Spells affecting allies

[DreamChaser]

The glossary has a definition of ally:

LOL. This is great...and would be somewhat helpful in the Magic section under target. Of course it still muddies the water by saying "in most cases"

DC

 

[Hypersmurf]

And allies is a lame designator anyway. Are they people who are actually allies or people the caster believes to be allies? What if a caster knew that an "ally" was actually a traitor but had to keep it secret for the safety of the party. This caster casts a spell that affects allies (like Prayer). Is the false ally affected?

It's why Bless (or Bane) are so fun to adjudicate... because they are not Target spells (where the subjects must be specifically chosen by the caster, and he must be able to see or touch them); they are Area spells.

A cleric could cast Bless while blind... and all his allies within 50 feet would be affected. Even if he doesn't know they're there.

So Bless plus Detect Magic can, strictly, act as a doppelganger detector. If you cast Bless, all your allies will radiate faint enchantment. If Bob the Fighter doesn't, it's because he is not a creature friendly to you.

-Hyp.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

In D&D, "allies" usually includes yourself (unless, I guess, you didn't want it to).

Note that this is a change from Star Wars Miniatures and, IIRC, D&D Miniatures, where "allies" means, to paraphrase, "people friendly to you who are not you."

 

[Infiniti2000]

A cleric could cast Bless while blind... and all his allies within 50 feet would be affected. Even if he doesn't know they're there.

So Bless plus Detect Magic can, strictly, act as a doppelganger detector. If you cast Bless, all your allies will radiate faint enchantment. If Bob the Fighter doesn't, it's because he is not a creature friendly to you.

But, it's not preminiscient. If Bob is friendly to you now, which he most likely is, then he will get the bless. Surely, you don't mean to argue that bless will discern that Bob plans on betraying you the following week. Most doppelgangers IMO don't even reveal their presence. One day Bob will just disappear with none the wiser, perhaps with the doppelganger not even needing anything more from you or otherwise further injuring the party (such as outright betrayal to another foe).

 

[glass]

So Bless plus Detect Magic can, strictly, act as a doppelganger detector. If you cast Bless, all your allies will radiate faint enchantment. If Bob the Fighter doesn't, it's because he is not a creature friendly to you.

Why would Bob radiate magic? As you state its an area spell, not a targetted spell, so the whole area would have an aura, not individual people.


glass.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Why would Bob radiate magic? As you state its an area spell, not a targetted spell, so the whole area would have an aura, not individual people.

Because: "A spell with this kind of area affects creatures directly (like a targeted spell), but it affects all creatures in an area of some kind rather than individual creatures you select."

So, it may be an Area spell, but the creatures will radiate magic.

 

[Hypersmurf]

But, it's not preminiscient. If Bob is friendly to you now, which he most likely is, then he will get the bless. Surely, you don't mean to argue that bless will discern that Bob plans on betraying you the following week.

If Bob has already decided that he will betray you the following week, he is not friendly to you now; he is pretending to be friendly to you now.

If I'm smiling, buying you a drink, and playing cards with you, does that mean I'm friendly to you? Even if I'm privately thinking "Soon, the opportunity to stick my knife in his back, frame him for drug trafficking, and steal his wife will be here!"?

Just because you think I'm your friend doesn't mean it's true!

-Hyp.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Why would Bob radiate magic? As you state its an area spell, not a targetted spell, so the whole area would have an aura, not individual people.

It was clarified in 3E that it is the creatures in the radius who are the 'area' of the spell, not the radius itself.

I cast the spell, and allies who are within 50 feet receive the bonuses. If they walk a hundred feet away, they still benefit from the bonuses, because they are the area of the spell; the 50 feet is no longer relevant.

So it's not the 50 foot circle that will have the enchantment aura; it's the allies who were in the 50 foot circle when the spell was cast.

-Hyp.

 

[Infiniti2000]

If Bob has already decided that he will betray you the following week, he is not friendly to you now; he is pretending to be friendly to you now.

What makes you say 'pretending'? He's either friendly now or he isn't. What he has planned (or more to my actual intent, will plan) for the future is irrelevant, isn't it?

As another example, would Belkar be considered friendly to V (assuming V could cast a spell like bless)?

 

[Hypersmurf]

What makes you say 'pretending'? He's either friendly now or he isn't. What he has planned (or more to my actual intent, will plan) for the future is irrelevant, isn't it?

What he currently has planned for the future is very relevant. What he will plan in the future is not.

If he knows that he hates you, and that his apparent friendliness is a sham, then even at this moment, he is not a creature friendly to you.

If he's actually on your side today, and doesn't decide until tomorrow that he hates you, then he is a creature friendly to you at this moment.

Someone I am deceiving or plotting to betray is not my friend.

Is Belkar friendly to V? [Will Turner]At the moment?[/Will Turner]

But generally, I'd say no, he isn't...

-Hyp.