Is there errata for the Nightmare spell PHB p.232

[IceBear]

Yet another thing I agree with Daniel on (unless the lich has mind blank cast, in which case the augury won't work )

IceBear

 

[Piratecat]

Shouldn't have taken it out on any of you guys.

Thanks for the apology; forgiven!

 

[Al]

One of my NPCs uses this to humorous effect. He's an illusionist which the party killed, but his fiance raised him. He's a total coward and a few levels behind the party, but he generally makes himself a nuisance by sending the party wizard three Nightmares every night (Greater Spell Focus: Illusion, hehe). The funniest thing is that his fiance's dad is a lord so the party can't even teleport in and dispatch him.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

How often does the wizard make all three saves?

One of my NPCs uses this to humorous effect. He's an illusionist which the party killed, but his fiance raised him. He's a total coward and a few levels behind the party, but he generally makes himself a nuisance by sending the party wizard three Nightmares every night (Greater Spell Focus: Illusion, hehe). The funniest thing is that his fiance's dad is a lord so the party can't even teleport in and dispatch him.

 

[Starfox]

Nightmare is a very cool spell. My character just offended a noble sorceress at a party - she sent nightmares on him for a couple of nights. I failed my Spellcraft roll to ID the spell, and had erotic nightmares about this lady for the next several nights. All this in a period when I was supposed to be creating a magic item for a friend! And my character never even realized I was under magical attack!

Super cool! A really good roleplaying opportunity.

Anyway, Protection from Evil won't help. PFE doesn't prevent mental control, and Nightmare doesn't try to posess you or give you any orders; it just causes damage and fatigue.

From the SRD, Protection From Evil:
Second, the barrier blocks any attempt to possess the warded creature (as by a magic jar attack) or to exercise mental control over the creature (as by a vampire’s supernatural domination ability, which works similar to dominate person). The protection does not prevent a vampire’s domination itself, but it prevents the vampire from mentally commanding the protected creature. If the protection from evil effect ends before the domination effect does, the vampire would then be able to mentally command the controlled creature. Likewise, the barrier keeps out a possessing life force but does not expel one if it is in place before the spell is cast. This second effect works regardless of alignment.

 

[kreynolds]

3) Mind Blank would stop it (sorry, had to throw that in)

IceBear

LOL! Haven't all of you figured this out yet? Mind Blank stops EVERYTHING! Spells, Swords, Hammers, the rain, even pizza! AHAHAHA!!!! ....um...yeah....right.

 

[Tar-Edhel]

HA! You're screwed, buddy. SCREWED!

Okay, sorry. Just had to get that out of my system.

Honestly, of all the things a lich archmage could be doing to you, he's making your sleep not so good? I have nightmares many nights myself, without a lich archmage enemy (I think). Here's what I'd do:

1) Purchase a piece of parchment paper, a dagger, an inkwell, and an inkpen.
2) Cut the paper into the shape of a heart.
3) Draw flowers on it and write, "Thank you, Mr. Archmage Lich, for only disturbing my dreams, instead of possessing my body or imprisoning me in a gem or sending meteor showers through my privy or any of the other terrible things you could do. I won't forget it!"
4) Next time you see one of his minions, give the card to him and tell him to deliver it to his master.
5) Follow the minion back to the lich's lair and kill the lich.
Daniel

I love it!

By the way, is there a way for the sleeping person to realize that he is being affected by a spell? I know you are supposed to know that you are the target of a spell but even when sleeping?

What if the party has no spell casters able to cast or identify this spell... You wake up one morning, still shaking from that horrible dream. What tells you it isn't just a very bad dreams and that you shouldn't have added those mushroom to the rabbit stew you prepared last night? We've all had bad nights that made us perfect zombies the following day (well, I know I had). How do the character know that it is not simply "one of those nights".

In fact, I am planning to use this on my players next time I DM. I am pretty sure they don't know the spell and even if they do, I am not sure I would let a character know right away that it's the Nightmare spell because the guy who plays him learned the entire Player's Handbbok by heart (I hate metagaming... when I DM )

I imagine that after a few nights, anyone would start suspecting something... But how many do you think is a few?

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Since the character losses the ability to memorise spells the next day I don't think it will take long at all for them to figure it out.

 

[Artoomis]

After one night, I would suspect magic is afoot - but which magic and by who would be a good question.

After two nights I'd be sure it was magic - and I'd be seeking help to identify the magic and protect myself from it on future nights. Most high level spell casters would, for a price, identify the spell and rig up a preventative measure, maybe a helm of mental invisibility (based on mind blank) or something. Of course, wearing a big ol' metal helm at night might produce its own problems .

 

[Tar-Edhel]

Since the character losses the ability to memorise spells the next day I don't think it will take long at all for them to figure it out.

He's just to tired to concentrate. It must happen once in a while to every spellcaster... You party all night long at the duchess' bal and wake up with a hangover at 2pm. You bravely get out of bed, get yourself some coffee (whatever gets you going in the morning) and sit down in front of your spellbook(s). You flip a few pages, fight with your coffee a few moments so that it will stay in and decide that your bed is simply to hard to resist...

Same thing here (I took a few shortcuts I admit but you get the idea). You woke up too tired to concentrate. Of course, the players will smell something fishy right away but they know things their characters don't.

Or am I just too picky?