suggestion spell

[rejo]

I'm new to D&D and wish to ask a question to those knowledgable in the rules system: Could the suggestion spell be used to have a character attack his companionsby making him think they are opponents? The spell description on PHB pg 285 (v3.5) says the spell can't make a creature perform an obviously harmful act, but does attacking other creatures count, especially when the character has 21 STR and over 25 hp at first level (he's a bugbear fighter)?
I believe suicide commands wouldn't work, but combat commands would. Am I thinking right?

 

[Tabarnak Smokeblower]

Welcome to the boards!

"attacking your companions" to me, is quite the "harmful act", in the sense that the target of the suggestion couldn't find that "reasonable"...

If you did allow suggestion to work like this, then, IMO, the spell would end after the first strike, since the course of action has been completed.

A better use of the spell, especially if you want to dispatch the big fighter, would be something along the lines of "You should go back to town and get more lamp oil." The guy is gone for a couple of hours

TS

 

[Artoomis]

...I believe suicide commands wouldn't work, but combat commands would. Am I thinking right?

You are sort of right.

First off, no commands may be given - they are suggested actions. You need to phrase suggestions so as to make them more reasoanble for best success.

Rather than simply suggest you attack your friend, you should suggest that the evil doppleganger who looks like your firend needs to be killed now before it causes trouble.

The line about "harmful" is referring to the target, not to others.

 

[rejo]

Alll-rite!!!

Thanks a lot, Tabarnak and Artoomis!
You both had some great ideas, I might just use the "lamp oil" thing, that would be a riot!

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Re: Alll-rite!!!

Keep in mind that the suggestion has to be "reasonable" and that DMs may enforce that very strictly (I know that I do in order to keep Suggestion from turning into Dominate Person as some people I've played with have attempted to make it).

It's not reasonable to run back to town and get lamp oil in the middle of a battle. (Although it might be if the battle hadn't started and I might decide it was reasonable if it looked like the character was facing a troll or other creature harmed by fire).

Suggestions that I've seen work and think are often reasonable:

"You're outnumbered and outgunned so you should run like h" When the party kicked the door of the BBEG's evil temple open and grievously wounded two of his bugbear guards in round 1.

"If you fight, you're doomed; you should flee this island immediately" On the PC gnome after the yuan-ti had managed to sneak past the party and ambush them from behind.

Ones I haven't seen work but which might anyway.

"You should tell them everything you know--they may be merciful and spare your life." During interrogation.

"He's just ordering you forward so you'll get killed in battle and he won't have to pay you; you should tell him to sod off." On a chaotic evil mercenary (or a mercenary in the employ of an evil man) ordered to attack the PCs.

"If you join forces with the attackers, you'd get more of your overlord's treasure than he's paying you; you should strike up an alliance with them." This might be a reasonable suggestion to a chaotic evil mercenary if the PCs seemed like they'd go for that kind of a deal.

"These aren't the droids you're looking for; you don't need to see their papers; you should wave them throug the checkpoint". It worked for Obi Wan. (If I were DMing, I'd probably want it phrased differently--so as to appeal to some aspect of the storm trooper's personality. Maybe something like: "These are too old/dirty/clean/intact/accompanied to be the droids you're looking for; it'd be a waste of time to read their papers. . . .")

Thanks a lot, Tabarnak and Artoomis!
You both had some great ideas, I might just use the "lamp oil" thing, that would be a riot!