Oh, Entice Gift

[NeoSeraphi]

Entice gift from the Spell Compendium is one of my favorite spells. (Enchantment is my second favorite school of magic, just after evocation and right before necromancy).

I once played a beguiler who took entice gift as an Advanced Learning spell, and I went into a magic item shop. The clerk had a basket of ioun stones behind his counter, and I asked politely to examine them. As soon as he picked them up, I cast entice gift on him. He handed them to me, I turned invisible and ran out.

After dishing the stones out to my party members (who, in character, did not know they were stolen), I started testing them myself. (I didn't have a way to identify them so the DM said the only way I could identify them was to use them). However, three of them didn't come down...

Turns out the shopkeeper cursed a few of his ioun stones to discourage theft, and only he knew which ones were cursed and which ones weren't, so he could easily remove the curse before one was bought...Well played, DM, well played.

She played to my weaknesses too...one of the stones actually changed my character into a girl, and of course the party cleric didn't have remove curse prepared that day...she showed me alright.

The next day I tried to complete my plan by going back into the town and selling the ioun stones we didn't want back to the same clerk. Of course, he was incredibly suspicious, but of course (much to my DM's chagrin) Bluff is a class skill for beguilers, and I cast glibness on myself before walking in the store, so even with the -20 penalty, I still beat his Sense Motive check and walked out of that store with a cool twenty grand in my pocket to show for it.

How about you guys? Anyone else love using entice gift?

[SilverLeaf167]

Though I'm really on a good roll, notifying people of their typos and misconceptions, I think I'll leave this thread alone, as I don't have anything to say on topic...

Wait.
I just did not leave this thread alone.

Anyway, they're ioun stones, not ion stones. Though I guess it might be interesting to make ioun stones with different electrical charges... whatever effect that might actually have. :smallwink:

I'll just leave now.

[NeoSeraphi]

Fixed, thanks.

[ahenobarbi]

Entice gift from the Spell Compendium is one of my favorite spells. (Enchantment is my second favorite school of magic, just after evocation and right before necromancy).

I once played a beguiler who took entice gift as an Advanced Learning spell, and I went into a magic item shop. The clerk had a basket of ioun stones behind his counter, and I asked politely to examine them. As soon as he picked them up, I cast entice gift on him. He handed them to me, I turned invisible and ran out.

Yeah, surely when you deal in trading very expansive items you will not invest a copper piece in security... oh wait

While enchantments can be very powerful the problem is it's easy to get immunity from them. And

[NeoSeraphi]

Yeah, surely when you deal in trading very expansive items you will not invest a copper piece in security... oh wait

While enchantments can be very powerful the problem is it's easy to get immunity from them. And

It's easy to get immunity from them if you're a typical high-CR enemy, but not if you're a low-level commoner or blacksmith. Sure, enchantment spells are not always relevant in combat, but D&D is half-combat, half-adventure, and saying that the fact that enchantment spells aren't always useful in combat makes them a bad school would be like saying that divination is a bad school. And no one's saying that.

[JadePhoenix]

Wow, that shopkeeper was both very rich and very stupid.

[NeoSeraphi]

Wow, that shopkeeper was both very rich and very stupid.

He was extremely rich, I was quite impressed. As for the "very stupid", well, I went in disguised as someone else, and my bluff was "Some guy sold me these as he was fleeing the town". So the shopkeeper couldn't very well just lay claim to them without proof (which he of course didn't have). That, coupled with my lolworthy-high Bluff check, allowed me to walk out all the richer.

[JadePhoenix]

He was extremely rich, I was quite impressed. As for the "very stupid", well, I went in disguised as someone else, and my bluff was "Some guy sold me these as he was fleeing the town". So the shopkeeper couldn't very well just lay claim to them without proof (which he of course didn't have). That, coupled with my lolworthy-high Bluff check, allowed me to walk out all the richer.

His stupidness was in having such valuable things unguarded and handing them to as stranger for no good reason.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Entince Gift makes the target give whatever he/she is holding in its hands if you fail the saving throw (IIRC), so this wasn't so much as the NPC being stupid; but Neo being quite clever.

[jindra34]

His stupidness was in having such valuable things unguarded and handing them to as stranger for no good reason.

I'd call being magically compelled to give them to someone a not stupid reason. As for a rich person having that kinda magic items available (including cursed ones) and not having wards of any kind that is stupid.

[Siosilvar]

Entince Gift makes the target give whatever he/she is holding in its hands if you fail the saving throw (IIRC), so this wasn't so much as the NPC being stupid; but Neo being quite clever.

And the DM being a bit mean; who just happens to have a gender-changing ioun stone under the counter mixed in with more normal effect ones?

[Hiro Protagonest]

His stupidness was in having such valuable things unguarded and handing them to as stranger for no good reason.

...That was where Entice Gift came in.

@Dusk: His name's Seraphi, not Neo.

@^: He would've de-cursed them if they were bought. He invested in that and not immunities because immunities don't protect you from sharp swords.

[Dusk Eclipse]

And the DM being a bit mean; who just happens to have a gender-changing ioun stone under the counter mixed in with more normal effect ones?



Turns out the shopkeeper cursed a few of his ioun stones to discourage theft, and only he knew which ones were cursed and which ones weren't, so he could easily remove the curse before one was bought...Well played, DM, well played.

I say it was a perfectly reasonable and good idea on the DM's side, besides it was just a relatively minor curse and the party had access to way to dispel it (even if not at the time) and Neo apparently kept the good Ioun stone and even profited from the sale.

[JadePhoenix]

I'd call being magically compelled to give them to someone a not stupid reason. As for a rich person having that kinda magic items available (including cursed ones) and not having wards of any kind that is stupid.

Please reread the OP.
The merchant gave him the ioun stones so he could 'examine' them. Then, the playcer cast entince gift.
Yeah, that was very stupid.

[jindra34]

Please reread the OP.
The merchant gave him the ioun stones so he could 'examine' them. Then, the playcer cast entince gift.
Yeah, that was very stupid.

No the Original post says as soon as the shop keeper picked up the stones, he cast Entice gift. No point in casting a spell that makes someone give you whatever they have in hand when they already gave you what you want.

[NeoSeraphi]

Thank you Swift Jade. :smallsmile:

And yeah, the shopkeeper was picking up the basket and was going to hand me a single ioun stone, but I cast entice gift on him, and apparently my 28 Int and Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment) made the DC of my spell too high for a 3rd level commoner to save against. So he handed me the basket, I cast invisibility and I ran out. :smallcool:

[Siosilvar]

I say it was a perfectly reasonable and good idea on the DM's side, besides it was just a relatively minor curse and the party had access to way to dispel it (even if not at the time) and Neo apparently kept the good Ioun stone and even profited from the sale.

I'm not sure why you'd want to make a thief less recognizable as the same person as a security measure. Heck, turning them bright purple would be a better choice if you're worried about thieves.

Not debating reasonability, I wouldn't complain much if it happened to my character, just saying that it seems a bit... off. I do admit "mean" was a poor word choice on my part.

[JadePhoenix]

Thank you Swift Jade. :smallsmile:

And yeah, the shopkeeper was picking up the basket and was going to hand me a single ioun stone, but I cast entice gift on him, and apparently my 28 Int and Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment) made the DC of my spell too high for a 3rd level commoner to save against. So he handed me the basket, I cast invisibility and I ran out. :smallcool:

I just can't see a 3rd level commoner getting that much money and holding onto it for more than a round.
Anyway, some people are not as simulationist as I tend to be. Nothing new here. :smallsmile:

[jindra34]

Thank you Swift Jade. :smallsmile:

And yeah, the shopkeeper was picking up the basket and was going to hand me a single ioun stone, but I cast entice gift on him, and apparently my 28 Int and Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment) made the DC of my spell too high for a 3rd level commoner to save against. So he handed me the basket, I cast invisibility and I ran out. :smallcool:
WHA! Why did your DM think it would be a good idea to let a lowish level COMMONER run a magic mart, at least it should have been an adept if not a full blown PC caster class so that they could identify stuff coming in on their own.

[NeoSeraphi]

WHA! Why did your DM think it would be a good idea to let a lowish level COMMONER run a magic mart, at least it should have been an adept if not a full blown PC caster class so that they could identify stuff coming in on their own.

Oh, I just assume it was a level 3-ish commoner. I didn't see his sheet or anything. For all I know he could have been a 10th level wizard.

[Dusk Eclipse]

...That was where Entice Gift came in.

@Dusk: His name's Seraphi, not Neo.

@^: He would've de-cursed them if they were bought. He invested in that and not immunities because immunities don't protect you from sharp swords.

I tend to default to the first part of an username though if a given poster prefers a particular part of his/her username I will glady refer to him/her in that way.

[FearlessGnome]

You... stole from a magic mart? Presumably, if you play in a world where one can steal a basket full of ioun stones from a shop, one can also kill the shop keeper and clean the place out for at least hundreds of thousands of gold worth of items. Magic marts are unrealistic even for DnD, and DMs who use them (most of us) tend to rely on on the unspoken understanding that you do not try to treat them like a vault full of very high level loot guarded by a commoner.

Keep doing what you did and either your DMs are going to annihilate magic marts from your campaign, or sooner or later one of them is going to have the robbed NPC call in a hit squad, well paid (So high level) equipped with his finest equipment. When your party is gunned down by invisible assassins with Invisible Spell Fog Cloud and automagic self-reloading crossbows and a wizard back up, your party won't be so happy that you went off on your own and tried to break the game. If I was the owner of a magic mart, and I was robbed, I'd quite happily take a loan or sell some of my remaining wares cheaply to get enough money on hand to hire the very best assassins the country had to offer. And just like tens of thousands' worth of the Free Stuff someone stole, the assassins would be inappropriate for their level.

[Telonius]

I gave this spell to a Dragon once. When the (low will save) Fighter approached...

"I usually don't allow such an infamy, but give me your sword as tribute and I'll overlook it just this once."

The look on his face as I asked for a Will save was just priceless. Fortunately for him he just barely made the save.

[Coidzor]

He was extremely rich, I was quite impressed. As for the "very stupid", well, I went in disguised as someone else, and my bluff was "Some guy sold me these as he was fleeing the town". So the shopkeeper couldn't very well just lay claim to them without proof (which he of course didn't have). That, coupled with my lolworthy-high Bluff check, allowed me to walk out all the richer.

You're lucky your DM never heard of the concept of it being a crime to buy stolen goods, then.

[limejuicepowder]

hilarious story, and an awesome spell.

I have to agree with the OP as well: enchantment, even if it is limited, is one of the most fun schools ever: in fact, I would argue that it's limited just to keep it fair (though when did wotc care about fair spells?)

I would like to add another fun enchantment spell to the list though: from pathfinder, "unnatural lust." Besides being extremely funny, it's really really good in most combat situations. Just imagine, the enemy spellcaster/archer/squishy decides it's time to give the berserk barbarian a big sloppy kiss - or worse yet, take a dash through the 40 ft of threatened space of the chain-wielding fighter to get to their new-found love.

[umbergod]

Best use of Entice Gift I have had was a solo vile campaign. I was playing a vile Vashaaran Generalist Wizard, that had the spell Black Bag from the BoVD made permanent and only accessible by me via tearing a hole in reality with a special razorblade. Facing the primary villain, I was intended to see his power, then run away, as he had an artifact weapon that took a splinter of your soul and turn it into a powerful weapon. Having not foreseen what I would do, I promptly cast Entice Gift once the artifact was drawn. Soon as it was handed to me, I threw it in my black bag, which can hold evil magic items and artifacts, which is was. Then I ran like a bat outta hell XD

[King Atticus]

Entice gift from the Spell Compendium is one of my favorite spells.

How about you guys? Anyone else love using entice gift?

I'm right there with you, I love enchantment. Specifically this spell and the 3rd level upgrade Misers Envy. I've used it combat a lot, nothing quite as satisfying as forcing Giants to beat the hell out of each other to get their hands on each others weapons.

[Acanous]

The games I play in, Magic Marts are usually run by a Wizard's Guild. (Or church, in the case of Devine magic items.) Stealing from one would be an Exceptionally bad idea.
Much easier to just buy yourself a Wand of Plant Growth and a Lyre of Building, if you wanted to break the economy.
Then, after you're done, you can go buy the shop out, no theft required.

Still, in the context of your game, well done.

[umbergod]

Much easier to just buy yourself a Wand of Plant Growth and a Lyre of Building, if you wanted to break the economy.

what shenanigans involves those 2?

[Acanous]

The radius of a Plant Growth spell is 72% of an acre.
Discounting the stuff you get Black Lotus Extract from, or other rare plants that would sell for tons of GP... You could sell Lumber, spices, or other trade goods (Cotton, hemp, tobacco, etc)
Even if your DM says the plants affected by the spell don't produce anything worth selling, you can sell the trees for firewood at 1SP per 20Lb.

Ever wonder how much a 100 ft radius of trees weigh?

Normally, you wouldn't be able to harvest all of this, as it's a silly heavy ammount of material. That's where the lyre comes in. It does the work for you, turning those raw resources into finished material.

Your DM is unlikely to let you sell it all in one go. Buy some scrolls of Teleport with the proceeds, and spend a couple days of downtime selling at different markets.

I ran the math on it, you'll make a minimum of 56,000 GP, which is more than enough to cover the cost of the wand and the Lyre. You can pull in about 4,000,000 GP per week, depending on your product. Not counting cost of teleportation.

Edit: the spell "Plant Growth" states you can designate things in the radius that remain unaffected. Normally I go find a secluded spot and plant my own product, but in a pinch you can do this to a farmer in the middle of the night, show up in the morning with the lyre and a diplomacy check, then have him pay YOU to clear out the overgrowth.

[NeoSeraphi]

You... stole from a magic mart? Presumably, if you play in a world where one can steal a basket full of ioun stones from a shop, one can also kill the shop keeper and clean the place out for at least hundreds of thousands of gold worth of items. Magic marts are unrealistic even for DnD, and DMs who use them (most of us) tend to rely on on the unspoken understanding that you do not try to treat them like a vault full of very high level loot guarded by a commoner.

Keep doing what you did and either your DMs are going to annihilate magic marts from your campaign, or sooner or later one of them is going to have the robbed NPC call in a hit squad, well paid (So high level) equipped with his finest equipment. When your party is gunned down by invisible assassins with Invisible Spell Fog Cloud and automagic self-reloading crossbows and a wizard back up, your party won't be so happy that you went off on your own and tried to break the game. If I was the owner of a magic mart, and I was robbed, I'd quite happily take a loan or sell some of my remaining wares cheaply to get enough money on hand to hire the very best assassins the country had to offer. And just like tens of thousands' worth of the Free Stuff someone stole, the assassins would be inappropriate for their level.

True, but I only did it once. And I gave them back (sorta)!

That was just a case of me, as an enchanter, sticking to my character. I was a true neutral money-grubbing jerk who had just entered the game as a reroll (my barbarian died, sadly), and I needed to prove to the other guys OOC how semi-evil I was (and how ridiculously high my Bluff check was, especially to the party spellcaster, because he had been messing with NPCs already and I was basically showing him that if he tried that crap with me he was going to get dominated)

[Chronos]

Now, see, this is one of the reasons why I would never put a full-blown Magic Mart in a campaign. Either the shopkeeper is comparable to the PCs' level or lower, in which case stealing from the place is plausible, or e's significantly higher level, in which case you end up having to ask why the shopkeeper isn't the one out saving the world instead of the PCs. Either way ruins the suspension of disbelief.

At most, I can see a shop selling low-level stuff (potions, maybe some scrolls, possibly +1 weapons or armor) run by a mid-level retired adventurer (such that by the time you can reliably rob the shop, it's not worth it). And in a big city, you might have someone who deals in higher-end items by consignment, with the sellers expected to provide their own security until the items are bought. You tell the shopkeeper that you're looking for a particular item, and he'll contact you if he gets one, maybe next week, maybe next year, maybe never.

[Rubik]

Now, see, this is one of the reasons why I would never put a full-blown Magic Mart in a campaign. Either the shopkeeper is comparable to the PCs' level or lower, in which case stealing from the place is plausible, or e's significantly higher level, in which case you end up having to ask why the shopkeeper isn't the one out saving the world instead of the PCs. Either way ruins the suspension of disbelief.

At most, I can see a shop selling low-level stuff (potions, maybe some scrolls, possibly +1 weapons or armor) run by a mid-level retired adventurer (such that by the time you can reliably rob the shop, it's not worth it). And in a big city, you might have someone who deals in higher-end items by consignment, with the sellers expected to provide their own security until the items are bought. You tell the shopkeeper that you're looking for a particular item, and he'll contact you if he gets one, maybe next week, maybe next year, maybe never.Retaining suspension of disbelief is plausible, but only if you think about it properly.

I mean, a planar wizard who literally only cares about profit and who stores his...err...stores...on another plane, and can easily head out if the world is overrun/destroyed (instantaneously, in the case of Astral Projection), and is only on this plane because of the wealth found here? Why not?

[Coidzor]

Retaining suspension of disbelief is plausible, but only if you think about it properly.

I mean, a planar wizard who literally only cares about profit and who stores his...err...stores...on another plane, and can easily head out if the world is overrun/destroyed (instantaneously, in the case of Astral Projection), and is only on this plane because of the wealth found here? Why not?

That's what we do, generally. When we're not reduced to hiring crafters to do commission work, at least.

[Slipperychicken]

I typically imagine Magic Mart as an interplanar chain store, using magic to bring things over from a secure location in Sigil or some private near-inaccessible demiplane vault. Whenever someone pays for something valuable (sending the cash first, obviously), someone plane shifts it in half a minute or so.

[Chronos]

If someplace like Sigil even exists in your world. I can easily see a DM choosing not to open that particular can of worms.