Calm Emotions?

RolandOfGilead

First Post
Does calm emotions work on any hostile creature?
or just creatures that can normally be affected by the emotion spell?
are there any hit die restrictions?
Seems aweful powerful to me!
 

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It works on any creatures which can be affected by mind-affecting spells. And there are no hit die restrictions. It's a nice spell, with some good potential for creative use, but does look more powerful than it is. The short duration, concentration requirement, and the fact that attacking a calmed opponent ends the spell on it, all keep the spell's power in check.
 

Especially when the crowd of "Calmed Bad Guys" all ready an action to slap the guy nearest them as soon as they get hit, which happens as soon as one of the bad guys who made his save get's to act.

Of course, this tactic requires knowledge of the spell and a modicum of intelligence on the part of the bad guys, so you usually only see it in bad guys who work for spellcasters, and have some training.
 

Ok, if you started pulling that on me, then I'd know its time
for (tada!) Player Knowledge abuse! I mean, they've encountered
calm emotions so much that they've developed a tactic? I've never seen the spell used! heh. So I don't think some minor bandits are going to have a trump.. if they even recognized what was happening. I mean, lets just say 75 % of them stop fighting.
The other 25% realizing this after taking a few steps forward
turns around and yells for their buddies (round 1)
Round 2 consists of the budies saying "Hey lets just think about this. calm down..." "Are you crazy? Lets get their cash!"
...
And it works even better on creatures like spiders, mobats, etc.
Evil Grin :)e
 

RolandOfGilead said:
Ok, if you started pulling that on me, then I'd know its time
for (tada!) Player Knowledge abuse! I mean, they've encountered
calm emotions so much that they've developed a tactic? I've never seen the spell used! heh. So I don't think some minor bandits are going to have a trump.. if they even recognized what was happening. I mean, lets just say 75 % of them stop fighting.
The other 25% realizing this after taking a few steps forward
turns around and yells for their buddies (round 1)
Round 2 consists of the budies saying "Hey lets just think about this. calm down..." "Are you crazy? Lets get their cash!"
...
And it works even better on creatures like spiders, mobats, etc.
Evil Grin :)e

You didn't even bother to read the second part of my post, did you?
 

Sure I did, but by even responding that only troops with "knowledge of the spell" can respond in this manner,
you are implying that it would be less than extremely
rare that someone could do so. and IMHO - its just not going
to happen unless your opponent has that spell and has used it before.. (Big boss of bandits is a cleric, makes spellcraft check, etc etc.)

Now - lets keep the message polite or find your way to another post :)
 

RolandOfGilead said:
Sure I did, but by even responding that only troops with "knowledge of the spell" can respond in this manner,
you are implying that it would be less than extremely
rare that someone could do so. and IMHO - its just not going
to happen unless your opponent has that spell and has used it before.. (Big boss of bandits is a cleric, makes spellcraft check, etc etc.)

Now - lets keep the message polite or find your way to another post :)

I was polite. You completely dismissed the second part of my post without even mentioning it, and responded as if I had only written the first part of the post. Seems fairly rude, if you ask me. So I would ask you in the future to be polite, and not ignore portions of my post in your response, if they are in fact relevent to the point you are addressing, m'kay?

If you can't manage that simple courtesy, then please feel free to take your own advice. :)

Now as to your response: You are wrong about how often that tactic is used, because I've seen it used, against my cleric PC and against other clerics. Calm Emotions has been used fairly frequently in the groups I play with, since any 3rd level cleric can cast it.

It's very likely that anyone who has spent time working with or against clerical casters has encountered the spell, and any military training in a D&D world would include tactics to counter the effects of common low level spells. So it really wouldn't be that rare at all, in your average D&D style world were clerics are in every minor village or tribe you encounter.

Just because you personally are ignorant of the spell does not mean everyone in the game world shares your lack of knowledge.
 
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How often people react to suggestions about appropriate behavior with even more worse acts of social psychosis.
No matter how politely worded, they cannot find it within themselves to recognize even the slightest personal fault
or responsibility. However - I shall be the bigger man.
If, by not responding to your curious escape clause, I insinuated that in fact it was not read, that is incorrect. I took your entire post into account, but found fault with your reasoning, and believing certain truths to be self evident, found no need to expound upon your error by pointing it out.

I'm not sure what kind of game you play in, but you seem confused. First, you belittle the tactic by saying that virtually anyone with a brain will counter it by method x. Then, when I point out that its not all that likely that it would be countered so, you reply that what I've said is true, and you admonished me to read the last part of your post, which agreed with my statement.
When I respond that I understood your post, but that your tone was needlessly defensive, you respond "Uh uh! Was not! You're the rude one! and by the way, it wont work so pthbt!"..
hehe.

Dude, take a grain of salt with everything in the messageboards,
dont take yourself so seriously, and stop making a fool of yourself!

Thanks,
Roland
 

RolandOfGilead said:
Does calm emotions work on any hostile creature?
or just creatures that can normally be affected by the emotion spell?
are there any hit die restrictions?
Seems aweful powerful to me!
It is a powerful spell. If you're familiar with EverQuest, it's what the mesmerization spell in EverQuest is modeled after (and if you're familiar with EQ, you know how powerful the spell is in that game).
 

RolandOfGilead said:
How often people react to suggestions about appropriate behavior with even more worse acts of social psychosis.
No matter how politely worded, they cannot find it within themselves to recognize even the slightest personal fault
or responsibility. However - I shall be the bigger man.

In what way are you the "bigger man", when you proceed to do exactly what you are falsely accusing me of this very post?

If, by not responding to your curious escape clause, I insinuated that in fact it was not read, that is incorrect.

*shrug* That is what it seemed like, since you ignored it in your initial response. If you did in fact read it, then it meant you ignored it on purpose. Seems a little rude, don't you think?

I took your entire post into account, but found fault with your reasoning, and believing certain truths to be self evident, found no need to expound upon your error by pointing it out.

So, as I thought, you ignored my statement on purpose, and for a rather rude reason. Thank you for that much honesty at least.


I'm not sure what kind of game you play in, but you seem confused. First, you belittle the tactic by saying that virtually anyone with a brain will counter it by method x.

Actually, I said no such thing. Please stop making up non-existent statements and attributing them to me.

It seems rather dishonest, at least to me. I would even consider it harassment if you choose to persist in the practice.

Then, when I point out that its not all that likely that it would be countered so, you reply that what I've said is true, and you admonished me to read the last part of your post, which agreed with my statement.

I'm afraid that I must ask you to stop grossly exaggerating my statements as you have done so far.

I did in fact disagree with your stance that a tactic to counter the effects of the Calm Emotions spell would be "less than extremely rare" as you put it. It would seem reasonable for it to be relatively common among those who work for spellcasters, and those who have any amount of military training in a fantasy world, as I alluded to in my first post.

This would make it much more common than the "less than extremely rare" frequency you quoted for it, while rather less common than the "virtually anyone with a brain will counter it" frequency that you falsely attributed to me.

Your assumption that almost no one in a fantasy world would know how to counter the effects of a common second level spell would seem to be an obvious fault in your reasoning, and thus I attempted to correct it.

I was quite astonished at the virulence of your reply, in what I thought was to be a reasoned debate. Don't worry though, this lapse on your part does not cause me to hold you in any less regard than I did previously.

When I respond that I understood your post, but that your tone was needlessly defensive, you respond "Uh uh! Was not! You're the rude one! and by the way, it wont work so pthbt!"..
hehe.

Now I ask you, was this personal attack really necessary?

Dude, take a grain of salt with everything in the messageboards,
dont take yourself so seriously, and stop making a fool of yourself!

Thanks,
Roland

Once again, I must politely ask you to please head your own advice. If you can't maintain a modicum of politeness and respect when replying to another poster, then you probably need to rethink why you are posting in the first place.

Just a small, non aggressive suggestion. :)
 
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