What does Disable actually do?

[Tvtyrant]

The power Disable (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/disable.htm)says it convinces the targets that they are powerless, but the effect is broken if they attempt to take a standard action. Is there some reason that this is not entirely meaningless as a power? Because it reads to me like you automatically break it on your turn...

[StreamOfTheSky]

Presumably enemies who are not suicidal or very aggressive would think that a strenuous action would leave them dying and helpless and "not metagame" - they might just limp out w/ a single move action per round thinking they need to. Or even outright surrender.

I agree, in practice it's not very good. But it hypothetically could instantly end an encounter and is low level, so meh...

I never bother with learning it.

[Leecros]

The power Disable (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/disable.htm)says it convinces the targets that they are powerless, but the effect is broken if they attempt to take a standard action. Is there some reason that this is not entirely meaningless as a power? Because it reads to me like you automatically break it on your turn...

As stated in the description of it it is pretty much useless against PC's and important NPC's. However:


common NPCs and creatures under the effect of this power typically cower or retreat.

as neither of those are standard actions(with cowering being no action and retreating being a move action) it would not break disable.


Edit: so basically what StreamOfTheSky said.

[lsfreak]

//While it’s possible for an important nonplayer character to attempt some sort of “heroic” action, common NPCs and creatures under the effect of this power typically cower or retreat.//

It's one of those spells that requires RP and not bringing out-of-game knowledge in. PCs/NPCs under its effects would THINK that doing anything strenuous would drop them into dying. Though like with illusions and Spellcrafting to identify them being cast, there is a stretch some people are uncomfortable with.

[Absol197]

I've used Disable on a PC before in-game, and it worked amazingly well!

Basically, you don't tell them you've used Disable, you ask calmly, "How many hp do you have left?" Roll some dice, pretend to add, and then say, "You're now at exactly 0 hp."

When a PC think's they're about to go unconscious, what do they do? They either retreat, or use a potion or cure spell. It wastes their action, but it's a low-level power so I think it works well.


~Phoenix~

[Tvtyrant]

Well that makes some sense, but since my party usually uses their action to drink potions it wouldn't do anything. I'm looking for good group debuffs to give the Psion Vampire BBEG the party is facing, and Disable just looked so weird I had to know.

[StreamOfTheSky]

I've used Disable on a PC before in-game, and it worked amazingly well!

Basically, you don't tell them you've used Disable, you ask calmly, "How many hp do you have left?" Roll some dice, pretend to add, and then say, "You're now at exactly 0 hp."

When a PC think's they're about to go unconscious, what do they do? They either retreat, or use a potion or cure spell. It wastes their action, but it's a low-level power so I think it works well.

Sounds good until one of the PCs decides to try and psicraft / spellcraft whatever was just manifested.

That's actually a problem I've always had with illusion spells cast in front of the enemy in general; seems way too easy for them to just ID what you're *actually* casting.

[Lord Vukodlak]

Sounds good until one of the PCs decides to try and psicraft / spellcraft whatever was just manifested.

That's actually a problem I've always had with illusion spells cast in front of the enemy in general; seems way too easy for them to just ID what you're *actually* casting.
I rule that a failed will save on an illusion spell foils the spellcraft.

[Darth Stabber]

I rule that a failed will save on an illusion spell foils the spellcraft.

Until the spell is cast there is no illusion to foil the skill roll, and you don't get a save until you interact with it. This is why the "image" line of spells is risky in combat, but still amazing out of combat, or before combat.

[Lord Vukodlak]

Until the spell is cast there is no illusion to foil the skill roll, and you don't get a save until you interact with it. This is why the "image" line of spells is risky in combat, but still amazing out of combat, or before combat.

The spellcraft check is completed at the same time as the spell and analyzing it can easily be counted as interacting with it.

[Darth Stabber]

The spellcraft check is completed at the same time as the spell and analyzing it can easily be counted as interacting with it.

Nope! The spellcraft is completed before the spell goes off, otherwise counterspelling wouldn't work.


Identify a spell being cast. (You must see or hear the spell’s verbal or somatic components.) No action required. No retry.

Identifying a spell that has been cast is a different roll.

Also the people spellcrafting it are the ones most likely to mke the save anyway.

[Mnemnosyne]

It's a DC 15+Power Level concentration check to hide the display of a power. Failing the check does not cause you to lose the power, it only allows the display to show up. Psicraft can't identify a power if the person observing doesn't see a display. Therefore, even at 1st level, you've got good odds of being able to hide the display so no one can psicraft it.

Generally speaking, there's rarely a reason for psionic users not to try to hide the display on every single power, just to minimize the chances of it being psicrafted.

[supermonkeyjoe]

It works on PCs if they don't know the power or don't metagame, when I used it the first time I told the Player to make a will save, when he failed I told him that it reduced his characters HP to 0 (with appropriate fluff description), this prompted another character to break off their attack and rush over to heal him which revealed the power, 1 AoO provoked, one lay on hands wasted.