Does Instant Enemy works on creatures immune to mind-affecting and / or enchantment?


Rules Questions


Instant Enemy wrote:


School enchantment; Level ranger 3

CASTING

Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V, S

EFFECT

Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets one creature that is not your favored enemy.
Duration 1 minute/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

From prd:

Enchantment wrote:


All enchantments are mind-affecting spells.

So, what about that? I tried to search, but I didn't find much. It seems that instant enemy isn't a mind affecting, because it lacks the descriptor, and I think this could be the case of "specific trumps generic", but also it seems that you cast the spell at the target, not at you, it seems a bit strange to me.


Oops.

Why the heck is this spell an enchantment anyway? What does it actually do, you know, in-universe?


I was always under the impression that you targeted yourself and used enchantment to treat that target as your FE.

Looks like I know nothing.


blahpers wrote:

Oops.

Why the heck is this spell an enchantment anyway? What does it actually do, you know, in-universe?

Good question. It seems that you "charme yourself to auto convince that the think is one of your favored enemies". Or some sh*t like that. I can't even understand why in the world it should be a creature the target and not youself.


The Ranger who intends to optimize Instant Enemy selects something common like Favored Enemy Human and increases it every chance at the proper level-ups (1st, 5th, and 10th). At level 10 (when you can cast Instant Enemy if you have a 16 Wisdom with a bonus slot) or level 11 (if your Wisdom is 10-15), that makes the bonus +6/+6.

The Favored Enemy spell lets you select ONE opponent (e.g. some single dragon) who is not on your favored enemy list at all to be the subject of the +6/+6 bonus. The bonus likely runs out by the death or flight of the opponent [whether killed by you or the party, or its escape] rather than the duration.

If it worked on yourself as the target (rather than a single opponent), you could slaughter the dragon, all of the dragon's diverse friends (human/orc/giant mix army, dragon herd, army of various undead types, whatever), all using your +6/+6 [assuming you can do so within a casting or two of Instant Enemy]. Basically +6/+6 every round for about 90 rounds at level 10 (10th level ranger - 3 normal caster level difference {getting 1st level spells at 4th] + 2 magical knack = 9th level casting = 9 minutes).

Having never seen a Ranger with Instant Enemy in my campaigns, I couldn't really compare that to another martial class to know if that would be overpowering, or merely helpful to bring the rangers up in power.


I could see putting the spell in the transmutation school maybe?

Abjuration: not protection
Conjuration: (not calling*, creation, healing, summoning*, teleportation)
(*see also Binding Outsiders)
Divination: (not scrying)
Enchantment (charm, compulsion): the spell does not really affect the minds of others, influencing or controlling their behavior.
Evocation: (not direct damage)
Illusion: (figment, glamer, pattern, phantasm, shadow) = maybe an illusion on which you elect to auto-fail the save?
Necromancy: (just no)
Transmutation (polymorph): you don't actually make the dragon a human, so polymorph is out, but general transmutation seems to fit. "change the properties of some creature, thing, or condition." = make it human enough for your class ability for a different category to work on it


This is a rare case where I'm actually considering tossing a first-party spell--not because it's too strong but because I can't make any sense of it in-universe. Favored enemy represents more than just "I hate those guys"--it represents having studied these foes, knowing their anatomy, their behavior, their motivations (if any), and so on. The spell description makes no attempt whatsoever to associate itself as a game mechanic, so I don't really know how to narrate what happens when it comes into play.

The fact that it doesn't affect the targeted creature yet somehow is a mind-affecting effect on that creature just clinches it. I'll have to rewrite the spell block so that my players can actually use the thing should one desire to. I'd probably call it a divination using true strike as a model. I can't have it change the enemy itself--that has too many ramifications, and the target doesn't even get a saving throw or spell resistance.


JoeElf wrote:
If it worked on yourself as the target (rather than a single opponent)...

If it worked that way, it would just need a clause to end when the creature whose type you attuned to died. Not a black or white issue like you present.

Agreed with those highlighting the problems here, the spell SHOULD target yourself even in aspects of it (type, duration) depend on 3rd party. There isn't really any justification/need for it to be structured as it is, because it is Save: None SR: No. As Enchantment, it's simulating the perceptions one would have if you actually had the knowledge, intuition, discernment implied by Favored Ally ability. Technically speaking if the spell were structured to target the caster, it then shouldn't work if you find some way to get it to target "Mindless" ally... which seems reasonable to me. Meanwhile it would work for Favored Enemy: Vermin etc.

Liberty's Edge

Best sense I can make is that you establish some subliminal connection that gives you intuitive knowledge that allows you to anticipate the targets actions similar to how the ranger anticipates them after long study (favored enemy). Thus it is an enchantment that targets the enemy.

Or it's a screwup. Either way.


Instant Enemy has always been a gooney stopgap measure to prevent a high level Ranger from being garbage because they're fighting the wrong thing. "Oops, I have no Favored Enemy: Dragon. Guess I'm a martial with zero combat bonus for this climactic boss battle. Oh well! Better luck next time!"

There's a reason I always recommend Guide Ranger.

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