Question about Freedom of Movement

[Frostbiter01]

Basically there are creature abilities that are not really grapples but they use the grapple check as the to hit for succeeding. Many creatures that swallow whole uses the Grapple Check. The ropers sticky strands use a touch attack to just paste on you is this really a grapple though it calls for a grapple check?

 

[Dandu]

Drag (Ex)
If a roper hits with a strand attack, the strand latches onto the opponent’s body. This deals no damage but drags the stuck opponent 10 feet closer each subsequent round (provoking no attack of opportunity) unless that creature breaks free, which requires a DC 23 Escape Artist check or a DC 19 Strength check. The check DCs are Strength-based, and the Escape Artist DC includes a +4 racial bonus. A roper can draw in a creature within 10 feet of itself and bite with a +4 attack bonus in the same round. A strand has 10 hit points and can be attacked by making a successful sunder attempt. However, attacking a roper’s strand does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If the strand is currently attached to a target, the roper takes a -4 penalty on its opposed attack roll to resist the sunder attempt. Severing a strand deals no damage to a roper.

Strands (Ex)
Most encounters with a roper begin when it fires strong, sticky strands. The creature can have up to six strands at once, and they can strike up to 50 feet away (no range increment). If a strand is severed, the roper can extrude a new one on its next turn as a free action.

Weakness (Ex)
A roper’s strands can sap an opponent’s strength. Anyone grabbed by a strand must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or take 2d8 points of Strength damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.

It does not call for a grapple check at all.

 

[Frostbiter01]

It says escape artist check. That is why I guess they were trying to use it. Freedom of Movement does allow escape artist check to succeed. but your point is that it is not grapple despite the check.

 

[Greenfield]

Let's look at the text itself.

Freedom of Movement
Abjuration
Level: Brd 4, Clr 4, Drd 4, Luck 4, Rgr 4
Components: V, S, M, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal or touch
Target: You or creature touched
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
This spell enables you or a creature you touch to move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web. The subject automatically succeeds on any grapple check made to resist a grapple attempt, as well as on grapple checks or Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or a pin.
The spell also allows the subject to move and attack normally while underwater, even with slashing weapons such as axes and swords or with bludgeoning weapons such as flails, hammers, and maces, provided that the weapon is wielded in the hand rather than hurled. The freedom of movement spell does not, however, allow water breathing.
Material Component: A leather thong, bound around the arm or a similar appendage.

Okay, so, does it protect from Hold spells? Yes. It's a form of paralysis. Note that a Held person is immobile, even if allies try to move the person. They are frozen in place. They can still think, it's just their body that can't move.

Does it allow for people to drop through the earth to the fiery center? No. It prevents magical impediments, not physical ones. Walls and floors are still there, as is the armor and shields of opponents. (If someone tries to argue that they should be able to attack and pass through such things, then rule that they also pass through the person inside, without resistance, and without doing any harm.)

Does it allow them to walk through Force Cage or Wall of force spells? Hmm. Is it a Grapple? No, it's a Wall. But it's a magical one, so suddenly the rules look a little gray. Wall of Force says that it stops everything, so that suggests that it stops the FoM character, and the WoF and FC effects don't resemble a grapple or entangle effect. That is, they don't stop a person from moving their arms, legs etc, they simply act as a barrier. So on the balance I'd rule that the various Force effects work against Freedom of Movement.

Does it let someone slip a hold or escape a grapple? Yes, it explicitly says so.

What about Swallow Whole abilities? Since they're resolved using the Grapple mechanic, and the recipient always wins when defending in a Grapple contest, I'd say they shouldn't become someone's snack.

Does it let someone escape manacles, ropes, leg irons or similar restraints? No (surprise). It says you succeed on Escape Artist checks specifically to escape a grapple or pin. So lock the cell door and they're locked in just like anyone else.

What does it do in the water? It allows the recipient to move and act normally, and swing weapons that would normally have a problem due to water resistance. This extends only to melee weapons, swung or hurled. Bows, on the other hand, still get messed with, as they aren't "hurled".

Taken literally, word for word, Freedom of Movement is incompatible with Water Breathing. I'm sure they meant that it doesn't "include" Water Breathing, but as written it actually disallows it.

Hmm. Learned something new today.

 

[Frostbiter01]

Okay, so, does it protect from Hold spells? Yes. It's a form of paralysis. Note that a Held person is immobile, even if allies try to move the person. They are frozen in place. They can still think, it's just their body that can't move.

Wizards has archive rules and it clearly stats Freedom of Movement does not allow you to move if immobile due to mind effecting spells. Not so much that you can't move cuz even without the spell you could move it is that your mind wont let you. Thus if hit with a hold spell they are stuck. Same with Command and whatever other spells they listed. Go to their web site and pull up their FAQ sheet on spells.

For times sake here are 2 rules from the D&D Archives for 3.5 from Wizards the true authority. I just went back and looked and found the clarifications. Will post here for all to see and compare to answers above.

"Does the freedom of movement spell protect a character from being stunned?"

The argument is that “stun” is a condition that hinders movement. Freedom of movement is one of those tricky spells that has a lot of open-ended wording that might lead to confusion. The spell becomes much more manageable if you just look at it as something that ignores any physical impediment to movement or actions. If you assign this restriction, then it makes sense that freedom of movement works against solid fog, slow, and web; each of these spells puts something in the way of the creature that stops them from moving/acting, or specifically targets the creature’s physical movement. With this interpretation, spells and effects such as hold person that apply a mental impediment to taking any action would not be bypassed by freedom of movement. These are mental effects, and freedom of movement only helps you bypass physical effects (such as solid fog) or effects that specifically impede just your movement, not spells that stop you from taking any action, as hold person does. In the same vein, freedom of movement would not work on someone who had been turned to stone by a medusa’s gaze or by a flesh to stone spell. To answer the original question, being stunned is one of those mental effects and would normally deny a creature the ability to act at all. Since it’s not specifically focused on just impeding movement, and it is a mental, not physical impediment, freedom of movement would not help a stunned creature to act or move normally.

This interpretation of freedom of movement can make it easier to adjudicate the effects of the spell, but it is also more restrictive. As always, it will ultimately be up to the Dungeon Master to make the best call as he sees fit for his campaign and play session.

Also for the swallowing I found this too:
“Swallow whole uses the grapple rules to determine whether you are swallowed. Freedom of movement spell says you win all grapple checks. Does freedom of movement automatically allow a character to succeed against theswallow whole attack?”


Freedom of movement’s wording is actually a bit more specific on this case, and it reads, “The subject automatically succeeds on any grapple check made to resist a grapple attempt, as well as on grapple checks or Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or pin.” So, by the rules as written, it would not help against the grapple check made to prevent a creature from being swallowed whole. However, a Dungeon Master could definitely rule that the attack is so similar to grappling that the freedom of movement effects would still apply. Also, swallow whole attempts usually happen after the creature has successfully grabbed or grappled a foe, and freedom of movement would definitely help against that initial grapple attempt.

 

[Frostbiter01]

Thought I would add these two from the PDF on their site.

Does freedom of movement negate the ranged attack penalty of –2 per 5 feet of water crossed? If not, is there a benefit to the aquatic property for ranged weapons (MIC 28)?


Freedom of movement does specifically state that it allows the subject to move and attack normally while underwater, but then follows up the attacks section with only melee attack entries. It also mentions that hurled weapons do not gain this bonus of freedom of movement. Using this information, we can infer that ranged attacks do not gain the benefit of freedom of movement, and therefore would suffer all normal penalties while under water.


Does freedom of movement work against mimics and
other adhesives?


Yes. Freedom of movement will allow a creature to escape from any type of adhesive or creature that uses some type of adhesive attack, such as the mimic. This is of course unless the entry specifically states that freedom of movement will not allow the creature to escape

I think you all helped me on this one. Wizards clarification did not help me with the Roper. But with someone stating it requires a grapple that makes more sense. The Mimic requires a grapple to get its adhesive on you but the Roper does not.