0. First I'd like to say that since I play pathfinder, though the differences are mild, they are there, including the rules.
1. He says that to reload a light and heavy crossbow, it is a full round action. This is false in 3.5 and pathfinder, because reloading a light crossbow is a move action that provokes Aoo.
2. You can cast mage armor on someone who is already wearing armor and the effects stack. I know this is false in pathfinder, but I can't find it in 3.5s website to see if that would be true. (I'm playing a sorcerer and I would have taken mage armor if I would have known that he didn't know any better).
3. This one is complete BS. Acid splash hits everyone within 5 feet of where it was thrown. What edition is this? Cause I'd like to know where he got that from. Both 3.5 and pathfinder say "You fire a small orb of acid at the target. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target. The orb deals 1d3 points of acid damage." While this means I was also able to hit 4 bad guys later on in the game, (his rules, sure I'll play his game) the stupid dm had me hitting my allies early on next to the enemy because he didn't know the rules.
4. When you throw a weapon, you don't add your str or dex modifier to the dmg. (Actually I can't find this on pathfinder or 3.5s website). He might actually be right about this one.
5. He did not realize that you could 5 foot shift step in 3.5. That is true in both editions. Another veteran player pointed it out to him when I wanted to do it. Neither of us had a 3.5 rulebook with us, but we both knew that as the rule and he took our word for it.
6. You cannot move after you attack, as you only get a 5 foot step? I don't see anything in any of the two websites about movement has to be before standard action.
7. Okay this one he is actually right about. You do not have infinite level zero spell slots. I'm more of a pathfinder guy, so I've always not worried about tracking them since you do get infinite. I didn't realize 3.5 sucked enough to give you a limit on level zero spell slots. That's why they upgraded it in 3.75.
4. When you throw a weapon, you don't add your str or dex modifier to the dmg. (Actually I can't find this on pathfinder or 3.5s website). He might actually be right about this one.
The wielder applies his or her Strength modifier to damage dealt by thrown weapons (except for splash weapons).
The wielder applies his Strength modifier to damage dealt by thrown weapons (except for splash weapons).
In regards to #4, both 3.5 and Pathfinder have the following text:
Strength Bonus: When you hit with a melee or thrown weapon, including a sling, add your Strength modifier to the damage result. A Strength penalty, but not a bonus, applies on damage rolls made with a bow that is not a composite bow.
Wow thanks, I have thought about buying a hardcopy of the 3.5 core rulebook, cause I'm not bringing my laptop to the area to risk getting damaged if a rule comes up, especially the cold when it gets transported into my car.
The entire group is all new players. He is dming a group of 8 people, though not all of us meet at once. Only 2 of the players are veterans or have at least played D&D prior to having him as a DM. Plus I'm in or have been in other campaigns as well, 3.5 and pathfinder, but mostly pathfinder and mostly online and pdf is sometime an inconvenience.
Edit: Our DM is not new, I did a friendly interview with him. He has been dming for 2 years and has done 3.5, pathfinder and paranoia and something else, don't remember. I'm actually friends with him and I have known everyone except for 2 people in the group for more than a year, others 3 or 4 years.
6. You cannot move after taking a full attack action, but if you attack taking a standard action you can still take a move action.
1. This has not changed between 3.5 and Pathfinder: reloading a heavy crossbow is a full-round action, reloading a hand or light crossbow is a move action. SRD > Equipment > Crossbow, Heavy.
2. Stacking rules did not changed significantly in 3.5: armor worn and mage armor both grant armor bonus so only the higher counts - it worked the same as in Pathfinder. SRD > Basics > Stacking
3. The GM probably confused the name of a spell with "thrown splash weapons". The fact that the name uses the word "splash" does not make the spell effect a splash weapon, it would state explicitly that it produces splash effect.
Well, it is nice to have confirmation.
There were a few other things he rules, don't remember them all. I wanted to ask, because I wasn't sure if he was confused or just trying to cheat us (because I am paranoid like that). He is after all, Dming a killer mod as he admitted it was, and there are hundreds of 3.5 pdfs for free. Remember half of our players are newbies trying to learn their d8 from their d10 and their d12 from their d20. I was wondering if he was incompetent/confused or if he disobeys the rules intentionally to laugh it up on the inside. Now just because he picks a killer mod, does not mean he would intentionally change the rules, but him getting the rules wrong in a killer mod makes me question his motives. After all, nobody brings a rulebook with them, so we can't properly challenge it, other than 2 veterans arguing it, then he will okay it. That fact that I'm a veteran who accidently acid splashed my ally when I should not have makes me look like an idiot, as well as many other things. The DM's girlfriend wanted to apply her str bonus to dmg when she threw her dagger and hit, because although she is new to the game, she read up on the rules, and he said don't apply str bonus to dmg. Now the last battle ended with us being kidnapped instead of killed, when the npcs should have killed us, but to me that could be secretly read as "Don't worry the DM saved the day. I might not be following the rules, which may have made a difference in your win, but I saved the day." The enemy got into melee with me and did a grapple and handcuffed me. Now okay, he is just following the mod, but here is the problem I have with it. Here is the last two rounds or so of combat: I acid splashed a group of 4 enemies and a turn later they went and got into melee with the party using double movement, when the party was already clumped together fighting two enemies near them in an open field. The rest of my allies went, then we went to the next round. My allies went then one of the enemies went and grappled me and handcuffed me that turn. I said, "DM I think I go before the enemies." Dm's response. "Nope." My response "I acid splashed them and then they moved into melee after I acid splashed them." DM's response. "Our inits are all messed up." Yes he did skip player, so technicality he is right. However, if init wasn't screwed up, I would have 5 foot step back and used burning hands to hit 3 of them, thus weakening the enemies or possibly killing one.
Here is why I'm suspicious of his motive or am worried about the DM trying to be the hero of it all. The last round of combat Dm said. "Don't worry I have a plan to end this all."
After he kidnapped me, he tried to kidnap the wizard and failed, then handcuffed our rogue. 4 of us against 6. "He said do you surrender?" If init was kept my burning hands would have weakened or even killed 1 to 3 of them, thus the party is less likely to surrender when less guards are alive. Call me paranoid, but I feel like he may have said something about the inits being mess up intentionally so I would not finish off a guard or two and so that the party would surrender.
And prior to this battle. My ally who is a newbie goes up to two people with pickaxes riding his pig. They happen to be zombies with pickaxes and they crit on him. He wasn't going in to attack, he was doing something else, don't remember, maybe like say hi or something. or to investigate up close hoping the zombies don't turn around, after all I did say he is a newbie. Now the DM uses crits and fumbles chart, but that's okay. My allies speed is halved in addition to the dmg he took, so okay, the DM is just using the chart, a fairly common house rule. But another house rule comes into play, the DM's own house rule. He says to my ally, give me a fortitude saving throw not to scream. We are outside remember, but the other site where the guards are, are at least 100 feet away or more. So as soon as we are done with the zombies, we have this combat. Now in real life, not everyone screams, some just say the f word really loud, but not loud enough for someone 100 feet away blocked by trees and bushes to hear you. Some people cry, etc.
Edit: another issue I'm having with it is this. He is teaching the wrong rules to our players and passing them off as the official rules. The DM's girlfriend I know well, and she told me that she wants to compete against her friend who plays 3.5. She is the reason the group exists. If the rules are taught wrong, whether they are good or bad, she too will learn incorrectly and when she goes to play elsewhere, she is not going to be as good as she wants to be. I can imagine her not using the lightcrossbow because she thinks it takes too long to reload, or her thinking that it is a bad strategy to throw your dagger, dart, or whatever. Or her thinking she can mage armor the fighter with platemail when she can't. She did not pick the module, just the edition and left it up to him to pick it.
Okay, I'll be clear, I'm not saying he is a bad DM, just that as a DM, he should know the rules of what he is dming or look em up if he doesn't, especially if he is going to run a killer mod. And not make so many mistakes.
I'll admit, I'm a very paranoid player, but mostly because I've had bad DMs in the past.
I used to know the rules by heart. Now that so many books are out, I don't even try. If we can find the rule in a couple minutes, which isn't hard thanks to digital aids, we read up on it. Otherwise, I go with whatever sounds best.
And that could very well be his problem as well, especially when someone DMed so many editions, you are bound to confuse or forget.
I'm looking at all possibilities and they include but not limited to
1. He forgets or confuses it with other editions
2. He is a bad DM or a DM who likes to look like the hero
3. He uses mostly electronic rules and those are an inconvenience. Hardbacks are easier, you flip to the index to easily find the page.
4. He confuses stuff with other stuff within the same edition. Ie. vial of acid and acid splash are not the same.
5. He might be under stress or pressure or have ADD, etc. This would explain him messing up the inits.
6. He is house ruling stuff. Although I would think he would tell us if stuff is house ruled. And he has the right to house rule anything, but don't pass them off as the official rules.
7. I'm a paranoid player. Oh, wait, that one is actually true, but he still got the rules wrong.
It could be one or all of these or something else entirely. What have a learned from it? To bring the core rulebook of whatever edition I'm playing with me, regardless if that is pdf or hardcover, because I have no proper way of arguing it without one, not to mention, I sometimes forget a rule or two.
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I'm taking a break from DMing right now and am just a lowly PC, but my biggest problem is that I don't have time to keep reading the rules.
If something isn't used very often, people tend to forget or mis-remember.
I barely had time to study up on the monsters before I sic'd them on the party.
Of course, then there are the people who I think study the books every night. I just barely describe something and they start telling everyone all the stats and all the attack options, vulnerabilities, etc.