Command: Die

[WarlockLord]

su‧i‧cide  /ˈsuəˌsaɪd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[soo-uh-sahyd] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -cid‧ed, -cid‧ing.
–noun
1. the intentional taking of one's own life.
2. destruction of one's own interests or prospects: Buying that house was financial suicide.
3. a person who intentionally takes his or her own life.
–verb (used without object)
4. to commit suicide.
–verb (used with object)
5. to kill (oneself).

 

[WarlockLord]

From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/suicide

 

[Hypersmurf]

Besides, commanding someone to 'die' isn't the same as commanding them to kill themselves. And commanding someone to suicide doesn't fly because suicide isn't a verb, any more than 'lunch' is.

lunch
–verb (used without object)
4. to eat lunch: We lunched quite late today.

suicide
–verb (used without object)
4. to commit suicide.

From the 3E PHB:
A command of “Die” causes the subject to fake death. A command of "Suicide" fails because "suicide" is generally used as a noun, not as a command.

So not because Suicide is not a verb (which it can be), but because it's ambiguous.

It amuses me that 'Approach', 'Drop', and 'Fall' are all also used as nouns, and that 'Drop', in particular, seems like a very odd command if you want someone to drop [something]. "Drop it!" would be the normal command; a command of 'Drop!' would generally imply that you wanted the person to fall down...

-Hyp.

 

[Cedric]

su‧i‧cide  /ˈsuəˌsaɪd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[soo-uh-sahyd] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -cid‧ed, -cid‧ing.
–noun
1. the intentional taking of one's own life.
2. destruction of one's own interests or prospects: Buying that house was financial suicide.
3. a person who intentionally takes his or her own life.
–verb (used without object)
4. to commit suicide.
–verb (used with object)
5. to kill (oneself).

The point made in the 1st ed PHB, and what I still go by, is that Suicide is more often thought of as a Noun, and therefore wouldn't be a clear and unequivocal command.

 

[Sejs]

su‧i‧cide  /ˈsuəˌsaɪd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[soo-uh-sahyd] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -cid‧ed, -cid‧ing.
–noun
1. the intentional taking of one's own life.
2. destruction of one's own interests or prospects: Buying that house was financial suicide.
3. a person who intentionally takes his or her own life.
–verb (used without object)
4. to commit suicide.
–verb (used with object)
5. to kill (oneself).

lunch  /luhnch/
–noun
1. a light midday meal between breakfast and dinner; luncheon.
2. any light meal or snack.
3. a restaurant or lunchroom: Let's eat at the dairy lunch.
–verb (used without object) 4. to eat lunch: We lunched quite late today.
–verb (used with object) 5. to provide lunch for: They lunched us in regal fashion.

 

[DulothS]

Command -can- be a killer spell... but it probably won't be. You could tell someone to jump while they stood at cliff's edge; this isn't a "I get to think about it and decide how to carry it out", its a magical compulsion. You could tell them to shoot if they were pointing a crossbow at themselves... but why would they be doing that? Regardless, they'd get a bonus to the save against deadly/harmfull effects. If your NPC uses it on a PC and they try to hedge the command... make things go badly for them.

 

[RigaMortus2]

I believe it is a one-word command and suicide is not a valid command. So, unless you can come up with one word for killing yourself, which I believe must be a verb (memory is a little foggy here, but I know it is not allowed per RAW in any edition), it is not going to work.

If you happen to be fighting someone high up, say on a tower, and there is a window near by, you can use Command: autodefenestrate.

 

[WarlockLord]

Wouldn't "self-kill" be an applicable command? It's one verb, and can't be confused with a noun.

 

[Cedric]

If you happen to be fighting someone high up, say on a tower, and there is a window near by, you can use Command: autodefenestrate.

Hehe, since it's a Language-Dependent spell, I'd need an int check DC 20 to see if the target even knew that word.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Hehe, since it's a Language-Dependent spell, I'd need an int check DC 20 to see if the target even knew that word.

No, just before you cast the spell, use your Free Action to explain to the enemy what autodefenstate means. Then cast it

Player to enemy: Did you know that the word autodefenstrate means to toss one's self out a window?
Enemy: Ahhhh.... No.
Player: Well, you do now
/player1 Cast Command: autodefenstrate