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JohnnyCancer
2010-02-10, 01:58 PM
The spell has been cast a number of times in our current campaign and there is some disagreement as to what kind of effects it would be able to accomplish: can it open a typical, unlocked wooden chest, could it drag a weighted sack ahead of the group (or tap a 10 foot pole) in the hopes of setting off traps, etc.

What kind of things do you think it reasonable to expect an unseen servant to be able to do?

Sinfire Titan
2010-02-10, 02:05 PM
One of my favorite uses is to cast Servant Horde to provide me an Assist check on my attack rolls. With 8 servants, all taking 10, you get a +16 bonus to the next attack roll you make. Alternatively, +16 AC.


Every method you mentioned is one that WotC advocated in one of their articles. Unseen Servant is a very versatile spell.

Douglas
2010-02-10, 02:08 PM
One of my favorite uses is to cast Servant Horde to provide me an Assist check on my attack rolls. With 8 servants, all taking 10, you get a +16 bonus to the next attack roll you make. Alternatively, +16 AC.
Doesn't work. Aid Another on attacks or AC requires an attack roll, which Unseen Servants are explicitly forbidden to make.

Demons_eye
2010-02-10, 02:09 PM
One of my favorite uses is to cast Servant Horde to provide me an Assist check on my attack rolls. With 8 servants, all taking 10, you get a +16 bonus to the next attack roll you make. Alternatively, +16 AC.


Every method you mentioned is one that WotC advocated in one of their articles. Unseen Servant is a very versatile spell.

I don't believe you can take ten on attack rolls or aid another rolls.

Edit: Damn Ninja'd

Lin Bayaseda
2010-02-10, 02:13 PM
The spell description from d20srd.org answers most of your questions:


An unseen servant is an invisible, mindless, shapeless force that performs simple tasks at your command. It can run and fetch things, open unstuck doors, and hold chairs, as well as clean and mend. The servant can perform only one activity at a time, but it repeats the same activity over and over again if told to do so as long as you remain within range. It can open only normal doors, drawers, lids, and the like. It has an effective Strength score of 2 (so it can lift 20 pounds or drag 100 pounds). It can trigger traps and such, but it can exert only 20 pounds of force, which is not enough to activate certain pressure plates and other devices. It can’t perform any task that requires a skill check with a DC higher than 10 or that requires a check using a skill that can’t be used untrained. Its speed is 15 feet.

The servant cannot attack in any way; it is never allowed an attack roll.

If you want to activate a pressure plate calibrated for a weight of a typical human, the Unseen Servant will have to drag two 100 lb sacks ... one at a time, I guess :smallamused:

JohnnyCancer
2010-02-10, 02:20 PM
The spell description from d20srd.org answers most of your questions:



If you want to activate a pressure plate calibrated for a weight of a typical human, the Unseen Servant will have to drag two 100 lb sacks ... one at a time, I guess :smallamused:

So it can do most of the things I thought it could do. Maybe the DM makes all the chests have 21 pound lids :smallamused:

lsfreak
2010-02-10, 02:21 PM
If you want to activate a pressure plate calibrated for a weight of a typical human, the Unseen Servant will have to drag two 100 lb sacks ... one at a time, I guess :smallamused:

Thirty-pound halflings (and possibly goblins, kobolds, and others) are running around by default, and fairly commonly. Most things WON'T be set just to human weight.

EDIT: Grammar good I am at.

Sinfire Titan
2010-02-10, 02:32 PM
Doesn't work. Aid Another on attacks or AC requires an attack roll, which Unseen Servants are explicitly forbidden to make.

Damn. Oh well, works for Diamond Mind maneuvers.

Lin Bayaseda
2010-02-10, 03:20 PM
Thirty-pound halflings (and possibly goblins, kobolds, and others) are running around by default, and fairly commonly. Most things WON'T be set just to human weight.

EDIT: Grammar good I am at.Well, it depends. If the dungeon was built by kobold-sized creatures, they may want to make themselves safe from their own traps, and only have the Big Guys trigger them. Anyway, we digress...

Asheram
2010-02-10, 06:06 PM
Well, it depends. If the dungeon was built by kobold-sized creatures, they may want to make themselves safe from their own traps, and only have the Big Guys trigger them. Anyway, we digress...

We might digress, but it still needs to be mentioned.

*coughs*

Tucker's

Darrin
2010-02-11, 12:04 AM
Doesn't work. Aid Another on attacks or AC requires an attack roll, which Unseen Servants are explicitly forbidden to make.

Unseen Servants can make skill checks so long as the skill is not "trained only" and the DC is 10 or less. This does allow them to "Aid Another" on skill checks (DC 10), although they can't take a 10 on the check. This allows them to Aid Another on:

Balance, Bluff (including feint), Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Forgery, Gather Info, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival, Swim, Use Rope, and maybe a few of the other non-PHB skills out there.

Obligatory Collar of Perpetual Attendance (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fools/20030401c) link for Unseen Servant at will.

Other things an Unseen Servant can do:

* retrieve/fold a net
* reload a crossbow or sling
* drop/pick up caltrops
* light/carry a smokestick (mobile concealment) or noxious smokestick (save vs. nausea)
* light an oil slick or web on fire with a tindertwig/torch/alchemists fire
* drop a small sack full of 19 acid flasks in a square (19 splash damage, no save)
* drop a bag of flour or torch bug bladder into a square
* empty a bag of marbles into a square (5' x 5' nonmagical grease)
* hold a darkwood feycraft tower shield
* activate a feather token such as a tree or swan boat (20d6 falling object damage, no save)
* blow a horn of fog, bang on some drums of panic, or spin a babbling wheel (last one is from Savage Species)
* block a charge
* bull-rush a kobold into oncoming traffic
* open a fire trapped item while holding a piece of parchment inscribed with explosive runes (burning parchment = attempt to erase)
* crush a skull talisman (Frostburn)
* drop/break chardalyn stone (Silver Marches WE) or Shalantha's Delicate Disk (LEoF)
* activate an explosive pack (Secrets of Sarlona)
* activate/carry/drop a ditherbomb (RotD)
* open a screaming flask (CMage, 15' cone 1d8 sonic damage + save vs. deafness)
* blow a sand pipe (Secrets of Xendrik), 15' cone of blinding/burning sand
* spread powder of the black veil (MIC), 10' cube of no save blindness
* set/trigger a blast disk (HoB) or exploding/sleeping/stunning spike (MIC)
* spread/drop slashing sand (MIC) or vial of icy sheets (Frostburn)

Magnor Criol
2010-02-11, 02:22 AM
One of the most creative in-battle uses I've ever seen for Unseen Servant was actually in a WotC campaign.

The party is coming to battle one of the campaign's recurring villains, the "boss" of that chapter. She's in a small room at the end of another long one. She's some sort of caster (bard I think) and is skilled at disarming enemies.

Pre-fight, she's cast two Unseen Servants. The party sees her from the other end of the long room where she shoots a Lightning Bolt at them, then backs up from the doorway. The first Servant was instructed to have a readied action to always close the door after someone comes through, so as soon as she backs off, the door closes.

Party members, after fighting through mooks to get to her room, have to spend some movement to open the door, which then closes after them - cutting off line-of-sight for spells and generally disrupting the party.

The second Servant was instructed to just pick up weapons and move them to the other side of the room, so whenever she disarms an opponent, voila! All of a sudden their sword isn't simply lying on the ground in front of them, it's moving across the room. :smallamused:

Pretty effective combat-disruption for such a low level spell. I was impressed.