I have a support bard in a party with a superstitious barbarian (a barbarian with the superstition rage power).
We all know that he has to resist "friendly" spells such as the cleric's healing and the wizard's haste. But what about spells with no save, specifically Moment of Greatness ? Does "Saving Throw (none)" mean that the barbarian can't resist the spell, even when superstition forces him to ?
I just accepted the DM's ruling at the time that the barbarian attempts a save anyway (and succeeded, of course, because it's a low level spell), but I'd like to know for the next time.
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While I can sympathize with your GM interpretation, he is wrong:
Saving Throw
Usually a harmful spell allows a target to make a saving throw to avoid some or all of the effect. The saving throw entry in a spell description defines which type of saving throw the spell allows and describes how saving throws against the spell work.
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None: No saving throw is allowed.
The Superstition rage power add a bonus to the saves, but don't give a Saving throw when none is allowed.
I'd rule anything with no save listed doesn't force a save.
In the same way, it wouldn't allow him to save against Sleet Storm and see though it or against summoned creatures to ignore their damage. For many spells a save 'doesn't make sense'.
Considering that even things like Bull's Strength have a save listed, I think that this sort of effect has usually been factored in already. If you want to argue that a specific spell such as Moment of Greatness should force a save, that's a different matter, but Superstition doesn't give him saves against spells that have none listed by default.
If Moment of Greatness had a requirement to touch the target, I could see the DM insisting that the barbarian must be treated as an unwilling target against whom I must roll a touch attack, but the spell has no such requirement. It's a 50 foot radius burst. Is the superstitious raging barbarian still my ally ?
Probably moment of greatness should have a save (w/ "Harmless"), but if it's "Save: None", it means none.
If it comes up again, you should ask the GM (nicely) whether he would grant the barbarian a saving throw against things like Power Word Blind.
Agreed with Majuba. If he wants to make you save against a beneficial spell that states that it has no save then you should also get to make a save against spells like Enervation and Power Word spells that also state they don't get a save.
Your GM is wrong. He may not have been trying to screw you, but he did.
Owner - D20 Hobbies
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Probably moment of greatness should have a save (w/ "Harmless"), but if it's "Save: None", it means none.
If it comes up again, you should ask the GM (nicely) whether he would grant the barbarian a saving throw against things like Power Word Blind.
And if so, that makes that power pretty awesome.
To confirm, it shouldn't get a save for Save: None spells.
Looks legit.
We also ruled it as all friendly spells are tried to save against. Not because we thought X or Y spell "should" have a saving throw : yes (harmless), but because it's a pain to remember all those exceptions.
When i play the wizard, it's my responsability to call the saving throw and SR when i throw a spell.
If i play the raging superstitious barb, i feel akward slowing down the table to ask the cleric to check his spell description if it has a saving throw : yes (harmless) or just no saving throw. And clerics/buffers know the effect of their boosting spells, but that saving throw line is one they would have to check if asked, because it never comes up.
So yeah, for sake of simplicity and pace we call for a ST regardless like your DM called (for most probably not the same reasons)
Also, the barbarian cannot be willing for spells that allow willing only, even if they have no save. With a superstitious barbarian in both Rise of the Runelords and Shattered Star, we learned a lot about the saving throw patterns of friendly spells. Our biggest surprise? A successful saving throw against the heal spell when it is used to heal negates the entire spell, so 0 points of healing!