My party just faced Lillianth and crew last session. Lynnara gets into the act in round 5 and decides the PCs are on the losing end. She uses mass suggestions and asks "for some big strong lads to join her for a nice warm bath". Two characters fail and jump into the lava on their next action.
I know the rules say attended magic items do not need to make saving throws- but the PCs take 20d6 damage with no save! It seems to me those items should make saving throws, if not get destroyed outright from lava damage.
Opinions?
Was the lava somehow concealed? Jumping into lava does not seem like a reasonable use of the suggestion power unless the target is VERY fire resistant.
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In regards to the magic items. The Srd states.
"A magic item doesn’t need to make a saving throw unless it is unattended, it is specifically targeted by the effect, or its wielder rolls a natural 1 on his save. Magic items should always get a saving throw against spells that might deal damage to them— even against attacks from which a nonmagical item would normally get no chance to save. Magic items use the same saving throw bonus for all saves, no matter what the type (Fortitude, Reflex, or Will). A magic item’s saving throw bonus equals 2 + one-half its caster level (round down). The only exceptions to this are intelligent magic items, which make Will saves based on their own Wisdom scores.
Magic items, unless otherwise noted, take damage as nonmagical items of the same sort. A damaged magic item continues to function, but if it is destroyed, all its magical power is lost." (DMG, 241)
Unless it's the "One Ring", falling into "Normal" lava does not really offer a saving throw at all for the character, and thus does not offer a saving throw for an item, I'd rule that the items would begin to take the 20d6 of fire damage every round from immersion.
In regards to Suggestion, the SRD says.
"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. "
Therefore it would automatically fail unless the PC was somehow compleatly unaware of the dangers of jumping into Lava. Even if he had fire immunity, the possibility of drowing in "Liquid Hot Magma" would most likely deter him from committing the act, or at a minimum give him a bonus to the save.
I would have used her Telekinesis ability to use Violent Thrust and launched him in the lava anyway.
Was the lava somehow concealed? Jumping into lava does not seem like a reasonable use of the suggestion power unless the target is VERY fire resistant.
I read the part in the description of the suggestion spell that states-
"However, a suggestion that a pool of acid is actually pure water and that a quick dip would be refreshing is another matter"
My line of thinking was that acid equals lava so I decided to use the spell. I looked up acid effects after the session and found that it actually does half the damage that lava does. I don't know if this would have changed what I did or not had I known at the time.
I knew going into it that it would barely be a speed bump for them- getting them out was just a regroup spell away. The damage it did was far less than a full attack from Lillianth, plus it seemed like one of those moments the players will talk about for some time. The look on their faces when it happened was great.
I figured if a hottie with a charisma of 37 asked me to do something- count me in!