Jean Mourao's page

Hello, everyone! (^_^)

Recently, in my gaming group, there was a bit of an argument about the effect of a dispel magic spell on an ethereal creature.

The creature we were fighting had cast etherealness (PHB, p228) on itself, preventing the PCs, who were on the Material Plane, from directly attacking it. Our arcane spellcaster wanted to cast an area dispel, hoping to end the etherealness spell and bring the creature back to the Material Plane. But our DM ruled that only a targeted dispel would work. He based this decision on his interpretation of the following part of the ehtereal jaunt spell, on which etheralnes is based:

(...) Force effects (such as magic missile and wall of force) and abjurations affect an ethereal creature normally. Their effects extend onto the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, but not vice versa. (...) (empashis mine)

He argued that an area dispel does not target the creature directly. Obviously, we pointed out the rest of the text, which says that abjuration effects extend onto the Ethereal Plane. We argued that the area targeted by the area dispel would be the same on both planes, but he refused to accept our argument. Since he was the DM, we had to abide by his decision.

My question is: is there any official ruling on this matter? Was it ever covered by the Sage Advice column?

I tried to find more details on this situation, but the passages I found pretty much just say the same as above:

The only exceptions are spells and spell-like abilities that have the force descriptor, such as magic missile and wall of force, and abjuration spells that affect ethereal beings. Spellcasters on the Material Plane must have some way to detect foes on the Ethereal Plane before targeting them with force-based spells, of course. While it’s possible to hit ethereal enemies with a magic missile spell cast on the Material Plane, the reverse isn’t possible. No magical attacks cross from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane, including force attacks.

A force effect originating on the Material Plane extends onto the Ethereal Plane, so that a wall of force blocks an ethereal creature, and a magic missile can strike one (provided the spellcaster can see the ethereal target). Gaze effects and abjurations also extend from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane. None of these effects extend from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane.

To me, and my fellow players, it seems reasonably clear that an area dispel CAN affect ethereal creatures, provided they are inside the area of effect. But I'd like to have an official ruling, to try (again) to convince our DM. :-)

Thanks!

Jean Mourao
Teresina, PI - Brazil

Hello, everyone.

I would like to second the Radiant Servant of Pelor - it has insane healing abilities and great turning undead abilities.

You would have to adapt it to the Sovereign Host or Silver Flame.

I'm currently DMing AoW for a group of 5 players, using Eric Boyd's conversion notes for Fortgotten Realms. One of the PCs is now a Radiant Server of Lathander (our version of Radiant Server of Pelor). I've made the following changes:

1) In this campaign (AoW), I'm using the "Variant Turning Rules: Destruction of the Undead" option (CDiv, pg 87): 1d6 damage/cleric level, 30 ft radius, Will save (DC 10 + cleric level + CHA modifier) for half damage.

2) Since turning undead now causes damage, I had to change the Extra Greater Turnig ability. Now, whenever the Radiant Server of Lathander performs a greater turning, the granted power of the Sun domain (undead creatures that would be turned are destroyed instead), the damage is multiplied by 1.5.

3) Lathander doesn't have the Healing domain, so I changed the Empower, Maximize and Supreme Healing class features using the example presented here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebmoh/20050311). Essentially, it amounts to this:

For the empower healing, maximize healing, and supreme healing abilities, instead of affecting domain spells from the healing domain, it allows the radiant servant to prepare (thus they cannot choose these spells spontaneously) as many as half its class level divine conjuration (healing) spells each day with the effects. For example, a 10th-level Radiant Servant of Lathander can prepare 5 divine conjuration (healing) spells of any level that are affected as though by both the Empower Spell and Maximize Spell feats. Those spells do not use up a higher-level slot.

4) The Positive Energy Burst class feature now causes maximized damage (6 points/class level), Will save (DC 10 + class level + CHA modifier) for half damage. It still uses up two turning attempts.

This character was _very_ effective against the undead monsters in the Spire of Long Shadows. :)

Hello, everyone.

I actually think that is an excellent suggestion. I certainly wouldn't change the adventure for your munchk.....I mean player. After all, to receive the special abilities (s)he gets from the "apparent" weakness of a vow of poverty, shouldn't (s)he must ocassionally deal with this weakness?

Hehe... You sound just like one of my players, he too views VoP as an "apparent weakness"... :))

I would think that the Prince, being lawful, would respect the paladin's servant's holy vows (as long as the paladin can explain them properly). I would hate for a character to have to miss out on this part of the AP.

That's exactly my main concern, that the player would "miss out" that whole part of the adventure. I'll see if the players come with this idea on their own, if they do I'll even reward them with some ad hoc XP. :)

Thanks!

Jean

Hello, everyone.

My players and I (I'm the DM) are about to begin the "Prince of Redhand" adventure, and I've noticed a possible problem with one of my players, who happens to play a Monk with Vow of Poverty.

The (possible) problem refers to the "dress code" for the gala, which says that "Accessories and dress should be, at the minimum, on par with a courtier's outfit (30 gp) with at least 50 gp in jewelry or other accessories". Vow of Poverty, obviously, does not allow the player to wear this type of clothes.

So, I was thinking of suggesting (if the player himself - or anyone else - doesn't come up with the idea) that the monk pretend to be someone else's servant (like his fellow adventurer, the paladin of Tyr - yes, we're playing the AoW in Faerun).

Is this a good idea? Or would it be considered offensive to the Prince?

Jean

Hello, everyone.

If it makes you feel better, there is a lot of debate whether their abilities do actually make them immune. James Jacobs has said that the does not think that they are immune because the worms are not actually a disease (even though they are destroyed by the cure disease spell). However, many people take the position that the worms operate like a disease in all ways, and therefore paladins are immune.

This was a situation that happened in my group (I'm the DM). Personally, I have to say I agree with Mr. Jacobs and those who think that paladins are not immune to the worms. My understanding is that the worms are a supernatural effect and not a supernatural disease, to which the paladin would be immune.

As for the party compostition, this is the actually the 3rd group, the other 2 were TPKed - the first by the spawns at Cromm's Hold (Blackwall Keep), the second while fighting Ilserv (Zyrxog). And yes, we're playing in Forgotten Realms using Eric Boyd's conversion notes.

Jotun -> male Half-giant Fighter 9
The player has put the half-giant's Powerful Build to good use.

Alak -> male drow Rogue 8
Despite high ranks in Search, the rogue seldom finds the traps - usually they find him!

Etna -> female human Wizard 10
She's planning on becoming an Archmage, but she needs to stay alive until then...

Valkan -> male human Druid 10
He likes to use Wild Shape and, as we say, release his inner beast.

Arthur -> male aasimar PsyWar 4/Paladin 5
An aasimar raised as a Psychic Warrior in a village of Psions that later found his true calling as a Paladin of Tyr. 'Nuff said! :)

Tantra -> male human Fighter 10
His two previous PCs died, so the player decided to be a Fighter and see if now HE does the killings...

We've just finished "The Champion's Belt" (they won!) and I'm planning on starting "A Gathering of Winds" this weekend. Let's see if they survive.

Jean, the mean DM :)