
DeathCon 00 |

Some spells, like suggestion and dominate person, make it obvious to the victim that they are being controlled in some way, but some of the other mind-affecting spells have more subtle effects, like charm person and lullaby. I am just curious about how aware are the victims of those spells that magic has been cast upon them.
I know if they see the spellcaster waving his hands around it's a dead giveaway, but if a person is charmed, say, while they are asleep, then woken up would they be aware that this person they see as a friend is actually manipulating them with magic or will they simply see them as a friend? Then when the spell's duration expires, do they go, oh s#$& I was magicked! Or will they simply wonder why they were being so nice and helpful to a complete stranger?

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Let's say you were fighting a mighty mage, way outside your pay grade, who was actually a nice guy and didn't want to kill you.
He could have cast fireball and roasted you in your boots. He could have cast baleful polymorph and left you a flounder, gasping out your last moments, writing and suffocating. Instead, he cast a spell that gave you a glimpse of his soul, revealing to you his honest good nature, hoping it would end the fight without bloodshed.

concerro |

Some spells, like suggestion and dominate person, make it obvious to the victim that they are being controlled in some way, but some of the other mind-affecting spells have more subtle effects, like charm person and lullaby. I am just curious about how aware are the victims of those spells that magic has been cast upon them.
I know if they see the spellcaster waving his hands around it's a dead giveaway, but if a person is charmed, say, while they are asleep, then woken up would they be aware that this person they see as a friend is actually manipulating them with magic or will they simply see them as a friend? Then when the spell's duration expires, do they go, oh s%@% I was magicked! Or will they simply wonder why they were being so nice and helpful to a complete stranger?
It gives no additional resistance against the spell so from a rules point of view whether you are charmed while sleep or awake you still have the same penalties.
to answer the question:From the PRD
Succeeding on a Saving Throw: A creature that successfully saves against a spell that has no obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack. Likewise, if a creature's saving throw succeeds against a targeted spell, you sense that the spell has failed. You do not sense when creatures succeed on saves against effect and area spells.

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Some spells, like suggestion and dominate person, make it obvious to the victim that they are being controlled in some way, but some of the other mind-affecting spells have more subtle effects, like charm person and lullaby. I am just curious about how aware are the victims of those spells that magic has been cast upon them.
I know if they see the spellcaster waving his hands around it's a dead giveaway, but if a person is charmed, say, while they are asleep, then woken up would they be aware that this person they see as a friend is actually manipulating them with magic or will they simply see them as a friend? Then when the spell's duration expires, do they go, oh s*!% I was magicked! Or will they simply wonder why they were being so nice and helpful to a complete stranger?
You can decide your own attitude towards other NPCs (except while charmed). So while charmed you'd see the caster as a very good and close friend, you feel you can trust them more than anybody.
When the charm wears off you'll realise you were duped, and how the spell-caster took advantage of the situation should decide your attitude.
(A spell caster who uses Charm Person to stop everybody from killing each other might bear trusting. A spell caster who used Charm Person to ask you for one of your healing potions before wailing on your other allies, might need a thwacking).

DM_Blake |

At the time, everything seems normal.
Believe me, if you charmed me to do stuff I would not have done without the charm spell, I will be pissed. If I know I'm charmed while I'm doing it, I will be pissed while I'm doing it - very much the opposite of "friendly" which is what Charm Person is supposed to make me.
So during the Charm Person, I'm oblivious to it. If not, then you're my enemy instead of my friend.
After it's over, it will be very obvious to me unless you and I were frinds before you cast it, because if you were a total stranger, and suddenly I thought you were a good friend before I even knew your name, and then just as suddenly I no do not think you are a good friend, well, that's pretty suspicious. And since Charm Person doesn't take away my memory, then I very clearly remember a period of time during which a total stranger seemed like a very good friend, but not he doesn't. Adn if that stranger is anyhwere nearby, he's going to find out just how unfriendly I can be.
Lulliby isn't any different. If I'm walking along and suddenly my mental state makes a huge and instant change to something different, and I'm fully aware of it, that will be a mega-danger warning sign. In a world with very real and very dangerous magic, feeling your mental state change to anything different or unusual is just as scary, maybe even more scary, than hearing a lion roar at you - either way something horrendously bad is happening. So if any of these spells are detectable while they're having their effect, the victims will feel like their lives are in danger and they need to fight or flee if they want to live another minute - just like they would feel if a lion had just roared at them.
Exactly the opposite reaction Lulliby should engender.
But again, afterware, they're going to be pretty sure that someone or something used magic on them, and if they have any idea who cast it(Charm Person is obvious, they guy they mysteriously like is the one who cast it, but many other spells are not so obvious), then they're likely to treat that person as a dangerous criminal and/or an enemy.

Ambrus |

The fun part of knowing or not knowing whether you're charmed or being magically manipulated is that it wouldn't really change anything. I'm reminded of a Buffy episode in which all of the main characters have been subjected to a charm-like spell and subsequently deduce what's happened to them:
Xander: "So we're saying he did a spell just to make us think he was cool?"
Giles: "Yes."
Xander: "That is so cool!"