[rant] the Charm Person spell sucks in 3E.

[Chronosome]

What Darwin, Doc Nuncheon, and Pielorinho said.
(sans Persistent Spell - wouldn't work)

 

[Moon_Goddess]

If it doesn't exist already, create a spell out of the 9th level thrall power, from the PsiHB. For 5,000 XP, you can make someone your slave forever.


Hong "Mialee may object, though" Ooi

*Goes into a murderous rampage and leaves bits of hong all over the room*

Quit letting magic do everything. Knock to make rouges useless, clerics cast rage to be even better than barbarians, And take all the most powerful psion powers that makes them balanced with wizards (Trall, Genisis etc) and give them to wizards.

I know the danged company is called wizards of the coast but god the bias is so thick you can cut it. Can't you be happy with there being some things magic CAN"T do!!!! RAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!!

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I feel an "Adkison" is on its way...

 

[hong]

Quit letting magic do everything. Knock to make rouges useless, clerics cast rage to be even better than barbarians, And take all the most powerful psion powers that makes them balanced with wizards (Trall, Genisis etc) and give them to wizards.

Pick one:

• The existence of multiple mechanics for producing wondrous effects doesn't imply multiple in-game sources for these effects. Psis, wizards and sorcs (and possibly even clerics and druids) might all draw their power from the one source of "magic", they just do it in different ways.
• Psionics may not exist in-game, but some of the powers described in the PsiHB may still be usefully adapted for a more conventional game world.
• Giving the wizard more flexibility in the form of a wider spell selection doesn't mean taking anything away from the psion.
• Ialdabode is butt-ugly.

Hong "but Alexandra is a babe" Ooi

 

[Quickbeam]

My players complained about what had happened to Charm for all of five minutes. Then they tried casting Hold Person for the first time in 3e....

LOL. Good observation, though .

 

[Darkness]

I feel for you, Nemm...

They did much the same amount of butchering to one of my favorite spells ever, animate dead.

It seems that they were trying to prevent anyone from raising an army by means of a low- or medium-level spell and at no cost.

*sigh* Gone are the times when a 9th-level wizard could carve himself an empire with nothing more than charm person and animate dead...

/me goes play GURPS now!

(Of course, there are ways around this problem. Myself, I usually use planar ally and similar spells and let fiends do the work for me. )


When converting adventures with lots of charmed people, I'd probably use a minor artifact to explain it (like the one in the first Dungeon Magazine in 3e). Sure, it's a crutch, but it works.

 

[thundershot]

Charm Person + Permanency

If my players are willing to pay the research costs, then I'm willing to let them do stuff like that.

Of course, once word gets out, then more people will have Dispel Magic prepared more often...


Chris

 

[Victim]

Just use Charm Monster and renew the spell every few days. After all, you should have an easy time convincing them to forgoe saves if they don't have spellcraft.

In one game, I saw a charm person turn an evil villain henchman guy into an ally for the party (he had a low int) and eventually into a stuanch ally for the "forces of good" (tm) because he started saving people on his own and then we dispelled the charm. Sick and wrong for a first level spell.