ekrenor's page

Hi there,

does the +1 CD bonus of the bloodline arcana apply also to spell metamagically enhanced with a rod of metamagic (e.g. rod of empower or rod of maximize)?

Thanks.

Dear all,

my group and I are a bit confused by the paladin's powers mentioned in the subject, and my players insisted that I ask for clarification on the boards regarding all the hazy points, so that we understand both the rules and - hopefully - the rationale behind them.

1. SMITE EVIL
About "Smite Evil" (pag. 60). The description says that the damage is added to "all damage rolls". Is that really so, or does it only apply to weapon damage?
If a paladin/sorceress uses a ray of frost, will the smite evil bonus add to that as well? Will it add as frost damage, or as "generic" damage?

1b.
Can the paladin add the Smite Evil damage to the damage inflicted to an undead by means of his/her Lay on Hands power?

2. SMITE EVIL
"Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess"
Do the "smite evil attacks" include only the smite evil damage proper (i.e. 1 or 2 damage per paladin's level) or the whole damage of the attack?
Example: if my 5th level paladin smites evil *with a normal sword* on an undead with DR 20/magic, do I inflict also the 1d8+STR of the sword, or only the 10 damages (2 x 5th level) of the smite evil power?

3. AURA OF JUSTICE
"[...] grant the ability of smite evil to all allies within 10 feet"
Do they need to remain within 10 feet for the whole duration of the effect (1 minute), or after they are affected from the 10 feet burst they can also move around?

4. AURA OF JUSTICE
"to all allies within 10 feet"
Does the ability affect also the paladin himself or only the allies?
Somebody has observed that the paladin should most likely be considered an ally of himself, but I am not sure I am going to buy that...

5. AURA OF JUSTICE
"Allies must use this smite evil ability by the start of the paladin's next turn and the bonuses last for 1 minute".

Ok, this sounds confusing: allies *MUST* use the ability? Is that really compulsory or they can still change their mind and choose not to use it by suffering some negative consequence (such as "no bonuses", I suppose)?

This is our interpretation of the ability, please correct us if we are wrong:
Once the paladin uses the aura of justice, each affected ally has time up to the paladin's next round to "activate" the bonuses by means of a swift action (as per the "smite evil" power). Activating means choosing one target within sight to smite. After that is done, the bonuses are applied for 1 minute.
However, if the ally does not "activate" the bonuses within that round (because he is prevented from using that swift action, or because for some reason he *chooses* not to use it) than the bonuses are lost to him.

5b.
Can each ally affected by the "Aura of Justice" target a different enemy? (I think it would be more appropriate if the paladin were in charge of choosing the common target, but anyway...)

Thank you in advance to everybody who will be so kind to provide help and clarifications.

A et al.

I know that I should submit this to the design - spells forum, but I could not start a thread there.

So, the fact is that there is quite a serious problem with this spell, i.e. Mage's Disjunction, which can really make the difference at high levels and is therefore very frequently employed.
As the description has it:

each permanent magic item must make a successful Will save or be turned into a normal item for the duration of this spell. An item in a creature’s possession uses its own Will save bonus or its possessor’s Will save bonus, whichever is higher.

This implies that every single time that the spell is cast on a PC (or an important NPC) one has to start rolling saving throws for all the magic items that the PC is carrying. And they can be numerous at high levels (and then consider also scrolls, potions, and the like!!).
It is really annoying since it interrupts the excitement of the combat and can take a lot of time, and there is no way to avoid this: every time the spell is cast, the saving throws kermis must start.

Adding insult to injury, the spell has a really wide area (40-ft . radius burst), meaning that - very likely - more than a single PC (and typically two to four) will be encompassed by the effect, multiplying the problem.

So, we came up with a solution, that we would like - if possible - to be included in the final version of the handbook.
It is as simple as that: everything remains unchanged expect that - as far as the magic items are concerned - the creatures in the spell's area make a single saving throw. If the ST succeeds, all the carried/touched item are unaffected, if it fails, one must start checking for every magic item one by one (rolling individual saving throws as per current version of the spell).

We have verified that this small modification limits the problem a lot, while keeping the emotional impact of the spell (there remains the risk of failing the ST, and maybe losing a few items due to rolling a natural 1). The spell remains valid and strong, since its main function is that of removing every spell/buffer/magical effect without having to rely on the randomness of dispel magic (in particular when battling against spellcasters of comparable or superior power).

Thank you for your attention.

Ademaro