The best way to transport it would be for them to use the 1st level sor/wiz spell floating disk.
at caster level 4, that is a max load of 400 lbs and it lasts for 4 hours. plenty of weight allowance for the egg with padding and insulation to keep it warm. plus there should be no worries about the egg being jostled over rough terrain.
the only major worry would be if the terrain was really steep, which I imagine is likely being its a roc nest probably high up a mountain. in that case I would likely try to use 2nd level sor/wiz spell levitate. where needed.
but the 4 minute duration could lead to problems depending on the distance needed to travel up or down.
Enlarge Person is on your spell list. If you have the resources to use 2 spells to do what you want, Enlarge Person and Ant Haul will give you a 300lb heavy load.
the change was to bring their stats in line with my story lore. these serpentfolk are the few surviving members of one of the first great empires in the world. they were also one of the first material plane races to use magic at the time, and that magic was Sorcery. it is ingrained in the serpentfolk. they consider Wizardry a perversion. and during the height of their empire there was no deities exerting influence on the material plane so they knew nothing of worshipping deities. they believed they were the greatest creatures in existence.
I have considered adding a minion or two to the final encounter but I had been waiting to decide for sure until I nailed down the new CR. my players do not optimize much and they are martial heavy. this particular serpentfolk will be attempting to exert influence over a small town to take over the humans militia forces to wage war on a nearby elven community. early on the players will encounter a kobold tribe the serpentfolk took control of before it found the human town. the players will eventually find connections between the kobolds and someone in the militia. the players will encounter the serpentfolk disguised as a human using its magic. they will have opportunities to discover something is wrong with "Councilman Sanders".
my intent is to use them as bbeg's, who in a previous age were practically immortal. but due to story reasons some of them were placed in temporal stasis and others chose to enter a similar state to survive a time of great destruction and upheaval on the material plane. think of it like part rise of the runelords and part mud sorcerer's (from the adventure mud sorcerer's tomb in dragon magazine #138).
I don't intend to optimize the average serpentfolk. most of their spells will follow a theme. and only the serpentfolk who have class levels of sorcerer will optimize as they get higher in level.
I have changed the spells known on the "average" serpentfolk from what I listed the other day. I replaced color spray with charm person. it still has disguise self and its 2nd level spell is still mirror image. its feats are improved initiative, weapon finesse, and spell focus (enchantment). it is meant to function as an infiltrator type bag guy and be a mini boss for a party of 4 3rd or 4th level heros. he will be fought alone.
Seems fine, probably not much of an increase in power, if any.
ok, that was what I was thinking. but I wanted at least a second opinion as I have been known to overpower my monsters when I adjust them like this. thank you for your thoughts.
Caster level 3. But it will have 2nd level spells. My homebrew sorcerers casting progression is the same as a wizard. It will have 2 1st level spells (disguise self & color spray) and 1 2nd level spell (mirror image).
i would really like to get a few opinions if changing out the serpentfolk's spell like abilities out for sorcerer caster levels is going to change its CR. Any help would be appreciated.
I have a question and wanted to get the communities opinion on the challenge rating for a serpentfolk as written except for removing their spell like abilities and granting them the ability to cast spells as a 3rd level sorcerer. The serpentfolk would not gain any bloodline spells or powers unless it took levels in the Sorcerer class similar to Dragons spellcasting ability.
One point to add is I have modified both spontaneous and preparation spellcasters. Sorcerers progress the same as Wizards, so they gain 2nd level spells at caster level 3 and so on.
So with that in mind does adding 3 caster levels in place of the serpentfolk's spell like abilities throw off its CR and need to be adjusted or is it ok??
here is a link for the Serpentfolk if anyone wants quick access to its stat block.
there is no general rule for allowing spells to be dropped in level. normally a spell can only be cast in a higher level slot not the other way around.
Your solution is simple. The room that contains the party's gear also has some other gear including some scrolls or even a wand.
Now you just have to tailor the loot to the level of the party.
I agree with wolflaughing, this is the best option. you let your magus shine for the arcana he took. but you still allow your wizard the opportunity to contribute without making the magus' choice worthless. drop a few attack scrolls, a few defensive scrolls, and maybe a utility scroll or two in there and the wizard should be good to go.
I can see an argument for the Reach Spell metamagic feat functioning in the way you want. but as for yourself not being moved when you cast dimension door, I am not aware of a way to stop that.
if you can use 3.5 spells and have the spell compendium it has 2 spells that would work. a 1st level spell called benign transposition-functions on 2 willing individuals. and a 2nd level spell baleful transposition-works on up to 2 willing or unwilling targets (allowed a will save if I remember correctly).
a powerful spellcaster from the opposite faction the players are helping cornered the solo sibling. its master found out that its siblings are helping its enemies. it could of
(1)convinced that player it is more beneficial to help its cause or
(2)it could have used a modified Word of Recall spell that it attached to said player as a ritual. if said player does not get his siblings to agree to help the other faction he will be wrenched back to its masters realm and tortured for eternity.
either way the player agrees and the spellcaster sends the player to the plane of abyss that the other players are on.
1st option is a little less railroadish than the 2nd as long as the player just wants to get to his companions.
plenty of room for loads of double crossing, secret ninja espionage, and/or tortured betrayals for all involved. should lead to some Sam and Dean deal with Crowley (Supernatural) fun.
I really like the Debilitating Blow and am going to find a way to weave that into my homebrew Rogue.
I am interested to see how your Opportunistic Strike will work out. I am going to have my Rogue player give it a look and see how he would like it. If he is interested we will give it a run and let you know how it goes.
I certainly like the idea. if you hadn't thought about it yet, you could base a mage guild off of espionage and have its powers revolve around illusion and enchantment.
I like the idea of a high level "elite" mage's guild that a player can enter, and with the guilds having themes it gives them a lot of flavor that I enjoy. my only worry is I probably wouldn't multiclass a bard or sorcerer because none of the abilities gained from the 3 guilds really offers any "new" abilities. they do provide a few more options which is nice but I wouldn't want to give up my other class features for them.
have you considered adding maybe a unique ability that can only be obtained from that guild?
this kind of reminds me of the Guild Mage of Waterdeep. this is an interesting direction to go with instead of the spellpool access. I like the word of recall 1/week. I would be a little worried about how early the spellcaster would have access to that ability. but with its 1/week usage it wouldn't break anything in my games.
just an observation if I was playing a wizard that was going to take this prestige class I would probably wait till level 11 to take my first level of it. with the entry requirements set as high as they are, the benefits the class provides are nice options for a wizard who doesn't really gain any class benefits other than bonus feats after level 6 or 8. but it wouldn't be a priority to start until I had all my school powers and I would probably go ahead and pick up my level 10 wizard bonus feat just to have it before I started this class.
is there any reason you didn't set the skill requirements to level 5 like you did the spellcasting?
under the Table: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values it states that for 0-Level Spells: When multiplying spell levels to determine value, 0-level spells should be treated as 1/2 level.
if this was just about bracers of armor and mage armor you might have a valid argument. but the exception in the bracers of armor explanation is just that an exception to the normal rule. and that rule is you apply the higher or the two armor bonuses. no where does it stat that mage armor is dismissed. it is still a functioning spell that can be dispelled and if the armor is taken off it would be applied to your AC. there are only a handful of ways to end spell effects.
the duration expires
someone cast dispel magic or a variant of dispel magic
the caster dismisses a spell that can be dismissed
the person benefitting from the spell enters an antimagic like spell effect
none of those are putting on a suit of armor while mage armor is active.
against incorporeal attacks your breastplate provides 0 to your armor class and mage armor provides a +4 bonus. mage armor provides the higher bonus so it is used. nothing stats that the mage armor spell is dismissed when wearing armor so it is still active.
I just picked up the combat manager app for my kindle fire hd the other day. I have been looking forward to combat manager for my kindle since I started using combat manager about a year ago. I love this program and thanks for your effort Kyle.
Now just a few things I have run into since I downloaded it for my kindle.
1- the program is crashing when I try to select a feat or weapon while I am customizing creatures.
2- is there any other way to create custom monsters? on the combat tab I know I can edit the monster there but when I clear the tab and try to put the monster back on the tab all my adjustments are gone.
1- I'll take a look at this tonight. I put in some fixes for weapon editing which just went live in a new build yesterday evening. I didn't know there were any problems with the feats.
2- There's no custom monster DB feature right now. You have to edit the monster while it's the only monster in the monster list and save it as a cmpt file.
ok thanks for the response. I will give that a try.
I just picked up the combat manager app for my kindle fire hd the other day. I have been looking forward to combat manager for my kindle since I started using combat manager about a year ago. I love this program and thanks for your effort Kyle.
Now just a few things I have run into since I downloaded it for my kindle.
1- the program is crashing when I try to select a feat or weapon while I am customizing creatures.
2- is there any other way to create custom monsters? on the combat tab I know I can edit the monster there but when I clear the tab and try to put the monster back on the tab all my adjustments are gone.
you might consider going Divination instead of Evocation to gain- Forewarned (Su): You can always act in the surprise round even if you fail to make a Perception roll to notice a foe, but you are still considered flat-footed until you take an action. In addition, you receive a bonus on initiative checks equal to 1/2 your wizard level (minimum +1). At 20th level, anytime you roll initiative, assume the roll resulted in a natural 20.
the bonus to initiative will help you get your control spells off before your enemies can begin to move on you and your allies. you can offset the lose of versatile evocation some by using vanish or invisiblity and your blaster spells to deal damage with sneak attack if you use spells like scorching ray.
Focused Mind ( +2 Concentration checks) and Reactionary (+2 Initiative). I didn't really look that much at traits and went with my 2 favorites for spell casters. But Fates Favored would be a good one to replace Reactionary with for sure. I might just make that change on my copy of Dorn.
Do the haste rounds of the mithral full plate of speed need to be spent all at once, or can you use them as needed?
you can use them in 1 rd increments, up to 10 rds per day. one thing you could do if you really wanted to get back to 30ft base speed is take 3 levels of fighter to gain armor training. that coupled with mithral full plate of speed will set you up pretty nice. only bad thing is the obvious, you wont get 9th level spells till level 20. but if you are going heavy melee it shouldn't hurt you horrible. if you are level 11 cleric already you have your best spells for melee, Righteous Might and Divine Power. it will hurt having to wait 4 or 5 levels to gain access to Greater Restoration, and Regeneration, but you could just pick up some scrolls of those and make due. but even with out the levels of fighter the mithral full plate should suffice.
Try finding a suit of mithral full plate of speed. It will change your speed penalty from heavy to medium and you have a hate effect whenever you need it.
Dorn "The Ravager"-Dorn was born from torture and cruelty, coming into this world never knowing love or softness. He hailed from a tribe of Orcs, Humans, and half breeds who worshipped the Great Destroyer, Rovagug. Life in the tribe was brutal and usually short. Dorn was chosen to be an Apprentice at the age of 5. By age 10 he had made his first kill and was considered a harbinger of the Great Destroyers will. Dorn quickly earned the right to lead a warband and set about raining destruction and ruin across the country side. Due to the success of his raids and his prowess on the battlefield Dorn surpassed his masters and soon became the most powerful priest in his tribe. As the years passed and the weight of time began bearing down on Dorn he began to contemplate his future. He knew he must act quickly before one or several of his many apprentices granted him the same shameful death that he had granted his masters. He knew he must not let that happen, for he had seen the visions in his childhood. Visions of himself standing before the Great Destroyer as he finally breaks free from the prison he has been bound to since the beginning of time.
Dorn still doesn’t know the source of the ritual that came to him that night. But he was sure it was the answer to his prayers. That very night he started by sacrificing all of his apprentices. And then with the blessing from the Great Destroyer he called down a pillar of unholy fire to rend the temple that his tribe had gathered and worshipped at for almost 100 years. It burned for 3 days and 3 nights, and the whole time it burned Dorn feed the unholy pillar of fire every man, woman, and child from his tribe. And before the final flame went out Dorn cut from his chest his own beating heart and cast it into the flame. When Dorn awoke he knew not how long he had been dead but the rock upon which his tribes temple had been built was a molten pool of lava. And by his head was a flawless cut diamond resembling a human heart. When held close he could almost feel the thrumming of his life force held inside.
Dorn likes to let merchants find his phylactery from time to time. And then burn the merchants city to the ground while retrieving it. At times he has arranged for it to be given to kings or queens for safe keeping without them knowing just what they have accepted. Only to show up 10 or 20 years down the road looking to retrieve his most precious possession. Dorn destroyed much in his 2 decades of life, and he has brought even more ruin in his first century of undeath. He is absolutely certain he will witness the coming of the Great Destroyer, and will help usher in the end times. But he just doesn’t know if he is the key or the doorway.
Dorn:
Male Half-Orc Lich Cleric of Rovagug 20
C/E Medium Undead (augmented, human, orc)
Init: +10; Senses: True Seeing 120ft (Googles), Darkvision 60ft; Perception +29
Aura: Fear (60-ft radius, DC 26)
Languages Common, Orc, Abyssal, Giant, Draconic, Necil, Goblin
DEFENSE
AC 34, touch 13, flat-footed 31 (+11 armor, +3 dex, +10 nat); +2 nat armor (Righteous Might), +5 def (Shield of Faith)
HP: 193 (20 HD) Current: 193; Temp HP: +20 (Divine Power)
Fort: +13, Ref: +12, Will: +21; +5 all saves (Wrathful Mantle)
Defensive Abilities: Channel Resistance +4, Rejuvenation, DR 15/bludgeoning and magic, DR 2/-, DR 10/Good (Righteous Might), Freedom of Movement (ring); Immune: cold, electricity, undead traits
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), Armor 20 ft. (4 squares), Fly 60 ft. (good), Armor 40 ft. (good)
Melee: +5 Unholy Great Axe of Speed +28/+28/+23/+18 (1d12+15/x3), or +5 Unholy Great Axe of Speed w/ Divine Favor +31/+31/+26/+21 (1d12+18/x3), or +5 Unholy Great Axe of Speed w/ Divine Power +34/+34/+29/+24 (1d12+21/x3), or +5 Unholy Great Axe of Speed w/ Righteous Might +29/+29/+24+/+19 (3d6+18/x3), or +5 Unholy Great Axe of Speed w/ Righteous Might & Divine Power +35/+35/+30/+25 (3d6+24/x3), or Touch +22 (1d8+10+ Paralysis)
Special Attacks: Negative Energy 11/day (DC 28, 10d6), Paralyzing Touch (DC 26), Lightning Lord (20 bolts/day), Deadly Weather (20rds/day, 100ft radius)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; Concentration +28)
8/day- Storm Burst +19 (1d6+10 nonlethal plus a -2 on attacks for 1 rd), Destructive Smite (+12 damage to 1 attack)
3/day- Teleport (Helm, CL 9th)
10min/day- Ethereal Jaunt
Spells Prepared (CL 20th; Concentration +30) Save DC: 18 + spell level
Orisons (1/rd)- Bleed, Create Water, Detect Magic, Guidance
1st- True Strike*, Divine Favor 2, Shield of Faith 2, Bane, Sanctuary
2nd- Fog Cloud*, Effortless Armor, Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon 2, Desecrate, Augury
3rd- Call Lightning*, Blindness/Deafness, Prayer, Protection from Energy, Wrathful Mantle, Meld into Stone, Dispel Magic
4th- Inflict Critical Wounds*, Spiritual Ally, Unholy Blight, Summon Monster IV, Chaos Hammer, Divination, Divine Power
5th- Ice Storm*, Greater Command, Quicken True Strike, Righteous Might, Wall of Stone, Extended Divine Power
6th- Harm*, Greater Dispel Magic, Blade Barrier, Plague Storm, Extended Righteous Might, Hellfire Ray
7th- Control Weather*, Destruction, Blasphemy, Quicken Inflict Serious Wounds, Maximized Inflict Critical Wounds, Summon Monster VII
8th- Earthquake*, Discern Location, Orb of the Void, Stormbolts, Quicken Inflict Critical Wounds, Quicken Summon Monster IV
9th- Storm of Vengeance*, Energy Drain, Implosion, Summon Monster IX, Miracle
Domains:* Destruction (Catastrophe) & Weather
STATISTICS
Abilities Str 24 (+7), Dex 18 (+4), Con - (-), Int 20 (+5), Wis 26 (+8), Cha 22 (+6)
Base Atk +15/+10/+5; CMB +22; CMD 36 (auto succeed on Grapple or pin check from Freedom of Movement)
Feats: Toughness (1), Improved Initiative (3), Improved Channel (5), Extend Spell (7), Craft Wondrous Item (9), Extra Channel (11), Weapon Focus (Great Axe) (13), Command Undead (15), Maximize Spell (17), Quicken Spell(19)
Skills: Fly +24 (+28 boots), Intimidate +12, Know (Arcana) +28, Know(Religion) +28, Know (History) +12, Know (Planes) +28, Linguistics +13, Perception +29, Sense Motive +16, Spellcraft +28, Stealth +32; Racial Bonuses: +2 Intimidate, +8 Perception, Sense Motive, & Stealth
SQ: Traits: Focused Mind & Reactionary, Intimidating, Darkvision, Weapon Familiarity, Sacred Tattoo, Channel Energy, Domains
Combat Gear: +5 Unholy Great Axe of Speed, +5 Spell Storing (Bestow Curse), Warding Adamantine Breastplate, Material Component (Orb of the Void x10), Pearl of Power (2-1st, 2-2nd, 2-3rd, 1-4th, & 1-5th); Other Gear: Belt of Physical Might +6 (Str & Dex), Headband of Mental Superiority +6 (Know [Planes], Stealth, & Fly), Bracers of the Avenging Knight, Helm of Teleportation, Amulet of Natural Armor +5, Winged Boots, Cloak of Etherealness, Prophets Pectoral, Truesight Googles, Ring of Spell Storing (Harm), Ring of Freedom of Movement, Silver Unholy Symbol of Rovagug (500gp), Misc Adventuring Gear, Tender (750g, 50s)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Sacred Tattoo: Many half-orcs decorate themselves with tattoos, piercings, and ritual scarification, which they consider sacred markings. Half-orcs with this racial trait gain a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws. This racial trait replaces orc ferocity.
Weapon Familiarity: Half-orcs are proficient with great axes and falchions and treat any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon.
Rejuvenation (Su): When a lich is destroyed, its phylactery (which is generally hidden by the lich in a safe place far from where it chooses to dwell) immediately begins to rebuild the undead spellcaster's body nearby. This process takes 1d10 days—if the body is destroyed before that time passes, the phylactery merely starts the process anew. After this time passes, the lich wakens fully healed (albeit without any gear it left behind on its old body), usually with a burning need for revenge against those who previously destroyed it.
Fear Aura (Su): Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at the lich must succeed on a Will save or become frightened. Creatures with 5 HD or more must succeed at a Will save or be shaken for a number of rounds equal to the lich's Hit Dice. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same lich's aura for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Paralyzing Touch (Su): Any living creature a lich hits with its touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save or be permanently paralyzed. Remove paralysis or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim (see the bestow curse spell description, with a DC equal to the lich's save DC). The effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by a lich seems dead, though a DC 20 Perception check or a DC 15 Heal check reveals that the victim is still alive.
Spontaneous Casting: An evil cleric (or a neutral cleric of an evil deity) can't convert prepared spells to cure spells but can convert them to inflict spells (an inflict spell is one with “inflict” in its name).
Channel Energy (Su): Regardless of alignment, any cleric can release a wave of energy by channeling the power of her faith through her holy (or unholy) symbol. This energy can be used to cause or heal damage, depending on the type of energy channeled and the creatures targeted. Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every two cleric levels beyond 1st (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th, and so on). Creatures that take damage from channeled energy receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the cleric's level + the cleric's Charisma modifier. Creatures healed by channel energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost. A cleric may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A cleric can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect. A cleric must be able to present her holy symbol to use this ability.
Aura (Ex): A cleric of a chaotic, evil, good, or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to the deity's alignment (see detect evil for details).
Storm Burst (Sp): As a standard action, you can create a storm burst targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. The storm burst deals 1d6 points of nonlethal damage + 1 point for every two cleric levels you possess. In addition, the target is buffeted by winds and rain, causing it to take a –2 penalty on attack rolls for 1 round. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Lightning Lord (Sp): At 8th level, you can call down a number of bolts of lightning per day equal to your cleric level. You can call down as many bolts as you want with a single standard action, but no creature can be the target of more than one bolt and no two targets can be more than 30 feet apart. This ability otherwise functions as call lightning.
Destructive Smite (Su): You gain the destructive smite power: the supernatural ability to make a single melee attack with a morale bonus on damage rolls equal to 1/2 your cleric level (minimum 1). You must declare the destructive smite before making the attack. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Deadly Weather (Su): At 8th level, you can unleash a furious call to the heavens, summoning forth an ever-changing storm of destruction for a number of rounds per day equal to your cleric level. This storm has a radius of 5 feet per cleric level. Each round, the storm has one of the following effects: driving rain (–4 on all Perception checks and ranged attack rolls), howling winds (–8 on Fly skill checks and ranged attack rolls), heavy snow (all terrain is considered difficult), or lightning bolt (as call lightning). Other effects depending on the weather might also apply (at the GM’s discretion). You choose which effect takes place each round, but no effect may be repeated on the following round. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
in the tiefling alternate ability table there is an option to trade some of your abilities for "See in Darkness". but that doesn't help you if you desire to play a drow and it is the only one I know of for a low level player.
no what is disturbing is how you keep trying to change the subject from how a spell functions in a make believe game, to how we are somehow responsible for your issues from the real world. we are just ppl having an adult discussion, if its not your cup of tea leave us to it. thanks
Charm person would clearly not fulfill the last one, and thus wouldn't count as consent.
if you use charm person if would not be coerced. no GM trying to follow the spirit of the spell Charm Person should allow said NPC to perform said act if under the alternate method of performing said action the NPC would not comply. using the dominate line of spells would be coercing the NPC. the charm person spell only makes the person reguard you as a trusted friend.
You can convince them to do things they wouldn't otherwise do with an opposed charisma check. That goes beyond what Diplomacy allows. Removing of skills such as Sense Motive and Diplomacy is indicative of their loss of judgement. Further, the fact there are no very general caveats like Diplomacy has (where the DM can just decide something is impossible) further emphasizes this. The only caveats are against suicidal acts and harm, but even then the spell allows some leeway with influencing them.
So no, it isn't "just like you improved their attitude with diplomacy."
And even if it was, screwing with someone's mind and then using that compromised mind to get something invalidates consent. It doesn't matter if you could have done it another way.
That's like robbing a store and saying "well, I could have gotten a job there and been paid. This is...
read the faq/errata on the charm person spell.
faq:
Charm person makes a humanoid "friendly" to you, as per the rules found in the Diplomacy skill, but it also allows you to issue orders to the target, making an opposed Charisma check to convince the target to do something that it would not normally do. How does that work?
The charm person spell (and charm monster by extension) makes the target your friend. It will treat you kindly (although maybe not your allies) and will generally help you as long as your interests align. This is mostly in the purview of the GM. If you ask the creature to do something that it would not normally do (in relation to your friendship), that is when the opposed Charisma check comes into play. For example, if you use charm person to befriend an orc, the orc might share his grog with you and talk with you about the upcoming raid on a nearby settlement. If you asked him to help you fight some skeletons, he might very well lend a hand. If you asked him to help you till a field, however, you might need to make that check to convince him to do it.
so charm person does have that special cavet you mentioned. things that are beyond what you would do are still beyond this spells ability to force a NPC to do even with a successful Cha check at the GM's discretion.
The description clearly includes a fair bit of stuff that goes beyond "helpful." So no, you are wrong.
Even if you were correct, you are still twisting their brain to help you. That thoroughly undermines their ability to give valid consent. It does not matter if you could have actually spent time with them and become friends (which is not certain). You've skipped that part and went straight to twisting their brain.
What you are saying is the same as saying "Drugging someone and raping them is ok if you COULD have convinced them to have sex with you." The fact there may have been valid alternatives to get what you wanted does not change the fact that you did not take them.
Charm Person Text:
This charm makes a humanoid creature regard you as its trusted friend and ally (treat the target's attitude as friendly). If the creature is currently being threatened or attacked by you or your allies, however, it receives a +5 bonus on its saving throw.
The spell does not enable you to control the charmed person as if it were an automaton, but it perceives your words and actions in the most favorable way. You can try to give the subject orders, but you must win an opposed Charisma check to convince it to do anything it wouldn't ordinarily do. (Retries are not allowed.) An affected creature never obeys suicidal or obviously harmful orders, but it might be convinced that something very dangerous is worth doing. Any act by you or your apparent allies that threatens the charmed person breaks the spell. You must speak the person's language to communicate your commands, or else be good at pantomiming.
that doesnt grant anymore control over your target than using diplomacy and rolling high enough to change their attitude to helpful. now this whole "valid consent" statement is only your opinion. using "Charm" magic does not equal the same as drugging someone. a charmed person can still think and reason as per the text i made bold in the spoiler.
a women will sleep with anyone given sufficient time and skill and their personal preferences don't matter. LAWL
That is not my view, I was only saying that if it was a possibility Charm Person only makes it quicker to make her your friend.
1. You can't assume that you can become anyone's Trusted Friend.
1. at no point did i assume such.
"That is not my view, I was only saying that if it was a possibility Charm Person only makes it quicker to make her your friend. "
Ok, let me slightly restate my point. The fact is, you can't assume it was a possibility, and even if you do that doesn't make brainwashing to get there ok.
Again, YOU ARE NOT HER TRUSTED FRIEND.
using charm person is no different than using diplomacy to change a NPC's attitude up to and including to "helpful" which provides pretty much the same benefits as Charm Person. making someone your friend with Charm Person is no more evil than using diplomacy. what you do with that friendship while its active is clearly up for debate in this thread. the spell is just a quicker way to make someone helpful.
You cannot make a bluff check to become a trusted friend. You cannot make a diplomacy check to become a trusted friend. These skills do not work that way.
Again, YOU ARE NOT HER FRIEND.
It does not matter if she's sleep with any trusted friend. YOU ARE NOT HER FRIEND. Brain-washing her to view you as a friend does not somehow make it ok. YOU ARE NOT HER FRIEND.
Just like using Charm Person to get someone to give you money is stealing, using it to get sex is rape. Charm Person means their consent is not valid.
Charm Person does not force either person in those examples to do what you have suggested. you still have to convince them and they have to be willing to perform said action for a trusted friend. even the opposed Cha check is not a compulsion. it is just you trying to convince your "trusted friend" that it is a good idea, and it only flies if the GM is convinced that the npc is convinced.
I'm curious. I'm going to explain my reasoning why Charm Person is definitely the equivalent of roofieing someone and "coercing" them.
Barmaid example, Shes willing to sleep with her friends in this one. She would never sleep with a stranger.
Shes never met you before. You cast Charm Person forcing her to regard you as a close friend. Coitus ensues.
Heres the fact of the matter.
Without doing what you did, she would have never slept with you. So what does that mean? Obviously Charm Person had a huge effect on changing her mental faculties. If you think that this is okay, then so should this example.
that's not true, you could still get those results. It would just require a whole lot more time and at least a few skill checks. All Charm Person does is speed up the process.
yes i would enjoy this as long as it did not drag out toooo long (4 to 6 sessions would be fun for me). and it would be even better if there was an opportunity to play your character (if you have one escape) in a future campaign set after your adventure in the DM dungeon. sounds like fun!!
I just found your thread Umbral and I find it fascinating. I noticed you never posted about the 10 minor gods. I would love to read about them if you get around to it.
I also really like your spin on undead. do you use mummies and how do they fit into your world if you do??
I am like you, I love to use a devil npc for stuff like this. and your ideas are certainly how I would use the devil to try to corrupt as many ppl as possible and further the goals of whatever evil overlord the devil is serving.
but I would have all the interactions with the devil be behind the scene with just the player and the devil.....
PC goes to the jake to relieve himself after a fun night of drinking in the tavern and guess who is waiting for him in the stall.
and I would tie all the "favors" the devil wants done (or most at least) to coincide with whatever mission the PC's are doing at that time.
Very very nice arlandor. Thats problemly what I will go with.
Mmmm I wonder what type of spellbook I should give him mmmm
I would certainly make the spellbook be given to him from the devil he is dealing with for several reasons.
first and foremost it should allow the devil or his master to always be able to scry the PC, even if the player has magic warding him from scrying as long as the PC has the spellbook in his possession. and I would try not to let the PC be aware of this fact.
second make it so the devil will only place the spells he grants in that spellbook, even if the spellbook is full of spells when the devil grants his boon after his favor has been completed it will create new pages and place those spells on those pages. The spells shouldn't be able to be erased from the spellbook easily.
and finally I would probably tie a 1/day spell-like ability to the spellbook that the player can use. it should absolutely be an evil spell or a spell that pushes the player towards being evil. make it tempting to use but not to powerful. it should throw off the player making him wonder why he got this cool ability for free, but it should be to tempting of an ability to pass up on.
giving him an Imp familiar would be cool but its overkill without him expending the resources to acquire one normally. there is no need to have to balance what he wants because it is not overpowered. all you are doing is giving him a group of spells split up over 20 levels that he should normally be able to get and scribe into his spellbook anyways on his own. its not like he is a sorcerer and you are giving him additional spells known on top of what they normally get. the only benefit he has is getting a few extra spells of whatever new level of spell he is able to cast without having to pay for it or make a spellcraft check to learn them. as a DM this is storyline gold here with little risk of abuse that your player asked for. you are the DM and control the flow of magic, magic items, and treasure.
I would probably put the benefits in tiers. Like at character creation give him his normal allotment of spells and then add all the Illusion spells to his spell book for agreeing to the contract with said devil.
Have the devil tell him he will be in touch. Then just before the player is about to gain access to 2nd level spells have the devil show up and request payment for his next round favor. Make it something minor but definitely require assisting evil in some way. Maybe acquire goods or provide a service for an evil cult. Once completed the devil will manifest all the 2nd level Illusion spells.
Then rinse and repeat before each level where he acquires a new level of spells. And make the request from the devil at each new level get more and more evil. The first few requests just assisting an evil cult acquire items and services, and the later requests possible destroying paragons of good or maybe even finding and turning over an evil artifact to evil cultists.
fine print clause:
And finally add a fine print clause that states that if the player decides not to perform said favor for the devil he only receives a single Illusion spell of the players choice at that level. The devil grants said spell and leaves the player alone until the next time the player is about to gain a new level of spells. Then if or when the player refuses the devil 3 times his soul is forfeit. The devil will send mercenary's and inevitables to collect the players soul. You can add whatever other fine print clauses to prevent him from trying to sidestep doing what he agreed to do making them as devious as you feel like being.
And clearly upon reaching 6th or 7th level spells the player should be well on his way to damning his soul if not already there. Should make for a fun campaign if the player likes to role-play.
I see nothing in the description of Levitate that would suggest that you have to spend a move action just to stay where you are if the floor came out from under you.
the spell states that: You can mentally direct the recipient to move up or down as much as 20 feet each round; doing so is a move action.
so if took a 5ft step off a cliff or over a pit you would hang in space. since you took a 5ft step you would not be able to move any more that round. but the next round you could move up or down as per the spell.
5ft step states that: You can move 5 feet in any round when you don't perform any other kind of movement.
so even using the spell to move up or down would be limited if you have taken a 5ft step.
i tried this with my previous campaign and the only real problem i had was getting my players on board. of course my players are not that interested in playing spellcasters in general so my choice to change the method of spellcasting didnt affect them. but if you choose to replace all magic items with psionic items, i agree with kahnyagnorc that healing is going to be your biggest concern.
Force Slash
School: evocation [force]; Level: magus 2
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, F
Range: close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets: up to four creatures, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration: instantaneous
Saving Throw: none; Spell Resistance: yes
A blade of pure force flies from your weapon, dealing force damage equal to your weapon's damage die + Int with a successful ranged touch attack. At 6th level, and every five levels thereafter, you may make an additional attack. These attacks are made simultaneously. The critical threat range for these attacks is equal to that of your weapon, but the critical multiplier is only x2. You may apply your weapon's enhancement bonus (if any) to the attack and damage rolls, but you may not add other weapon special abilities (such as Keen or Flaming), nor may you apply any feats pertaining to the weapon (such as Improved Critical or Weapon Focus).
This spell requires a light or one-handed slashing weapon, used for the attack, as a focus.
I like it, I think it strikes a pretty good balance.
allowing enhancement bonuses seems over the top I think. the spell is already attacking touch AC and at range on top of that. this is a pretty good spell without adding enhancement bonuses. you get additional attacks with one casting and its balanced by your base attack bonus.
you should also address what you will do in the case of a critical hit. are you going to use the standard x2 on critical or use the weapons critical range and bonus?
