Couple of questions for the masters

[Laman Stahros]

Okay, I have a question about the spell Slow. In my game tonight (Sunday), the party's bard cast a Slow spell on a girallon in a doorway, applying it to four other girallons behind it that he could not see (he's 11th level). My question is - does he have to be able to see them or does the spell apply to the others anyway?

Second question - In the Expanded Psionics Handbook, there is a feat called Rapid Metabolism. It changes the character's healing rate from 1 hp/level if resting to 1 hp/level + 2 x Con mod (no rest required) and - heres the problem area (quoted below);

If you are tended successfully by someone with the Heal skill, you instead regain double the normal amount of hit points + double your Constitution bonus.

Okay, the question here is what would a 10th level charater with a +2 Con mod heal with successful tending? Would it be 20 + 4 hp? Or would it be 30 + 4 hp (doubling a double would be a triple)?

 

[dcollins]

Okay, I have a question about the spell Slow. In my game tonight (Sunday), the party's bard cast a Slow spell on a girallon in a doorway, applying it to four other girallons behind it that he could not see (he's 11th level). My question is - does he have to be able to see them or does the spell apply to the others anyway?

It's not exactly that he has to "see" them, but he does need a "line of effect" to them (see PHB ch. 10, at end of "Aiming a Spell"). More-or-less, it's equivalent to having an open shot if he were shooting a bullet (or laser pointer) at them. Pretty important, you should read up on that rule if you're not familiar with it.

The Slow spell has "Target: Creatures...", so it's not like a burst or emanation. If the bard has a blocked "line of effect" to any creature, then he can't affect them with the Slow.

 

[Alduk]

I'm not a master by any chance, but I'll try my hand in your first question anyway:

Yes, he does have to see the other Girallons. Relevant quote:

Target or Targets: Some spells have a target or targets. You cast these spells on creatures or objects, as defined by the spell itself. You must be able to see or touch the target, and you must specifically choose that target. You do not have to select your target until you finish casting the spell.

 

[Li Shenron]

Okay, I have a question about the spell Slow. In my game tonight (Sunday), the party's bard cast a Slow spell on a girallon in a doorway, applying it to four other girallons behind it that he could not see (he's 11th level). My question is - does he have to be able to see them or does the spell apply to the others anyway?

I think you need to have both line-of-sight (able to see the target) and line-of-effect (unobstructed path) when casting a spell with a target entry. If you cannot see the target, it's possible to replace line-of-sight with touching the target, although this is generally much more difficult. These apply to spells which have an entry like "target: one creature" or "target: X creatures, not more than Y ft apart...".

For other spells it's different: for example to shoot a ray you need line-of-effect but you can shoot in the dark and hope to catch a target even if you don't see it; area spells of certain shapes can of course catch creatures around the corner which you don't see and with which you don't have line-of-effect, and so on...

 

[shilsen]

What Li Shenron said.

 

[Ferret]

Okay, the question here is what would a 10th level charater with a +2 Con mod heal with successful tending? Would it be 20 + 4 hp? Or would it be 30 + 4 hp (doubling a double would be a triple)?

I would say 20+4, as no 'brackets' are inferred (Right word?). But do you mean 20+8 opposed to 20+16? No where does it say that the 1hp/level is doubled other then by being tended.

Or have I confused myself?

 

[Laman Stahros]

I would say 20+4, as no 'brackets' are inferred (Right word?). But do you mean 20+8 opposed to 20+16? No where does it say that the 1hp/level is doubled other then by being tended.

Or have I confused myself?

Well, in the PHB being tended by Heal checks doubles the level based healing and one of my players thinks that that should be increased by this, so I came here.


Edit: Oops, forget to say, thanks everyone for the help with the Slow question, thought that was the case but couldn't remember what the limiter was and didn't want to slow the game down. Oh well, live and learn. That's why I love this place!

 

[dcollins]

Yeah, I guess you do need sight after all, didn't think to look for that.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Okay, I have a question about the spell Slow. In my game tonight (Sunday), the party's bard cast a Slow spell on a girallon in a doorway, applying it to four other girallons behind it that he could not see (he's 11th level).

Presumably you mean that the girallons were around a corner or something and not merely hiding behind their companion.

 

[Alduk]

At least that's what I assumed...

Though it wouldn't change the end result either way; if they can't be seen they can't be targeted, no matter how they are hiding.