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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6206514" data-attributes="member: 42582">The d20srd says this about Charm Person (in the spell rules and the Diplomacy rules):This charm makes a humanoid creature regard you as its trusted friend and ally (treat the target’s attitude as friendly). "Friendly" means "Wishes you well" and might therefore "Chat, advise, offer limited help, advocate"So the first thing I notice is that there is a contradiction, which is not a good start for interpretation. Trusted friend and ally does not fit with a "friendly" attitude, but rather a "helpful" one ("Helpful" means "Will take risks to help you" and might therefore "Protect, back up, heal, aid"). At least where I come, trusted friends don't just chat, advise and offer limited help (that's what associates and colleagues do); they protect you, help you and back you up.The following further text also creates tension at least, if not outright contradiction: "The spell does not enable you to control the charmed person as if it were an automaton, but it perceives your words and actions in the most favorable way." What is the point of this text, if we already know that the target becomes "friendly"? It is just more confusion of the precise parameters of the spell. (Is it meant to indicate that the spell can be used in lieu of Bluff as well as Diplomacy? I'm not sure.)But anyway, let's suppose we resolve the contradiction in favour of the mechanical element ("treat the target's attitude as friendly") and ignore the text about being a trusted friend and ally. (I hesitate to call that mere flavour text, as it is clearly meant to contribute to the resolution of the spell. The drafting really is quite poor). That would make the spell weaker in 3E than in AD&D, but perhaps therefore more suitable in power for a 1st level spell.Now, consider the casting of the spell on the obdurate chamberlain. He becomes friendly, and hence will chat, advise, offer limited help, and/or advocate. That seems like a pretty good way to get to see the king if you ask me! It very stronly implies that, at a minimum, he will chat to the charming PC, advise them on the best way to approach the king, and himself advocate to the king that the charming PC be granted an audience. I suppose it's possible that he would continue to dismiss the rest of the PCs, but given that D&D defaults to party play, I would regard it as reasonable for the player of the charming PC to have his PC try and get the audience for the whole party, and at least have a chance of success in that respect. (Especially if you take seriously the idea that the charmed chamberlain will perceive the charming PC's words and actions in the most favourable way - the chamberlain should not be suspicious of the charming PC's insistence that the other PCs are crucial to the matter s/he must discuss with the king.)</blockquote>

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