Exploiting Absorb Fear (Dread Witch)

[AugustNights]

Working on a Debuffer/Buffer build that includes some levels in Dread Witch, and I noticed a potential small exploit for free 2nd level spells with the Absorb Fear ability.
I was wondering if anyone else has looked into incredibly low cost, low saving throw, use-activated (or similar all-day) effects that could cause the Panicked status?
Action economy would be nice, but a cohort, follower, or even a hireling could standby and spam the Panicked-effect if need be.

[Irk]

Even though you would auto-disbelieve, the weird wording of Absorb Fear would allow you to look at yourself while under the effect of Hood of the Cobra, to automatically receive benefits. I assume looking at your hand is a free action.

[Jeff the Green]

Even though you would auto-disbelieve, the weird wording of Absorb Fear would allow you to look at yourself while under the effect of Hood of the Cobra, to automatically receive benefits. I assume looking at your hand is a free action.

There's some debate about whether you can deliberately fail to disbelieve your own illusions. I allow it, others I know don't. However, the problem is that hood of the cobra makes you shaken, not panicked.

One option would be manifest nightmare, which forces the target to make a Will save each round or become panicked, and it lasts for Concentration + 3 rounds. It's a 4th-level spell, so a wand would be 21,000 GP and an at will one would be 50,400 GP

[AugustNights]

Huh, I'm poking around and it looks like either the Axe of the Sea Reaver (10,320 GP) or the Platinum Helm (5,000 GP) might be the cheapest.

Platinum Helm is a stretch, because, 1) I'd need a LG character strapped down somewhere being dominated or the like to use it, and 2) wording in the Dread Witch Absorb fear leads me to believe that if scaling HD - lesser effect wouldn't trigger a panicked absorption.

Axe of the Sea Reaver actually fits really nicely as a that this is something of a pirate build in the first place. I'm not certain how the rules define "enemies" however, and I think the DC 16 Will save wouldn't be too hard to overcome on a regular basis.
Can a cohort decide, when activating a weapon that their Leader is "an enemy?"

[Irk]

However, the problem is that hood of the cobra makes you shaken, not panicked.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that you do that in conjunction with Fell Frighten, so that it WOULD render you frightened for +2 CL. Since Absorb Fear is for anything that COULD make you shaken, but does not due tp the choice between disbelief/belief (or rather auto-succeed/fail on the save) of your own stuff, it should work.

[AugustNights]

Not so interested in the CL, as much as getting the free spells per day. I'm looking for panicked for the free L.2 spells

[Jeff the Green]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that you do that in conjunction with Fell Frighten, so that it WOULD render you frightened for +2 CL. Since Absorb Fear is for anything that COULD make you shaken, but does not due tp the choice between disbelief/belief (or rather auto-succeed/fail on the save) of your own stuff, it should work.

Doesn't work; Fell Frighten can only be applied to spells that do damage. With Snowcasting and Flash Frost Spell it could work. And you could make it make you panicked with Nightmare Spinner. But that's a lot of investment.

However, Fell Frighten touch of Vecna with Fearsome Necromancy would work. If there's another spell that makes you shaken and does damage it'd be considerably better, since without reducers that's a 7th-level slot.

[tyckspoon]

Axe of the Sea Reaver actually fits really nicely as a that this is something of a pirate build in the first place. I'm not certain how the rules define "enemies" however, and I think the DC 16 Will save wouldn't be too hard to overcome on a regular basis.
Can a cohort decide, when activating a weapon that their Leader is "an enemy?"

You can; ruleswise, 'enemy' and 'ally' are purely determined by whoever the controller of an ability says they are, and they aren't fixed decisions. Your cohort can call you an 'enemy' to blast you with his axe and then call you 'ally' next turn to include you in his Widget of Bless. Mind, this feels weird and wrong to a lot of people, so your DM may balk at it, but that's how the rules work.

..although 10k GP and taking the risk of failing that save is a lot of work to go through for a 1/day 2nd level spell, considering a 2nd level Pearl of Power is only 4k. So I'm thinking this probably still isn't what you're looking for. There might be something in the world of Intimidation optimization that could help, although the easiest method of getting high-grade fear out of Intimidate (Imperious Command) doesn't actually cause Panic and goes straight to Cowering, which is a state Absorb Fear doesn't address.

[AugustNights]

Aw, drat, I hadn't read the part of the axe that said either of the abilities were only 1/day.
Looks like 30k is the best I can do for use-activated free 2nd-level spells per day, and that seems like too heavy an investment.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

There's a flaw called Skulker in Dragon issue 328, p44, which forces you to make a DC 15 Will save vs Shaken whenever you're in a square threatened by an opponent, and it only lasts as long as you're in a threatened square. It's certainly not Panicked, but it doesn't have any limit to how often you can use it. Also note that it allows you to cast an extra spell of a particular level, not gain an extra spell slot, so for example you could make your free 0-level spell a Fell Frighten Sonic Snap, which is cast from a 2nd level spell slot but still counts as a 0-level spell for all game effects, including being free. Move out of any threatened squares and back in again and you've got another free 0-level spell you can cast!

[AugustNights]

Very interesting. Yes...

[Zaq]

Maybe you can exploit a lesser level of fear somehow? Is there any way you can score access to an Energy Transformation Field (7th level spell in SpC)? You feed spells into it, which it absorbs, and when it absorbs enough spell levels, it spits out a predetermined spell. You might need Ring Gates, since it doesn't seem to be mobile, but Ring Gates make everything better anyway. (Can you cast through Ring Gates? I really hope you can.) So even if you're only getting 0th level spells or 1st level spells, they still add up.

This would also work with Dweomer of Transference, though you need 1sts and not 0ths to make it do anything. But it's another way of aggregating little spells into big effects.

Ooh, would Mage of the Arcane Order work? Can you feed your free spells from Absorb Fear back into the spellpool, or does the wording not allow that? That would be fun.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

After further consideration, you could use the Skulker flaw to walk out of and back into an opponent's threatened space and cast a Sonic Snap with Fell Frighten and Chain Spell for free every round. It would deal half damage to secondary targets and fractions round down but the damage is always a minimum of one, and the save DC isn't reduced for secondary targets if the spell deals damage. Use (Swift or Greater) Invisibility and the opponent won't be able to AoO you for moving.

[Zaq]

After further consideration, you could use the Skulker flaw to walk out of and back into an opponent's threatened space and cast a Sonic Snap with Fell Frighten and Chain Spell for free every round. It would deal half damage to secondary targets and fractions round down but the damage is always a minimum of one, and the save DC isn't reduced for secondary targets if the spell deals damage. Use (Swift or Greater) Invisibility and the opponent won't be able to AoO you for moving.

I think the "minimum 1" rule only applies to penalties, not halving and then rounding down. PHB pg. 134: "Minimum Damage: If penalties reduce the damage to less than 1, a hit still does 1 point of damage." Halving the damage you do isn't a penalty per se. And now that I think about it, the "minimum 1" rule might even only apply to hits, not to spells.

Hmm. Not sure. We may be in "ask your GM" territory. But I think your "minimum 1" calling sounds a little fishy.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I think the "minimum 1" rule only applies to penalties, not halving and then rounding down. PHB pg. 134: "Minimum Damage: If penalties reduce the damage to less than 1, a hit still does 1 point of damage." Halving the damage you do isn't a penalty per se. And now that I think about it, the "minimum 1" rule might even only apply to hits, not to spells.

Hmm. Not sure. We may be in "ask your GM" territory. But I think your "minimum 1" calling sounds a little fishy.

I think you may be right, it looks like if you make a Reflex save for half damage (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#savingThrow) against a spell that deals only one damage, it would get rounded down to zero damage. You would need to use Energy Admixture or Energy Substitution: Cold plus Flash Frost to get that to deal at least two damage so it will still cause damage to secondary targets via Chain Spell. Even without that, casting a Fell Frighten (and Fell Drain) Sonic Snap every round without spending a spell slot is definitely worthwhile.