Can a monk wearing full-plate and a shield still flurry if he's under the effects of Freedom of Movement?


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Freedom of Movement

Quote:

This spell enables you or a creature you touch to move and attack

normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of
magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog,
slow, and web. All combat maneuver checks made to grapple the
target automatically fail. The subject automatically succeeds on
any combat maneuver checks and Escape Artist checks made to
escape a grapple or a pin.
The spell also allows the subject to move and attack normally
while underwater, even with slashing weapons such as axes and
swords or with bludgeoning weapons such as flails, hammers, and
maces, provided that the weapon is wielded in the hand rather than
hurled. The freedom of movement spell does not, however, grant
water breathing.

The spell description is vague, but it suggests that anything that hinders movement is nullified. Should a monk should still get his full bonus movement and all other abilities that are normally disabled while in armor? Is a fighter's speed still reduced because of heavy armor? What about a wizard's spell failure?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

The monk still loses all benefits lost when he wears armor, the fighter is still reduced in speed (if he does not have Armor Training to negate that instead), and the wizard still suffers ASF.

The spell allows the target to avoid the penalties of underwater combat, and grants immunity to grapples. It mentions negating the effects of certain spells. It does not mention negating the penalties of armor.

Liberty's Edge

TriOmegaZero wrote:
The monk still loses all benefits lost when he wears armor, the fighter is still reduced in speed (if he does not have Armor Training to negate that instead), and the wizard still suffers ASF.

Exactly. The key word in the spell's description is "normally".

Any impact that wearing an armor normally has (for example ASF for the wizard) stays the same.


There are exact 3 situations where this spell helps: When under the effect of magic that hinders your movement, when being grappled or pinned and when you're under water. I think the description isn't vague at all...


Agreed with TriO.

Freedom of Movement does not remove any penalties other than those imposed on you that restrict movement.

Even then it only allows you to move "normally".

Monk: Does not get bonus movement, he is still wearing armor which negates the Fast Movment ability. If his normal speed is 30, then it is under Freedom of Movement, he does not benefit from Fast Movement which is added to the speed if he's not wearing armor - which he is.

He does not get the AC bonus ability, he is wearing armor which negates the AC Bonus.

Fighter: If their normal movement speed would be hindered by armor (ie 30 gets reduced to 20) then Freedom of Movement allows the Fighter to operate at their normal speed (ie 20).

Wizard: Spell failure is not a movement penalty so it still applies.


This is Pathfinder, not 3.x. You can't argue that Freedom of Movement lets you go through solid walls or anything that people used to try and cheese the spell to do :P

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