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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6151308" data-attributes="member: 6696971">A couple of things here.  I've never ruled (in any edition) that the target of a successful Charm spell understands that they were under the effects of a mental compulsion for the duration of the spell.  Only in scenarios of extreme outliers (such as if the player tries to get the NPC to do something specifically antagonistic toward its own nature...or if the NPC is a well accomplished spellcaster) would I consider this ruling.  My understanding is that the rulebooks agree with that approach.  I can't find it right quick in my old books but I know the 3.x books find it this way on PHB p177:"Succeeding on a Saving Throw: A creature that successfully saves against a spell that has no obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack. For example, if you secretly cast charm person on a creature and its saving throw succeeds, it knows that someone used magic against it, but it can’t tell what you were trying to do. Likewise, if a creature’s saving throw succeeds against a targeted spell, such as charm person, you sense that the spell has failed. You do not sense when creatures succeed on saves against effect and area spells" It provides ruling guidance for successful saves only and is silent on failed saves; the space for reasoning therein indicating that the target doesn't reflexively "wake up and know they've been snookered and are subsequently hostile."  The target feels a hostile force or tingle on a failure but cannot deduce the effect (unless, also implicit, they are an accomplished spellcaster with the accompanying acumen).  No tingle on duration running out and puzzling over or inability to deduce the affect...and certainly nothing declaring stock awareness of the effect and SoP deduction of a magical compulsion.Grabbed my Fate Stargazer right quick and it basically handles "Black Magic" Power of Domination charm the same way (there are gradations in the Trappings and Stunts but this is Charm specifically):"A subtle maneuver which isn't immediately obvious, this places a temporary aspect on the target.  It is resisted by Resolve or an appropriate power skill.  On a failure, the target may not know the character tried to charm them."Hypnotize more aggressively asserts "on a failure, the target knows the character tried to Hypnotize them."Again, both silent on success but provides ruling guidance on failures.  4e D&D just mechanizes the various iterations of the power with the Arcane keyword, gives you a bonus to Diplomacy or lets you use Arcana instead of Diplomacy and says something akin to "You weave magic into your words, defusing a dangerous situation through the fine art of diplomacy."  No duration and nothing about deducing a hostile invasion of your autonomy by a magical compulsion and becoming hostile.  More apropos is the Ritual version of the spell (Call to Friendship).  It has duration and its effect and duration depends on your Diplomacy check.  On memory and behavior post-Ritual, it says; "Once you complete the ritual, make a Diplomacy check to determine the  effect it has on the target. Once the ritual’s duration expires, the  target’s attitude returns to normal. The ritual does not affect the  target’s memory in any way."  Post-ritual target's attitude reverts to normal and memory is unaffected.For what its worth, I just asked a few folks who are not gamers what they intuitively felt the situation would be post-charm.  The consensus was that the target might be conflicted/puzzled if, at the end of the duration, they were doing something or in a place that they never would have been in otherwise (eg all of a sudden they are in a tavern that they outwardly hated or vowed to never go to).  If this were the case, depending on their intelligence or understanding of spellcasting, they maybe should get some kind of check to surmise the truth of things.  Beyond that though, no reflexive deduction or hostility.  I don't recall if that was my intuitive response to the spell when I first started playing but it wouldn't surprise me if it was.</blockquote>

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