Klysandral's page

Hello everybody,
again, when rules are unclear, I require your wise help. The question is relatively easy:

What happens if an attacking creature bull rushes a defending creature and the defender cannot move back (let's say has a wall behind)? In the 3.0 rules I vaguely remember that the defending creature falls prone, but I wasn't able to find anything supporting this in 3.5

The same question may be applied to the first tactical maneuver granted by the Sun School feat from the Complete Warrior.

Thank you for your cooperation

Klysandral

Here follows the speculation I made about the existance of the Kopru Ruins below Cauldron. Purposefully, I chose to not work out a timeline.

I thought to a sad story to bind to that particular place. (Obviously my players didn't even suspect for a single moment to be in kopru ruins...).

Let's start with consideration: Kopru should live in salt water, while this particular site in a sweet water place, an exception to the rule... So, this discrepancy led me to build the story.

Perhaps, here begins the tale, some of the kopru realized earlier than others of their kind that their race was doomed to an unstoppable decline. The matriarchs strongly opposed any speculation brought before them, thus the race quickly started its fall.
Some of the koprus worked in the shadow and agreed to try for what they considered their last chance of survival. They knew that only a bunch of them would have been successful in the task.
With that knowledge in mind, they eventually started a long land journey from the sea to the only place they found worth of their effort: a lake, that despite being a sweet water one, had the biological condition to afford the koprus able to reach it, a decent chance of survival.
The journey was a massacre. Koprus started losing members day after day. Their slowness on firm ground made the perfect prey for the predators living in that savage area. Helpless, one after the other, they fell to the jaws of the wilderness. At the end, as it was foretold, only a few of them got the lava tubes and the subterranean lake (at that time there was no suspended cage and the waters were higher enough to let them dive safely in what is today the crevice).
However, some of them never accustomed themselves to the sweet water and their biology started changing. Their offsprings were born more with amphibian traits and they were not so helpless outside water. This mutation enabled them to even realize buildings on firm ground.

While the rest of the koprus were dying, they prospered, and created the small dwelling that later will become the base of the Ebon Triad.

But nothing is forever... and eventually their time came. Once they finished what is now the Kopru Ruins under Cauldron, they lost their motivation in surviving, they felt safe. Soon after, perhaps starting from the following generation, they started the degenerative process already experienced by the rest of their race.
They become ever more decrepit and their chaotic and evil nature led the strongest to kill the weakest in a desperate effort to put a stop to the degenerative process. This was not enough, as many of the subsequent generation were stillborn. Their number grew ever more low and when the last of them remained, it was the one who showed the necessary combination of willpower, luck and motivation needed to survive. That lone exemplar still lives today. For some mysterious reason, he does not age anymore (he is aware of this and tends to hide) and lives comfortably in sweet water (unknown to it also in salt water) as well as on firm ground.
Should another kopru with that characteristic exist somewhere in the world and should they encounter and mate, the race of the koprus could rise again...

Of course, there are a lot of biological mistakes (try to put a salt water fish in sweet water...) and perhaps the timeline could not be worked properly as the Cauldron region seems to be subjected to earthquakes that could have changed the subterranean tunnels in time. However, I hope someone could find this helpful...

Hello everybody,
here follows a short summary of my Last Laugh organization. I tried to follow the guidelines I found here and there in the AP. Hope it will be helpful:

LAST LAUGH (Guild Organization)

Jester Guildmaster
At the moment, Guildmaster Allan Agel Alames (CE unknown race and power) runs the guild. Thanks to his cunning mind, he was chosen by the Cagewrights to run "their" guild. Speculations say he is a Kelvezu demon (MMII) bound for one year and one day to the Cagewrights will, but none has been or is able to give a proof of his identity. More rumors associated to the first report of a pact forged in exchange of a Phylactery of Change crafted by the Cagewrights.
The former Guildmistress, Ester Sidel, was “destituted” by the same Cagewrights.

Below the Guildmaster there are four Jesters plus one more individual, each one charged with running a particular branch of the guild:

Assassination Division
Leader: Jester Velior Thazo
Second in Command: Jil
Agenda: their whereabouts are detailed in Lord of Oblivion.

Forgery Division:
Leader: Jester Julian Nunn (NE, Human Male Rogue 5th/Assassin 5th/Spymaster 7th)
Second in Command: Kahell Kormill (NE, Human Male, Wiz 15th)
Agenda/Background: former adventurer, Julian managed to secure a great amount of resources and thus was chosen by the Cagewrights to run the Forgery Division. This part of the guild is specialized in forging documents of all kind. With the help of a mage from the obscure past, Kahell Kormyll, the Forgery Division is able to even create “Delusion Scrolls”. The Weer’s Elixirs in Cauldron is effectively under their control, after Wortimax Weer accepted a “gentlemen agreement” worked out by the Extortion Division (see below) to exclusively sell stuff from their warehouses. Their safe houses are located in Ash Avenue (the two black buildings just below the “Ash” entry in the Cauldron Map from Lords of Oblivion);

Extortion Division
Leader: Jester Wadrax (NE, Half-elf Male Rogue 7th/Fighter 2nd/Assassin 6th)
Second in Command: Alpen Knott (NE, Half-orc male, Fighter 13th)
Agenda/Background: Wadrax, a rogue from the warring Ulek lands, is in charge of the Extortion Division. Through the Last Laugh vast network, this branch was able to secure funds to fulfill the Cagewrights plans. Currently, about half of the Cauldronites shop owners pay a protection fee to the Last Laugh. Warrax bears an horrible scar across his left hand, when he was left hanging for two days with a dagger thrust in it (wrong time in wrong place during his early career). They have no know safe house;

Minting Division
Leader: Jester Francis Benidor (LE, Human Male Ari 2nd/ Rogue 13th)
Second in Command: Rhant Tarragona (NE, Human Male, Ari 7th)
Agenda/Background: belonging to the Cauldron nobility, Francis Benidor, a minor noble, is known for his greed. It was an idea of him to mint the jester coins, an idea that led him to be appointed to jester status by the Cagewrights. He is charged with running the Coinage Branch. Since his second in command, Rhant Tarragona (Lords of Oblivion), got arrested, he hides in his fortified estate between Lava and Magma Avenue (south of Cauldron, octagonal building near Ghelve’s Locks), planning to leave the city as soon as possible;

Slavers Division
Leader: Valkin Kennar Ilhar Malraedior (CE, Drow Male, Rogue 5th/Sorcerer 10th)
Second in Command: Thandor Lox (CE Human Vampire Male, former Paladin of Pelor, now a Blackguard, details unknown)
Agenda/Background: the dark elf is responsible of the Slavers Division. He refused the Jester appellative, considering it degrading of his status. Thus, the Cagewrights and Allan Agel Alames see him more like a resource to be used rather than an effective affiliate.
Valin Kennar may be found in a large cavern located in the Underdark, one day hike from the Malachite Fortress, where he is the main guilty of the slave trade that afflicts Cauldron and environments. Pyllrak the durzagon (Life’s Bazaar) is one of the slavers under his payroll. In the cave, he is building a subterranean fortress for the Cagewrights (perhaps for a backup plan of their) exploiting to death the slaves he does not sell away. When the slave trade is exposed in Cauldron, the fortress construction slows down and when the earthquakes stir Cauldron (Foundation of Flame), a part of it collapses, compelling the drow to push the slave abductions to the highest recruit ever. When this occurs, slaves are taken from nearby lands and possibly someone investigates. Thrandor Lox, his second in command, has one desire: to see the Pelor's Shrine in Cauldron forever destroyed.

Affiliated Organization:
Slave Traders (mostly from the Hold of the Sea Princes, although Pomarj are also interested)
Merchants (varies)
Spy Network (already active in Keoland and Yeomanry, developing in other countries)
Assassin Guilds (Hold of the Sea Princes and Principality of Ulek)
Various Smiths (most of them Dwarves and Fire Giants)

Hello everybody,
I'm an italian D&D player since 1986, but I'm facing something that is becoming a real problem between me (trying to balance the game)and my players (trying to unbalance the game). As you have read from the subject, I'm requiring assistance to deal with the contradiction (my opinion) regarding the casting of Sheltered Vitality (Libris Mortis, the spell conferes immunity to ability damage and drain "regardless of the source") when a sanctified spell expires. Among the components of many sanctified spells there is the Sacrifice that normally consists in ability damage or drain.
Now, I bring two examples of play and in both we suppose to have a caster with Sheltered Vitality in effect when the sanctified spell expires:
1 - Hammer of Righteousness (Instantaneous) and Sheltered Vitality: Being the sacrifice required to power the spell, does the Sheltered Vitality prevent the spell from being cast or just nullfies the sacrifice?
2 - Luminous armor (1 hour/level) and Sheltered Vitality: The spell manifests at the moment of casting, but the sacrifice occurs hours later, so the spell is effectively used. Reading the rules, Sheltered Vitality prevents the damage from occurring, but being the sacrifice required to power the spell, the damage should however occur (again, my opinion).
So comes the real questions: which rule has to be applied? Does anybody know if there will be an errata regarding the Book of Exalted Deeds?
Many thanks in advance,
Cristiano a.k.a. Klysandral

P.S. Same difficult with Energy Vortex/Protection from Energy

Hello everybody!
First of all, Please let me wish you all a Merry Christmas! What I read in the forum has been of great help during the course of the Adventure Path I'm currently running.

Tomorrow we have a new gaming session and the party will face Ike Iverson after a though battle against the minions in the Great Hall.

I won't be short...

The party is currently leaded by a 12th aasimar male cleric of Heironeous with access to Sanctified spells (from Book of Exalted Deeds) and with the Purify Spell feat. The character, despite his great wisdom, lacks in intelligence and often his tactics in battle are not the best ever seen in the Flanaess.

So comes the first request for help:
During the encounter against the Zombie Gray Renders the cleric could easily cast an Hammer of Righteousness targeting one of the Grey Render Zombies.

Reading the entries in the Undead Type (Monster Manual Glossary) it says:
- Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effects also works on object or is harmless)

Hammer of Righteousness is a Force Effect and requires a Fortitude save, however the damage dealt is Positive Energy.

Then the question is: does the spell cause damage to undead creatures?

---

The second help I need is related to the Purify Spell feat (again from Book of Exalted Deeds). At the cost of one spell slot, this feat grants the Good descriptor to a spell and increases the die damage by one step when the spell is aimed at evil outsiders.

So comes the second question: can the Purify Spell be applied to a spell that already has the Good descriptor? If so, can the increased damage be applied to a spell that already deals increased damage to an evil creature?

I try to clarify this point making an example of what may happen: the above mentioned cleric casts a Purified Hammer of Righteousness against the Bone Devil (evil outsider), succeding in the Spell Resistance check. The Osyluth fails his Saving Throw. The damage dealt by the Hammer would be 12d8 (instead of 12d6, because the Bone Devil is an evil creature). Applying the Purify Spell feat, the damage would become an incredible 24d6 damage (instead of 12d8, because the Bone Devil is an evil outsider) suffered by the astonished (and probably agonizing) Osyluth.

Or perhaps I am missing something...

Thanks again,
Cristiano a.k.a. Klysandral

P.S. Please forgive all the errors you may find, but I'm not mother tongue...

Hello everybody, Xmas is approaching, we're all nicer and players try to use this subtle excuse to get something more from their DMs (at least my group does so ;-)).
The point is this: can the Purify Spell feat (adds the Good descriptor to a spell and increases damage vs. evil) from the Book of Exalted Deeds be applied to the Hammer of Righteousness spell (already has the Good descriptor and damage increase vs. evil) from the same source?
I think that could become an unbalancing spell...

Thanks for your cooperation,

Cristiano a.k.a. Klysandral

Hello everybody,
straight to the point I'm facing some trouble with Clerics in Occipitus. Despite the fact that the Manual of the Planes states a "Normal" in the Magic entry for Abyss, the layer itself has no standard daily cycle: the bursting plasms make the sky red in color all the time, so, for clerics that pray to get spells during specific hours or times of the day (dawn, dusk, noon, midnight, etc.), this may represent a problem.
In my party there is a cleric worshipping Heironeous (Greyhawk Campaign), so he is strongly motivated to bring the layer back to Celestia (where Heironeous is). However, before running the adventure, we assumed that the cleric had to pray during early morning to get spells from the deity.
I tried to justify the daily cycle with the presence of animals and creatures (fiendish of course) like buffalos and centaurs that must have a biological cycle (eat, sleep, etc.), so that there is a course of the day also in Occipitus, but I'm not able to exactly define when the cleric should pray, i.e. when we may say it's early morning. Just after waking up seems too "easy". Any suggestion?

Thanks in advance,

Cristiano/Klysandral