|
This is more of a discussion of use and effect, so what does this do exactly?
"Symphony of the Unfettered Heart
Your symphony lifts listeners from their worldly concerns. Attempt a Performance check to counteract one of the following conditions affecting the target: grabbed, immobilized, paralyzed, restrained, slowed, or stunned. If you fail, you can't target that effect on the target for 1 day. Use the condition's source to determine the counteract DC (for example, the Escape DC for grabbed)."
So, if someone were handcuffed to a railing, and thus "immobilized" (i.e. they cannot move from their square), if you used this spell, would they be freed from the handcuffs?
If grabbed, is the target now not grabbed as though they had successfully escaped?
If restrained (You're tied up and can barely move, or a creature has you pinned), do the target's bonds fall away and they're free to go?
Stage 3 Tetanus (paralyzed) or Stage 4 Bonechill - is the target cured if you successfully counteract the effect?
I note that this spell does not have language which you find in some other spells/abilities that say if the underlying reason for the condition is not removed, the condition comes back. It sounds like this spell literally and completely counteracts the condition.
I'm really interested in seeing how people interpret this spell.
|
|
It uses the Counteract rules.
Yes, I know (and as it was mentioned in my post), but what happens when you successfully counteract?
Source Core Rulebook pg. 458 2.0
Some effects try to counteract spells, afflictions, conditions, or other effects. Counteract checks compare the power of two forces and determine which defeats the other.Critical Success Counteract the target if its counteract level is no more than 3 levels higher than your effect’s counteract level.
Success Counteract the target if its counteract level is no more than 1 level higher than your effect’s counteract level.
Failure Counteract the target if its counteract level is lower than your effect’s counteract level.
Critical Failure You fail to counteract the target.
Interesting question -- I think, because Knock and the condition removal spells are at earlier levels, and because the counteracting is specifically against the condition source's DC rather than a generic one, and because it lacks the language you mention, it would remove the underlying issue entirely.
This implies that you can make a straitjacket fall off by singing at it loudly enough.
|
|
This implies that you can make a straitjacket fall off by singing at it loudly enough.
See, this is what I was asking people about (good post Omega!), NOT literal interpretations of the rules (yes, I know it's a counteract spell and I know how counteract spells work), but how would GMs and players approach this from a narrative aspect?
Let's say you're playing Edgewatch (and I haven't played it so this is NOT a spoiler as I'm just making the situation up) and a crime lord has a councilman all tied up as a hostage. The PC police guys engage the crime lord and distract him, then at the right moment, the PC bard casts Symphony of the Unfettered Heart causing the ropes to fall away from the councilman who then flees the scene (maybe throw in a Message cantrip telling him to go to the back door where an police officer is waiting to whisk him to safety!).
Would some GMs try to nerf this spell? Or disallow it in their game? Too game-breaking for some? Any thoughts on creative uses? This is the kind of discussion I was hoping for.
|
This implies that you can make a straitjacket fall off by singing at it loudly enough.See, this is what I was asking people about (good post Omega!), NOT literal interpretations of the rules (yes, I know it's a counteract spell and I know how counteract spells work), but how would GMs and players approach this from a narrative aspect?
Let's say you're playing Edgewatch (and I haven't played it so this is NOT a spoiler as I'm just making the situation up) and a crime lord has a councilman all tied up as a hostage. The PC police guys engage the crime lord and distract him, then at the right moment, the PC bard casts Symphony of the Unfettered Heart causing the ropes to fall away from the councilman who then flees the scene (maybe throw in a Message cantrip telling him to go to the back door where an police officer is waiting to whisk him to safety!).
Would some GMs try to nerf this spell? Or disallow it in their game? Too game-breaking for some? Any thoughts on creative uses? This is the kind of discussion I was hoping for.
What Zapp said. We answer rules here, not how to flavor something. I am totally on board with a bard singing a jaunty tune and a straight jacket/handcuffs falling off, or your ally being able to slip out of that Grab with ease, ect. That's how Bards work, they sing and magic happens.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
If the ability only targeted the condition (which at first it sounds like), then there'd be an issue, especially when one effect might have several conditions.
But then it clarifies (indirectly) that yes, the ability works like most by targeting the effect, which it can only do 1/day. Meaning, yes, the song taps into the power/essence/true words of freedom/unfetteredness/etc. to cleanse/release/etc. the recipient of the magic.
So shackles do drop off, diseases which qualify do disappear, and so on.
It's a powerful spell/feat for the healer side of support, helping the Bard round out that role which they otherwise might struggle with.
It's comparable to the Cleric's Channeled Succor.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I know this is an old forum but I have a new situation that came up tonight. An ooze monster engulfed a PC. the bard wanted to cast this to remove the grabbed. So does the PC get an auto escape from the ooze just because the grabbed is no longer there?
If the counteract check succeeds, then the grabbed condition is gone. A successful escape check would have also remove the grabbed condition, so the two should look pretty similar.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I know this is an old forum but I have a new situation that came up tonight. An ooze monster engulfed a PC. the bard wanted to cast this to remove the grabbed. So does the PC get an auto escape from the ooze just because the grabbed is no longer there?If the counteract check succeeds, then the grabbed condition is gone. A successful escape check would have also remove the grabbed condition, so the two should look pretty similar.So followup question. Would you still have the PC engulfed and slowed?
But, allow the PC to move freely on their turn but still suffer from slowed 1. Or the PC grabbed condition is removed and as a result is automatically moved to a square outside the Ooze also removing the slowed condition.I'm leaning toward the latter but it seems really powerful.
"A creature that gets free by either method can immediately breathe and exits the swallowing monster’s space."
Just treat it like a successful escape. If you go into a grapple fight prepared to win a grapple fight, it's no surprise if that part is easy.