Best Method of Long-Term Charm?

[el-remmen]

I much prefered the old way charm person/monster worked, with a target's Int determining the duration between saves.

I found this kind of long-term semi-permanent charm very useful in villianous plots.

Short of house ruling the spell, or creating a higher level version of it, what is the best way (using core rules) to charm someone for days or even weeks at a time at the lowest possible level?

Thanks in advance.

 

[the_mighty_agrippa]

Sex. If no sex, food. If no food, improvise.

 

[zeb.hillard]

Short of house ruling the spell, or creating a higher level version of it, what is the best way (using core rules) to charm someone for days or even weeks at a time at the lowest possible level?

Thanks in advance.

There isn't, if you're only using the core 3, aside from Extend Spell. If you are using the 'Complete' series, however, Complete Arcane has the Mindbender PrC which allows for infinate duration charm/suggestion effects.

 

[frankthedm]

Cracks knuckles...

Here is one might be balanced. Wrote this one up to make a rules legal love potion with a semi permanent duration.

[sblock=Love Curse]
Enchantment (Charm) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 5 rounds
Range: Five feet
Target: One humanoid creature
Duration: One year per caster level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

This curse causes the victim to become Charmed with the first creature of opposite gender and similar body structure she makes eye contact with after being affected by the spell. Dispel magic cannot break this curse, though remove curse can.[/sblock]

 

[Graf]

Cursing is actually a good way to go.
But a 3rd level spell with a duration measured in years?
I'd put it as days.
With some sort of limitations (i.e. curse breaks if you aren't affectionate, ever put the taget in danger, or something else).

With an improved 6th level version measured in months

And a greater version (9th) measured in years.

I'd also make it "you can only be the object of one charm at a time" or else the curse breaks.

Otherwise it's a "cohort factory".
Another interesting way to have it work would be that teh spell lasts for 1 day per five caster levels. But can be recast to increase duration (with Will save at -10).

That would allow a DM to have a creepy long-term pseudo-abusive relationship with the victim periodically breaking free only to be re-enslaved.
(I.e. writing notes to themself, that they then ignore but the PCs find, etc.)

 

[IanB]

An extended charm monster is already 2 days per level, and you can do it as a level 4 spell with a metamagic rod, so you're talking about a minimum duration of 14 days per casting. I think that is pretty solid. You definitely have to keep up with your castings of it, but it isn't something you have to renew constantly.

 

[Sejs]

Charm Monster's duration is a day per level. Extend that and you've got quite the long lasting charm.

Plenty of time, for instance, to ask your brand new bestest friend in the whole wide world to not resist this beneficial, mind-warding spell you're going to protect them with. Plenty of time to reinforce the charm with good old-fashioned nonmagical deception, too.

 

[FireLance]

A reasonably good Charisma, maxed-out Bluff and Diplomacy, and two Skill Focus feats.

Alternatively, with the psionic version of charm person, you can increase its duration to 1 day/level by spending an additional 4 pp. Hence, you can either use psions, or house-rule a 3rd-level spell that has the same duration.

 

[Rystil Arden]

You could probably get away with just using Bestow Curse and the "invent your own curse" option

 

[hanniball]

Most NPCs start off Indifferent to you. That means a Diplomacy tjeck DC 90 will make them Fanatic. That's a tough tjeck to make at lower levels (which, I'm assuming, is what you're interested in)

If you manage to find someone that begins as Friendly, though, it's only DC 60. That I can do by level 6.

Either way...just my 2 cp