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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FourthBear" data-source="post: 4179307" data-attributes="member: 55846">For myself, I definitely place abilities to be used in rapid, immediate encounters such as combat on a different shelf than those needed out of such situations.  As a DM in combat or deathtraps or natural disasters, I want abilities that are quick to read, rule on and lead to interesting table play.  I don't want play to slow down because I've got to pick up rulebook X or read through two paragraphs of text to adjudicate an ability.  Of, if I do, the effect on the table game had better be damn well worth it.  Out of combat abilities can be far more relaxed in their descriptions and effects.  However, I also tend to alter these abilities to suit my world building and specific adventure building very frequently.  Specifically, I don't find the charm person abilities of the succubus in previous editions very satisfying.  As many have noted, as described in 3e they often wouldn't suit their purpose as written.  They would be detected too quickly (heck, a single character with a good sense motive would spot it, even in a completely non-magical society).  They are too easy to circumvent via magical countermeasures, which should be standard in a consistent magical society.  And they tend to suck away any sense of wonder once you've got them, IMO.I would much rather open such abilities up such that a temptress (of succubus nature or not) might use skill, mind-altering potions, diabolical rituals, weird parasitic creatures or any number of other possibilites to achieve long term control.  I've never had a problem coming up with such things out of combat.  It's *in* combat (and similar situations) that I prefer not to have to rule on the fly.  I'd prefer that they kept out of combat power descriptions to a minimum, so as to decrease expectations on both sides of the DMs screen about what is prescribed in any way.</blockquote>

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