Q. Can a simulacrum be healed with a cure light wounds spell? How
would a spell such as enlarge affect a simulacrum? Can a character
detect a simulacrum just by talking to it awhile? How do spells like
dispel magic and anti-magic shell affect simulacrums? Since
simulacrums are made of snow, are they especially susceptible to fire
or heat?
A. A simulacrum, once completed, is a creature, not an object, made of
non-living matter; it's a construct something like a golem. Most
spells that affect creatures also affect simulacrums. Spells like
magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, haste, and protection from normal
missiles, which affect only creatures, also work on simulacrums. So do
spells like charms and holds, if the creature that the simulacrum
duplicates can be affected by those spells. A simulacrum is composed
entirely of non-living matter and is not truly alive. Consequently,
curative spells do not work on simulacrums, and repairing damage done
to them is a difficult and costly process (see the PHB, page 186). (In
the AD&D 1st Edition game, a simulacrum could be enlarged or reduced
at the lower, non-living matter rate.) Simulacrums do not need to
breathe or eat, through they usually do so to avoid detection. Once
completed, a simulacrum cannot be dispelled or rendered non-functional
by a dispel magic spell. Anti-magic shells keep simulacrums and other
magically created creatures at bay (see the PHB, page 173), but
protection from evil in any form does not. A Mordenkainen's
disjunction spell can destroy simulacrums just as it can destroy
magical items; the creature's chance to resist the disjunction is
based on its creator's level (or on level 14, if the creator's level
is unknown). Simulacrums usually cannot be detected by non-magical
means, since each one is a functioning replica of some creature;
however, the replica's degree of accuracy is variable (see the PHB,
page 186), and the DM might give players subtle clues as to the
creature's actual nature. Very poor simulacrums (having less than 55%
of the original's hit points and knowledge) probably shy away from
flame or intense heat, and they might speak in monotones. Characters
who are quite familiar with the original creature should have no
problem finding gaps in the simulacrum's knowledge, as even the best
simulacrum has only 65% of the copied creature's knowledge and
personality, but all such clues to the creature's true nature should
be provided through role-playing. For example, a simulacrum of a
character might lack the original's zest for apple cider, lack an
unusual non-weapon proficiency, and lack the original's distaste for
undercooked meat. Only very perceptive players should be able to
detect a simulacrum in this manner.
Q. On the Thieving Skill Armour Adjustments table in the PHB (table
29, page 39), is the "Elven Chain" column for magical or non-magical
elven chain mail?
A. The information in the "Elven Chain" column applies to both magical
and non-magical armour. Though enchanted armour is easier to wear than
non-magical armour (see the encumbrance rules, PHB, page 79),
enchantment doesn't reduce the armour's effect on thieving abilities.
Q. Does a spell caster who is casting a spell in mêlée have to
concentrate so hard that he loses his dexterity bonus to armour class?
Do attackers get a to-hit bonus versus a spell-caster who is casting a
spell? Can a magician cast more than one spell in a mêlée round?
A. Spell-casting requires considerable, but not total, concentration.
Spell casting negates dexterity bonuses to armour class, but does not
otherwise make the caster easier to hit. Most DMs allow spell casters
to defend normally after a spell is completed, so that the caster can
use his dexterity bonus (if any) against any attacks made then. It
usually isn't possible for any kind of spell-caster to cast two or
more spells in the same mêlée round, even if the caster is using a
haste spell or potion of speed.
Q. If a magician gets a magical item, such as an ioun stone that
increases his intelligence, does his chance to learn new spells and
maximum number of spells per level increase? Does he immediately get
to try learning spells he has "missed" before? What happens to his
spell books if he loses the item? Does a magician have to delete
spells from his book if an item, creature, or curse lowers his
intelligence score?
A. Even temporary increases in a magician's intelligence score
increase the character's chance to learn spells (the increase provided
by an ioun stone is temporary because it lasts only as long as the
character keeps and uses the item). The character cannot immediately
try to relearn spells he has failed to learn before, but he can try
them again at his increased success chance when he gains a new
experience level (see the PHB, page 16). The maximum spells per level
rule is optional. If your campaign uses it, the character's spell
limit increases along with his intelligence. If the character manages
to learn a new spell and write it into his book while his intelligence
score is temporarily raised, it stays there even if his intelligence
subsequently drops. Intelligence losses of any kind do not affect
spell books. However, the DM could rule that not every spell could be
replaced if the character's spell book is lost or destroyed and had to
be reconstructed.
Q. Table 19 (page 29), Ranger Followers, does not give levels for
followers with character classes.
A. Cleric and druid followers are of levels 2-5. Other single-classed
followers are of levels 1-6. Multi-classed followers have 1-3 levels
in each class.
Q. Can thieves use shields? Bards are specifically prohibited from
using shields on page 41 of the PHB, but no such restriction is listed
with the thief armour information on page 38. I notice that table 38,
Thieving Skill Armour Adjustments, has no entry for shields.
A. Thieves cannot use shields; only leather, studded leather, padded
leather, or elven chain armour is acceptable.
Q. If a spell-caster decides to cast a spell, but then loses
initiative and is hit in combat, his spell fizzles. Are such spells
lost until the caster can memorize them again? What if the caster is
using a magical item? Can spell casters who have their spells ruined
attack the same round as the spells were lost?
A. Spells and scrolls are used up and lost if they are disrupted
during casting. Some magical items require a "casting" procedure that
can also be disrupted; these include wands, staves, and rods if the
command word optional rule is in effect (this assumes that the
"command word" is actually a phrase or rhyme; perhaps the wielder must
actually accompany the speaking of the phrase or rhyme with some kind
of somatic gestures). If wand, stave, or rod use is disrupted, the
appropriate charges are expended and lost. Rings, weapons, armour, and
miscellaneous magical items generally have very short command words or
sequences (if they have any at all) and usually cannot be disrupted.
Some wands, staves, and rods that are usable by non-spell casters,
such as the rod of lordly might and wand of secret door and trap
location, tend to have very simple command words or sequences and also
cannot be disrupted. Spell casting and magical item use count as
actions. A character cannot perform a second action in the same round
even if the spell or item's effect is disrupted.
Q. The rules in both editions of the AD&D game say that paladin must
give 10% of his income to a charitable institution. What defines
income? My DM says income is all money and wealth the paladin has, so
my paladin tithes part of the same money again and again. Would
non-monetary wealth (such as a mount, property, or armour) be included
in income?
A. Income is, literally, incoming or "new" wealth. Savings, equipment,
and property are not income. As explained in the AD&D 2nd Edition
rules, however, tithing is not the limit of a paladin's largess (see
the PHB, page 28). The 10% tithe is paid immediately before the
paladin does anything else with his income. After his tithes and
expenses are paid, a paladin is obligated to donate the rest to a
worthy cause.
Q. Can the armour class bestowed by a shield spell be enhanced with
rings of protection, bracers of defence, or other protective items?
A. No. The caster gets the armour class bestowed by the spell, or his
own current armour class as modified by magic and dexterity, whichever
is better versus any given attack. However, the spell's saving throw
bonus is cumulative with dexterity and magic.
Q. Can a magician use a teleport spell to travel into and out of a
castle built on a drifting cloud? Or would the cloud's motion make
teleporting impossible?
A. Unless there is some outside force preventing it (see the PHB, page
172), a character can teleport from anywhere. Particularly strict DMs
might rule that any momentum the teleporting character has will carry
over after the teleport is complete. For example, if a wizard
teleports out of a runaway mine car, he still might be in for a
whopping impact at his destination. Unless the DM decides that the
magic needed to keep a cloud castle aloft blocks teleportation, it is
possible to teleport to that castle. Motion is not a factor in
determining what constitutes a viable destination for a teleport
spell. In a sun-centred solar system, every piece of a planet's
surface constantly undergoes complex motions as the planet rotates,
revolves around its star, and hurtles through space with the rest of
the system (not to mention any tectonic motions in the planet's
crust). Nevertheless, one can teleport to any place on the planet. The
key word is "place". A piece of ground, an asteroid, and a castle are
all places and thus can be the destinations of a teleport spell even
if they are in motion. Any other place that can provide a substantial
surface as required in the spell description will also serve.
Stability goes hand in hand with substance in this case; a constantly
changing surface such as a flowing stream, patch of quicksand, or
heaving ship's deck cannot be a destination for a teleport spell. Note
that carts, wagons, ships, and other conveyances are objects, not
"places". A character can teleport from such locations, but not to
them.
Q. Can normal ageing raise a character 's ability scores above the
character 's racial maximum? Can it raise a score from 18 to 19?
A. The rules on ability-score minimums and maximums (see the PHB, page
20) make it clear that the limits apply only to characters when they
are being created. So if a character actually lives long enough to get
an intelligence or wisdom boost (these are the only ability scores
that increase with age), I see no reason why he shouldn't get the full
benefit. Note that magical ageing does not improve intelligence and
wisdom; only actual life experience does that.
Q. What is the use of taking two or more days to write a scroll into a
spell book when a wizard can just memorize the spell from the scroll?
A. Scrolls are temporary magical writings good for one, and only one,
use. I suppose a wizard could memorize a spell from a scroll, but
doing so would use up the scroll, as would writing the scrolls spell
into a book. This being the case, I should think the advantage of
taking the time to make a permanent record of the spell in a book is
obvious.
Q. How much water is created by a reversed transmute water to dust
spell?
A. The reversed spell changes dust, dirt, or mud into water. A wizard
can create a 10' cube of water per caster level, provided that enough
material is on hand to be transmuted. A priest converts one cubic yard
(a cube 3' across each side) per caster level.
Q. Can the caster of the fifth-level priest spell rainbow choose a
specific arrow even if it is not the "next" in order? What is the
order?
Yes, the caster can always choose which arrow to fire, provided it
hasn't already been used. The "next" arrow appears automatically only
when the caster fails to request a specific colour or when he requests
a colour that has been already used. The arrow-colour order is just as
listed in the spell description: red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo, and violet.
Q. Is magic resistance in the AD&D 2nd Edition game affected at all by
the spell caster's level?
A. No, not any more.
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