Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Friendlyfish 07-09-06, 04:05 AM	Contact Other Plane: Why would anybody use this? If you're playing a sane game, and you decide to ask the Elemental Beings what's up so that you aren't turned into a drooling vegetable for the rest of the adventure, 2 out of 3 times you either got lied to or wasted your time. Conversely, if you ask the Greater deities how's it going, most likely you simply become a drooling vegetable. Who can safely take on a DC 16 Int check? Even with a +6 or +7 Int modifier, you have a 1 in 2 chance of turning into Mr. Toadstool. I guess what I'm asking is: are there any tricks for buffing up your int check, like with an obscure spell or whatever? Otherwise, the cleric just casts Commune, no risk, works right every time. Let me get back to beating some devil I Planar Bound up so that he goes and finds me some answers...
Thiez 07-09-06, 07:18 AM	Fox's cunning: +2 Guidance: +1 Moment of Prescience: +15 (or more) :)
Dragonteuthis 07-09-06, 10:13 AM	Just a slight correction. Moment of Prescience does not work on regular ability or skill checks; only opposed checks. Guidance does not apply to ability checks at all. Back to the original post. Contact Other Plane is risky, yes. It's best cast by Wizards, in my opinion, since their Intelligence is necessarily quite high. By 9th level a Wizard probably has at least a 22 Intelligence (16 base +2 from leveling +4 from headband or fox's cunning), which would let him ask a question of the elemental plane with no risk of failure at all (ability checks, like skill checks, are not governed by natural 1s). Obviously as he goes up in level, he can ask questions of more powerful entities with no chance of failure. That being said, the drawback to using this spell *IS* quite strong. Personally, I'd change it to 1 day per week normally affected, but it depends on how much of a problem it causes, and your campaign setting/story arc. It's also a good spell to hire someone to cast. Hired mage: *casts spell* "Uh...durrrr..." *drools* PC: "Oh no, not again. Hey, gimme our money back." Mage: "Nooo! I casts the spell, didn'ts I?" PC: "You didn't answer our questions, though. That was the point. Gimme our money back." Mage: *stares* *DM looks at Mage's new stats* "O-okay, guess yer right. Here ya go."
runestar 07-09-06, 10:33 AM	What sort of damage is the int/cha decrease? COuld it be negated by limited wish or restoration? :P
Thiez 07-09-06, 11:56 AM	Simply use a Miracle, clerics care not about int/cha ;)