Cheiromancer
Adventurer
When a spellcaster casts magic jar, their body appears to be dead. Does this comatose state give any protection against attacks such as ability drain/damage, energy drain, enchantments/compulsions and the like?
Magic Jar question
- Thread starter Cheiromancer
- Start date
Murrdox
First Post
Your body doesn't "appear" to be dead... it IS dead.
From the text of the spell...
"you place your own soul in a gem or large crystal, leaving your body lifeless".
Thus, any ability or level-draining spells and such I do not believe would affect your body, since your body is temporarily "dead". The only thing that could hurt you is physical damage and such.
From the text of the spell...
"you place your own soul in a gem or large crystal, leaving your body lifeless".
Thus, any ability or level-draining spells and such I do not believe would affect your body, since your body is temporarily "dead". The only thing that could hurt you is physical damage and such.
Cheiromancer
Adventurer
Judging from the Feign Death spell in Tome and Blood, there is at least resistance to energy drain, and 1/2 damage from ability drain or damage. Physical damage is also halved. The Magic Jar trance should give at least this much protection.
Another question: if the body I am possessing takes ability damage, does it stay with the body, or with me?
I'm tempted to say that physical damage would stay with the body, and mental damage would stay with the possessing spirit. And that would suggest that the Magic Jar trance should give protection from mental drains and ability damage.
So a good tactic for a Master of Shrouds character who has summoned too many Allips... cast Magic Jar and wait out the problem.
[edit]
Feign Death
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Target: One willing, living creature whose level or Hit Dice do not exceed the caster's
Duration: 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
You put the recipient into a deathlike condition. At your option, this can be a cataleptic state that is impossible to distinguish from death, or the subject can appear to be in a coma or deep sleep. Although able to smell, hear, and know what is going on, the subject is blind and has no sense of touch or pain. The subject does not need to eat, drink, or breathe.
While the spell is in effect, the subject is immune to subdual damage, and any normal or ability damage inflicted is reduced by half. In addition, the subject is immune to mind-affecting attacks, paralysis, poison, disease, and energy drain. The effects of any poison or disease already affecting the subject when the spell takes effect are halted until the spell ends. if the subject has any negative levels when the spell takes effect, the saving throw to remove it is delayed until the spell ends.
Another question: if the body I am possessing takes ability damage, does it stay with the body, or with me?
I'm tempted to say that physical damage would stay with the body, and mental damage would stay with the possessing spirit. And that would suggest that the Magic Jar trance should give protection from mental drains and ability damage.
So a good tactic for a Master of Shrouds character who has summoned too many Allips... cast Magic Jar and wait out the problem.
[edit]
Feign Death
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Target: One willing, living creature whose level or Hit Dice do not exceed the caster's
Duration: 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
You put the recipient into a deathlike condition. At your option, this can be a cataleptic state that is impossible to distinguish from death, or the subject can appear to be in a coma or deep sleep. Although able to smell, hear, and know what is going on, the subject is blind and has no sense of touch or pain. The subject does not need to eat, drink, or breathe.
While the spell is in effect, the subject is immune to subdual damage, and any normal or ability damage inflicted is reduced by half. In addition, the subject is immune to mind-affecting attacks, paralysis, poison, disease, and energy drain. The effects of any poison or disease already affecting the subject when the spell takes effect are halted until the spell ends. if the subject has any negative levels when the spell takes effect, the saving throw to remove it is delayed until the spell ends.
Last edited:
Murrdox
First Post
The text of the spell I believe states that you retain your own INT, WIS and CHA. Thus, if you get any of these abilities drained, you would carry that penalty over into another host. The same would hold true of level drains.
STR, DEX, or CON draining attacks would stay on the host body, not affecting you any longer if you moved to a new host.
I'm not immediately familiar with the text from the "Feign Death" spell, so I can't say how that applies.
However, I would say that while Magic Jar is in effect, your body is no longer a "creature", and is treated as an object. The only spells that would affect it are spells that affect objects. However, without your soul inside it, your body only has STR, DEX, and CON scores... it doesn't have any other stats. If you had a spell that allowed you to drain these stats from undead, they would also work on a corpse. Your body would be immune to level-draining, since your body by itself has no levels.
Check to make sure the resistances you're talking about from Feign Death are general rules when damaging corpses, and not special resistances imbued in the target by the spell.
STR, DEX, or CON draining attacks would stay on the host body, not affecting you any longer if you moved to a new host.
I'm not immediately familiar with the text from the "Feign Death" spell, so I can't say how that applies.
However, I would say that while Magic Jar is in effect, your body is no longer a "creature", and is treated as an object. The only spells that would affect it are spells that affect objects. However, without your soul inside it, your body only has STR, DEX, and CON scores... it doesn't have any other stats. If you had a spell that allowed you to drain these stats from undead, they would also work on a corpse. Your body would be immune to level-draining, since your body by itself has no levels.
Check to make sure the resistances you're talking about from Feign Death are general rules when damaging corpses, and not special resistances imbued in the target by the spell.
