Can someone walk me through Psychokinetic Strangulation?

[Steve Geddes]

When does the target get a save?
When does it take damage?
Is there an "overall save" or is it automatically affected and then must save every round for half and to move?
Is the spell lost if the caster takes damage midcasting (via opportunity attack)?
Is the spell lost if the caster takes damage in later rounds?

Imagine the caster and their ally are fighting, the caster is up and casts psychokinetic strangulation on the Boss the turn order goes something like:

1. Caster
2. Minion
3. Boss
4. Ally

The caster casts their spell. (Saves? Damage? Condition applied?)
The minion attacks the caster (does doing damage disrupt the ongoing concentration?)
The boss has their turn (do they get another save? is this their first save?)
The ally goes
The caster's next turn happens...

Anyone willing to go through explicit, gory detail would be greatly appreciated!
(EDIT: explicit gory detail of the game mechanics, not the strangulation..)

[Cellion]

My interpretation is that the save must be made when the caster casts the spell and against every round when the caster takes a standard action to keep concentrating. The damage happens when the creature makes or fails its save on the caster's turn, and the immobilize lasts until the next time it must make a save (or until the spell ends). While you concentrate on a spell, taking damage from a noncontinuous effect interrupts concentration (this is implied by the concentration rules, but its specifically talking about concentration to CAST rather than concentration to maintain, so YMMV)[/ooc]

[Steve Geddes]

So in the timeline above it would go:

1. Caster casts (boss makes save - let's say they fail, take full damage and are immobilised)

2. Minion hits caster, does damage. Spell ends.

3. Boss acts normally, can move and now has to make no further saves.

?

[Pantshandshake]

Steve Geddes wrote:

So in the timeline above it would go:

1. Caster casts (boss makes save - let's say they fail, take full damage and are immobilised)

2. Minion hits caster, does damage. Spell ends.

3. Boss acts normally, can move and now has to make no further saves.

?

Your first bit there confuses me, since you have the boss both making the save and also not making the save in the same example.

If the save is made, and the caster takes a hit, then yes, 3 is what happens.

If the save is not made, then for the rest of this round, the boss suffers the effects of the spell, but wouldn't be effected next round.

(all this is based on a duration of Concentration being interrupted by a successful attack, which is probably the case.)

[Cellion]

Steve, I think the effect would end upon loss of concentration (in line with your 1,2,3 steps from two posts above this), but if I were the GM, I could be convinced to allow the immobilize to continue through the victim's first turn. After all, the enemy failed the save, so it feels like it'd be a bit disappointing for the player to get so little out of it.

[Pantshandshake]

I disagree that the spell effects would end if the concentration is broken. The effects are applied round by round, once they get applied after a failed save, the only way they come off of the target is if a new round starts and either the spell isn't still going (in the case of the concentrating caster no longer concentrating) or the target makes a save.

[Steve Geddes]

Pantshandshake wrote:

Steve Geddes wrote:

So in the timeline above it would go:

1. Caster casts (boss makes save - let's say they fail, take full damage and are immobilised)

2. Minion hits caster, does damage. Spell ends.

3. Boss acts normally, can move and now has to make no further saves.

?

Your first bit there confuses me, since you have the boss both making the save and also not making the save in the same example.

If the save is made, and the caster takes a hit, then yes, 3 is what happens.

If the save is not made, then for the rest of this round, the boss suffers the effects of the spell, but wouldn't be effected next round.

(all this is based on a duration of Concentration being interrupted by a successful attack, which is probably the case.)

Sorry by “boss makes save - let’s say they fail” I meant “boss rolls dice - let’s say they fail” sloppy wording.

[Steve Geddes]

Thank you both.

We’re not convinced ‘concentration to maintain a spell” Is the same as “concentration to cast a spell”.

Especially since it seems like you can let the spell run without concentrating on it (running down the clock without utilising it’s effects) if I haven’t used a concentrate action and I take damage, does the spell end?

(I appreciate any answers - we found this confusing or ill defined. I don’t have a strong view about how it “should be”).

[Pantshandshake]

I assume that 'concentration to produce an ongoing effect' and 'casting a spell takes concentration' are describing the same thing. It would make sense. But, that kind of logic has proved wrong before, so no, I can't be 100% certain that those concentrations are the same and behave the same in regards to damage, etc.

To your other point, about running down the clock on the spell, this spell doesn't have a duration outside of concentration, so the first round you can't or won't concentrate on it to produce the spell effects, it ends.

A smart boss, therefore, would attempt to mess you up upon making its first save or (if a minion hitting you ruins your concentration.)

To that end:
If being hit ruins your concentration, does that then prevent further rounds of concentration? Like, would it be the same as interrupting a spell and now the spell is gone? Or can your concentration be broken on round 2 but picked back up again on round 3?

and

Does concentrating on a spell (in the sense of 'concentration to produce continued effects', as opposed to concentrating to cast) provoke an attack of opportunity?

[Steve Geddes]

Good follow up questions. I’ll have to ask my group those as well.. :)

Thanks! (I am glad there wasn’t a simple page reference to make it crystal clear. We would have felt stupid then.)