How to communicate

[ClothedInVelvet]

My PCs are invading the villains lair, but he unhallowed it and one of them failed their save. So the one is surrounded by a 20-ft radius of silence and because they haven't gotten far enough apart, they think they're all stuck with it. However, now they want to talk to the villain. They communicated that to him with hand signals and he stopped his vampires before they attacked. He's the kind of arrogant villain who doesn't care if they live or die, and he has plenty of time to chat if that's what they want to do. Maybe they'll even convince him to help them or something.

Anyway, I want to allow this sort of discourse, but I'm not sure how to let them communicate. The villain isn't dumb enough to dispel the silence spell against two clerics (he's a dread necromancer/pale master with vampire minions). Is there another way? A ring of telepathy or something?

[Hirax]

There's a helm of telepathy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#helmofTelepathy), though it could easily be ported to a ring instead.

edit: this would make for an interesting scenario, perhaps the BBEG might try to get them to turn on each other, because while he'll be able to communicate with them, they will not be able to communicate with each other.

[ClothedInVelvet]

There's a helm of telepathy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#helmofTelepathy), though it could easily be ported to a ring instead.

edit: this would make for an interesting scenario, perhaps the BBEG might try to get them to turn on each other, because while he'll be able to communicate with them, they will not be able to communicate with each other.

Good call. What would be the price discount for such an item without the suggestion ability? I keep my villains on a strict budget so my PCs don't end up facing ridiculously overpowered opponents and then get gross amounts of treasure.

[Hirax]

An item of continuous detect thoughts would be 12k according to the guidelines (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/creatingMagicItems.htm). Caster level*spell level*duration factor*1,000 would be 3*2*2*1,000

[Parra]

Anyway, I want to allow this sort of discourse, but I'm not sure how to let them communicate

I would get the Players to Plug their ears and then continue to have the IC 'converstaion' and roll with any miscommunications that would happen.
Maybe allowing the odd sense motive to steer a few things that go too widly off course.

From the Villians point of view, it would provide a short and potentially entertaining distraction while his minions get XYZ ready.

[Baroncognito]

You could give them a sheet of paper and a writing implement.

[Hirax]

You could give them a sheet of paper and a writing implement.

Laaaaaaaame :smallbiggrin:

[ClothedInVelvet]

They are literate. For the amount of literacy in the D&D universe (everyone but barbarians?), there is very little reading by anyone but Wizards.

I do usually make my PCs act out their statuses. Silence is nothing compared to the time they got hit with poisons that made their tongues swell beyond their mouthes. No one resisted their humiliation because they were glad I wasn't making them act out the previous poison which had caused them all to soil their pants.

We were doing an adventure where I was showing them the wide variety of tactics and traps that could be employed against them. Because I knew they wouldn't last long if it was typical damage-dealing traps and tactics, they suffered humiliations instead (e.g. pit traps were filled with smelly slime or sewage rather than spikes, fake portals removed bodily hair instead of reversing alignments, etc.). It was fun, but these PCs are trying to communicate with the BBEG.

[Psyren]

- Some kind of illusion to write in the air maybe?
- Gag the clerics and then dispel the silence?

I love the idea of sowing distrust among the PCs, but I don't see any way to pull that off without metagaming happening.

[Big Fau]

Having one player take Hidden Talent (Mindlink), then have that character get a bunch of +1 Manifester Shurikens. This gives him 252pp (which has to be used 5pp at a time, save for the last 2 points), which is 52 uses of Mindlink (520 minutes of telepathy with the mindlinked party members). It requires some setup prior to using it, but it works across any distance once it gets started.

[Zaq]

Hmm. Vanilla telepathy doesn't create a zone of mind-talkiness. It's two-way (or sometimes one-way, but eh). If the villain is the source of the telepathy, everything that's said has to go through him if he wants the other PCs to hear it. That could be interesting, especially if you enforce it at the table (probably using notes back and forth). It could also be annoying.

[Randomguy]

Have the characters speak in drow sign language.

Barring that, Dancing lights to spell out words and stuff. Or to speak in binary.

[Keegan__D]

You could homebrew a magic item that lets all (no exclusions) within something like 100ft in on a group telepathy thing. Make it a large installation in the villain's chamber so the players can't take it. Or a spell.

[Ravens_cry]

You could give them a sheet of paper and a writing implement.
Or slate and chalk. That way you can write and wipe as needed without carrying a huge pile of paper.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

One level dip in Mindbender for any arcane class nets you a 100' Telepathy, plenty good enough for this. As a bonus, it also sets you up for Mindsight. The BBEG could have easily gone for this dip to prevent invisible/sneaking/hiding/etc PC's from getting the drop on him.

[Mockingbird]

What about the spell Message?

[Ravens_cry]

What about the spell Message?
Spells with a verbal component cannot be cast and even if you could through the Silence metamagic, it explicitly says "You can whisper messages and receive whispered replies with little chance of being overheard." No whispering in a zone of silence.

[ClothedInVelvet]

I'm going with the ring of telepathy and 1-on-1 communication. I'm not sure how it'll work, but it's going to be interesting to see some LG characters deal with negotiating with the master of the undead. I wouldn't be surprised if they turned on each other.

As for metagaming, it won't happen. My PCs are smarter than that.

"I want to cast Protection from Energy (Fire)"

"Why?"

"Because that's a pyrohydra!"

"How does your character know that? Has he ever encountered one before? Did he succeed on his Knowledge (Arcana) check?"

"He just think's it would be a good thing to do."

"You suddenly realize that you've forgotten the words to the Protection from Energy spell! The one you prepared this morning vanishes from your mind!"

[Mockingbird]

Spells with a verbal component cannot be cast and even if you could through the Silence metamagic, it explicitly says "You can whisper messages and receive whispered replies with little chance of being overheard." No whispering in a zone of silence.

Yes, but the villain could message the PCs, because he is presumably outside the zone of silence.

[EternalMelon]

20ft radius you say?

*google stalks op,
Flys to ops house,
Fly back to my house,
Grab forgotten popcorn,
Fly back to ops house,
Read ops memos on where he holds his gaming sessions,
Hide in corner of the room session is held,
Waits for game to start, watches as cursed dude walks up to BBEG,
Laughs when BBEG fats silenced,
Run from house,
Gets caught be police,
Jailed for breaking and entering,
Crys,
???
PROFIT!*

But yeah, make sure the BBEG is immune to the silence effect.

[Ravens_cry]

Yes, but the villain could message the PCs, because he is presumably outside the zone of silence.
Would that work>?They have to hear the message too and nothing about the spell says you hear it mentally, it's more like the sound of a whisper is transported to the air very close to their ear. With that interpretation, it still wouldn't work in a zone of silence.