Charm Person

[Liminal Syzygy]

Is there a resource or a pre-existing discussion regarding what exactly you can do with Charm Person or Charm Monster?

The PH spell description says that the charmed person would never do something they would not do in their uncharmed state. I take that to mean that they won't switch sides in a battle and kill their friends, who remain their friends (killing them is something they wouldn't do), but it seems very vague and open to interpretation.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

When someone charms you, you suddenly gain the impression he is your best friend.
Base all your assumptions on this, and just this. NOTHING changes in regard to his old teammates. If he didn`t like them, he might be willing to fight together with his (new) friend, but usually, the charmer will just order him to stay out of the battle, and the character will be useless for the rest of the time. (Though he might be willing to stabilize old friends, if he can do this. Nothing wrong with that.)

 

[bensei]

Ich the charmer finds clever enough arguments, he could certainly convince his new friend that he should better fight this person, who he thought was his friend before. IMHO a DM should certainly allow this to happen (nice from a role playing position).
The main problem with charm person in combat is the +5 bonus on the saving throw, which makes this spell very unlikely to be successful in combat.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

If the charmer has the time to argue with his new friend, okay. But in a combat situation, no chance. Try to give someone within 6 seconds a good reason why he should start fighting his old friends!

(How hard is it to convince your best friend that his new girlfriend does him no good? )

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[Jaligard]

Keep in mind, also, that the spell doesn't necessarily give the charmer any control over the charmee. There is an opposed Charisma check if he wants to convince his charmee to do something he wouldn't normally do for a good friend. In most cases, treat it like a good friendship.

So, if your good friend is fighting another good friend, ordinarily you'd step in and break it up. You don't want to see any harm coming to either of your friends.

So an order like, "Stay out of this fight," requires an opposed Charisma check IF you would normally intervene and try to stop the fight.

 

[Dreaddisease]

I'd use this general rule. What would you do if two of your best friends were fighting? Probably try to break them up somehow

So there are plenty of things to do. Grapple, Bull Rush, Trip (not this as much) in order to stop people from fighting. I wouldn't allow, as a DM, a character to waste spells unless they were Cure spells also I wouldn't really allow the idea of attacking old friends unless they attack you.

For the spell thing, whenever the party gets in a conflict about what they should do, do the spell casters waste charms and hold person to get their point across? Maybe if you were in an Evil party.

So that is my opinion

 

[Uller]

I usually rule that the charmed character would try to prevent his comrades from harming his new friend, using the minimum force possible at first. If the other characters insist on trying to kill the charmer and the charmer plays it up that he is the victim, then I would rule that the charmee might start to use more and more violent force against his former friends. Think about it...A group of your friends are trying to KILL your best friend. You like him, more than you like them. At first, you'd likely try to reason with them. If they persist and it becomes obvious that they insist on killing your very good friend, you'd probably rethink how much you really like them and either defend your friend or flee to find help(or maybe flee for your own life...if these madmen will murder your friend, you may be next!).

If the charmer is carrying out the attack, and your friends are clearly just defending themselves(and losing), then you'd likely just try to convince the charmer to stop, but otherwise stay out of the fight. If it is very clear that the charmer is the aggressor, I'd probably allow another save(with no bonus).

The results of Charm Person really depend a lot on roleplay.

 

[Gromm]

I'd use this general rule. What would you do if two of your best friends were fighting? Probably try to break them up somehow

So there are plenty of things to do. Grapple, Bull Rush, Trip (not this as much) in order to stop people from fighting. I wouldn't allow, as a DM, a character to waste spells unless they were Cure spells also I wouldn't really allow the idea of attacking old friends unless they attack you.

For the spell thing, whenever the party gets in a conflict about what they should do, do the spell casters waste charms and hold person to get their point across? Maybe if you were in an Evil party.

So that is my opinion

Thats basically what happens in my game. When someone gets charmed they usually resort to grappling people, or trying to break it up (usually easier for a mage type to pull off).
If both sides seem intent of killing each other, then it gets a bit uglier. IF he grapples someone, then everyone just attacks them, usually it comes down to using subdual attacks against someone and then grappling or stopping the other person.
Generally it just gets confusing and chaotic, but its always interesting.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

If the charmer has the time to argue with his new friend, okay. But in a combat situation, no chance. Try to give someone within 6 seconds a good reason why he should start fighting his old friends!

(How hard is it to convince your best friend that his new girlfriend does him no good? )

Mustrum Ridcully

Hey, charmee! That guy over there isn't the wizard you've been adventuring with, it's a doppleganger!


What happens?

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Charm Person is no combat spell. There are better ways to use that level 1 slot in combat, since you can subdue weak foes easily enough and the tougher guys will probably make their save (especially since you get a penalty on the DC).

The spell is rather at home when applied to people that haven't already drawn their weapons and are coming for you. If you do that it should be best to order the charmed person to run away since it's to dangerous for him. He'll believe you and run, and you'll have no problems with him seeing you hacking his old friends apart.

But CP is one of those spells that are just platinum for great roleplaying situations!