Percivellian
First Post
I have some questions regarding the Geas/Quest spells. First, here are the SRD entries:
My questions come as a result of looking at the difference between these spells, and wondering why Geas/Quest seems to be less powerful than Lesser Geas in some respects. Yes, it has no saving throw or HD limitation, but ability damage to each ability score/day seems significantly more powerful than 3d6 damage/day. Is this damage subject to DR? If so, what's to stop a living creature with DR from just waiting out the duration of the spell (if it's open ended), or waiting until the effect can be removed, if it really doesn't want to go through with the action? That would only mean making saving throws versus being sickened, and tending to relatively minor damage, particularly if the creature has DR or Fast Healing. Why would you prefer to use Quest instead of Lesser Geas, except for when the target has more than 7 HD? Is there a balance issue I'm unaware of that would explain this difference?
Thank you in advance for your insights,
Percy
Geas, Lesser
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Language-Dependent, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One living creature with 7 HD or less
Duration: One day/level or until discharged (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
A lesser geas places a magical command on a creature to carry out some service or to refrain from some action or course of activity, as desired by you. The creature must have 7 or fewer Hit Dice and be able to understand you. While a geas cannot compel a creature to kill itself or perform acts that would result in certain death, it can cause almost any other course of activity.
The geased creature must follow the given instructions until the geas is completed, no matter how long it takes.
If the instructions involve some open-ended task that the recipient cannot complete through his own actions the spell remains in effect for a maximum of one day per caster level. A clever recipient can subvert some instructions:
If the subject is prevented from obeying the lesser geas for 24 hours, it takes a –2 penalty to each of its ability scores. Each day, another –2 penalty accumulates, up to a total of –8. No ability score can be reduced to less than 1 by this effect. The ability score penalties are removed 24 hours after the subject resumes obeying the lesser geas.
A lesser geas (and all ability score penalties) can be ended by break enchantment, limited wish, remove curse, miracle, or wish. Dispel magic does not affect a lesser geas.
Geas/Quest
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Language-Dependent, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 6, Clr 6, Sor/Wiz 6
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Target: One living creature
Saving Throw: None
This spell functions similarly to lesser geas, except that it affects a creature of any HD and allows no saving throw.
Instead of taking penalties to ability scores (as with lesser geas), the subject takes 3d6 points of damage each day it does not attempt to follow the geas/quest. Additionally, each day it must make a Fortitude saving throw or become sickened. These effects end 24 hours after the creature attempts to resume the geas/ quest.
A remove curse spell ends a geas/quest spell only if its caster level is at least two higher than your caster level. Break enchantment does not end a geas/quest, but limited wish, miracle, and wish do.
Bards, sorcerers, and wizards usually refer to this spell as geas, while clerics call the same spell quest.
My questions come as a result of looking at the difference between these spells, and wondering why Geas/Quest seems to be less powerful than Lesser Geas in some respects. Yes, it has no saving throw or HD limitation, but ability damage to each ability score/day seems significantly more powerful than 3d6 damage/day. Is this damage subject to DR? If so, what's to stop a living creature with DR from just waiting out the duration of the spell (if it's open ended), or waiting until the effect can be removed, if it really doesn't want to go through with the action? That would only mean making saving throws versus being sickened, and tending to relatively minor damage, particularly if the creature has DR or Fast Healing. Why would you prefer to use Quest instead of Lesser Geas, except for when the target has more than 7 HD? Is there a balance issue I'm unaware of that would explain this difference?
Thank you in advance for your insights,
Percy