"Suggestion" when it's used as a spell-like ability [Archive] - Wizards Community

"Suggestion" when it's used as a spell-like ability [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
RAGIR
03-28-06, 02:46 PM Hello. I’m wondering if someone could help me answer a pressing question regarding the “Suggestion” spell when being used as a spell-like ability by an, Imp? I’ve read all the articles I could find [Familiars (parts 1 to 4) and Spell-like Abilities (parts 1 to 4) + more] and although I understand there’s no V,S,M components to a spell-like ability, this spell still requires a precise sentence to communicate a desired action. Specifically, the spell description mentions, "The suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the activity sound reasonable".

So my dilemma is this. It doesn't say what language an Imp can speak in the MMI but I'd be willing to guess Abyssal. A Quasit can speak Common and Abyssal so an Imp probably can too since they're almost exactly alike. But what if it only speaks Abyssal and I'm trying to make a suggestion to a character that only speaks Common? Will the target character understand the suggestion in this case? Do mental suggestions automatically guarantee comprehension by the recipient?

The reason for my question is this. I have an NPC sorcerer who's bound and needs to get out of Dodge! He's being held in a room with one guard and his Imp familiar is there and luckily so far undetected. If the Imp can successfully "suggest" to the guard that un-gagging the sorcerer is a good idea then he stands a good chance of casting a Dimension Door and making his escape.

Thanks. :)
Vedic Cold
03-28-06, 02:57 PM An Imp has an Int score of 10, which normally would allow it to only speak 1 language (which would logically default to Infernal, the language of Devils and other beings from the Nine Hells). This seems to put a natural limit on the usefulness of its Suggestion ability, since that spell IS language-dependent, and cannot function if you don't share a common language with your target or have some other method with which to communicate the Suggestion. However, in the text description of Devils in general, it states that most Devils speak three languages - celestial, draconic, and infernal. Unfortunately, it depends on whether an Imp possesses the Baatezu subtype, which isn't stated in the SRD, so I'd need to consult my MM to be sure. So it would seem that there is no hard and fast ruling that I can offer here. Personally, I'd just say that it can speak Common and move on with it.
RAGIR
03-28-06, 03:12 PM Thanks for the quick reply and to confirm my thought. I agree the other way around this would be to have it speak common. (thanks also for the clarification on the default language).
tarkin
03-28-06, 03:26 PM Imps are Devils. Like all devils, they have telepathy.

I would expect that they do not suffer from language dependent problems. They don't need to use a language. They can telepathically instruct you to do something.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RAGIR 03-28-06, 02:46 PM	Hello. I’m wondering if someone could help me answer a pressing question regarding the “Suggestion” spell when being used as a spell-like ability by an, Imp? I’ve read all the articles I could find [Familiars (parts 1 to 4) and Spell-like Abilities (parts 1 to 4) + more] and although I understand there’s no V,S,M components to a spell-like ability, this spell still requires a precise sentence to communicate a desired action. Specifically, the spell description mentions, "The suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the activity sound reasonable". So my dilemma is this. It doesn't say what language an Imp can speak in the MMI but I'd be willing to guess Abyssal. A Quasit can speak Common and Abyssal so an Imp probably can too since they're almost exactly alike. But what if it only speaks Abyssal and I'm trying to make a suggestion to a character that only speaks Common? Will the target character understand the suggestion in this case? Do mental suggestions automatically guarantee comprehension by the recipient? The reason for my question is this. I have an NPC sorcerer who's bound and needs to get out of Dodge! He's being held in a room with one guard and his Imp familiar is there and luckily so far undetected. If the Imp can successfully "suggest" to the guard that un-gagging the sorcerer is a good idea then he stands a good chance of casting a Dimension Door and making his escape. Thanks. :)
Vedic Cold 03-28-06, 02:57 PM	An Imp has an Int score of 10, which normally would allow it to only speak 1 language (which would logically default to Infernal, the language of Devils and other beings from the Nine Hells). This seems to put a natural limit on the usefulness of its Suggestion ability, since that spell IS language-dependent, and cannot function if you don't share a common language with your target or have some other method with which to communicate the Suggestion. However, in the text description of Devils in general, it states that most Devils speak three languages - celestial, draconic, and infernal. Unfortunately, it depends on whether an Imp possesses the Baatezu subtype, which isn't stated in the SRD, so I'd need to consult my MM to be sure. So it would seem that there is no hard and fast ruling that I can offer here. Personally, I'd just say that it can speak Common and move on with it.
RAGIR 03-28-06, 03:12 PM	Thanks for the quick reply and to confirm my thought. I agree the other way around this would be to have it speak common. (thanks also for the clarification on the default language).
tarkin 03-28-06, 03:26 PM	Imps are Devils. Like all devils, they have telepathy. I would expect that they do not suffer from language dependent problems. They don't need to use a language. They can telepathically instruct you to do something.