Is there errata for the Nightmare spell PHB p.232

[JacktheRabbit]

I am an 8th level character: fighter 2 wizard 5 shadow adept 1.

The rest of my party is my level or lower. Some as low as 6th level I believe.

Actually, you didn't say what level you are - only that you are a 6th level caster. What level are you? And class/levels for the rest of the group, if you would.

 

[Darkness]

I am an 8th level character: fighter 2 wizard 5 shadow adept 1.

The rest of my party is my level or lower. Some as low as 6th level I believe.

How many people are in the party, and of what classes, generally speaking?

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Ok here is the total list of characters as far as I remember.

Me - Human Fighter 2 / Wizard 5 / Shadow Adept 1

Half Orc Barbarian 1 / Druid 8

Githzerai Sorcerer 2 / Monk 6
This character now replaced with a halfing thief 7

Dwarf Cleric 6 or 7

Human Paladin 6 or 7

 

[Artoomis]

I am an 8th level character: fighter 2 wizard 5 shadow adept 1.

The rest of my party is my level or lower. Some as low as 6th level I believe.

Thanks.

Hmm - 8th level, coming up on 9th. It seems you chose flexibility over specialization - thus you could be coming up on 5th level spells, but instead you are just coming up on 4th level spells.

I hope you have at least one character who can have the higher level spells (if not now, then soon, around the time when you level up). A party that has no single classed wizards or clerics is in trouble, indeed. They may have trouble meeting challenges they should be able to defeat.

At 9th level the group really should have some 5th level spells available or they are a wee bit under-powered and may find that our the hard way!

Well, 3e is all about choices, isn't it?

 

[JacktheRabbit]

I don't know about the rest of the party but I am straight spell casting levels from this point onward.

The cleric prefers to charge into melee instead of sling spells. The Paladin does the same but wields a quarterstaff as his prinary weapon.

The monk character got bored with the character and effectively retired him. The thief is not going to be anything spectacular in combat.

The half-orc bounces between melee and spell chucking and does a excellant job at both.

 

[Tar-Edhel]

Ok here is the total list of characters as far as I remember.

Me - Human Fighter 2 / Wizard 5 / Shadow Adept 1

Half Orc Barbarian 1 / Druid 8

Githzerai Sorcerer 2 / Monk 6
This character now replaced with a halfing thief 7

Dwarf Cleric 6 or 7

Human Paladin 6 or 7

OK, let's put this straight. Average level, around 7-8th level. And you are trying to clean up a dungeon, ruled by a lich who has (had?) 100 half-fiend goblins to command and a covent of hags. Plus, let's not forget, a couple of Yuan-ti... You can't recover spells and you're the party's arcane caster.

Run for your life man... Seriously. The thing knows you're there... It knows your name (since it's sending you nightmares). It has plenty of minions to protect it. It must be scrying the dungeon continuously so it knows exactly where you are at all time...

As mentionned by someone else, Nightmare is very 'gentle' compared to what the lich could do to you guys. Be smart, heed the warning, get back home and wait for the lich to get tired of sending you bad dreams. You may want to come back to that dungeon when the nightmares are gone but I would wait a few level...

Are you sure the DM isn't trying to warn you with those Nightmares? Better to live to fight another day than die trying (my barbarian wouldn't agree but that's another story )

 

[Artoomis]

I don't know about the rest of the party but I am straight spell casting levels from this point onward.

The cleric prefers to charge into melee instead of sling spells. The Paladin does the same but wields a quarterstaff as his prinary weapon.

The monk character got bored with the character and effectively retired him. The thief is not going to be anything spectacular in combat.

The half-orc bounces between melee and spell chucking and does a excellant job at both.

If the cleric is a pure cleric, and if he's got good domain spells, then you may be okay for level-appropriate spell-casting. Over time the cleric will probably cast more spells as higer-level ones become available.

It sounds like your group does pretty well in melee, but may be a touch weak otherwise. Ah well, such is life - and good luck with your nightmares - I suppose the lich will get bored with it eventually if you don't find a solution.

If your cleric will son be 9th level, then you will soon have available a couple of spells that may help you:

Dispel Evil
Scrying

and a couple of 5th level domain spells, whatever they might be (travel domain gives teleport!).

Having your own 9th level cleric opens up a number of possible solutions to your problem. One or two Dispel Evils may just stop the Lich from doing any more nightmares.

Good luck.

 

[melkoriii]

My take on this is that you need to scry your target before you can cast Nightmare. You can detect Scrying and can scry on them. Have someone cast Nightmare on him or do the Dispel/tellopot thing.

 

[Tzarevitch]

Is there any rules errata for the nightmare spell in the Players Handbook?

If not then I have to say that this spell is the single biggest piece of BS ubercrap in the entire PHB.

Unlimited Range

No required link to target

No real defense against spell

The only counter doesnt do squat if you are getting hit with the spell my a mage safe in his tower.

What a complete stinking load of crap.

I must admit, I partially agree with DocMoriartty about the spell. It isn't nearly as bad as say Shadow Magic, Harm, Haste and Timestop on my list of trully messed up spells (that's another story) but it does need a minor fix. It needs a range. I absolutely despise spells with unlimited range because they are so easy to abuse. Your foe can sit safely in his home across the planet and keep casting the spell until it works. Unless you can teleport (another pain-in-the-ass spell with unlimited range) there is little you can do about it. Acording to the description you could nail someone on the far end of the universe with this spell and all you really need is to have seen him once. (In my campaign if the spell says you must have seen the target, I require the character to have seen him as he actually appears. If he is in a disguise that you cannot see through, he does not count as having been "seen." )

With regard to range, at least if the spell has a reasonable range it forces the caster to put himself in danger by coming close enough to cast the spell (thus giving you a chance to cause him discomfort) or risk the target simply moving out of range. The house rule I plan on using once my present campaign ends and my next one starts is to change "Range: Unlimited" in most spells to "Range: 5 miles per caster level". This measure is targeted specifically at Teleport, Teleport w/o Error, Teleport Circle, Nightmare and Scry.

BTW, in my campaign, clerics use Dreamcatchers (new magic item) to prevent attacks on polulated areas from the Plane of Dreams.

Tzarevitch

 

[IceBear]

Wow...you've really weakened some spells there with that ruling.

I see the Nightmare spell as a possible killer *IF* you don't take the warning and do something about it. Most PCs should take heed when it's been cast on them a few times and then do something about it.

If they keep advancing instead of retreating, then yeah, that spell will mess them up.

As a DM I see it more as a plot device than anything else.

IceBear