Magic Jar Questions

[Gizzard]

Magic Jar seems to require a bunch of rulings; here are a couple of things I would like opinions on:

1) When you Jar someone you get to keep your WIS, CHA and INT. What happens if I cast Fox's Cunning on myself before I Jar my opponent? Do I get to keep the +4 INT or is that spell associated only with my old body?
2) What about a Headband of Intellect? If my old body is wearing one and my Jarred opponent is wearing one, what happens? Do I get the old body bonus, the new body bonus or the higher of the two?
3) What if I get Feebleminded while in the new body? Which brain gets fried? And when the Jar spell ends an I return to my old body, does the Feeblemind come with me or does it stay stuck to the new body?
4) Can your new body CDG itself?
5) Can you dismiss existing spells on the new body?
6) Can the new body's owner dismiss spells you have cast on his body once he returns? For instance, if I cast Polymorph Self on the new body (assuming that this affects the new body!) and turn him into a fish, then dismiss the Jar is he stuck as a fish?

7) General: Is there anything else to watch out for with this spell? I suspect there are lots of subtleties...

 

[shilsen]

Magic Jar seems to require a bunch of rulings; here are a couple of things I would like opinions on:

Many of the issues you raise are dependent on DM adjudication, so here's my take on things. I'm sure many people will disagree.

1) When you Jar someone you get to keep your WIS, CHA and INT. What happens if I cast Fox's Cunning on myself before I Jar my opponent? Do I get to keep the +4 INT or is that spell associated only with my old body?

I wouldn't let the spell follow through. It might also work to let spells affecting you mentally travel with you while spells affecting you physically stay with your body, but that requires even more adjudication to decide which is which.

2) What about a Headband of Intellect? If my old body is wearing one and my Jarred opponent is wearing one, what happens? Do I get the old body bonus, the new body bonus or the higher of the two?

You benefit from whatever is on the body you occupy, so the Headband of Intellect on the occupied body would take effect.

3) What if I get Feebleminded while in the new body? Which brain gets fried? And when the Jar spell ends an I return to my old body, does the Feeblemind come with me or does it stay stuck to the new body?

As in (1) I'd let the effect stay with the body.

4) Can your new body CDG itself?

Yes. Think hara-kiri.

5) Can you dismiss existing spells on the new body?

Do you mean spells cast on the new body by its previous owner? If so, no.

6) Can the new body's owner dismiss spells you have cast on his body once he returns? For instance, if I cast Polymorph Self on the new body (assuming that this affects the new body!) and turn him into a fish, then dismiss the Jar is he stuck as a fish?

Yes.

7) General: Is there anything else to watch out for with this spell? I suspect there are lots of subtleties...

Lots of stuff. Magic Jar can allow a lot of creative use, but opens up all kinds of questions, like the ones you raised. For example, a good tactic is to enter the jar and then take over an enemy (preferably one who is physically powerful and has appendages and a mouth that allow spellcasting), have your party members stick your body in a portable hole to keep it safe, and adventure that way. But a couple of dispel magics in the wrong place and you're dead.

 

[Hypersmurf]

4) Can your new body CDG itself?

Now there's an interesting question of legality.

You can only CDG a helpless creature.

One would assume you can become voluntarily helpless... but then you're incapable of taking any actions, which would preclude the FRA of a CDG.

If you decided to become unhelpless so you could take the CDG action, you'd no longer be a legal target for a CDG...

-Hyp.

 

[Trellian]

I had an enemy wizard use Magic Jar on my players last session, and it was really fun, as two players were captured, one died and the last one ran away feebleminded (evil DM laugh!!).

In my opinion, spells and effects that would affect the mind stays with the mind that controls the body. So a Fox's Cunning would still apply to the caster, and so would a feeblemind.

As for the CDG.. the enemy wizard in my session had an orc ally line up a halberd to chop off his head if not the PC's surrendered. He wasn't helpless technically (held, tied, paralyzed, etc), but hey, if you WANT to be helpless, you should be able to.

 

[Hypersmurf]

As for the CDG.. the enemy wizard in my session had an orc ally line up a halberd to chop off his head if not the PC's surrendered. He wasn't helpless technically (held, tied, paralyzed, etc), but hey, if you WANT to be helpless, you should be able to.

Oh, absolutely. I have no problem with someone being voluntarily helpless, and having an ally CDG them works for me.

It's being voluntarily helpless and trying to take a FRA at the same time that doesn't work

-Hyp.