Baleful Utterance & Readied Actions

[Quidam]

If my warlock readies an action to destroy the first weapon used to attack an ally within 30', and the weapon is indeed destroyed, does the target get to choose another action instead of the attack, or is the standard action wasted, as the attack was made, but rendered ineffectual?

This is all assuming the target resisted the daze effect of baleful utterance.

Readying an Action: You can ready a standard action, a move action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, any time before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition. The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character’s activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. Your initiative result changes. For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action.

You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don’t otherwise move any distance during the round.

On a slight tangent, how many play baleful utterance as requiring a verbal component due to the flavor text? Obviously the sonic effect of daze & deafen wouldn't work in a silence field, but can the ability itself be used in one?

 

[frankthedm]

The standard action wasted, as the attack was made, but rendered ineffectual.

 

[Notmousse]

Given that the attack was interrupted I'd state the action was made, even if ineffectual. If a move action was already used then that would be the target's end of turn unless they had a free, or swift action they wished to take. Of course this does nothing to stop a character from continuing to attack if they have the quick draw feat and another weapon at the ready, or are willing to attack unarmed or with a natural weapon as part of a full attack action.

So yes, it's a good tactic, but just be prepared for characters with more than one weapon at their disposal.

 

[kreynolds]

Wow. Very nice tactic. I'll have to pass this along to the player in the game I just started. He's new to RPGs, and is playing a Warlock.

On a slight tangent, how many play baleful utterance as requiring a verbal component due to the flavor text? Obviously the sonic effect of daze & deafen wouldn't work in a silence field, but can the ability itself be used in one?

Interesting. Had not occurred to me before. I think I'll let it slide. Since it lacks a verbal component, maybe even just mouthing the dark word is bad enough. Or, perhaps it is so bad that coughing it out still works (little Armies of Darkness reference there).

 

[evilbob]

Since it is "affecting an object or area as if by the shatter spell" and shatter has a verbal component, the invocation also requires a verbal component and would not work in a silenced area. It also means that the casting time, range, weight limit on affected objects, etc. are also all the same as the spell. (This isn't really an iron-clad argument - "as if" is not "as" - but it's the only way this invocation makes any sense, since there's no further explanation as to how it works.)

I also agree with frankthedm's and Notmousse's posts as well.

 

[kreynolds]

Not so sure about the verbal component based on the "as if" argument, but you could be right.

The only mention of components I can find (quick glance, mind you) is in Weapon and Armor Proficiency on page 7 of Complete Arcane, and it only mentions somatic. I gotta say though, that's an odd place to mention components, instead of the more natural section Invocations.

 

[Quidam]

Since it is "affecting an object or area as if by the shatter spell" and shatter has a verbal component, the invocation also requires a verbal component and would not work in a silenced area.

This interpretation would imply that all of a warlock's invocations that emulate a spell would require all the components the given spell does. Do you feel the same way about material components & foci?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

IIIRC, spell-like abilities (like Invocations) have some default components, unless noted otherwise. But I would have to look it up, which I can't do right now without my books. I think it was verbal and somatic.

 

[evilbob]

I was going to say "yes and yes," but in double-checking my response, I discovered I am wrong.

A warlock's invocations "are spell-like abilies" - this is clearly stated in the class description.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp)

Usually, a spell-like ability works just like the spell of that name. A few spell-like abilities are unique; these are explained in the text where they are described.

A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, nor does it require a focus or have an XP cost. The user activates it mentally. Armor never affects a spell-like ability’s use, even if the ability resembles an arcane spell with a somatic component.

So there you go: this invocation does work just like the spell, but has no verbal component and can be used when silenced. (Even if that makes no sense for a word of dark speech. Maybe it just overcomes the other spell? They're both 2nd level...)

 

[evilbob]

I also just realized that the Charm invocation - my personal favorite and one of the most powerful invocations I believe a warlock has - along with any "charming" spell-like ability of any monster is actually just that much more powerful: it is effectively silenced, stilled, and eschews materials. There's basically nothing that says that anyone has to know what you're doing, even if you're standing in the middle of a crowded room. The only funny part is that it does still provoke an AoO.

This leads me to an interesting side-question: since the charm spells give a +5 bonus to the save "if the creature is currently being threatened or attacked by you or your allies," how would it know? Especially if you're already invisible (another invocation) and it hasn't detected you, how would the target even know that it was being threatened by you or your allies?