D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Stealthy Spell Casting

[Grithfang]

I am running a modified 3.5 game. Due to my abysmal search skills I can't determine if I give the sleeping party a DC 13 (DC 0 people talking, +3 30 feet, +10 sleeping) Listen check or a DC 28 (DC 15, person whispering).

A divine caster, cleric of Nerull (trickery is one of his domains) is attempting to cast a silence spell on a sleeping party.

I vaguely recall a stealthy spell casting feat which would imply that normally a spell needs to be cast in normal voice at the very least.

 

[frankthedm]

I'd say the base DC is -5 or so. The difference between talking and whispering is a whole 15 points and verbal components are a notch above normal conversation unless one is Loud Howard.

Verbal (V)
A verbal component is a spoken incantation. To provide a verbal component, you must be able to speak in a strong voice. A silence spell or a gag spoils the incantation (and thus the spell). A spellcaster who has been deafened has a 20% chance to spoil any spell with a verbal component that he or she tries to cast.

 

[Grithfang]

Thank you, exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Vegepygmy]

I'd say the base DC is -5 or so.

I disagree. I assume a "strong voice" is one's normal speaking voice. (At least, mine is.) I'd set the base DC at 0.

 

[radmod]

For a modern analogy, I would consider it the difference between someone speaking normally in a conversation vs. someone speaking on a cell-phone. The cell-phone speaker tends to be much louder.
So I would agree with frank: -5.

I did a double take because I forgot the PH had misprinted the distance modifier.

BTW, if the party has no watches, I wouldn't even give them a Listen; they'd deserve to be TPK'd. (OK, maybe I wouldn't but ...)

Why such a close range? The base for silence is 400 ft.

 

[Andion Isurand]

Sounds like the cleric needs this spell
Zone of Silence :: d20srd.org

of course, most of my casters keep a mask like this one
http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/1161/0halfmask.jpg

 

[Grithfang]

Explain

BTW, if the party has no watches, I wouldn't even give them a Listen; they'd deserve to be TPK'd. (OK, maybe I wouldn't but ...)

The party does have a watch, that is who the threat is. A one time cleric of Pelor who has been corrupted and twisted into a cleric of Nerull. He is trying to murder a cleric of St. Cuthbert who is in the party as well.

These players have been playing together for years, so a little inter-party murder isn't going to break up the players, and if the cleric of Nerull is caught and slain I have a nice reoccurring undead villian.

 

[radmod]

I guessed it was something like that.

Have you prepared yourself for a change in action? What if the villain decides not to cast a spell, but tiptoe over and start slashing throats? That becomes a hard ad-lib DC check.

Even if the silence is successful, don't forget a coup de grace is not necessarily an automatic kill. And do you have any of those dang 'trance' characters (elves)? Technically, they don't sleep, but, IIRC, RAW doesn't really cover the effect of their trance. I seem to remember they are "aware of their surroundings."

Good luck!

 

[frankthedm]

I guessed it was something like that.

Have you prepared yourself for a change in action? What if the villain decides not to cast a spell, but tiptoe over and start slashing throats? That becomes a hard ad-lib DC check.

Even if the silence is successful, don't forget a coup de grace is not necessarily an automatic kill. And do you have any of those dang 'trance' characters (elves)? Technically, they don't sleep, but, IIRC, RAW doesn't really cover the effect of their trance. I seem to remember they are "aware of their surroundings."

really? Only thing i have found is the 3.0 text on a web page.

Elves do not sleep, as members of other common races do. Instead, an elf meditates in a deep trance for four hours a day. An elf resting in this fashion gains the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. while meditating, an elf dreams, though these dreams are actually mental exercises, that have become reflexive through years of practice. The Common word for an elf's meditation is "trance", as in "four hours of trance."

 

[Jack Simth]

The party does have a watch, that is who the threat is. A one time cleric of Pelor who has been corrupted and twisted into a cleric of Nerull. He is trying to murder a cleric of St. Cuthbert who is in the party as well.

These players have been playing together for years, so a little inter-party murder isn't going to break up the players, and if the cleric of Nerull is caught and slain I have a nice reoccurring undead villian.

Let's see...

Assuming a CdG counts as "a battle", then the base DC is -10, and sleeping characters have a ten-point penalty to Listen... which means you need a negative Listen check to fail on a roll of 1.

However, if the cleric dumps his armor, and takes ten walking away, the DC to hear him is 10+His Dex mod. The sleeping characters have a ten point penalty, so they basically need to make a Listen check of 20. Walk far enough that the distance penalty makes waking up on the Listen check basically impossible, cast the spell over the party, go back as loudly as you please, and begin slashing throats.