after the spell has been cast there is no mention of what is needed to target the lightning so voice not needed
I appreciate your input, but by this logic you could be unconscious and target the lightning because it doesn't say you can't. Do you know any rules that further back this up? Even for other, similar spells. Because the dictionary defines call as "to cry out in a loud voice", and while that may be playing the semantics game, the spell does specifically say
Call Lightning Description wrote:
Immediately upon completion of the spell, and once per round thereafter, you may call down a 5-foot-wide, 30-foot-long, vertical bolt of lightning that deals 3d6 points of electricity damage.
meowstef wrote:
as for being knocked unconscious unless a spell mention otherwise or requires concentration it keeps running (some arguments about target no longer valid can come up if target dies but that does not apply here)
So when the druid wakes up check if the duration has expired if not they can still use the spell
same is true of hexes unless they need concentration
So when a witch dies, everything by her hexes are still affected until their duration expires? Makes sense, would like a rules quote if you have one. Thanks. (:
If it were still round 1 when the voice was stolen I would have to go with he could not complete the spell...1 round casting time means you are doing nothing but casting from that point until just before your next turn...I will quote the part that gets me to that ruling...but I could very well be wrong (someone will definitely point that out if I am)
Quote:
When you begin a spell that takes 1 round or longer to cast, you must continue the concentration from the current round to just before your turn in the next round (at least). If you lose concentration before the casting is complete, you lose the spell.
For the second one I'm not sure...I think I remember reading something about spell effects ending once the target is no longer valid...but that usually means the target died...ill see what I can find
Thanks for looking deeper into this. I really appreciate it! I agree with you, though it's frustrating to my players!
How would you rule if his voice got stolen on round 2 or 3, after the casting of the spell had been completed but before all lightning bolts could be called. Can he "call" a lightning bolt without being able to talk?
EFFECT
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect one or more 30-ft.-long vertical lines of lightning
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance yes
DESCRIPTION
Immediately upon completion of the spell, and once per round thereafter, you may call down a 5-foot-wide, 30-foot-long, vertical bolt of lightning that deals 3d6 points of electricity damage. The bolt of lightning flashes down in a vertical stroke at whatever target point you choose within the spell's range (measured from your position at the time). Any creature in the target square or in the path of the bolt is affected.
You need not call a bolt of lightning immediately; other actions, even spellcasting, can be performed first. Each round after the first you may use a standard action (concentrating on the spell) to call a bolt. You may call a total number of bolts equal to your caster level (maximum 10 bolts).
If you are outdoors and in a stormy area - a rain shower, clouds and wind, hot and cloudy conditions, or even a tornado (including a whirlwind formed by a djinni or an air elemental of at least Large size) - each bolt deals 3d10 points of electricity damage instead of 3d6.
This spell functions indoors or underground but not underwater.
I have 2 questions related to this spell and situation specifically, but would also like insight into the general rules related to this sort of thing.
In Combat, this was how things happened:
Round 1: Druid casts Call Lightning
Round 1: Voice gets stolen by Attic Whisperer (basically no spells with verbal components)
Round 2: Druid tries to activate Call Lightning to bring a lightning bolt down (this technically has a verbal component in my opinion because it's part of the spell, etc) and I, as DM, let him do it because when I am unsure of something I always rule in favor of the players and then look it up (or ask you guys after the fact)
Round 2: Dragon knocks Druid unconcious
Round 4: Rogue heals Druid with CMW potion
Round 5: Druid stands up and attempts to Call Lightning, I say that this time it doesn't work because he fell unconcious. I know that other spells dissipate when the source of the spell falls unconcious.
Did I rule correctly on Call Lightning when the druid had no voice?
Did I rule correctly on Call Lightning after the druid became concious and stood up?
Furthermore: When a witch dies, do the effects of her hexes end immediately or at their normal end time? (She can't cackle and extend it anymore.)
After every session I run, I always have a lot of questions about specifics. Thanks, Paizo Community for helping clear them up!
My understanding is that compulsion effects are precisely that; they compel you to do something irrespective of your feelings about it.
As in, no amount of fear would break him free of this compulsion? I wish I had the AP in front of me so I could get the exact wording of the effect, but I returned it to it's owner. I think I interpreted this compulsion effect similar to the spell Suggestion (though the AP doesn't say any spell that it's similar to, I think). If it was similar to the spell Suggestion, would the phobia at least give him a chance at another save?
Suggestion:
School enchantment (compulsion) [language-dependent, mind-affecting]; Level bard 2, sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, M (a snake's tongue and a honeycomb)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one living creature
Duration 1 hour/level or until completed
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
You influence the actions of the target creature by suggesting a course of activity (limited to a sentence or two). The suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the activity sound reasonable. Asking the creature to do some obviously harmful act automatically negates the effect of the spell.
The suggested course of activity can continue for the entire duration. If the suggested activity can be completed in a shorter time, the spell ends when the subject finishes what it was asked to do. You can instead specify conditions that will trigger a special activity during the duration. If the condition is not met before the spell duration expires, the activity is not performed.
A very reasonable suggestion causes the save to be made with a penalty (such as –1 or –2).
I rationalize the second save because of the line "Asking the creature to do some obviously harmful act automatically negates the effect of the spell." and while I understand that at the time of the compulsion effect the suggestion wasn't harmful, it is now. What do y'all think?
So I came across an interesting issue while running a section of Shattered Star at my last game. I'd like to know if anyone knows the specific rules about how to handle my situation and if there aren't any (this is what I'm thinking), how would you handle the situation?
I had a fighter in my party who had previously encountered a CR 9 Fiendish Seugathi and failed a bunch of Will saves and went permanently insane. His DM at the time ruled that his insanity was going to manifest in a Phobia of worms and worm-like creatures (because that fits the description of the Seugathi).
Then at my session, the party entered a cave with an underground lake in the Lady's Light (2nd book of AP) and that cavern was full of enchantment magic. Everyone in the room made a Will save, and those that failed were compelled to strip of their armor and weapons and dive into the lake and swim toward a secret door.
Well, the insane Fighter failed his Will save, stripped of his armor and weapons and jumped into the water. He was swimming along just fine until... two eels attacked him.
I spoke with the DM that gave him the phobia and we both agreed that eels would be "worm-like" enough to trigger his fear. And then the issue arose: is the compulsion effect that has him swimming toward the secret door stronger, or is his fear of worms and worm-like creatures stronger? How would you handle this situation: keep him swimming to the door and ignoring the eels, or would his fear snap him out of his compulsion?
How would you guys rationalize RAW with certain sections in the Adventure Path that specifically state it is impossible to pass without leaving tracks? I remember this from somewhere in the first book right after they went through the winter portal. It also occurred in the second book in The Howlings. I'm not disagreeing with your responses, I'm just curious as to how you would handle a situation like this. Tending to rules or tending to AP?
So I'm running Reign of Winter and my group is in the 2nd book, The Shackled Hut, and I really love it but one thing that consistently causes problems is all the gosh darn snow.
I have a Ranger and a Druid in my campaign and both of them maintain that they shouldn't leave any tracks in freshly fallen snow. My ranger picked his Favored Terrain as cold and my Druid claims that Trackless Step covers freshly fallen snow as well.
Favored Terrain:
Favored Terrain (Ex): At 3rd level, a ranger may select a type of terrain from the Favored Terrains table. The ranger gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when he is in this terrain. A ranger traveling through his favored terrain normally leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (though he may leave a trail if he so chooses).
At 8th level and every five levels thereafter, the ranger may select an additional favored terrain. In addition, at each such interval, the skill bonus and initiative bonus in any one favored terrain (including the one just selected, if so desired), increases by +2.
If a specific terrain falls into more than one category of favored terrain, the ranger's bonuses do not stack; he simply uses whichever bonus is higher.
Trackless Step:
Trackless Step (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a druid leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.
I guess that my biggest issue is from a common sense standpoint. In my opinion, while a Druid or Ranger would know how to avoid stepping on leaves and crushing them or breaking plants when they walked past, they wouldn't just magically not leave tracks in snow. Tracks in snow are all weight-based. They're footprints. Rangers/Druids don't just magically weigh less because they're in their element.
This is where I ask you, Paizo Community, to weigh in on my decision about these class features going forward. I don't want to limit my players or make them resent the classes and class features they've chosen but I don't think that I should negate my common sense either.
My Conjuration Wizard just found a Book of Extended Summoning (great news!) but I'm having a problem with the number of uses that it has.
The item description wrote:
This leather-bound book is inscribed with runes relating to outsiders and conjuration magic. It enhances spells that summon monsters. The user may apply the Extend Spell feat to these spells as they are cast. This does not change the spell slot of the altered spell. The book counts as a metamagic rod for the purpose of combining multiple metamagic effects on a spell. A normal book of extended summoning can be used with spells of 6th level or lower, while a lesser book can be used with spells of 3rd level or lower, and a greater book can be used with spells of 9th level or lower. Each book is keyed to a particular alignment (equal chances of chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) and only works when used to summon a creature with that alignment. Once the book is used, it crumbles into cold ash and is destroyed.
My DM told me that the book had been used once before by it's previous owner which implies that it has multiple charges on it, but I can't find the number of charges it would have on it anywhere. The description implies that it only has one use (with the last sentence) but the book obviously hasn't crumbled into dust. Does this mean that the writer of the module (Dragon's Demand) and my DM are mistaken or does this book have multiple uses? If anyone can list source material in addition to their answers, that would be great!
