Ask the Sage: Quick Rules Questions volume 6 - DnD 3.5 and Pathfinder)

[X-Codes]

Originally Posted by CE2JRH

Tome of Battle Material: Can you activate most strikes while using ranged weapons? I can't find text that says otherwise.

Each individual power has a Range entry. The vast majority of Strikes have a range of melee attack. You might be able to use a ranged weapon while adjacent to an enemy with these strikes, but that would be foolish since it would draw an AoO.

[ArcaneLizard]

Does a rapier count as a light weapon for Two-Weapon Fighting? And for that matter, does a whip (though that'd be weird)?

[TheChuck]

No on both counts. They are both one handed weapons, not light. They both have special rules regarding things like weapon finesse and tripping, but are not light weapons.

[Bewildered Kobold]

I got a question, may be obvious but me and a friend of mine can't find it.

Is there a chance to hit either of the combatants in a grapple with a ranged weapon? Improved precise Shot lets you ignore this but as I said before I can't find it?

A page number would be awesome

[mcl01]

A question about Two-weapon fighting. If you wield two weapons, do you get an attack off with your off-hand weapon when attacking as a standard action? I could have sworn you only got it when you full-attack, but now, rereading the SRD, it looks like you get it regardless if it's a normal or full attack.

[ArcaneLizard]

When you shot into two grappling oponents, there is a 50% chance of hitting each, as I recall. There may be some modifiers for size or whatever, but as it stands, just throw a coin, I guess.
As for two weaponing, yeah I think you get it even for a normal attack. It basically doubles your attacks, so on a full attack action, you would get twice the attacks granted by your high BAB, but all the penalizations to BAB would stack. I think it's like that.

Now I have a question too. I read somewhere that can have languages equal to your Int bonus. Does that mean you cannot learn any more languages until you raise your intelligence? Or does that only apply to character generation?

[Birched]

Originally Posted by Bewildered Kobold

I got a question, may be obvious but me and a friend of mine can't find it.

Is there a chance to hit either of the combatants in a grapple with a ranged weapon? Improved precise Shot lets you ignore this but as I said before I can't find it?

A page number would be awesome

3.5: improved precise shot gets rid of the grapple penalty to archery; usually it's as was said above, you roll random dice to see who you hit
pathfinder: improved precise shot; in this case, the feat doesn't help with grappling, because there appears to be no extra grappling penalty at all apart from losing your dex bonus as defender

Originally Posted by mcl01

A question about Two-weapon fighting. If you wield two weapons, do you get an attack off with your off-hand weapon when attacking as a standard action? I could have sworn you only got it when you full-attack, but now, rereading the SRD, it looks like you get it regardless if it's a normal or full attack.

3.5: TWF is a full attack only; there are some extra feats here and there that can help with this
pathfinder: the same as 3.5

Originally Posted by ArcaneLizard

Now I have a question too. I read somewhere that can have languages equal to your Int bonus. Does that mean you cannot learn any more languages until you raise your intelligence? Or does that only apply to character generation?

3.5: the BASE int bonus gives you extra languages at creation, further increases to int do not give you more languages, and you can buy more languages with the speak language skill (cross class = 2 skill points per language for most classes)
pathfinder: the BASE int bonus gives you extra languages at creation; you can learn extra languages by putting a rank into linguistics, which costs 1 point no matter who you are; even though in pathfinder increasing your base int gives you more skill points retroactively, it does NOT give you more bonus languages (that's a one time thing)

[Naresh]

Have you got a quote for the retroactive skill ranks Birched? I can't find anything apart from the retroactive CON rule

[Birched]

Originally Posted by Naresh

Have you got a quote for the retroactive skill ranks Birched? I can't find anything apart from the retroactive CON rule

Step 3 in the pathfinder conversion guide has a statement. I believe that, in the case of the core rules, since it doesn't say that they aren't retroactive, that means that they are (i.e. the only reason we are worried about it is because we remember the 3.5 rule -- if we'd never seen 3.5, it might not occur to us.)

Originally Posted by Pathfinder conversion guide

...permanent alterations to your character’s Intelligence score now affect his number of skill points.

[Naresh]

Thank you Birched, never touched the conversison guide, so that's why it never hit me
On a side note, Fox's Cunning does not give skill ranks, but the Intelligence boosting headband does effectively give skill ranks (after 24 hours)

If I hadn't played 3.5e, I don't know what I'd think

[Birched]

Originally Posted by Naresh

On a side note, Fox's Cunning does not give skill ranks, but the Intelligence boosting headband does effectively give skill ranks (after 24 hours)

Reference for that?

[Naresh]

With pleasure:

Originally Posted by Headband of Vast Intelligence

This intricate gold headband is decorated with several small blue and deep purple gemstones. The headband grants the wearer an enhancement bonus to Intelligence of +2, +4, or +6. Treat this as a temporary ability bonus for the first 24 hours the headband is worn. A headband of vast intelligence has one skill associated with it per +2 bonus it grants. After being worn for 24 hours, the headband grants a number of skill ranks in those skills equal to the wearer's total Hit Dice. These ranks do not stack with the ranks a creature already possesses. These skills are chosen when the headband is created. If no skill is listed, the headband is assumed to grant skill ranks in randomly determined Knowledge skills.

- This is also the same for the other two headbands (the one that boosts 2 abilities (if INT is boosted), and the one that increases all 3 mental scores)

And

Originally Posted by Cunning

The target becomes smarter. The spell grants a +4 enhancement bonus to Intelligence, adding the usual benefits to Intelligence-based skill checks and other uses of the Intelligence modifier. Wizards (and other spellcasters who rely on Intelligence) affected by this spell do not gain any additional bonus spells for the increased Intelligence, but the save DCs for spells they cast while under this spell's effect do increase. This spell doesn't grant extra skill ranks.

[Naresh]

Can anyone quote me something about Pathfinder skill rank requirements for non-class skills and prestige classes? I cannot find it and the SRD does not mention them

[Birched]

Originally Posted by Naresh

Can anyone quote me something about Pathfinder skill rank requirements for non-class skills and prestige classes? I cannot find it and the SRD does not mention them

not sure I understand what you want -- example?

Some random related information, which might help:

• all skills, class or not, cost 1 point per rank
• converting 3.5 PrCs with skill rank requirements can usually be done by a) converting the skills to their pathfinder equivalents, and b) subtracting 3 from the number of ranks required (so instead of 8 ranks, the PrC would require 5); I'd be careful with b) to think about whether a low rank requirement (e.g. 4 ranks, when other skills for the PrC require 8) is trying to take into consideration the cost of cross-class skills, and if it was, then I'd double the requirement before subtracting 3 (so 4 ranks required becomes 4x2-3=5 ranks required)
• a skill that is a class skill in any of your classes (including PrCs) is a class skill for your character
• class skills get you +3 if you put at least 1 rank into the skill

[Naresh]

I heard rumours that if a skill was not a class skill, you needed twice the number of ranks stated to enter the class (i.e: a class requires 5 ranks of Acrobatics, if you don't have Acrobatics, it needs 10)

I wondered if this was actually true