Dominated by a vampire that went poof! Now what ?

[Kodam]

Hi!

Actually, he doesn't lose all Supernatural abilties.

The Vampires ability works like the spell, doesn't it? The spell description says: "The subject also loses supernatural abilities while in gaseous form."

Kodam

 

[Joeluma]

i think the answer is pretty clear here, reading the text for 'dominate person' : "Once you ahve given a dominated creature a command, it continues to attempt to carry out that command to the exclusion of all other activities except those necessary for day-to-day survival (such as sleeping, eating, and so forth)....."

i think in that situation, you simply hope that he succeeds his second save to 'do something against its nature" with the +2 bonus...

your flex space is in the definition of 'self-destructive orders' which "are not carried out."

so the range is :

1) your barbarian is already planning on killing you all when it benefits him (evil char) so he doesnt even get a second save.

2) your barbarian likes you guys, but considers you inferior to him. He gets a second save, but doesnt count an order to 'kill you all' a self-destructive order.

3) your barbarian probably wets himself at night. he's convinced that to go up against the rest of the party = certain death. therefore, the order is not carried out.

not sure if option 3 is even available, it seems like the sort of thing they clarify out of existence

oh, then theres :

4) your dm modifies spell rules based on his theory of how they should work. the dominate ends for dramatic reasons when the vampire is slain. not sure if you killed the vamp tho, or just turned it into auto survival mode.
either way, this option is where your dm stops being a rules mechanic, and goes with his own personal choice.

 

[Thanee]

This is what happens in the long run...

If you don’t spend at least 1 round concentrating on the spell each day, the subject receives a new saving throw to throw off the domination.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Yig]

My fault !

I didn't read the part where it said that they turn to gaseous form when reduced to 0 hp !

I assumed it was destroyed when it was reduced to -1 because of the Searing Light. Vamp had 24 hp left and took 25 points of damage. Poof.

Anyway, it was late and I wanted this dungeon to be over with.

I will be more prepared next time.

Thanks for the answers. I decided that the Dominate ended with the destruction of the vamp.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

The Vampires ability works like the spell, doesn't it? The spell description says: "The subject also loses supernatural abilities while in gaseous form."

Not necessarily.

Gaseous Form (Su): As a standard action, a vampire can assume gaseous form at will as the spell (caster level 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability.

1. It's a supernatural, not spell-like, ability, and so need not follow the rules of the spell.
2. If the vampire actually lost his Su abilities when assuming gaseous form, he'd lose the ability to assume gaseous form, and then where would we be?

However, I understand the argument that you're making.

The question, therefore, is:

When a vampire assumes gaseous form, he loses access to [most] supernatural abilities. What does this mean for an ability with an ongoing duration after use, should he change into gaseous form after he uses that ability?

More generally speaking, is the vampire's Su ability the ability to enspell people with his gaze, or is it the ability to enspell people with his gaze and then control them at a future point in time?

The nearest analogy I can think of is a wizard (or sorceror) who casts Dominate Person on an opponent and then suffers level loss sufficient that they can no longer cast that spell. Do they retain the ability to issue commands through the link?

Therefore, while I agree that the vampire cannot issue any new commands through the link in the situation above, the effect is still on-going, and the vampire can begin issuing commands again as soon as he reforms. Succinctly, the Su ability is the ability to enspell people with his gaze, and he loses this while in gaseous form.

Similarly:

Children of the Night (Su): Vampires command the lesser creatures of the world and once per day can call forth 1d6+1 rat swarms, 1d4+1 bat swarms, or a pack of 3d6 wolves as a standard action. (If the base creature is not terrestrial, this power might summon other creatures of similar power.) These creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve the vampire for up to 1 hour.

A vampire in gaseous form cannot call forth the animals above. However, if he shifts to gaseous form *after* calling them, the animals are not suddenly freed of their compulsion to serve him.