Hello all,
I have some troubles to adjucate the effects of a Charm Monster spell in my running campaign.
It's a subtle and problimatic spell requiring considerable good judgment on the part of the DM to hold to that narrow line between fair and balanced and not nerfing the player's ability so as to render it useless. It is afterall a 1st level spell, so don't let it do considerably more than much higher level spells.
The trick is to remember that it its effects are a bit more subtle than the suggestion spell and certainly far more subtle than dominate monster.
All a charm does is cause the target to believe that you are a close friend of the target. He will treat you like you he would treat a close friend (or, in doubt, the way you would treat a close friend in the same situation), viewing you favorably and being persuadable to give you considerable aid and support just as you would give a close friend in distress.
First question is: the spell says the enemy gets +5 on his will save when he is threatened. My players say this means the enemy should be in melee combat (as in "threatening squares"). I think the mere fact the charmed monster and his companion are threatened when combat starts. What is correct? (and where to find it?)
The target recieves a bonus to resist the spell when ever he is being threatened or attacked.
If combat has begun - that is, someone has actually made an attack not merely that you rolled for initiative and are tracking actions - or if someone is Intimidating someone, or if someone is obviously preparing an attack or taking offensive action (preparing to roll a boulder down a hill, moving to surround the target, cranking a ballista), that to me would constitute 'threatened'.
However, what about the attitude against the other PCs (who didn't charm the monster). Will the monster remain hostile
Yes.
will he listen to the PC who charmed the monster who is asking to retreat from combat, hide somewhere, or even fight for the PCs. Also: where do I find the rules about this?
You are the DM. You are the rules. This is how I handle it.
The monster will view the charmer as being inexplicably friends with a group of unlikeable creatures (the other PC's if present). The charmed creature will take whatever action seems appropriate should you find your friend in this situation. If the charmed creatures other friends (his true allies) are hostile to the charmer, he'll try to protect the charmer while still treating his former (true) allies as friends - for example, making nonlethal attacks, decieving his new 'friends' with 'little white lies' (so long as the lie seems directed at protecting his new friend and not harming his old ones), attempting to persuade them that this one is not like the others, attempt to hide the charmer someplace safe, etc. If the charmer persists in associating with clearly hostile enemies (the other PC's), the charmer will do what he can to try to disrupt this association while not endangering his new 'friend' - perhaps even mistakenly trying to break the 'charm' on the charmer that has convinced the otherwise reasonable charmer that the rest of the PC's are the charmer's friends.
Charm person doesn't break former allegiances. A charmed Knight who was loyal to his lord will remain loyal and will balk at doing anything that directly harms his Lord, but will view the charmer as a close friend and will probably do anything short of direct betrayal to help the his new 'friend'. However, keep in mind that the creature can reasonably confuse what is in his friends true best interests. If he views his Lord as a very reasonable and understandable person, he may try to convince the PC to adopt a diplomatic course of action - certain that his old friends will, if given the chance, view his new friend with the same favorable light that he does.
So long as you or your allies don't threaten the charmed person, the charmed person will persist in seeing you as trustworthy regardless of what you do - although doing things that directly oppose the charmed persons interests will 'strain the friendship' and may cause the charmed person to take the sort of action you might take if you think there are 'regrettable misunderstandings' or your friend is in need of an intervention (but never any lethal attacks, after all, it is your good trustworthy friend).
Note that under these guidelines the spell tends to be very powerful when used on creatures that are inherently treacherous, but has much more limited utility when used on persons that are inherently honorable, thoughtful, and honest. A treacherous person when charmed typically has no compunctions against acting in whatever manner you suggest provided that they aren't suicidal, but a honest and trusting person will be trying to talk you out of your course of action, balk at suggestions to do harm to other friends of his, and so forth. The best targets are weak minded, low charisma individuals with few or no other friends. At that point, it is almost a 'dominate person'.
The basis of my interpretation is the 'good for the goose is good for the gander' rule. I assume that my NPC's have as much freedom within the spell's constraints as I know my players would want to have if they were the subject of the spell.
One last note. In order for the spell to work reasonably, the charmed target must
never accept any evidence that he has been charmed no matter what is presented. The charmed target doesn't clearly remember being charmed and will resist any attempts at helping him lift the charm. Neither an NPC nor a PC is allowed to say, "That creature just charmed me. Do you mind breaking this enchantment?", or to take any such similar steps to save himself.
