conducting a paternity test in D&D

[green slime]

But this same thing has occured over and over in history as well. Just look at all the wars of succession everywhere. False claimants popping up left right and centre. Everyone with a Charisma greater than 13 was out trying to take a stab at some grease pot monarch somewhere.

Add in a messianic religion or two and no wonder history makes for such interesting reading...

Basically, when it comes to such trials of succession, it boiled down to whomever managed to get a majority of the ruling classes (Nobles, Clergy, etc) behind them, by trick or by stick, regardless of any real pedigree. Then, of course, when they are in power, they write the history claiming to be the real descendant, the rightful lord.

 

[Sejs]

Know a wizard?

Personal spell research. Cook up a spell that can determine parentage of the child. Ideally in a way that's visible to others... a color-coded glow over the two parties or something.

It'd probably be a cantrip, given how very limited the spell's utility is.

 

[Slife]

Overcome the challenge with violence. It's the easiest way. How?

Kill the child. Resurrection requires the target to be identified exactly (typically done with time and place of birth or time and place of death). If it's his only child, casting resurrection on "My child, who was born on {date}, and {time} at {place}" would only work if the dead baby was really his. Of course, you'd have to polymorph the baby into an orc or kobold so it wouldn't be an evil act.

No lasting harm, right?

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Commune. It really annoys the out of me when a GM comes up with a Great Mystery that can be solved in ten seconds by doing the obvious. And then he screams like a stuck pig when the PCs try to do so. I normally don't have any problem with the 'oops, that's this weeks adventure hook, please go with it' type of railroading, but this one just pops my cork every time. The spell is in the #$% PHB, expect it to be used!

 

[atom crash]

Commune can't solve every Great Mystery. There's a limit of how many questions can be asnwered, they have to be yes/no questions, the deity contacted doesn't necessarily know all the answers. Plus, it's a 5th level spell, so either one PC must be a 9th level cleric or they have to pay a 9th level cleric 950 gp to cast it.

But commune is a heck of a tool, I agree.

 

[Ciaran]

Contact Other Plane probably works, especially if your setting has an earth mother type goddess who could be asked.

Sure, as long as you don't mind the possibility that the answer you receive is a filthy lie.

Does anyone actually use Contact Other Plane? Ever?

 

[Sandain]

Why doesnt the Rogue just pay her off? a fortune for her is chump change to an adventurer. Here is 1000gp, make sure the kid grows up healthy and well educated. Sign this document saying I am not the father and that you or the kid will ever contact me again.

 

[jmucchiello]

Yes, but commune can solve like 99% of the Great Mysteries. I have though anticipated commune and made sure that what the party thought was a good/bad outcome was the opposite of the party cleric's deity. When they asked if it would be a good idea for them to follow a certain course of action and were told "yes". The look on their faces when magic itself was altered was priceless. "well, the god of magic has been planning to change magic for centuries now. He was most thankful that you asked his advice."

 

[Steel_Wind]

The problem with commune is that:

1) It assumes the deity being communed with will tell the truth;

2) It assumes that there actually IS such a thing as commune in the first place. We believe thre spell exists nad workd through metagaming whereas a person in the game world does not;

3) It assumes the cleric will not lie about A) casting the spell and B) what the response was.

4) that a cleric will actually do this for what amounts to bothering his/her god for a trivial matter.

 

[Voadam]

The problem with commune is that:

1) It assumes the deity being communed with will tell the truth;

2) It assumes that there actually IS such a thing as commune in the first place. We believe thre spell exists nad workd through metagaming whereas a person in the game world does not;

3) It assumes the cleric will not lie about A) casting the spell and B) what the response was.

4) that a cleric will actually do this for what amounts to bothering his/her god for a trivial matter.

Commune
Divination
Level: Clr 5
Components: V, S, M, DF, XP
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level

You contact your deity—or agents thereof —and ask questions that can be answered by a simple yes or no. (A cleric of no particular deity contacts a philosophically allied deity.) You are allowed one such question per caster level. The answers given are correct within the limits of the entity’s knowledge. “Unclear” is a legitimate answer, because powerful beings of the Outer Planes are not necessarily omniscient. In cases where a one-word answer would be misleading or contrary to the deity’s interests, a short phrase (five words or less) may be given as an answer instead.

The spell, at best, provides information to aid character decisions. The entities contacted structure their answers to further their own purposes. If you lag, discuss the answers, or go off to do anything else, the spell ends.
Material Component

Holy (or unholy) water and incense.
XP Cost

100 XP.


1) According to the spell the deity does not have a choice. "The answers given are correct within the limits of the entity’s knowledge"

2) Being D&D it is generally assumed that PH spells exist. Whether or not an individual in a D&D world might believe the PH spells are faked or might not know about them won't stop a standard PC from trying to use this common D&D resource.

3) True, the priest could lie. But detecting lies is something that a PC can also work to do through various means (and sense motive is a rogue class skill). Plus he could turn to a PC cleric he trusts.

4) It would depend on the culture, but generally I think establishing paternity would be one of the more common questions priests get asked.

The real question is whether the god knows. How omniscient is the cleric's god? For instance in classical Norse mythology, gods have to use special mechanisms (Odin's throne allows him to see throughout the nine worlds and he has spy ravens who tell him things, etc. but Thor knows only what he sees directly before him).