in the Player's Handbook, add considerable depth and complexity to the initiative rules. The rules for starting and running an encounter on pages 22-24 in the Dungeon Master's Guide include additional information on initiative. A look at the introduction to D&D combat on page 133 in the Player's Handbook and the general information on acting during combat on page 138 also would prove helpful in understanding initiative. From the page 136-137 of the Player's Handbook: Initiative Every round, each combatant gets to do something. The combatants' initiative checks, from highest to lowest, determine the order in which they act. Initiative Checks At the start of a battle, each combatant makes an initiative check. An initiative check is a Dexterity check. Each character applies his or her Dexterity modifier to the roll. The DM finds out what order characters are acting in, counting down from highest result to lowest, and each character acts in turn. In every round that follows, the characters act in the same order (unless a character takes an action that results in his or her initiative changing; see Special Initiative Actions, page 160). Usually, the DM writes the names of the characters down in initiative order so that on subsequent rounds he can move quickly from one character to the next. If two or more combatants have the same initiative check result, the combatants who are tied act in order of total initiative modifier (highest first). If there is still a tie, the tied characters should roll again to determine which one of them goes before the other. Monster Initiative Typically, the DM makes a single initiative check for monsters and other opponents. That way, each player gets a turn each round and the DM also gets one turn. At the DM's option, however, he can make separate initiative checks for different groups of monsters or even for individual creatures. For instance, the DM may make one initiative check for an evil cleric of Nerull and another check for all seven of her zombie guards. Flat-Footed At the start of a battle, before you have had a chance to act (specifically, before your first regular turn in the initiative order), you are flat-footed. You can't use your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) while flat-footed. (This fact can be very bad for you if you're attacked by rogues.) Barbarians and rogues have the uncanny dodge extraordinary ability, which allows them to avoid losing their Dexterity bonus to AC due to being flat-footed. A flat-footed character can't make attacks of opportunity. Inaction Even if you can't take actions (for instance, if you become paralyzed or unconscious), you retain your initiative score for the duration of the encounter. For example, when paralyzed by a ghoul, you may miss one or more actions, but once the cleric casts remove paralysis on you, you may act again on your next turn. Surprise When a combat starts, if you are not aware of your opponents and they are aware of you, you're surprised. Determining Awareness Sometimes all the combatants on a side are aware of their opponents, sometimes none are, and sometimes only some of them are. Sometimes a few combatants on each side are aware and the other combatants on each side are unaware. The DM determines who is aware of whom at the start of a battle. He may call for Listen checks, Spot checks, or other checks to see how aware the adventurers are of their opponents. The Surprise Round If some but not all of the combatants are aware of their opponents, a surprise round happens before regular rounds begin. Any combatants aware of the opponents can act in the surprise round, so they roll for initiative. In initiative order (highest to lowest), combatants who started the battle aware of their opponents each take a standard action during the surprise round (see Standard Actions, page 139). You can also take free actions during the surprise round, at the DM's discretion. If no one or everyone is surprised, no surprise round occurs. Unaware Combatants Combatants who are unaware at the start of battle don't get to act in the surprise round. Unaware combatants are flat-footed because they have not acted yet, so they lose any Dexterity bonus to AC. Overview of the initiative rules Here's an overview of the initiative rules and some key concepts relating to initiative: Combat in the D&D game takes place in rounds 6 seconds long. 162 The initiative rules exist to make sure that everyone involved in a battle gets a chance to act once during each round of combat. A round remains 6 seconds long no matter how many combatants become involved in a battle. This is possible because, as noted earlier, everyone who acts in a round is assumed to act more or less simultaneously. Initiative checks determine the order in which combatants' actions are resolved during a round. Once the DM establishes an initiative order for a battle, there's very little that can change it. As noted on page 136 in the Player's Handbook, an initiative check is a Dexterity check. Few other things can affect an initiative check. Feats such as Improved Initiative can improve your initiative bonus. Any improvement or impairment to your Dexterity score that is in effect when the battle begins affects your initiative for that battle. If your Dexterity score changes during the battle, your initiative result doesn't change. For example, if you receive a cat's gracespell before a battle begins, you get the benefit of the improvement to your Dexterity score when you make your initiative check for that battle. If a foe dispels your cat's grace spell after the battle begins, your Dexterity score decreases appropriately, but your initiative number doesn't change as the result of the decrease. The initiative order in a battle isn't completely set in stone, however. The ready and delay actions both have the potential to change a combatant's place in the order (and they usually do). See below for more details. As noted earlier, one pass through the initiative order constitutes one 6-second round. One could say that a round of combat begins just before the combatant with the highest initiative number acts and ends just after the combatant with the lowest initiative number acts. Despite the foregoing, remember that the term "round" can be relative. It can refer to one complete initiative cycle, or it can refer to the period of time between one combatant's turn and that combatant's next turn. From the page 138 of the Player's Handbook: Each round represents 6 seconds in the game world. At the table, a round presents an opportunity for each character involved in a combat situation to take an action. Anything a person could reasonably do in 6 seconds, your character can do in 1 round. Each round's activity begins with the character with the highest initiative result and then proceeds, in order, from there. Each round of a combat uses the same initiative order. When a character's turn comes up in the initiative sequence, that character performs his entire round's worth of actions. (For exceptions, see Attacks of Opportunity, page 137, and Special Initiative Actions, page 160.) Combatants make initiative checks when the DM decides that an encounter has begun or has the potential to begin. The rules leave identifying an encounter's start to the DM's good judgment. As a rule of thumb, however, an encounter begins when two groups are close enough to each other to perceive each other and at least one of the two groups has done so. It is sometimes best to call for initiative when a group's meeting is merely imminent, such as when a party opens a door in an unexplored dungeon (see below). In any case, it's usually best to call for initiative checks whenever you find that establishing an initiative order might prove helpful. For example, establishing an initiative order could prove useful during an encounter in which several different creatures are trying to deal with a series of traps or negotiations with several different creatures. A group (or a single character) can surprise a potential foe by noticing that foe before the foe can notice them. When one group surprises another, a surprise round ensues. During a surprise round, the character or group that has achieved surprise can take one standard action. Creatures that have been surprised cannot act during a surprise round. At times, some creatures in a group will notice a foe when the others do not. In such cases, an encounter still begins with a surprise round, but everyone who has noticed the other group gets to act during the surprise round, though the acting creatures still are limited to one standard action each. Combatants remain in initiative order until the DM decides that it is no longer necessary. Releasing characters from the initiative order usually marks an encounter's end. It's usually a good idea to keep characters in initiative order until all danger to them (at least from the current encounter) is past. Players might pick up on this, so sometimes you may want to keep using an initiative order for a little longer than strictly necessary just to maintain a sense of danger and tension in the game. Once a party has dealt with the challenges and obstacles an encounter offers, however, you'll probably find that maintaining an initiative order slows things down. For example, after the party defeats a group of monsters in an encounter they'll probably want to distribute some healing magic among the player characters, loot their defeated foes, and look for treasure. It's usually best to simply allow the players to handle those tasks outside of the initiative order. Sometimes, it's not entirely clear just when actions in initiative should stop. We'll consider some of those situations below. All combatants roll once for initiative when the DM decides an encounter has begun. The rules don't allow you to "take 20" or even "take 10" on an initiative check. Your initiative check result initially represents your character's ability to react when an encounter begins. (That's why characters are flat-footed until they take an action in an encounter's first round.) You have only one chance for an initial reaction to an encounter, and the rules don't allow you to prepare yourself for an encounter when you don't know it's coming. If you're fortunate enough to notice potential foes before they notice you, you achieve surprise over your foe, which is a great advantage for you. See page 137 in the Player's Handbook. Even so, if your foe survives your initial action, you could lose your advantage. That's why you and your foe must make initiative checks after a surprise round. Managing Initiative The rules make one very valuable suggestion for any DM trying to handle combat smoothly and efficiently: Write down the initiative order. Many DMs I know keep a pad of paper or a small dry erase board for jotting down initiative. This is a great idea, especially if you can prop up your writing surface when you're done -- if you do so, everyone can see the initiative order and will know when their turns come. I use a particularly large vinyl mat (marked in 1-inch squares) to regulate combat and I jot the initiative right on the mat. I also use another trick. When preparing for a game, I jot down the game statistics for everything the PCs will meet onto index cards. I also have each player record key information about their characters (ability scores, Armor Class, base attack and grapple bonuses, saving throw bonuses, and key skill scores) on index cards as well. When an encounter starts, I place all the cards into initiative order. When someone delays or readies an action, I can remove the appropriate card from the order and place it back in the correct place when the combatant finally acts. If I happen to drop or somehow scramble the cards, I can easily reset the cards by referring to the written initiative order, and the players also have the written order for reference. I find this method well worth the effort it entails. One of the biggest advantages of the D&D game's initiative system is its potential to speed up combat, and the combination of cards and a written initiative can make things speedy indeed. 163 Beginning an Encounter D&D characters often act when they're not involved in encounters. Such actions might be as simple as walking down deserted corridors or as complex as making armor or making magic items. Such activities seldom require initiative checks. Some actions, such as opening doors, picking locks, and searching the shadows for hidden foes tend to generate conflict. So, exactly when do you check for initiative? Does initiative begin with the act that precipitates a battle, or does it begin after that act? To answer that question, it's helpful to consider just what the initiative rules are trying to accomplish. Some Initiative Theory From the page 25 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: As a general rule, combat actions should only be performed in combat - when you're keeping track of rounds and the players are acting in initiative order. You'll find obvious exceptions to this rule. For example, a cleric doesn't need to roll initiative to cast cure light wounds on a friend after the battle's over. Spellcasting and skill use are often used outside combat, and that's fine. Attacks, readied actions, charges, and other actions are meant to simulate combat, however, and are best used within the round structure. As noted above, the D&D game's initiative system is designed to promote quick and smooth play. The system's cyclical nature allows players to consider and execute their actions without the need to declare them ahead of time and allows them to anticipate when their turns to act are coming up. The system's design also includes other features that aren't readily apparent. For example your character may gain the upper hand in a confrontation and press an advantage by anticipating your foe's maneuvers and countering them. In the D&D game, you can do that through the delay or ready actions. These actions allow you to treat a high initiative result as an asset you can spend, but see the discussions of delay and ready below. In spite of your ability to postpone your actions until a more advantageous time, you can't prepare for everything. Sometimes, you get caught with your pants down no matter how careful you are. This is why you cannot delay or ready until after you've made an initiative check. When Does an Encounter Start? From the page 22 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: An Encounter starts when: One side becomes aware of the other and thus can act first. Both sides become aware of each other at the same time. Some, but not all, creatures on one or both sides become aware of the other side. The Dungeon Master's Guide says an encounter begins in one of three situations. In each case, there is no encounter until at least one creature is aware of at least one potential foe. Without this awareness, there is no encounter and no initiative order. It might prove helpful to examine some potential encounter openings and determine when to make initiative checks. Two Groups Meet in a Dungeon Corridor This is possibly the most straightforward encounter opening. The two sides check initiative when they notice each other, usually the moment when the two groups have line of sight to each other and thus can see each other. A Party Enters an Occupied Chamber by Kicking in the Door In many campaigns, most encounters will begin this way. There are many possible variations to this scenario, and some variations affect initiative. Neither side notices the other before the door opens. Such a situation might occur when the room's occupants aren't keeping watch beyond the chamber's closed door (or cannot do so) and the party also fails to notice that the chamber has occupants. The party might simply fail to check the door or their attempts to do so (such as Listen checks) fail. In this case, the encounter doesn't truly begin until someone opens the door. The action used to open the door takes place before the encounter and the character who takes the action does so before anyone makes an initiative check. One side notices the other before the door opens. Perhaps the room's occupants have a peephole they can use to look beyond the door. Or perhaps the intruders have made a successful Listen check that reveals the room's occupants. Things are easier to handle here if the party notes the room's occupants first. When I'm running the game, things go like this: The character who notes the room's occupants gets a free action (outside of initiative) to notify allies about the potential foes beyond the door. The newly informed characters take time preparing to enter the room, also outside initiative. When the party is ready to hit the room, I run a surprise round. One or two characters open the door, and these characters act first. The move action the characters use to open the door counts as the single action they are allowed during the surprise round. You're actually limited to one standard action when you act during a surprise round, but you can always use a move action in place of a standard action (but not vice versa); see page 138 in the Player's Handbook and Rules of the Game: All About Actions. Once the door opens, the remainder of the party takes the single standard actions (or move actions) they're allowed during a surprise round. Since it's usually best to handle actions one character at a time, I have the characters act in the order they're standing before the door or in the order of their initiative modifier, whichever seems most appropriate for the situation. There still are no initiative checks because a surprise round represents a flurry of unexpected activity before a battle begins in earnest. After the party uses their surprise actions, everyone makes initiative checks. None of the PCs will be flat-footed, even if they don't act early in the initiative order, because they acted during the surprise round. That's it. Once everyone checks initiative and I've recorded the initiative order, the encounter proceeds from there. Here are a few more things to consider: Overall, the approach described here favors the group assaulting the room. It might seem a little harsh to make characters use their surprise actions to open the door, but the act takes some time and the defenders inside the room deserve a little break for being behind a closed door. Allowing the party to open the door before the surprise (so that the characters opening the door get to act against the foe along with their allies), would tilt the situation even further toward the attackers. You could make things tougher on the attackers by skipping the surprise round. The attackers could prepare themselves as noted earlier, but the encounter would not truly begin until the door opens. At that point, both parties would be aware of each other and initiative checks would be in order. If you choose this approach, it's reasonable to assume that the attackers might 164 be flat-footed until their first actions. The party might know a battle is coming, but they're still subject to a moment of uncertainty when the actual event begins. It's worth noting here that peace officers and members of the military I've spoken with tell me that assaulting a closed, defended room can prove quite dangerous, especially if the defenders keep their heads. I tend to prefer an approach that favors the PCs because they're supposed to be the heroes and the stars of the campaign. You might choose differently, and so might I if the PCs face a particularly canny or well-prepared foe. All the foregoing assumes that the characters entering the room notice the opposition first. What happens if the room's defenders are forewarned and the group entering the room remains unaware of what awaits them beyond the door? If the defenders decide to preempt their foes and attack, you can run the encounter exactly as described above, except that the group attacking from inside the room surprises the party outside. If the defenders decide to wait for the enemy to enter their chamber, they can use the time before the attack comes as they see fit. There's no need for initiative checks while the defenders prepare. When the party outside finally opens the door, everyone checks for initiative when the door opens. You can allow the group inside the room a surprise round first, but I don't recommend doing so. It usually doesn't pay to await a foe's action. Characters who know a confrontation is about to commence might want to ready actions. Doing so would bend the rules because you're not supposed to use the ready action until after an encounter starts. The DM, however, might want to allow readying in this special situation. In any case, ready is an action itself, and the character with the readied action must give up other preparations. A Party Opens a Chest and Releases an Imprisoned Fiend This situation really isn't much different from breaking into a closed room. The party opens the chest before the encounter really begins and nobody checks for initiative until the fiend emerges from its imprisonment. One side might surprise the other if they spot the opposition before being noticed themselves, just as noted previously. The DM also can adjust things to favor one side or the other, also as noted previously. When Does an Encounter End? The rules don't give much guidance about deciding when an encounter is over. Nevertheless, the DM is obliged to declare an end to one encounter before the party can move on to the next encounter. As noted above, declaring an encounter's end also can speed play by allowing player characters a chance to recover and reorganize without the burden of working though the initiative order over and over again. Also, there's at least one effect in the game that lasts for the duration of an encounter. A character (usually a barbarian) who has used the rage class feature remains fatigued for the duration of an encounter. Because the fatigue resulting from barbarian rage ends when the encounter ends, determining exactly when the encounter ends can prove crucial. Above, I suggested that characters should remain in initiative order until all danger the encounter poses to them is past. That also is a pretty good rule of thumb for marking an encounter's end. Any or all of the following conditions might signal an encounter's end: All foes the party faces in an encounter are defeated. Foes are defeated when they're dead, dying, or otherwise unable to function offensively. Creatures that have fled the encounter or surrendered should be considered defeated for purposes of marking an encounter's end. Sometimes, a foe might withdraw for a short time and then return to mount a new attack. If the returning foe has been away for significant time (say a full minute, or 10 rounds) and the party either has not bothered to locate the foe or hasn't made any effective efforts to do so, it's probably best to treat the return as a new encounter. If a foe flees and the party pursues closely enough so that the foe must keep moving to avoid being attacked, the encounter isn't over until the party breaks off the pursuit. Likewise, if the party can pursue and attack (perhaps with spells or ranged weaponry), the encounter isn't over. All members of the party are defeated. Use the same criteria for defeat noted above. Both sides agree to cease hostilities. This could be a plainly stated agreement to stop fighting, or both sides might choose to withdraw from the battlefield (or at least put some space between each other). Combatants could possibly effectively enter a truce simply by ceasing all hostile actions, but stand their ground. If an encounter enters a phase where nobody is attacking a foe and the two groups simply talk or observe each other, you might wish to declare the encounter over. You can use the same criteria suggested above for dealing with a foe that leaves the scene of a battle and returns to fight later. If the truce has held for about a minute and it seems nobody is inclined to fight, go ahead and declare the encounter over. You can do that even if you've got one or two suspicious holdouts on either (or both sides). Such characters might ready actions to resume combat if anyone makes a false move. It's perfectly okay to allow the diehards in a group to stand there, tense and scowling, while everyone else relaxes. Of course, hostilities might break out again, marking the beginning of a new encounter. A group that finds itself in a bad situation might want to feign a truce just to get the chance to jump the foe again. If you're in doubt about whether to start a new encounter with a new initiative order or to simply resume the action with the old initiative order, use an appropriate skill check to determine if the "previous" encounter ever really came to an end. A Diplomacy check that moves a foe's attitude from hostile to unfriendly (or more favorable) would do the trick (decisively ending hostilities). A Bluff check to put a foe at least temporarily at ease also would do the trick. If you decide to continue using an old initiative order, simply pick up the action starting with whichever combatant has decided to resume hostilities (adjusting for any readied actions left over from the previous encounter). If you decide to use a new initiative order, place anyone who has a readied action at the beginning of the order (to reflect the character's state of wariness). If several characters have readied actions, place them in order of their initiative modifiers, and use initiative checks to break any ties). Creature that don't have readied actions check initiative normally, except that they're placed in the order after creatures with readied actions. It's usually best to skip the surprise round when the action resumes after a break in hostilities. If someone has really managed to hoodwink the opposition and has made them lower their guard, however, a surprise round might be in order. In such a case, the deceitful character (and any allies who are in on the ruse) should be the only character (or characters) who act during the surprise round, even though many other characters at the scene are aware of their foes. 165 Some Initiative Miscellany A few other aspects of initiative can cause trouble from time to time. Usually a careful look at the rules -- or a little common sense -- will solve the problem. Delaying and Readying As noted above, both of these options can change the initiative order during a battle. The ready and delay actions are discussed in detail on page 160 in the Player's Handbook, and in Rules of the Game: All About Actions. Here are a few more notes: From the page 160 of the Player's Handbook: Special Initiative Actions Here are ways to change when you act during combat by altering your place in the initiative order. Delay By choosing to delay, you take no action and then act normally on whatever initiative count you decide to act. When you delay, you voluntarily reduce your own initiative result for the rest of the combat. When your new, lower initiative count comes up later in the same round, you can act normally. You can specify this new initiative result or just wait until some time later in the round and act then, thus fixing your new initiative count at that point. Delaying is useful if you need to see what your friends or opponents are going to do before deciding what to do yourself. The price you pay is lost initiative. You never get back the time you spend waiting to see what's going to happen. You can't, however, interrupt anyone else's action (as you can with a readied action). Initiative Consequences of Delaying Your initiative result becomes the count on which you took the delayed action. If you come to your next action and have not yet performed an action, you don't get to take a delayed action (though you can delay again). If you take a delayed action in the next round, before your regular turn comes up, your initiative count rises to that new point in the order of battle, and you do not get your regular action that round. Ready The ready action lets you prepare to take an action later, after your turn is over but before your next one has begun. Readying is a standard action. It does not provoke an attack of opportunity (though the action that you ready might do so). Readying an Action You can ready a standard action, a move action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. For example, you might specify that you will shoot an arrow at anyone coming through a nearby doorway. Then, any time before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition. The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character's activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. Your initiative result changes. For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action. You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don't otherwise move any distance during the round. For instance, if you move up to an open door and then ready an action to swing your sword at whatever comes near, you can't take a 5-foot step along with the readied action (since you've already moved in this round). Initiative Consequences of Readying Your initiative result becomes the count on which you took the readied action. If you come to your next action and have not yet performed your readied action, you don't get to take the readied action (though you can ready the same action again). If you take your readied action in the next round, before your regular turn comes up, your initiative count rises to that new point in the order of battle, and you do not get your regular action that round. Distracting Spellcasters You can ready an attack against a spellcaster with the trigger "if she starts casting a spell." If you damage the spellcaster, she may lose the spell she was trying to cast (as determined by her Concentration check result). Readying to Counterspell You may ready a counterspell against a spellcaster (often with the trigger "if she starts casting a spell"). In this case, when the spellcaster starts a spell, you get a chance to identify it with a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If you do, and if you can cast that same spell (are able to cast it and have it prepared, if you prepare spells), you can cast the spell as a counterspell and automatically ruin the other spellcaster's spell. Counterspelling works even if one spell is divine and the other arcane. A spellcaster can use dispel magic (page 223) to counterspell another spellcaster, but it doesn't always work. Readying a Weapon against a Charge You can ready certain piercing weapons, setting them to receive charges (see Table 7-5: Weapons, page 116). A readied weapon of this type deals double damage if you score a hit with it against a charging character. Delay Delay is a nonaction. That is, it doesn't use up any of your time in a round. When delaying, you can specify a point in a round when you want to act (for example, right after a particular ally acts, or any other point you can manage to specify). Or you can simply wait until the time seems right and take your turn. When you act, you assume that turn in the initiative order for the remainder of the encounter (unless you ready or delay again). For example, you act first in a round, with an initiative result of 20. An ally acts next with an initiative result 18, followed by foes with initiative results of 13, 11, and 8, and a final ally with an initiative result of 2. If you delay until your first foe acts, you take your turn after that foe, and than means you act between initiative counts 13 and 11 (effectively at count 12). You cannot interrupt the action your foe takes at count 13, but you have a full round's worth of actions (that is a standard action plus a move action, or a full-round action) to use during your delayed turn. You can use a delay to act earlier in the initiative order. To do so, you must delay and then wait to act until the next round begins (as noted above, a new round begins after the last combatant in the previous round has acted). 166 Let's say the combat in the previous example continues. Thanks to your earlier delay, you're now the third combatant to act in the initiative order (the new order is now 18, 13, 12, 11, 8, 2). If you delay until after the round ends (after the combatant with the initiative result of 2 acts), you can choose to act before anyone else acts in the following round. Once you do so, you'll keep your new position in the initiative order until you (or another combatant) changes the initiative order again. So, what happens if two combatants delay and decide to act in the same place in the round? I recommend resolving the situation the same way you resolve tied initiative checks. The combatant with the highest initiative modifier goes first and if the two combatants have the same initiative modifier, they make initiative checks to break the tie. Ready Ready is a standard action that allows you to prepare another standard action or a move action at some later point in the round. You must specify some condition that triggers your readied action. Ready has advantages and disadvantages when compared to delay. The main advantage ready has over delay is that you resolve your readied action before the event that triggers it and you sometimes can disrupt a foe's action, such as when you ready an action to distract a spellcaster. The main disadvantage ready has versus delay is that you can ready only a standard or move action -- you don't get a full round's worth of actions when you ready. The other big disadvantage to readying is that you're pretty well stuck if things don't go according to plan. For example, suppose you ready an attack against the first enemy that comes through a door and a 20-ton boulder rolls out instead. You're pretty much obliged to stand there and get crushed (though one hopes you'll be allowed a Reflex save to avoid the worst effects) even though you theoretically have an action available to you when the boulder makes its entrance. Encounters in the game are just too fast-moving and confusing to allow you to change plans between your turns in the initiative order. When you use your readied action, you move to that place in the initiative order, and you stay at your new place until the order changes again. The change in the initiative order works pretty much as described in the section on delay, except that you act before the event that triggers your readied action. Inactive Characters Characters who have been rendered inactive (for example, by being paralyzed or reduced to negative hit points) can become active again after whatever ails them is removed. According to the Player's Handbook, these characters retain their places in the initiative order and can act again when their next turns come. The rules don't say so, but it's best to assume that these characters are not flat-footed when they reenter the fray (because they never really left). This rule, while easy to use and remember, can produce some odd results from time to time. For example, if you return to the action just before your next turn, you get to act right away. If you return just after your turn comes up, however, you must wait an entire round to act. To make a character's return to activity a little more predictable, try this completely unofficial rule: Allow a character who has missed at least one turn due involuntary inactivity to act immediately after being revived. The effect on the character's initiative is exactly the same as it would be if the revived character had delayed for a round or more. In Conclusion That wraps up our look at initiative. I've attempted to cover a few gaps in the initiative rules. The D&D game being what it is, you'll probably encounter a few more tricky areas. When you deal with these, remember that the key decision you have to make is whether an encounter has already begun or is merely about to begin. Once you've made that determination, the rest of your task should prove fairly simple. 167 All About Illusions Foreword One can use an illusion spell to simulate just about anything a person can dream up -- though more complex examples of phantasmagoria are beyond the limits of lower-level illusion spells. Still, the illusion school caters to player and DM creativity to a degree no other school can match. It's no surprise that illusion spells cause difficulties in play, especially when players start testing the spells' limits. Fortunately for beleaguered DMs and confused players, the rules offer some pretty strong guidelines for handling illusion spells. As is often the case, it can prove tough to remember and follow those guidelines when a gaming session really starts to heat up. In this series, we'll examine what the rules have to say about illusion spells and offer some practical tips for applying them during a game. This series draws heavily on an earlier Rules of the Game series:Reading Spell Descriptions and on the discussion of the illusion school on pages 173-174 in the Player's Handbook. From pages 173-174 of the Player's Handbook: Illusion Illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause people to see things that are not there, not see things that are there, hear phantom noises, or remember things that never happened. Representative illusions include silent image, invisibility, and veil. Illusions come in five types: figments, glamers, patterns, phantasms, and shadows. Figment A figment spell creates a false sensation. Those who perceive the figment perceive the same thing, not their own slightly different versions of the figment. (It is not a personalized mental impression.) Figments cannot make something seem to be something else. A figment that includes audible effects cannot duplicate intelligible speech unless the spell description specifically says it can. If intelligible speech is possible, it must be in a language you can speak. If you try to duplicate a language you cannot speak, the image produces gibberish. Likewise, you cannot make a visual copy of something unless you know what it looks like. Because figments and glamers (see below) are unreal, they cannot produce real effects the way that other types of illusions can. They cannot cause damage to objects or creatures, support weight, provide nutrition, or provide protection from the elements. Consequently, these spells are useful for confounding or delaying foes, but useless for attacking them directly. For example, it is possible to use a silent image spell to create an illusory cottage, but the cottage offers no protection from rain. A figment's AC is equal to 10 + its size modifier. Glamer A glamer spell changes a subject's sensory qualities, making it look, feel, taste, smell, or sound like something else, or even seem to disappear. Pattern Like a figment, a pattern spell creates an image that others can see, but a pattern also affects the minds of those who see it or are caught in it. All patterns are mind-affecting spells. Phantasm A phantasm spell creates a mental image that usually only the caster and the subject (or subjects) of the spell can perceive. This impression is totally in the minds of the subjects. It is a personalized mental impression. (It's all in their heads and not a fake picture or something that they actually see.) Third parties viewing or studying the scene don't notice the phantasm. All phantasms are mind-affecting spells. Shadow A shadow spell creates something that is partially real from extradimensional energy. Such illusions can have real effects. Damage dealt by a shadow illusion is real. Saving Throws and Illusions (Disbelief ) Creatures encountering an illusion usually do not receive saving throws to recognize it as illusory until they study it carefully or interact with it in some fashion. For example, if a party encounters a section of illusory floor, the character in the lead would receive a saving throw if she stopped and studied the floor or if she probed the floor. A successful saving throw against an illusion reveals it to be false, but a figment or phantasm remains as a translucent outline. For example, a character making a successful saving throw against a figment of an illusory section of floor knows the "floor" isn't safe to walk on and can see what lies below (light permitting), but he or she can still note where the figment lies. A failed saving throw indicates that a character fails to notice something is amiss. A character faced with proof that an illusion isn't real needs no saving throw. A character who falls through a section of illusory floor into a pit knows something is amiss, as does one who spends a few rounds poking at the same illusion. If any viewer successfully disbelieves an illusion and communicates this fact to others, each such viewer gains a saving throw with a +4 bonus. Illusion Basics As with any spell in the D&D game, a look at the spell's header (the tabulated information that precedes the text description for the spell) can settle many questions about how the spell works. For a quick tour of the spell header, see Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions. Most difficulties that arise from an illusion spell vanish when you consider a few key elements in the header. These include the following: The spell's subschool. The illusion school has five subschools: figment, glamer, pattern, phantasm, and shadow. Each school has distinct properties that define how the spell works. When determining exactly what the caster can accomplish with an illusion spell, first consider the subschool. The spell's area, target, or effect entry. 168 This entry determines how you can aim the spell and where whatever you create with it can go after the spell takes effect. Many illusion spells produce images that can't move (or move very far), which limits the sorts of things the caster can do with the spell. The spell's saving throw entry. Some illusion spells have a kind of saving throw that poses some difficulties of its own. Illusion Subschools If you remember what illusion spells of each subschool can do, you'll avoid a lot of hassles (and dashed expectations) in play. Here's an overview: Figment These spells create false sensations of creatures, objects, or forces. A figment always must create the impression of something new. It cannot make something seem to be something else. For example, you can use a figment to create an illusory cover for an open pit (more about this below). You cannot, however, use it to conceal a trap door since that would be making something seem like something else. If a figment spell can produce sound, it cannot duplicate intelligible speech unless the spell description specifically says so. A figment is unreal and cannot produce real effects; it can't deal damage, support weight, provide nutrition, or act as a barrier (except that a visible figment can block line of sight). You can use a figment to fool opponents, but you can't harm them or affect them directly. For example, a wall of figment flames might cause foes to halt or make a detour, but it won't burn anything. If you create the image of a creature with a figment spell, you usually can make it move around, but only within the spell's area, which usually isn't mobile. An illusory creature created with a figment spell cannot deal any damage. You can send it into combat, however. The figment has an Armor Class of 10 + its size modifier (see page 173 in the Player's Handbook). The rules don't say what a figment's attack bonus is. Your attack bonus is a good default; remember that a figment cannot deal damage or have any other real effect, however. Glamer A glamer spell makes the recipient look, feel, taste, smell, or sound like something else, or even seem to disappear. Beware of attempts to use figments as glamers. For example, you can use a figment to create an apple tree, but you can't use a figment to make your buddy look like an apple tree. You'd need a glamer spell to perform the latter trick. Like a figment, a glamer can't have any real effects. If you use a glamer to make your human buddy look like an apple tree, you can't pick edible apples from the character. Pattern A pattern spell creates a visible magical image. The spellcaster usually doesn't have control over the image's appearance; instead, the spell usually specifies how the pattern looks. A pattern's image has some affect on viewers' minds. All patterns have the mind-affecting descriptor. Patterns have no effects on creatures that cannot see. Unlike a figment or glamer, a pattern can have real effects; however, those effects are limited to those set out in the spell description. Phantasm These spells create mental images. Usually, only the caster and the spell's recipient (or recipients) can perceive the image a phantasm spell creates. All phantasms have the mind-affecting descriptor. Like a pattern, a phantasm can have real effects, as set out in the spell description. Also like a pattern, a phantasm's exact details usually aren't under the caster's control. Because a phantasm exists in the recipient's mind, the recipient can perceive it no matter what its sensory capabilities are. Shadow A shadow spell creates something that is partially real, but made mostly from extradimensional energies the caster brings together with the spell. A shadow is similar to a figment, but it can have real effects because it's partially real itself. Unlike a figment, a shadow spell usually limits what the caster can duplicate or depict with the spell. A shadow's physical characteristics (such as ability scores, Armor Class, attack bonus, hit points, and the like) are defined in the spell description, and they might vary depending on what the shadow depicts or duplicates. See below for more about shadows. Aiming Illusion Spells As noted above, a spell's area, target, or effect entry determines how and where the caster can aim the spell. Area Any spell that has an area entry fills some volume of space when it takes effect. Most spell areas are immobile after they're cast, but be on the lookout for area spells that are portable. The silence spell, for example, is an illusion spell with an area (an emanation) that can be centered on a mobile object or on a creature so that the spell's effects move along with it. Illusion spells that have area entries often affect subjects that are in the area at the time the spell is cast or that enter the area while the spell lasts. This is particularly true of illusion spells from the pattern subschool, such as rainbow pattern. Subjects that merely see the pattern from outside the area it fills aren't affected. Other illusion spells create a false sensation throughout the area or alter an area's sensory properties. Spells from the glamer subschool often have areas that work this way. Examples include hallucinatory terrain and mirage arcana. Anyone with line of sight to such a spell's area can notice whatever sensation the spell produces, even from outside the spell's area (provided that the creature has the appropriate senses). For example, if you use a hallucinatory terrain spell to make an empty patch of sand look like an oasis, anyone who can see that patch of sand sees the illusion you have created. Audible illusions might remain audible even without line of sight. For example, if you create the image of a creaky windmill, creatures nearby can hear the mill creaking even when it's too dark to see the mill. Effect A spell with an effect entry produces something. An illusion spell with an effect entry produces a sound, smell, texture, taste, visual image, or some combination of the five. Spells from the figment subschool often have effect entries that look a great deal like areas. The effect entry specifies a maximum volume for the image (or images) the spell produces. You can make images you create move around, but only with the volume limit set for the spell. For example, you could use a major image spell to create an illusory guard that paces around a room, but you can't make your illusory guard accompany you wherever you go (unless you stay inside the spell's volume limit). 169 As with an area illusion, anyone nearby can perceive an effect illusion. For instance, the marching guard from the previous example can be seen and heard just as a real guard could be. Target When a spell has a target entry, you select one or more recipients to receive the spell (there might be limits to the targets you can select, see Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions). In any case, all your targets must be in range and you must have line of effect to them. If you don't have line of sight to a recipient, you still can select it as a target if you can touch it. Once a target receives a spell, the spell's effect moves along with it. Because glamer spells change the recipient's sensory properties, most glamers have target entries (often the caster or something the caster touches). Phantasms, which affect the recipient's mind, also usually have target entries. As with illusion spells that have area or effect entries, anyone with line of sight to the recipient of a targeted illusion spell perceives the illusion the spell creates (except for phantasms, as noted earlier). For example, the invisibility spell makes a subject vanish from sight. Anyone looking at the space containing the invisible subject sees nothing (or at least does not see the subject). Saving Throws and Illusion Spells Most spells' saving throw entries are self-explanatory; however, some illusion spells have a kind of saving throw that causes a few problems. Most figment spells (and a few other illusions) have saving throw entries that read: "Will disbelief (if interacted with)." This can prove maddeningly vague, especially when someone decides to start splitting hairs. Anyone who has played the game for more than a few hours knows what a Will save is. But what is the effect of disbelief and what constitutes interaction? From pages 173-174 of the Player's Handbook: Saving Throws and Illusions (Disbelief ) Creatures encountering an illusion usually do not receive saving throws to recognize it as illusory until they study it carefully or interact with it in some fashion. For example, if a party encounters a section of illusory floor, the character in the lead would receive a saving throw if she stopped and studied the floor or if she probed the floor. A successful saving throw against an illusion reveals it to be false, but a figment or phantasm remains as a translucent outline. For example, a character making a successful saving throw against a figment of an illusory section of floor knows the "floor" isn't safe to walk on and can see what lies below (light permitting), but he or she can still note where the figment lies. A failed saving throw indicates that a character fails to notice something is amiss. A character faced with proof that an illusion isn't real needs no saving throw. A character who falls through a section of illusory floor into a pit knows something is amiss, as does one who spends a few rounds poking at the same illusion. If any viewer successfully disbelieves an illusion and communicates this fact to others, each such viewer gains a saving throw with a +4 bonus. Disbelief Page 173 in the Player's Handbook covers disbelief in detail. The text there can be summed up fairly easily. If you make a successful saving throw against an illusion effect and disbelieve it, you stop perceiving the illusion and it has no effect on you at all. Illusions from the figment or glamer subschools, however, remain behind as faint, translucent outlines even after you successfully disbelieve them. These see-through remnants have no effects on you at all, but serve to remind you that the illusion is there. It also reminds you of those things with which other less perceptive individuals might have to deal. The rules use an illusory section of floor (presumably a figment) as an example. If you have disbelieved the illusion, you see the floor (light permitting) as it is; that is, with a gaping hole in it. You also see the outlines of the illusion, however, which can prove handy when an unsuspecting ally comes on the scene. In fact, you can convey your knowledge to your ally and grant your pal a saving throw bonus (see Pointing Out Illusions below). The rules don't say what happens if you successfully disbelieve a figment or glamer that doesn't have a visual element. It's a safe bet, however, that you remain aware of the figment or glamer without being affected or hindered in any way. Interacting With Illusions According to page 173 in the Player's Handbook, you don't receive a saving throw against an illusion effect with a disbelief saving throw until you study the illusion carefully or interact with it in some way. The text uses an illusory floor as an example. The character in the example provided there gets a saving throw by stopping to examine the floor (study) or by probing the floor (interaction). For game purposes, we can define "studying" an illusion as taking an action (which DMs can choose to make a move action since this is an extrapolation of the rules and not an actual rule) to observe an illusion effect and note its details. Some DMs I know require a Spot or Search check to disbelieve an illusion. That's going too far. Merely pausing and using an action to make the check is enough to allow a saving throw. Also for game purposes, we can define "interacting" with an illusion as doing something that could affect the illusion or allowing the illusion to have an affect on you. You have a valid claim to an interaction with an illusion when you attack it, touch it, talk to it, poke it with a stick, target it with a spell, or do something else that one might do with a real creature or object. The key to disbelieving an illusion is investing some time and effort in the illusion. If you decide to ignore the illusion, you don't get a saving throw to disbelieve it. Let's consider the illusory guard from a previous example. The guard is a figment created with a major imagespell, and the caster has left the illusory guard to prowl around a chamber. A character entering or looking into the chamber might react to the illusory guard in several ways, some of which will allow a saving throw to disbelieve and some that will not. Here are just a few possibilities: The character tries to sneak past the guard. Although both hiding and moving silently are resolved with opposed skill checks, the character really isn't doing anything that could affect the illusion and isn't really interacting with it. It would be best to call for the appropriate checks from the sneaking character and then pretend to make the opposed rolls (the illusory guard cannot see or hear the character). The character doesn't get a saving throw against the illusion. The character attacks the guard. Attacking an illusion is a definite interaction. The character makes the attack, using at least a standard action to do so. Hit or miss, the character makes a Will save to disbelieve the illusion immediately after making the attack roll. If the attack hits, the character probably should disbelieve automatically (see Automatic Interactions or Automatic Disbelief, below) as the character sees and feels the weapon passing through the figment with no effect (just like swinging the weapon 170 through empty air). If the illusion in question were a shadow instead of a figment, a successful attack would not result in automatic disbelief (there's something solid to hit there). The character takes a moment to observe the guard's movements. The DM can choose to make this at least a move action for the character -- as noted earlier, this is an extrapolation of the rules, not an actual rule. No check is required, and the character makes a saving throw to disbelieve the illusion as part of the action used to observe the guard. The character tries to identify the guard's uniform or insignia (or simply looks for the same). This kind of scrutiny merits a standard action. The character makes a Spot or Search check to look over the guard's gear (or possibly an appropriate Knowledge check). A successful check reveals something about the guard's gear. For example, if the illusion's caster included insignia or if a particular uniform style is included in the figment, the check reveals those. In any case, the character makes a saving throw to disbelieve the illusion as part of the action used to study the guard, even if the check fails to uncover any details. The character taunts the guard or asks the guard a question. This one might qualify as an interaction, or it might not. Speaking usually is a free action, but meaningful communication between two creatures takes up some time. From page 144 of the Player's Handbook: Speak In general, speaking is a free action that you can perform even when it isn't your turn. Some DMs may rule that a character can only speak on his turn, or that a character can't speak while flatfooted (and thus can't warn allies of a surprise threat until he has a chance to act). Speaking more than few sentences is generally beyond the limit of a free action; to communicate more information than that, your DM may require that you take a move action or even a full-round action. If the character and the guard are alone and there hasn't been an initiative roll, the character needs to stick around to note the guard's reaction to the taunt or wait for the guard's reply to truly interact with the illusion. (That's the equivalent of a move or standard action.) The character makes a saving throw to disbelieve the illusion as part of the action used to communicate with the guard. If this interaction occurs during an encounter, the character could speak as a free action, but she probably would have to wait until the following round to attempt a saving throw to disbelieve. (A real creature would need the same interval to respond, probably using a free action itself.) Automatic Disbelief According to the Player's Handbook, if you're faced with proof that an illusion isn't real, you disbelieve the illusion without making a saving throw. The rules give a few examples of "proof" that an illusion isn't real. If you step on an illusory floor and fall through, you know that floor isn't real. Likewise, if you poke around an illusory floor and your hand (or the implement you're using as a probe) goes through the floor, you know the floor isn't real. It's worth noting that in both examples the illusion fails to function as a real object would. A real floor is solid. It supports your weight (unless it breaks under you), and you can't push objects or parts of your body through it. A character could create an illusion that reacts appropriately when disturbed (with a programmed image spell, for example). In such cases, a character interacting with the illusion still must make a saving throw to disbelieve the illusion. For example, if you use a programmed image spell to create an illusory floor that collapses when someone touches it or walks in it, that's consistent with the way at least some real floors work and a saving throw is required to disbelieve even when someone falls through it. The rules don't say so, but if you create an illusion that allows a saving throw for disbelief, you automatically disbelieve it (you know it isn't real because you created it). Automatic Interactions As noted above, you must take some action that could affect an illusion before you can attempt to make a saving throw to disbelieve it. Some illusion spells, however, allow saves to disbelieve even when you don't use an action to interact with them. The ventriloquism spell, for example, allows a saving throw to disbelieve whenever you hear the figment sound the spell produces. It always pays to read an illusion spell's description for such exceptions to the general rule. Dealing with the Unbelievable The rules governing illusions assume that the spellcaster is at least trying to create something believable. When an illusion spell allows a saving throw for disbelief and the caster creates something unbelievably weird, it's best to allow an immediate saving throw. You're the best judge of what's unbelievable in your campaign. In a world where dogs breathe fire (hell hounds), immense dragons fly through the air, and wizards can shoot bolts of lightning from their fingertips, what's unbelievable covers a tiny slice indeed. Still, if the illusion caster is just being silly (singing carnivorous vegetables, bloodsucking bunnies, dancing hippos), it's best to just roll a saving throw. Pointing Out Illusions According to page 174 in the Player's Handbook, a character who successfully disbelieves an illusion and communicates that information to others grants those other characters a +4 bonus on saving throws to disbelieve the illusion. The rules don't specifically say so, but a character claiming the bonus still must use an action to study or interact with the illusion before attempting a saving throw. Using Figments Well As noted above, spellcasters often make the mistake of trying to use figment spells (such as silent image, minor image, and major image) to make something look like something else. Figment spells don't do that -- you need a glamer spell for the task. You can craft a figment to fit in with its surroundings or to conceal something. Consider these situations: A party wishes to hide in a dungeon room just beyond an archway. You cannot use a figment to make the archway look like an unbroken wall. You can, however, use a figment to make the archway look like it has been bricked up; the edges of the bricked area will conform to the archway. You also could use a figment to create an illusory door that fills the doorway. You could even include hinges for the door (set atop the frame of the arch) and a big lock. You wish to draw some bad guys into an ambush by creating a false oasis in the desert. You cannot use a figment to make empty sand look like an oasis. You still can create an illusory oasis with one or more figment effects. You can create an illusory pool of water to fill a depression in the sand, and you can sprinkle the area with illusory palm trees and undergrowth. 171 If the area is very flat, you won't be able to create a believable figment pool of water, but you might get away with a spring where water bubbles to the surface and soaks back into the sand. A party caught in the open wants to hide from an airborne foe. A figment can't make the party look like they aren't there. It can, however, make them a place to hide. You could use a figment spell to make an illusory house, a grove of trees (with leafy branches for concealment), or even a hill or big rock. The party will be concealed so long as the characters stay underneath the illusion. A Few Additional Notes on Figments The foregoing examples also serve to illustrate concepts above: Characters hiding behind or under the illusions here need to make saving throws to successfully disbelieve them (assuming they want to do so). The caster, however, knows the illusions aren't real. If the caster points out the illusions, the characters get a +4 bonus on their saves; in this case, the DM might want to waive the saving throws and assume disbelief to save time. In any case, a successful saving throw against a figment spell reveals the figment to be unreal, but still visible (if it's a visible figment) as a see-through outline. This is helpful to characters using a figment for concealment because they can see right through the figment and also know exactly where the figment is so that they can remain concealed. In many cases, creatures who are unaware that illusion magic is at work probably will not gain saving throws to disbelieve the figments in these examples. A creature in the vicinity of one of these figments probably would pass right by without taking any action to study or interact with the figment and gain a saving throw. This, however, applies only to creatures passing casually though the area. A creature that is deliberately searching for the party that the figments in these examples conceal probably will poke around long enough to gain a saving throw through study or interaction (or might simply stumble through the figment). Likewise, a creature that is very familiar with the locale where the figments have been placed probably will note the sudden appearance of a new feature and gain an immediate saving throw (because doors, oases, and hills don't just spring up in a matter of minutes or hours usually). Illusions and Mindless Creatures Unraveling an illusion is partly a matter of intellect, but mostly a matter of analysis and perception. Any creature can attempt to disbelieve an illusion because every creature has a Wisdom score. A mindless creature, however, is much less likely to find something just plainly unbelievable (and thus gain a saving throw to disbelieve with no study or interaction) than a creature with an Intelligence score would be. A mindless creature lacks an internal catalog of memories and expectations that can generate the level of incredulity required to evoke instant disbelief. Illusions and Objects Objects have no senses and no Wisdom scores. They cannot disbelieve an illusion, but they can't perceive it either. Shadows are a special case. A shadow is partly real and can affect an object just as anything real can. Shadow spells that have a reduced effect when disbelieved generally have reduced effects against objects because objects can't believe them. Check the description of the shadow spell in question to be sure. For example, objects automatically are assumed to make their saving throws against the various shadow conjuration and shadow evocation spells presented in the Player's Handbook. In other cases, follow the rules for object saving throws against spells (in most cases an unattended, nonmagical object doesn't get a saving throw against a spell). More Fun With Shadows In most cases, what applies to a figment spell also applies to a shadow spell, with one important exception: A shadow is partially real. A shadow can have real effects, even when a subject disbelieves the shadow. A shadow's quasi-real nature can pose some problems in play. Here are a few tips and reminders for handling shadows: A shadow is only partially real whether a subject believes it is real or not. A shadow's degree of reality is expressed as a percentage given in the spell description. For example, a creature conjured with a shadow conjuration spell is only 20% real. Certain aspects of a shadow always depend on its degree of reality. These aspects include hit points. Other aspects of a shadow remain fixed, no matter what its degree of reality. These include gross dimensions (height, width, thickness), superficial details (color, shape, anatomical features), attack bonus (but see below), saving throw bonuses, skill scores, and ability scores. For example, a shadow ogre mage (page 200 in the Monster Manual) that is 20% real has 5 Hit Dice, but only 7 hit points (20% of 37, rounded down to the nearest whole number). Its initiative and speed ratings are unchanged. Its Armor Class depends on whether its attacker believes it is real. The rest of the monster's statistics are unchanged, though some of its combat results will be reduced against foes who have successfully disbelieved it. When a creature believes a shadow is real, the shadow interacts with that creature exactly like the real creature or object it depicts, except as noted previously. A shadow creature strikes in combat for full damage if the other creature believes it is real. It likewise has its full Armor Class bonus if the creature attacking it believes it is real. Nevertheless, the shadow has only part of its real counterpart's hit points. When a creature successfully disbelieves a shadow, the shadow has a partially real effect when interacting with that creature. When dealing with a partially real effect from a shadow, first attempt to reduce the effect according to the shadow's degree of reality. If the aspect can be expressed as a number, you simply reduce it accordingly. Be sure, however, that you apply the reduction only once to any particular number. For instance the shadow ogre mage from the previous example normally strikes with its greatsword for 3d6+7 points of damage. Against a foe who has successfully disbelieved it, the shadow ogre mage uses its normal attack bonus of +7, but deals only 20% of its usual damage with a successful hit. Roll damage normally, but apply only 20% of the resulting damage. For example, the shadow ogre mage hits and rolls 3d6+7 points of damage for a total of 19 points. It deals only 3 points (20% of 19, rounded down to the nearest whole number). When the disbelieving foe attacks the shadow ogre mage, its Armor Class is calculated as follows: base 10 (unchanged), -1 size (unchanged), +1 additional bonus (+5 natural, +4 chain shirt; that is an unadjusted total +9; 20% of that is 1.8, rounded down to the nearest whole number). The disbelieving foe has to contend with AC 11, touch 9, flat-footed 11. If the shadow ogre mage had a Dexterity bonus, that, too, would be added into the pool of AC bonuses that would be reduced. The shadow ogre mage still occupies 10 feet of space on the battlefield, and it has a reach of 10 feet. It conducts combat as a Large creature. You might wonder why the size modifier wasn't altered for the shadow ogre mage's Armor Class. The shadow ogre mage is still tall and broad enough to present a big target, so size still has its full effect (as it would if the shadow combatant were small enough to gain an Armor Class bonus). 172 Being only part real cannot make a creature a more capable foe. Do not reduce Dexterity penalties when calculating a shadow's Armor Class. The shadow ogre mage has its full suite of spell-like abilities. Its damage-dealing ability, cone of cold, works normally against a disbeliever, except that the damage dealt is only 20% of normal. Its other abilities (darkness, invisibility, charm person, flight, and regeneration) aren't so easy to handle. I recommend that any ability that affects only the shadow creature work normally (in this case, invisibility , flight, and regeneration). Powers that can affect others or the creature's surroundings (darkness and charm person) have only a 20% chance to work when theshadow ogre mage uses them. Roll percentile dice, and on a roll of 81 or higher, the power in question has its full effect. Otherwise, it has no effects at all. You can use this method to deal with any ability a shadow creature has. First look to a numerical damage value or AC bonus you can reduce. If there is none, roll to determine if the ability takes effect. 173 All About Trip Attacks Foreword Sometimes a foe (or unruly ally) becomes much easier to handle when lying on the ground. Fortunately, the rules provide a method for knocking creatures off their feet -- the trip special attack. Tripping usually doesn't pose many problems in play; however, tripping involves an opposed roll. Tripping also involves a few modifiers not typically used in combat. The rules for trip attacks can prove complex enough to give anyone pause from time to time. This series considers the theory behind the trip attack, examines the process used to resolve trip attacks, and considers a few variations on the trip attack. For more on tripping, you might also consult the recent Tactics & Tips Sibling Rivalry column. Some Terminology Here are a few key terms used in this series. Attack of Opportunity A melee attack that a creature makes during another creature's turn when a foe does something to provoke it. See pages 137-138 in the Player's Handbook and Rules of the Game: All About Attacks of Opportunity for details. From page 135 of the Player's Handbook: Attack of Opportunity During combat, you threaten all squares adjacent to yours, even when it's not your turn. An opponent that takes certain actions while in a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity from you. An attack of opportunity is a free melee attack that does not use up any of your actions. You can make one attack of opportunity per round. Actions that provoke attacks of opportunity include moving (except as noted below), casting a spell, and attacking with a ranged weapon. You provoke an attack of opportunity when you move out of a threatened square, except: If you withdraw (a full-round action), opponents don't get attacks of opportunity when you move from your initial square. If you move into another threatened square, however, opponents get attacks of opportunity when you leave that square. If your entire move for the round is 5 feet (a 5-foot step), opponents don't get attacks of opportunity when you move. Opposed Check A check whose success or failure depends on another check, usually from a foe. The two check results are compared, and the higher check result wins the opposed check. If the two check results are tied, the character with the higher check modifier wins the opposed check. If both the check modifiers are tied as well, reroll to resolve the opposed check. Continue rerolling as often as you must to determine who wins the opposed check. Prone A creature lying on the ground is prone. When prone, you cannot make ranged attacks with weapons (except for crossbows) and you suffer a -4 penalty on melee attacks. If you're attacked while prone, you gain a +4 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks but take a -4 penalty to Armor Class against melee attacks. See below for more notes about being prone. Trip You can try to trip an opponent as an unarmed melee attack. You can only trip an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller. Making a Trip Attack Make an unarmed melee touch attack against your target. This provokes an attack of opportunity from your target as normal for unarmed attacks. If your attack succeeds, make a Strength check opposed by the defender's Dexterity or Strength check (whichever ability score has the higher modifier). A combatant gets a +4 bonus for every size category he is larger than Medium or a -4 penalty for every size category he is smaller than Medium. The defender gets a +4 bonus on his check if he has more than two legs or is otherwise more stable than a normal humanoid (such as a dwarf). If you win, you trip the defender. If you lose, the defender may immediately react and make a Strength check opposed by your Dexterity or Strength check to try to trip you. Avoiding Attacks of Opportunity If you have the Improved Trip feat, or if you are tripping with a weapon (see below), you don't provoke an attack of opportunity for making a trip attack. Being Tripped (Prone) A tripped character is prone (see Table 8-6: Armor Class Modifiers). Standing up is a move action. Tripping a Mounted Opponent You may make a trip attack against a mounted opponent. The defender may make a Ride check in place of his Dexterity or Strength check. If you succeed, you pull the rider from his mount. Tripping with a Weapon Some weapons, including the spiked chain, dire flail, heavy flail, light flail, guisarme, halberd, and whip, can be used to make trip attacks. In this case, you make a melee touch attack with the weapon instead of an unarmed melee touch attack, and you don't provoke an attack of opportunity. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the weapon to avoid being tripped. Tripping Basics The rules don't spend much time explaining what a trip attack looks like in the game world. Fortunately, it's not too difficult to read what the rules have to say about trip attacks and form a picture from that. 174 You can make a trip attack against any corporeal creature that is standing more or less upright (see below) whether that creature is moving or standing still. A trip attack starts like a grapple attack -- you attempt to physically attack your foe with an unarmed melee touch attack. Instead of trying to hold on, however, you try to push or pull your foe off his feet and make him fall down. You also can use a trip attack to pull a foe off a mount. In older versions of the game, what we call a trip attack now was called an overbearing attack. The term "overbear," however, implies that you tackle your foe and fall to the ground with him, and that's not the case with a trip attack. You remain upright even if your trip attack succeeds in forcing your foe prone. Here's an overview of the rules for tripping: You make a trip attack in lieu of a melee attack. You can trip using the attack action or using the full attack action. You also can make a trip attack as an attack of opportunity. If you use the full attack action to trip a foe and your base attack bonus allows you to make multiple attacks during your turn, you can use the extra attacks to beat up the foe you've just tripped. If you do that, your foe's reduced Armor Class (from being prone) is a benefit for you. (You also can use your extra attacks against other foes if you want.) If you have the Improved Trip feat, you can immediately make a free melee attack against a foe you have tripped. You can attempt a trip attack against a foe one size category bigger than you, the same size as you, or smaller than you. You can't trip a foe two or more size categories bigger than you -- you just can't force a creature that much bigger than you off its feet. You begin a trip attack with an unarmed melee touch attack. The rules don't come right out and say it, but you use your melee touch attack to get a purchase on your foe (so you can throw, push, or pull him down). The melee touch attack provokes an attack of opportunity from your foe. If you wield the right kind of weapon, you can use it for the touch attack and avoid the attack of opportunity. If you have the Improved Trip feat, a melee touch attack you make to trip a foe doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. Curiously enough, your trip attack isn't spoiled if the attack of opportunity you provoke when you initiate the attack deals you damage (as it does if you attempt to grapple a foe; see page 156 in the Player's Handbook). Resolve the attack of opportunity (if any) you provoke before completing your trip attack. If you're still alive and conscious after the attack of opportunity, you can proceed to the next step. After you've made a successful melee touch attack, you make an opposed Strength check to pull (or push) your foe off his feet. Your foe resists your Strength check with either a Strength check or a Dexterity check (whichever gives the foe a higher modifier for the opposed check). The check you make as the attacker is part of the action you used to make the trip attack. The check the defender makes isn't an action for the defender. Several modifiers apply to the opposed check you make to resolve a trip attack. Size has a big effect on trip attacks. (The bigger creatures can force other creatures off their feet more easily and also have an easier time resisting attempts to force them down.) Each combatant gains a +4 bonus for each size category he is larger than Medium and a -4 penalty for each size category smaller than Medium. See below a table that summarizes size modifiers for trip attacks. A defender (only) with more than four legs gains a +4 bonus on opposed checks to avoid being tripped. Some creatures, such as dwarves, are more stable than other bipeds and gain a +4 bonus to resist being tripped while standing on the ground (see the dwarf race entry in the Player's Handbook). If you attempt to trip a foe and win the ensuing opposed check, you dump your foe to the ground. Your foe falls to the ground and winds up prone. If you've pulled your foe down from a height (as you might if you've tripped a climber or rider), the foe might take some falling damage. If you attempt to trip a foe and lose the ensuing opposed check, your foe gets a free attempt to trip you. Your foe is not required to make a trip attempt against you. If he chooses to make the attempt, that's not an action for your foe. The foe does not make a touch attack to trip you, and the attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity from you. The checks the two of you make to resolve the trip attempt aren't actions for either of you. The rules don't say so, but it's best if you don't allow the original attacker another trip attempt if the defender's reactive trip attempt fails. Size Modifiers for Trip Attacks As noted above, you receive a bonus on opposed checks to resolve trip attacks if your size is bigger than Medium. You get a penalty on opposed checks to resolve trip attacks if your size is smaller than Medium. Your size modifier applies whether you're the attacker or the defender, and the size modifier for trip attempts is the same as the modifier for grappling. Table 71 in the Monster Manual shows the modifiers: Size Category Fine Diminutive Tiny Small Medium Large Huge Gargantuan Colossal Grapple/Trip Modifier -16 -12 -8 -4 +0 +4 +8 +12 +16 Kinds of Trip Attacks The trip attack covers almost any situation in which one combatant tries to make another fall down, from sticking out a foot to cause a character to stumble to yanking a rider out of the saddle. Who Can Be Tripped Any creature that is subject to gravity and somehow holds itself off the ground is subject to trip attacks. Incorporeal creatures can't be tripped -- even by other incorporeal creatures -- because they can't fall down. A prone creature has 175 already fallen down and can't be tripped. (This can prove significant when you've tripped a foe and wish to keep him down; see below the section on being tripped.) Limbless creatures pretty much just lie on the ground (at least while using their normal land speeds or just standing around on a fairly level space) and usually can't be tripped unless they're climbing or in some other precarious situation. This includes creatures with the ooze type, snakes, and anything else that wiggles and slithers. The rules don't give any guidance on creatures whose body types make them immune to trip attacks, so you'll have to rely on your common sense here. Tripping Climbers When you make a trip attack against a creature using the Climb skill or using a climb speed, you literally dislodge the climber from the surface she is ascending (or descending). You resolve the trip attack just as you would any other trip attack, except that if you succeed the climber falls. The climber, however, can make a Climb check to catch himself as noted in the Climb skill description. If the climber doesn't catch herself, she falls to the bottom of the slope or wall she was climbing and takes the appropriate amount of damage. The climber is prone after falling. Tripping Flyers A creature flying with wings can be tripped. If the attempt succeeds, the creature stalls and falls 150 feet. See Rules of the Game: All About Movement for details (and a few unofficial additional rules about tripping flying creatures). Creatures that fly without wings (and any creature with perfect maneuverability) can't be tripped while flying. If the creature is still in the air after stalling, it must succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save to recover and resume flying. Otherwise it falls another 300 feet. If it hits the ground, it lands prone and takes falling damage. Tripping Swimmers Since water tends to hold creatures up, you can't trip a swimmer. Tripping Riders You can pull a rider out of his seat with a trip attack. If you win the opposed check, the rider falls off his mount and takes 1d6 points of damage if the mount is moving or standing on the ground. If you make someone fall off a flying mount, she could take considerably more damage, depending on the mount's altitude. The rider on a mount that isn't flying can attempt a Ride check (DC 15) to soften the fall and take no damage. The rider lands on his feet if he successfully softens his fall. If he takes damage, he falls prone. Weapons in Trip Attacks Using a weapon to trip a foe is a great idea. You avoid the attack of opportunity you provoke if you tried to trip the foe using your hand. If you trip with a reach weapon, you can trip at a distance -- albeit a fairly short one. Finally, if you lose the required opposed check and become subject to a trip attempt from your foe, you can avoid the attempt by dropping the weapon (a free action). If you drop the weapon, you must decide to do so before you and your foe make opposed checks to resolve the reactive trip attempt. You can't trip with just any weapon. The weapon has to be flexible enough to wrap around the foe (or part of the foe) or it must have some sort of a hook or projection at the business end that can snag a foe. It would be helpful if Table 7-5 in the Player's Handbook indicated which weapons are useful for trip attacks, but it doesn't. The rules for trip attacks on page 159, however, include a list of weapons that can be used in trip attacks. The detailed weapon descriptions on pages 114-122 in the Player's Handbook also mention if particular weapons are useful for trip attacks. The weapons from the Player's Handbook you can use to trip foes are spiked chain, dire flail, heavy flail, light flail, guisarme, halberd, and whip. The spiked chain, guisarme, halberd, and whip have reach. The spiked chain and whip can be used against foes adjacent to you. When considering weapons introduced in other books, check the text description included with the weapon. If the weapon can trip a foe, the text describing the weapon will say so. Being Tripped As noted above, you fall prone when a foe successfully trips you. Also as noted above, when you're prone, you cannot make ranged attacks with weapons (except for crossbows) and you suffer a -4 penalty on melee attacks. If you're attacked while prone, you gain a +4 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks but take a -4 penalty to Armor Class against melee attacks. Standing up from being prone is a move action that provokes an attack of opportunity. You can crawl 5 feet as a move action without getting up, but doing so provokes attacks of opportunity. SeeRules of the Game: All About Movement for details. It's possible to attempt a trip attack as an attack of opportunity. Fortunately, you can't be tripped while getting up from prone, at least not through the attack of opportunity you provoke. That because attacks of opportunity are resolved before the actions that provoke them (there are a few exceptions, see Rules of the Game: All About Attacks of Opportunity for details). When you try to stand up from a prone position, the attack of opportunity comes before you get back on your feet. Since you're still prone when the attack comes, the attack of opportunity can't trip you. Your foes still can use trip attacks to keep you down when you're prone, however. A foe can use the ready action to prepare a trip attack against you when you stand up. Some people think you don't threaten the area around you after you've been tripped (or any time you're prone). That's not true, however. You have some penalties (as noted earlier), but you still can make melee attacks into the squares around you. 176 Monstrous Conundrums Foreword The current rules for the D&D game give players and DMs tremendous opportunities for creating unique characters and unexpected challenges. If you want to play a troll cleric/rogue, you can. If you want to bedevil your players with a rakshasa rogue, you can. Unfortunately, when you start mixing monsters with class levels you can find yourself descending into a maze of rules and numbers that could make a paladin curse. We here delve into the fine art of creating monstrous player characters and creating monsters with class levels as foes for player characters. Some Key Terms One of the biggest hurdles players and DMs face when dealing with monsters is making sense of all the terms the game uses when dealing with the subject. All of these terms mean very different things (or there wouldn't be separate terms), but many of them look and sound the same. Here are several terms we'll examine in depth: Bonus Feat An extra feat a creature gains outside of its normal allotment. A bonus feat might allow a creature to choose any feat (for example, the bonus feat a human gains at 1st level). A bonus feat also might be restricted to a short list or even be restricted to a single feat. (For example, a 1st-level monk can select either Improved Grapple or Stunning Fist as a bonus feat.) Sometimes, a creature can have a bonus feat without meeting the feat's prerequisites. When this is the case, the bonus feat's source will say so. For example, a monk can select bonus feats from the list the class offers at 1st, 2nd, and 6th levels without meeting any prerequisites for those feats (see the monk class description). Class Level The total number of levels a creature has in a class. For example, a 5th-level fighter has 5 class levels in the fighter class. A 5th-level fighter/5th-level wizard has 5 class levels in fighter and 5 class levels in wizard. Class level affects many things. See below for a comprehensive look at class level. The term "class level" and "Hit Dice" are often used interchangeably (especially when dealing with spells and other magical effects) because a class level provides a creature with a Hit Die. Class levels and Hit Dice, however, are not really the same thing. A Hit Die is something a creature can have by virtue of its race and size. A class level has to be earned through experience. Character Level The total number of class levels a creature has, plus any racial Hit Dice the creature has. A human 5th-level fighter/5th-level wizard has 10 class levels. An ogre 5th-level fighter/5th-level wizard has 14 class levels (10 class levels plus 4 racial Hit Dice). Character levels determine when a creature gains feats and ability score increases (see Table 3-2 in the Player's Handbook). Any feats a creature gets by virtue of its character levels are in addition to any bonus feats it has from its race or from its class levels. In addition, character level determines how much experience a character earns when he defeats a foe and how many experience points he needs to gain his next class level. From page 181 of the Player's Handbook: Hit Dice The term "Hit Dice" is used synonymously with "character levels" for effects that affect a number of Hit Dice of creatures. Creatures with Hit Dice only from their race, not from classes, have character levels equal to their Hit Dice. Challenge Rating (CR) Challenge Rating reflects a game designer's best judgment about how tough a monster will prove in a fight. The CRs of all the creatures in an encounter help to determine the encounter's Encounter Level (see Chapter 3 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). When characters defeat a creature, the creature's CR is a starting point for determining each character's experience award for the victory. You must compare the defeated monster's CR with each character's effective character level or ECL (see pages 36-37 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). The experience award a character receives for a particular defeated monster is the same no matter what the encounter's EL was (but see Modifying XP Awards on page 39 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). Effective Character Level (ECL) Character level plus the level adjustment for the character's race. For example, a drow has a level adjustment of +2. Many people (and even one or two rulebooks) say ECL when they really mean level adjustment. From page 172 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: Add a monster's level adjustment to its Hit Dice and class levels to get the creature's effective character level, or ECL. Effectively, monsters with a level adjustment become multiclass characters when they take class levels. Characters with more than 1 Hit Die because of their race do not get a feat for their first class level as members of the common races do, and they do not multiply the skill points for their first class level by four. Instead, they have already received a feat for their first Hit Die because of race, and they have already multiplied their racial skill points for their first Hit Die by four. Use ECL instead of character level when referring to Table 3-2: Experience and Level-Dependent Benefits in the Player's Handbook to determine how many experience points a monster character needs to reach its next level. Also use ECL with Table 5-1: Character Wealth by Level to determine starting wealth for a monster character. Monster characters treat skills mentioned in their Monster Manual entry as class skills. From page 36 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: A Challenge Rating is a measure of how easy or difficult a monster or trap is to overcome. Challenge Ratings are used in Chapter 3: Adventures to determine Encounter Levels (EL), which in turn indicate how difficult an encounter (often involving multiple monsters) is to overcome. A monster is usually overcome by defeating it in battle, a trap by being disarmed, and so forth. 177 Encounter Level (EL) Encounter Level is strictly a tool for the DM to use when deciding if an encounter is too easy, about right, or too hard for a particular group of characters. It has no real effect on play. Some people think that Encounter Level determines how much experience character can gain from an encounter, but that's not so (see Challenge Rating). Feat A special trait or ability that either gives a creature a new capability or improves one the creature already has. A creature has one feat for its first class level or Hit Die, and gains one more feat at each level or Hit Dice that is evenly divisible by three. Table 3-2 in the Player's Handbook shows feats player characters get as they gain levels. A creature can gain extra (bonus) feats from its race, class, or from some other source. Hit Die or Hit Dice The die (or collection of dice) rolled to determine a creature's hit points. A creature's Hit Dice can come from its race, from its class (or classes), or both. A creature's total Hit Dice also serves as a measure of its overall power. Many spells can affect creatures with a certain number of Hit Dice (including dice from class levels) or lower. Other spells can affect creatures whose total Hit Dice (or levels plus Hit Dice) don't exceed a specified total. Level Adjustment A value assigned to a creature from a nonstandard race to help promote some equity among the player characters in a campaign. When a character has a level adjustment, use the character's ECL (character level plus level adjustment) to determine the character's starting equipment and how the character earns and benefits from experience, as noted on page 172 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. Use the actual character level for just about everything else (see below). Class Level Anyone who plays the D&D game encounters the term "level" often. It seems that almost everything in the game has levels: spells, characters, encounters, even dungeons. In general "level" is a measure of power or inherent danger. The higher the level, the more power or danger. This week, we'll sort out the variations on the term "level" as it applies to monsters and monsters that also are members of character classes. Gaining a class level grants a creature a host of benefits, as a look through the class descriptions in the Player's Handbook will show. Here's a summary of the perks a class level grants: A Hit Die. The class description shows the Hit Die's size. If this is the first Hit Die the creature receives, the Hit Die has the maximum result. When a creature of the humanoid type with one racial Hit Die or fewer gains its first class level, the racial Hit Die is dropped in favor of the class Hit Die. Creatures of other types simply add the class Hit Die to their existing Hit Dice, even if they have only one racial Hit Die. (The text dealing with monsters as races in the Dungeon Master's Guide doesn't make this clear, but the text in the Monster Manual does; see page 290). If the creature has levels from other classes, the Hit Die from the new class is added to the creature's total Hit Dice. From page 190 of the Monster Manual: Humanoids and Class Levels Creatures with 1 or less HD replace their monster levels with their character levels. For example, a goblin sorcerer loses its humanoid attack bonus, saving throw bonuses, skills, and feats, and gains the attack bonus, save bonuses, skills, feats, and other class abilities of a 1st-level sorcerer. Base attack bonus and base save bonuses The table included in the class description shows the amount of each bonus. If the creature drops a racial Hit Die in favor of the class Hit Die (see the note at Hit Die, above), the bonuses from the class level replace the bonuses the racial Hit Die provides. If the creature has racial Hit Dice that aren't dropped, or other class levels, add the base attack bonus and base save bonuses to the creature's existing totals. Remember that a creature is entitled to extra attacks when its base attack bonus is +6 or higher, provided it uses the full attack action. See page 59 in the Player's Handbook. Creatures using natural weapons don't gain extra attacks from a high base attack bonus. Skill points The class description shows the number of skill points the class grants at each level. If the creature drops a racial Hit Die in favor of the class Hit Die (see the note at Hit Die, above), the skill points from the class level replace the skill points from the dropped Hit Die. If these are the first skill points the creature receives, the allotment of skill points from the class is quadrupled. If the creature has racial Hit Dice that aren't dropped, or other class levels, add the skill points gained from the class level to the creature's total skill points. In this case, do not quadruple the skill points from the class, even if this is the first class level the creature has earned (the creature has already received quadruple skill points for its first racial Hit Die; see page 172 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). From page 172 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: Other Statistics for Monsters Creatures with Hit Dice of 1 or less have normal, class-based Hit Dice and features. They get a feat for their first class level and multiply the skill points for their first class level by four (even if they have a level adjustment). Those with 2 or more Hit Dice have statistics based on these Hit Dice plus Hit Dice for class levels (if any). The creature treats any skill included in its creature description as a class skill; however, it must spend the skill points as a multiclassed character. Its maximum rank for the racial skill is character level +3 (see page 59 in the Player's Handbook). If the racial skill is not a class skill for the class that gave the creature the skill points, though, the creature still must pay two skill points for one rank in the skill. 178 Class features and bonus feats (if any) The class description shows any special powers, spellcasting, bonus feats, or other benefits the class level grants. Any levelbased variable a class feature has uses the creature's class level for the variable no matter what the creature's total Hit Dice, character level, or effective character level. For example, an astral deva with 5 paladin levels has 17 Hit Dice (12 racial Hit Dice and 5 class dice) and an effective character level of 25 (thanks to its level adjustment of +8). Nevertheless, the character deals 5 extra points of damage with its smite evil power, because it is only a 5th-level paladin. If a creature gains the same power from two or more different sources, it combines its level from each source to determine its effective level for that power. For example, an astral deva has the uncanny dodge power of a 12th-level rogue. If an astral deva gains 5 rogue levels, it has the uncanny dodge power of a 17th-level rogue. See the section on multiclassed characters in the Player's Handbook (pages 59-60) for more information about combining class abilities. Character Level As noted above, character level is the total of all the class levels and racial Hit Dice a creature has. Character level affects the following aspects of the character: Feats As noted above, a creature has one feat for its first level or Hit Die and gains another feat at each character level evenly divisible by three. Bonus feats the creature receives from its race or from any class levels the creature has are in addition to the feats it has gained from its character level. Ability Increases A creature gains a +1 increase to one ability score every four character levels. This is not a bonus, but an outright increase. The improvement stacks with any temporary or permanent ability score bonuses the creature might receive. Experience awards for single monsters When awarding experience for a monster that player characters have defeated, you must compare the PC's character level with the monster's Challenge Rating to determine how much experience to award; see page 37 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The next class level A creature's current character level determines how much experience the creature must earn before it can add its next class level, as shown on Table 3-2 in the Player's Handbook. Cash and equipment Use character level when referring to Table 5-1 in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Effective Character Level (ECL) When a character has a level adjustment, add her racial Hit Dice, class levels, and level adjustment to get her effective character level. Use effective character level instead of actual character level when determining the experience award the character receives for defeating a monster, the experience the character needs to reach her next class level, and for determining how much cash and equipment the character should have. Also use effective character level to decide when the character can select epic feats and when it gains an epic attack and save bonus (see page 209 in the Dungeon Master's Guide). Challenge Rating (CR) Once you've built a monster with a few class levels to challenge player characters, you still must rate the challenge. Unfortunately, that task is a little more complicated than it seems at first. Fortunately, the rules provide plenty of material to guide you through the task. You can find guidelines for matching foes to player characters on pages 37-38 and 48-50 in the Dungeon Master's Guide and pages 293-294 in the Monster Manual. As noted above, a creature's Challenge Rating is a general measure of how much danger the creature poses during an encounter. A creature's CR indicates the average level that a party of four fresh characters would find moderately difficult to defeat; see page 7 in the Monster Manual for details. From page 7 of the Monster Manual: Challenge Rating This shows the average level of a party of adventurers for which one creature would make an encounter of moderate difficulty. Assume a party of four fresh characters (full hit points, full spells, and equipment appropriate to their levels). Given reasonable luck, the party should be able to win the encounter with some damage but no casualties. For more information about Challenge Ratings, see pages 36 and 48 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. It's important to remember that CR measures a creature's ability to challenge a party of four characters during a single encounter. A creature's Challenge Rating is no indication of how formidable it could prove as a player character. A monster that PCs meet during an adventure is present for one or two encounters at most. A player character, on the other hand, is present for just about every encounter in the campaign -- that is why the game includes level adjustments. A creature's CR and its character level or ECL can be wildly different, and that's a good thing because CR and character level or ECL measure different things. CR Adjustments for Class Levels Usually, it's pretty simple to calculate the CR for a creature with a few class levels -- just add the creature's class levels to its base CR (that is, the CR the creature has when it has no class levels at all). You need to be alert, however, for variations on the basic rule. 179 Creatures with NPC Class Levels When a creature has levels in one of the NPC classes presented in Chapter 4 in the Dungeon Master's Guide, subtract one from the class level before adding it to the base CR. A creature's CR, however, always increases by at least +1 when it has an NPC class level. From page 38 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: Since NPC classes (see Chapter 5: Campaigns) are weaker than PC classes, levels in an NPC class contribute less to a creature's CR than levels in a PC class. For an NPC with an NPC class, determine her Challenge Rating as if she had a PC class with one less level. For a creature with monster levels in addition to NPC class levels, add the NPC levels -1 to the creature's base CR (always adding at least 1). Humanoids with No CR or Racial Hit Dice Humans and other standard races from the Player's Handbook have no Hit Dice or CR except for what they gain from their class levels. Such creatures have a CR equal to their class levels. If the creature has levels from an NPC class, subtract one from the number of NPC levels they have when calculating CR. If the creature has only one NPC class level, it has a CR of 1/2. See pages 37-38 in the Dungeon Master's Guide for an extended example of this rule in action. Creatures with Nonassociated Class Levels Sometimes, adding class levels to a creature doesn't make it more dangerous to foes. When that happens, not all the level are added to the creature's basic CR. Only levels equal to or less than the creature's racial Hit Dice can be nonassociated. Divide any nonassociated class levels in half before adding to the base CR to get the increased CR for the class levels. The rules don't say so, but you should round down if the number of levels isn't an even number. If you're adding NPC class levels, subtract one before dividing (and you still round down). Here's an example of a CR adjustment using nonassociated class levels: A troll has 6 racial Hit Dice and a CR of 5. If a troll has six levels in a nonassociated class from the Player's Handbook, the troll has a CR of 8 (1/2 of 6 is 3 + 5 = 8). If the same troll, however, adds one more level in the same class, the troll's CR is 9. The rules don't provide much in the way of guidelines for deciding when a class should be nonassociated, so it's always a judgment call for the DM. In general, a class should be nonassociated when its characteristics don't mesh well with the creature's own abilities. For example, a fire giant is basically a fighting creature. Adding a level in a class that doesn't do much to improve that fighting ability, such as sorcerer or wizard, probably won't make it much more formidable in battle. I say "probably" because it's possible to make just about any class mesh well with a creature's racial prowess. Suppose a tribe of fire giants includes a sorcerer who knows a collection of workaday spells such as mending, alarm, and locate object. The fire giant sorcerer mostly helps the chief keep the others in line and performs small magical services for the rest of the tribe as needed. The example fire giant probably will rely on its fighting ability in combat and its sorcerer levels won't have much effect in a battle. This creature is a prime candidate for nonassociated class levels. Now let's suppose we have a particularly clever fire giant sorcerer whose spell list has been carefully tuned for combat. This fire giant knows spells such as shield, true strike, blur, and haste. This fire giant could become a real juggernaut in combat, and all its sorcerer levels should increase its CR. Encounter Level (EL) Once you've found the correct CR for all the creatures with class levels in an encounter, you determine the encounter's EL in exactly the same way you'd determine the EL in any other encounter. Table 3-1 in the Dungeon Master's Guide is your primary tool for determining Encounter Levels. Table 3-1 works well for groups of creatures with the same CR, but doesn't work so well for groups of creatures with varying CRs. Here are a few tips and reminders for dealing with such groups: When two creatures have the same CR, the EL for an encounter featuring them is two higher than the shared CR. For example, two CR 9 creatures make an EL 11 encounter. (But be sure to check Table 3-1: Encounter Numbers for those low-CR creatures.) When two creatures have CRs within two points of each other, the EL for an encounter featuring them is one higher than the highest CR. For example, a CR 9 and CR 8 creature make an EL 10 encounter. A CR 9 and CR 7 creature also make an EL 10 encounter. When two creatures have CRs that differ by three or more, use the higher CR to determine the encounter's EL. For example, a CR 9 and CR 6 creature make an EL 9 encounter. When you have a large number of creatures with different CRs, you can determine the EL for an encounter by arranging them into groups of similar CRs and then grouping the results. Here's an example: A group of creatures contains eight monsters of CR 3, three monsters of CR 7, and a leader with CR 10. According to Table 3-1, eight CR 3 monsters have an EL of 9. Two CR 7 monsters also have an EL of 9. Combining the two ELs of 9 produces an EL of 11. An EL 11 group combined with the CR 10 leader produces an EL of 12 for the whole encounter. 180 Polymorphing Revisited Foreword Rules of the Game explored polymorphing in detail back in the spring of 2004. The spring 2006 announcement (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060216a) regarding the polymorph spell and the spate of errata documents it has spawned, however, has changed the polymorph landscape somewhat, and that merits a new look at polymorphing here. The polymorph spell itself hasn't changed at all. What has changed is the polymorph spell's role as the basis for most forms of shapeshifting in the game. Most effects and class features that once referenced the polymorph spell now refer to the alternate form special quality instead. Unfortunately, the alternate form description refers the reader back to the polymorph spell, and that text contains references to the alter self spell. All of this cross-referencing sows confusion when characters begin switching forms during adventures. This series examines alternate form and how it works in the game. The material presented here draws heavily on the original Rules of the Game series on polymorphing. Refer to the original series for a glossary of terms used in this series. The Basics of Alternate Form You'll find rules for the alternate form special quality on page 305 in the Monster Manual. Here's an overview, along with some reminders and commentary: Supernatural ability. Alternate form is magical and will not function within an antimagic field or anywhere else where magic is negated or suppressed. Taking an alternate form is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A creature using the alternate form power has a moderate aura of transmutation magic (because there's magic in the transformation into the assumed form), but alternate form is not subject to dispel magic because supernatural abilities can't be dispelled -- see page 289 in the Dungeon Master's Guide -- nor are they subject to counterspells. Alternate form works only on the creature using the power. It cannot be used on another creature, even through the share spells ability. Limited forms. A creature with the alternate form special quality can assume one or more specific alternate forms, which are specified in the creature's description. The creature cannot use alternate forms that are not specified in the description. No healing. Unlike the polymorph spell, a creature using alternate form doesn't regain any hit points when assuming a new form. Gains and losses. Upon assuming a new form, the creature loses some of its own characteristics and gains certain characteristics of the assumed form instead. The creature also retains some of its own characteristics. The section that follows examines what changes and what stays the same. Assuming an Alternate Form An alternate form is mostly physical. A creature in an alternate form retains its essential self (assuming an alternate form also leaves many of the creature's characteristics unchanged), but changes its outward appearance and physical attributes. From page 305 of the Monster Manual (adjusted for the errata changes): Alternate Form (Su): A creature with this special quality has the ability to assume one or more specific alternate forms. A true seeing spell or ability reveals the creature's natural form. A creature using alternate form reverts to its natural form when killed, but separated body parts retain their shape. A creature cannot use alternate form to take the form of a creature with a template. Assuming an alternate form results in the following changes to the creature: The creature retains the type and subtype of its original form. It gains the size of its new form. If the new form has the aquatic subtype, the creature gains that subtype as well. The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armor, and movement modes of its original form, as well as any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels (such as the barbarian's rage class feature). The creature gains the natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its new form. The creature retains the special qualities of its original form. It does not gain any special qualities of its new form. The creature retains the spell-like abilities and supernatural attacks of its old form (except for breath weapons and gaze attacks). It does not gain the spell-like abilities or supernatural attacks of its new form. The creature gains the physical ability scores (Str, Dex, Con) of its new form. It retains the mental ability scores (Int, Wis, Cha) of its original form. Apply any changed physical ability score modifiers in all appropriate areas with one exception: the creature retains the hit points of its original form despite any change to its Constitution. Except as described elsewhere, the creature retains all other game statistics of its original form, including (but not necessarily limited to) HD, hit points, skill ranks, feats, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses. The creature retains any spellcasting ability it had in its original form, although it must be able to speak intelligibly to cast spells with verbal components and it must have humanlike hands to cast spells with somatic components. The creature is effectively camouflaged as a creature of its new form, and it gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks if it uses this ability to create a disguise. Gains size Upon changing form, the creature gains the assumed form's size. The size gained is always the size for a typical example of the assumed form's kind. A creature's typical size is listed at the top of its statistics block in the creature's description. Most creatures allow for some size variations, but those are for 181 exceptional specimens. For example, a typical dire bear is size Large. Some dire bears are Huge (see the advancement section in the dire bear creature description), but if a creature assumes dire bear form through the alternate form class feature, it becomes Large. It is possible for a creature description to specify a different size than the typical size for an assumed form, but an assumed form is limited to the typical size if a different size isn't specified. A few creatures have a range of typical sizes. Examples include sharks, monstrous spiders, and tojanidas. In such cases the creature description specifies which sizes the assumed form can have. If not, alternate form allows the creature to assume any typical size. For example, a bronze dragon could assume the form of a Tiny, Small, or Medium viper because those are all typical sizes for vipers (see page 280 in the Monster Manual) and all fall within the range of sizes the dragon's alternate form power allows. Beware of additional blocks of statistics in a creature description that show the creature with a few levels added (such as the mummy lord), or creature descriptions that show alternative forms (such as lycanthropes). You can't use alternate form to assume a form with class levels or to assume another creature's alternative forms when shape shifting. Retains type and subtypes A creature retains its own type and subtypes when assuming a new form. The creature's body might look and feel a little different, but it's still the same creature. Any vulnerabilities or immunities the creature has by virtue of its original type and subtype remain in the assumed form. For example a gold dragon retains its immunity to magic sleep and paralyzation effects (from its dragon type) even when it assumes an animal or humanoid form. It also retains its immunity to fire and vulnerability to cold (from its fire subtype) when in an assumed form. A creature does not gain the assumed form's type or subtypes, and it does not gain any vulnerabilities or immunities from the assumed form's type and subtypes (with one exception noted in the sidebar and addressed later). Special attacks or effects that depend on the recipient's type or subtypes affect a creature in an assumed form the same way they would affect the creature when it is in its natural form. For example, a ranger whose favored enemy is dragons meets a gold dragon that has assumed the form of a cat (a creature of the animal type). The ranger still benefits from the skill and combat bonuses her favored enemy class feature provides when she interacts with the masquerading dragon. Likewise, a ranger whose favored enemy is animals would not gain any benefits against the dragon, even when the dragon wears a cat's form. Gains natural weapons and armor, movement and extraordinary special attacks A creature in an alternate form gains the natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its new form. The creature loses natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, and any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels from its natural form in favor of what the new form provides (but see below). All the things listed here are derived wholly (or mostly) from the creature's outward physical form -- claws, teeth, limbs, skin, and the like. These things change when the creature's body changes. For example, an adult bronze dragon has six natural weapons (bite, two claws, two wings, and a tail), all of which it can use with the full attack action. If the dragon assumes a crocodile's form, it has only two natural weapons (bite and tail) and can use one at a time, even in a full attack (see the crocodile creature description). The example dragon also gives up its crush extraordinary attack and gains the crocodile's improved grab instead. The dragon's +20 natural armor bonus becomes +4 (the crocodile's natural armor bonus). The dragon loses its flying speed (along with its wings) and its land and swim speeds as well. Instead it uses the crocodile's land speed of 20 feet and the crocodile's swim speed of 30 feet. See below for more notes on speeds. Retains special qualities. A creature in an alternate form retains all its special qualities. As noted above, natural weapons, natural armor, and extraordinary special attacks are mostly a function of a creature's physical form. Special qualities, however, tend to be tied more strongly to a creature's mind, to its internal physiology, or to its essential nature. A creature in an alternate form does not gain any of the assumed form's special qualities. A creature in an assumed form looks just like the genuine article, but the change is literally only skin deep. Retains spell-like abilities and supernatural attacks (except breath weapons/gaze) A creature in an assumed form retains the spell-like abilities and supernatural attacks of its old form (except for breath weapons and gaze attacks). It does not gain the spell-like abilities or supernatural attacks of its new form. Spell-like abilities are largely mental. Supernatural abilities arise from a creature's essential nature. Neither a creature's mind nor its true species changes along with a change in a creature's outer form. Gaze attacks and breath weapons are special cases. A gaze attack depends on how the creature's face (or what serves as a face) is configured. Likewise, a breath weapon requires a specific configuration of lungs (or other internal organs) plus the throat, windpipe, mouth, and other breathing apparatus. For example, a cat's body just can't support a dragon's breath weapon, even when the cat is really a dragon that has assumed a cat's form. If you read the rules strictly, the loss of gaze attacks and breath weapons applies only when a creature changes form through the alternate form power. The alter selfspell description, for example, implies that any form that has eyes can support a gaze attack and any form with a mouth can support a breath weapon. Gains Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution and retains Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma) A creature in an assumed form loses its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution) and gains the physical ability scores of its new form. It retains the mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma) of its original form. This is another consequence that arises from the limited nature of the change. The creature's ability modifiers change along with its new ability scores (but see the next point). Retains hit points, base save bonuses, and base attack bonus A creature in an assumed form retains its hit points, base save bonuses, and base attack bonus. Its actual save modifiers and total attack bonus might change due to a change in ability scores. Because the change in form doesn't change the creature's Wisdom score (see previous point), the creature's Will save bonus doesn't change. Changes to the creature's Constitution and Dexterity scores, however, might change its Fortitude and Reflex save bonuses. Changes to the creature's Strength score affect its melee attack bonus. Changes to the creature's Dexterity score change its ranged attack bonus. 182 Despite any change in its Constitution score, a change in form through the alternate form power does not change the creature's hit points. This feature of alternate form mostly serves to speed play. It also underscores the notion that the change in form doesn't alter the creature's fundamental identity. Retains spellcasting ability A creature in an assumed form retains any spellcasting ability it had in its original form. Nevertheless, the creature must be able to speak intelligibly while in its assumed form to cast spells with verbal components and it must have humanlike hands to cast spells with somatic components. Gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks to appear as the new creature A creature in an assumed form is effectively camouflaged as a creature of the assumed form's kind. It gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks it makes to appear as a creature of the assumed form's kind. This aspect of changing form causes some confusion. If the alternate form power makes the creature look like some other kind of creature, why is a Disguise check needed at all? Usually, it isn't. To the casual observer, the transmuted creature looks just like a genuine example of the creature whose form it has assumed. If someone is paying close attention to the creature, the viewer can attempt a Spot check to note something odd about transmuted creature's appearance, as noted in the description of the Disguise skill. Use the +10 modifier on the Disguise check rather than the modifiers shown on the first table in the skill description. The Disguise check the masquerading creature makes reflects how accurately it has reproduced the assumed form. If the creature uses alternate form to pose as a particular individual, anyone studying the creature might get a Spot bonus as noted in the Disguise skill description. Gains miscellaneous physical qualities When a creature assumes a new form through the alternate form special quality, it gains all the miscellaneous physical qualities that a typical specimen of the assumed form would have. These include all the things (such as natural armor and weapons) discussed above, and also basic things such as the number of and kinds of limbs and appendages the creature has, its height and weight, skin color, hair color, and the like. When assuming a new form, the creature can freely designate any physical attributes that normally vary between individuals of the assumed form's kind. In most cases, this means the creature can set the assumed form's hair or skin color, eye color, height and weight, and similar, minor, details. The chosen attributes must fall within the normal ranges for a creature of that kind (these will be noted in the creature's description). As a rule of thumb, the assumed form's weight or dimensions can vary up or down by 10% unless a greater variation is allowed among typical specimens. The chosen weight and dimensions, however, cannot change the assumed form's size category. Retains racial traits Since alternate form doesn't change your type and subtype, it's simplest to rule that you retain any of your racial traits that aren't otherwise barred by the alternate form effect. That means that you'd keep any racial skill bonuses, racial bonus feats, and the like, but you wouldn't gain those of the new form. Even though your body appears similar to that of a normal creature of the new form, you don't have its lifetime of experience in the body, and therefore don't necessarily share its natural aptitudes. Retains or melds equipment When a creature changes form, any equipment it has either remains worn or held by the new form (if that form is capable of wearing or holding the item), or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. The DM must decide if the new form can handle the equipment. This is best decided on a case by case basis; however, Rules of the Game has previously suggested that one can divide creatures into types that have basically humanoid shapes and those that do not, as follows: Humanoid Shapes Fey Giant Humanoid Monstrous Humanoid Outsider Vermin Nonhumanoid Shapes Aberration Animal Dragon Elemental Ooze In this case, "humanoid" refers to a creature that walks upright on two legs, and has two arms, a head, and a torso. A humanoid might have a few extra limbs, such as an extra pair of arms, a pair of wings or a tail (or perhaps wings and a tail). The suggestions presented here are intended as general guidelines only. For example, most outsiders have generally humanoid bodies, but not all of them do. Likewise, some animals have bodies that fit the humanoid plan. As a rule of thumb, a change from a form that has a humanoid shape to another form that also has a humanoid shape leaves all equipment in place and functioning. The creature's equipment changes to match the assumed form. It becomes the appropriate size for the assumed form and it fits the assumed form at least as well as it fit the original form. The being can change minor details in its equipment, such as color, surface texture, and decoration. When a subject changes from a form with a humanoid shape to a form with a nonhumanoid shape (or vice versa) most of his equipment is subsumed into the new form and becomes nonfunctional while the creature remains in the assumed form. Items the subject could conceivably wear in an assumed form remain functional. For example, most items worn on the body, such as armor, cloaks, boots, and most other items of clothing made for a humanoid body won't fit on a nonhumanoid body. Some items can fit on just about any kind of body. For example, a ring fits nearly any form that has digits of some kind (the limit of two rings applies no matter how many hands or similar appendages a creature has). Likewise, a necklace fits on just about any form that has a neck. Retains class features, special attacks and qualities derived from class levels When a creature assumes an alternate form, it retains any class levels it has. As noted above, the creature retains its hit points, alignment, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses while in an assumed form. It also retains all its skill ranks and feats, although changes to its ability scores might make some feats temporarily unusable. For example, a creature cannot use the Dodge feat if its Dexterity score falls below 13. 183 In spite of what was said above about extraordinary special attacks, a creature in an assumed form retains all special attacks and qua
