Spell duration affecting creatures

[Grand Poobah]

Hi giants,

I'm pretty sure I'm right but I can't find anything specific in the SRD to back up my position.

During play last night, a rogue used a flash pellet against a hobgoblin, blinding him for 1 round followed by a few round of dazzled.

The rogue player thought that the 1 round duration of the blindness begins on the hobgoblin's initiative, while my position is that it begins on the rogue's initiative.

The hobgoblin on his turn attempted to hit the [in effect invisible] rogue. The following round, before the rogue gets to act again, the blindness ends so the rogue doesn't get a bonus to hit the blind hobgoblin when his turn comes around again, which he would have done had the blindness effect started on the hobgoblin's turn.

On a similar note, when a cleric turns undead, do the undead immediately move away from the cleric, potentially changing their initiative, or do they only move away, cower, whatever, on their initiative?

[Telonius]

Generally a spell takes effect as soon as it's cast. There are exceptions. Spells that take a full-round action to cast or longer take effect just before the start of your next initiative turn. Spells that affect an area (like cloud spells or grease) might only have an effect when interacted with (stepped on, walked into). But something like a Blindness effect takes place immediately.

As for when it expires, the relevant rule there is in "The Combat Round (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#theCombatRound)."


Effects that last a certain number of rounds end just before the same initiative count that they began on.

For your hobgoblin, here's what it would look like:

Player throws pellet; hobgoblin is blind.
(other initiative actions, including hobgoblin's turn)
Hobgoblin is no longer blind, but dazzled.
Player goes again, finishes his actions for the round.
(other initiative actions, including Hobgoblin's turn)
Hobgoblin is no longer dazzled.
Player goes again, finishes his actions for the round.


Yes, this does suck for Rogues. Usually you want to either give your status-changing stuff to one of your allies, or get some way to act more than once in a round.

[Fizban]

Or get a better blinding effect, or pop out of a smokescreen instead.

[KillianHawkeye]

Hi giants

Minor note: there is only one Giant in this playground.


On a similar note, when a cleric turns undead, do the undead immediately move away from the cleric, potentially changing their initiative, or do they only move away, cower, whatever, on their initiative?

No, turning does not allow undead to act immediately or affect the initiative order in any way. The turned undead must flee, but obviously they cannot do so until their own turn.