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I need some help figuring out how I should rule on this creature RAW for PFS. One of our local players makes use of the Summon Accuser Devil spell from the Rival Guide, and I think some of how it has been ruled so far falls into the too good to be true category, and I think that's due to my not being familiar enough with the creature or some of the monster rules.
NOTE: I am not looking for an excuse to nerf the creature or the player's character. It's an extremely useful spell/creature, and good strategy on his part. I only want to make sure that I understand how it works, so that I correctly rule when he does run up against one of its limitations. I neither want to allow more than it can do, nor disallow something that I shouldn't.
The first ability in question is Telepathy. Under languages, the Accuser Devil has Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, and telepathy 100ft. Telepathy, in the Monster Rules, reads:
Telepathy (Su)
The creature can mentally communicate with any other creature within a certain range (specified in the creature’s entry, usually 100 feet) that has a language. It is possible to address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining a telepathic conversation with more than one creature at a time is just as difficult as simultaneously speaking and listening to multiple people at the same time
Format: telepathy 100 ft.; Location: Languages.
Up until now, it has been ruled by me and other GMs that since the devil can maintain contact with multiple creatures, they can essentially hold a mental conversation, with the creature relaying their thoughts to one another. This more or less emulates the Telepathic Bond spell. I believe we have been interpreting that correctly, but I want to clarify a couple of points.
1) Is Telepathy language dependent RAW? RAW is important here. I don't want to rule based on what I think they meant. Telepathy works on a creature "that has a language." It does not say that the two creatures must share the language.
2) What type of action does it take to use Telepathy? This is where I am not sure. Telepathy is an (Su) ability. It does not specify the type of action. Does that mean it's a standard to use? What about to maintain? It says nothing about concentration. But it is also listed under Languages, and a language does not normally require an action to use (other than the free action to speak). If it is a standard action to start, that can become important when the creature moves out of range. In a fight yesterday, the creature moved beyond 100 feet at one point and into a dark room, losing it's telepathic connection and being beyond its and the party's Darkvision range. So it was completely out of contact with the party. If it has to reestablish the telepathy as a standard action once it is back in range, that is a huge deal in the middle of a fight. If it has to use a standard per creature that it wants to be in Telepathic contact with, it's a gargantuan deal. I honestly don't know what my interpretation of this is.
3) Can Telepathy send images, or would the creature have to "describe" what it sees? In other words, could a character in a telepathic link with the devil make a perception check on the room that the devil is in? I believe the answer is no, since Telepathy mentions nothing about sending images or allowing checks to be made through the ability. However, see below.
The next ability I have questions about is the Infernal Eye Special Ability:
Infernal Eye (Su) A zebub records all that it sees and may pass its visions on to another creature. By remaining in contact with a willing creature, it can replay up to 24 hours of witnessed events, or shorter incidents if it so chooses. It takes a zebub 1 round to replay 1 hour of recorded images, which the target receives in a flash of information, without sound or other sensory information. After relaying its findings, the zebub cannot replay its visions of those events again. A zebub cannot replay its visions for an unwilling creature or as an attack, no matter how horrific the events it might have witnessed.
1) What type of action does Infernal Eye take? As an (Su) ability it would normally be a standard action. It specifies that it takes 1 round to replay an hour of recorded images. Does that mean it's a Full-Round action? What if it's less than an hour worth of images? More? I believe that it is a Standard action to activate, but it takes a Full-Round for the information to be transferred, regardless of the duration of the information. This would allow the devil to take a move action while the transfer is occurring. If it is more than an hour, I believe it would take 1 round per hour and the devil would need to concentrate, so it would use its Standard action each round.
2) Can Infernal Eye be used through Telepathy, or does the devil have to have Line of Effect? This is something I think we've been doing wrong. We've been allowing Infernal Eye to transmit images through Telepathy, thus allowing characters to do things like make visual Perception checks on a room while the devil is looking at it (though not to utilize spells like Detect Magic or to have Line of Sight, since they are watching a replay). Either that's what we've been ruling, or we've been ruling Telepathy allows transmission of images, but I don't think either is correct. I believe, though, this is the ability that has been referenced for allowing the Perception checks. I can see that being the case once the devil has returned to the group, but until he does, I believe all he can do is describe what he sees through Telepathy.
3) Can the devil use Infernal Eye on more than one character? The ability reads "another creature," which to me means one other creature at a time. It then says in the bolded section that it cannot replay those events again. I think we've been missing that part (or at least, I have). So only one person in the party would be able to see the replayed events, and only that character would be allowed Perception or Knowledge checks about those events, though he could then describe them to other characters, who might get a check based just on the description.
And one final question on the devil's Invisibility. It can cast Invisibility at will. I am clear that takes a standard action. But am I also correct in thinking that it is still limited by the duration of Invisibility (1 min/CL)? If so, the devil would become visible every 8 minutes and have to recast Invisibility as a standard. In most cases that won't matter, but if something is watching the PCs without their knowledge, it would give that creature a chance to realize the devil is there.
Any help would be appreciated. And again, I am not trying to punish the player or nerf the creature. I just want to understand how it is supposed to work, RAW, so that I don't incorrectly rule on something.
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I found the reference in the CRB for what action a Su ability takes.
Supernatural Abilities (Su): Using a supernatural
ability is usually a standard action (unless defined
otherwise by the ability’s description). Its use cannot be
disrupted, does not require concentration, and does not
provoke attacks of opportunity.