Charm

[Mephistopheles]

I thought about making something like the following ritual. Feedback is welcome.

Charm

Level: 1
Category: Binding
Time: 1 minute
Duration: Special
Component Cost: 10 gp
Market Price: 50 gp
Key Skill: Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy (see text)

The target will view the caster in the best possible light. The target will work in the best interest of the caster but will not take any actions that are clearly disadvantageous for itself. The target will not fight in defense of the caster if it would not have done so without the influence of this ritual.

The caster must be able to communicate with the target for a period of one minute. At the end of that time the caster makes a skill check and subtracts the Will defense of the target from the result to determine the duration of the charm. If the result is zero or less the charm has no effect, otherwise the charm persists for one hour per point of difference.

The caster can have a number of simultaneous charms in effect. The number can be no greater than the higher of the caster's Intelligence or Charisma modifiers.

 

[Mesh Hong]

Shouldn't there be a negative consequense for getting a negative result? I would have thought that the target would become hostile or see the caster in an unfavourable light.

Also shouldn't there be the possibility that when the charm wears off that the target becomes aware that they have been manipulated? Maybe an insight roll vs. the original skill check result?

I would consider something like these two suggestions in order to stop the rampant abuse of this Charm ritual throughtout your PCs careers as the 10gp cost will very quickly become trivial especially when compared to failing in any social challange or situation.

 

[CapnZapp]

Normally, it's obvious when someone's trying to cast a ritual. I think it needs to be that here, so any suspicious NPC has one minute to kill or flee the party.

Otherwise the only use of Diplomacy will be for this ritual. And rituals that completely replace skills is bad for the game.

 

[ppaladin123]

Arcane power has pretty much the same ritual: call of friendship, level 4, 10 minutes. Your diplomacy check determines how long the person regards you as a friends and how much money he is willing to spend to help you.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Arcane power has pretty much the same ritual: call of friendship, level 4, 10 minutes. Your diplomacy check determines how long the person regards you as a friends and how much money he is willing to spend to help you.

Thanks for the heads up. I don't have Arcane Power but I had a look on the Compendium; it is just about the same if the Bard requirement is struck off. Ten minutes to work the ritual seems like a long time for this kind of thing, though.

 

[ppaladin123]

Thanks for the heads up. I don't have Arcane Power but I had a look on the Compendium; it is just about the same if the Bard requirement is struck off. Ten minutes to work the ritual seems like a long time for this kind of thing, though.

Yeah I am not sure how to visualize this. Does the bard play stairway to heaven or free bird? How does he get the subject to continue listening?

 

[CapnZapp]

If the target doesn't want to be the victim of a ritual, he should not have to be.

Thus, the ritual should be viewed as useful only in friendly or neutral circumstances.

 

[Neubert]

Tie them up and sing till they comply!