Heroism is a great buff no doubt, but what about it's mental effects?
Once casted it can not be stopped short of a dispel magic.
What about the buffed creature? Does it charage blindly in the next dangerous situation (similar to a barbarian)? Or can the buffed-one simply enjoy the buff and ignore the bravery and valor part?What are your takes on idea behind the spell?
This spell imbues a single creature with great bravery and morale in battle. The target gains a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks.
Sounds like a buff to attack rolls, saves, and skill checks to me. Brave people with high morale don't just charge recklessly into battle. That's more of "fools."
Similarly, Barbarians don't need to charge blindly into every dangerous situation (though some may wish to play their Barbarian this way, and that's fine if it fits the group).
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Rysky covered it. An ability does what it says it does.
There's nothing in the Heroism spell that says they must engage an enemy in battle, regardless of whatever outcome that may follow, nor do they have to apply a sense of honor or bravery to their activities (in other words, it's flavor text).
Quite frankly, if it was supposed to incite a sense of honor or bravery or comradery or any of that stuff, in a literal and by-the-book sense, it would probably have a [Good] descriptor, and that if an Anti-Paladin were to benefit from it, they would be stripped of their Anti-Paladin powers, and probably converted into a Paladin right then and there.
Thankfully, nobody is insane enough to suggest that sort of conclusion...right...? Right? Right?!
Bravery isn't recklessness.
To be brave means standing up to your fears. To be reckless is to have none.
Where a coward might flee from a dragon and the barbarian might charge it heedless of the danger it presents, the brave one will confront it, knowing it is frightening and dangerous, but also knowing that somebody has to make a stand.
Spend all of the enemies wealth allocation on potions of heroism, bull's strength and bear's endurance and have them drink them all before the party engages in combat. Just to add insult to injury, put in treasure chests full of used scrolls, empty potion bottles and spent wands.
:P
Enemies drinking their potions and using their scrolls are in fact stealing from me! That loot is rightfully mine!
That's why you have a moral duty to slaughter all those greedy self-centred NPCs before they get a chance to waste consumables on themselves.