|
Please help me understand Freedom of Movement in Second Edition.
You repel effects that would hinder a creature or slow its movement. While under this spell's effect, the target ignores effects that would give them a circumstance penalty to Speed. When they attempt to Escape an effect that has them immobilized, grabbed, or restrained, they automatically succeed unless the effect is magical and of a higher level than the freedom of movement spell.
1. So they ignore anything that is a circumstance penalty to speed. What exactly is that? I assume that includes difficult terrain, although it's not called a circumstance penalty.
2. Grab immobilizes rather than applies penalties to speed, so I read this as allowing Grab to happen. But the PC will automatically Escape by using an action on their turn.
3. I was really lost on how to handle effects that don't provide an Escape check. Does Freedom of Movement affect things like a ghoul's paralysis? This was clearly the case in First Edition. But in this edition, I'm not sure this is written to impact abilities that don't have a speed penalty, or immobilize but don't have an Escape check.
I understand that many spells have been scaled back, but my group really felt like I was screwing them over tonight.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
When it comes to PF2, you basically go by RAW as much as posible. You do exactly what a spell tells you to do and don't do anything it doesn't tell you to do.
1. So they ignore anything that is a circumstance penalty to speed. What exactly is that? I assume that includes difficult terrain, although it's not called a circumstance penalty.
Difficult Terrain is not a cirumstance penalty so it's not affected by Freedom of Movement. Any effect that specifically imposes a circumstance penalty to Speed can be ignored with FoM. This include spellls like Tanglefoot and Entangle.
FoM does NOT prevent other types of Speed penalties like the Status penalty inflicted by an alchemical Tanglefoot Bag bomb.
2. Grab immobilizes rather than applies penalties to speed, so I read this as allowing Grab to happen. But the PC will automatically Escape by using an action on their turn.
This is correct.
3. I was really lost on how to handle effects that don't provide an Escape check. Does Freedom of Movement affect things like a ghoul's paralysis? This was clearly the case in First Edition. But in this edition, I'm not sure this is written to impact abilities that don't have a speed penalty, or immobilize but don't have an Escape check.
If an effect can't be ended with an Escape check, it's not affected by FoM. Ghoul Paralysis is not an Immobilize, Grab or Restrain effect, but a Paralysis effect. As such, it is not affected by FoM.
I understand that many spells have been scaled back, but my group really felt like I was screwing them over tonight.
Well, it's no longer a "get out of EVERYTHING", but a direct counter to a few more specific effects.
1. I don't think difficult terrain is meant to be an effect. Since it doesn't count as a circumstance penalty, one can't assume it's included.
I'd thought I knew of some examples, but they seem to be Status penalties instead. :O Okay, the Web spell is one example and Erinys' Rope Snare, so bonds, but not cold or abilities that slow you by altering your body directly.
So not so useful unless your party's bringing a lot of that to the battle (in which case it's interesting though I doubt worth it).
2. Yes, they can grab you, but if it's through a mundane effect, you can pop right out. So they can still do other effects first, like Constrict or Swallow Whole. Otherwise it'd be too strong vs. monsters that rely on such things to be competitive.
Still quite useful vs. grabbers, and there are a lot of those in PF2.
I'd certainly want this up vs. a Mu Spore. :) Or a Kraken. Or going into a cave of Ropers. Lots of high-level instances when a 4th level slot or scroll isn't too costly.
3. It doesn't work vs. paralysis any more.
Immobilized, Grabbed, and Restrained are specific conditions; rigorous game terms, not just casual description. Since those allow Escape attempts, there shouldn't be examples without such.
Yes, the spell's been scaled back, likely because it was among the game-changers of PF1, automatically nullifying so many effects. It still has a lengthy duration, yet only seems to work vs. abilities that snatch at you: ropes, bonds, grapples, and grabs.
The fact it still automatically counters something at all is remarkable given PF2's penchant for counteracting. Meaning the spell's quite strong, albeit in a much narrower context than before.
Your group has only themselves to blame, definitely not you (unless you made some promises!). The spell's description is brief and to the point.
-Immune to circumstance penalties to speed
-Automatically Escape from Immobilized, Grabbed, and Restrained (unless magical AND a higher level effect).
That's it. Reading more into it is understandable due to decades of tradition, but it's what it is.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
FoM doesn't say anything about blocking Paralysis. Assuming stuff works like in PF1 without double checking is a bad idea and not your fault.
And unless those Ghasts were significantly boosted in level, they should hardly have been a challenge for characters who can casually burn multiple 4th level slots.
Also note that the Ghast's Paralysys effect has the Incapacitation trait. So as soon as a character is a single level higher than the ghast, he improves his save result by one step, making him mostly immune to the paralysis.
|
|
FoM doesn't say anything about blocking Paralysis. Assuming stuff works like in PF1 without double checking is a bad idea and not your fault.
I should have checked, too. I generally warn my players if what they're doing is contrary to game mechanics.
And unless those Ghasts were significantly boosted in level, they should hardly have been a challenge for characters who can casually burn multiple 4th level slots.
Also note that the Ghast's Paralysys effect has the Incapacitation trait. So as soon as a character is a single level higher than the ghast, he improves his save result by one step, making him mostly immune to the paralysis.
I love the trait system, because it makes so many of these rule things much clearer in PF2. But man, it's hard to keep on top of all of them.