Shatter Confidence Ability of Aldori swordlord

[Galahad0430]

When a type of bonus is suppressed (as opposed to negated or canceled) for a duration, does that mean only those type of bonuses currently on or does it mean that the typed bonus is unavailable for that duration? Specifically, this is addressing the Aldori Swordlord PrC ability, Shatter Confidence. Does it suppress any morale bonuses for the entire duration or does it only suppress currently active ones and still allow new morale bonuses to be gained?

[DM_Blake]

That's a good question.

Parsing the wording of the ability it seems that it only applies to current morale effects the target already has:

"If this check is successful, any morale bonuses the target possesses are suppressed for a number of rounds equal to the swordlord's class level."

It makes no reference to the suppression being an ongoing duration ability that can suppress new effects which implies that the Shatter Confidence is an instantaneous effect that happens only once, instantly suppressing any existing abilities for a number of rounds. Morale bonuses applied after this instantaneous effect would function normally.

While this is not explicitly how it's stated, I think it's (mostly) clear that additional wording would be needed if the intent was for the suppression to be an ongoing effect.

[Galahad0430]

That was my reading to, but then someone pointed out that suppression effects are a type of condition and this is a fear effect like shaken. He also pointed out that the part you bolded can be read both ways, i.e. as a "current" or as a "possessive" form of the phrase.