How would Freedom of movement interact with the Dread Mummy's Greater Despair which makes you paralyzed with fear?
Freedom of Movement
Spoiler:
This spell enables you or a creature you touch to move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web. All combat maneuver checks made to grapple the target automatically fail. The subject automatically succeeds on any combat maneuver checks and Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or a pin.
The spell also allows the subject to move and attack normally while underwater, even with slashing weapons such as axes and swords or with bludgeoning weapons such as flails, hammers, and maces, provided that the weapon is wielded in the hand rather than hurled. The freedom of movement spell does not, however, grant water breathing.
Greater Despair
Spoiler:
Greater Despair (Su)
Any creature within 100 feet of a dread mummy must succeed on a Fortitude save or be paralysed by fear for 1d4 rounds. Once a creature recovers from the paralysation effect, it remains staggered for 1 additional round. Whether or not the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by the same mummy’s despair ability for 24 hours. This is a paralysis and mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
The possibilities I considered are -
1) You are physically impeded from movement but your fear makes you unable to decide to move (the Magics mentioned in the FoM are magics that physically impeded you, not mentally). Basically ignore FoM.
2) You aren't paralysed but you are instead Staggered for 1d4 rds and then 1 further rd.
3) You aren't paralysed but instead take the next worst fear condition - Terrified for 1d4 rds
4) You are merely Staggered for 1 rd.
Are there any actual rule guidelines on this?
If not what do people think based on the rules we do have?
Thanks
Freedom of Movement protects from movement-restricting status ailments such as paralysis and staggered. Thus, a character under Freedom of Movement does not suffer any negative effects from a dread mummy's Greater Despair which imparts paralysis and/or staggered.
The fact that Greater Despair is a mind-affecting fear effect doesn't matter. What matters is that Greater Despair imparts paralysis and staggered.
Furthermore, no text in Greater Despair says it imparts fear conditions such as shaken / frightened / panicked, so those effects are never taken into consideration.
I agree with Void. Greater Despair specifically calls the effect "paralysis;" Freedom of Movement specifically protects the affected creature from paralysis. There are no caveats about the source of the paralysis.
The answer is 5: You are paralyzed in fear for 1d4 rounds, but FoM lets you act normally during those rounds as if you weren't paralyzed. The duration of paralysis is still tracked (for example, in case Freedom of Movement wears off or is dispelled). When it ends, you are staggered for one round.
The important thing to remember is that Freedom of Movement doesn't prevent you from being paralyzed. It just lets you act as if you weren't.
Freedom of Movement protects from movement-restricting status ailments such as paralysis and staggered. Thus, a character under Freedom of Movement does not suffer any negative effects from a dread mummy's Greater Despair which imparts paralysis and/or staggered.
The fact that Greater Despair is a mind-affecting fear effect doesn't matter. What matters is that Greater Despair imparts paralysis and staggered.
Furthermore, no text in Greater Despair says it imparts fear conditions such as shaken / frightened / panicked, so those effects are never taken into consideration.
I would note that nowhere does FoM say it protects you from been Staggered.
Staggered reduces your actions, not your Movement.
I would note that nowhere does FoM say it protects you from been Staggered.
Staggered reduces your actions, not your Movement.
A reduction in actions is a reduction in movement. FoM protects against slow, and Greater Despair is an influence of magic that impedes movement.
Being killed makes you unable to move, too. But FoM doesn't prevent you from being killed.
I can just see it - GM "The Evil Wizard cast Power word Kill and you fail your save."
Player - "I have Freedom of Movement so I'm protected from magic that would impede my movements or limit my actions so I'm protected from Power Word Kill because that would impede my movement"
