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Jack_Simth
2022-02-03, 07:46 AM
So, the Succubus (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/demon/succubus/):

1) Can she choose not to Energy Drain during an act of passion so as to maintain her cover? Because if she's pretending to be that Expert-1's wife, there's the potential for not kissing breaking the ruse... but killing him with a kiss would also blow the game. The ability in question:
A succubus drains energy from a mortal she lures into an act of passion, such as a kiss. An unwilling victim must be grappled before the succubus can use this ability. The succubus’s kiss bestows one negative level. The kiss also has the effect of a suggestion spell, asking the victim to accept another act of passion from the succubus. The victim must succeed on a DC 22 Will save to negate the suggestion. The DC is 22 for the Fortitude save to remove a negative level. These save DCs are Charisma-based.

2) Profane Gift grants telepathy with the victim. Does it work across planes? It says any distance, but is silent about the planes (unlike, say, the Telepathic Bond (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/t/telepathic-bond/) or Status (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/status/) spells which specifically say they don't). The ability in question:

Once per day as a full-round action, a succubus may grant a profane gift to a willing humanoid creature by touching it for 1 full round. The target gains a +2 profane bonus to an ability score of his choice. A single creature may have no more than one profane gift from a succubus at a time. As long as the profane gift persists, the succubus can communicate telepathically with the target across any distance (and may use her suggestion spell-like ability through it). A profane gift is removed by dispel evil or dispel chaos. The succubus can remove it as well as a free action (causing 2d6 Charisma drain to the victim, no save). (Emphasis added)

Telonius
2022-02-03, 08:59 AM
1. It's a special attack, so she's got to decide to use it. To take a similar example, Monks don't deal Unarmed Strike damage when shaking somebody's hand, they've got to decide to attack.

2. Rules don't say. Personally I'd think that this would be an extremely powerful ability if it worked across planes.

Eldonauran
2022-02-04, 12:34 PM
Telepathy (unless stated otherwise) does not work across planar boundaries, because distance is not a factor in how far 'apart' the two creature are. You cannot travel any amount of distance to reach each other while on different planes.

Jack_Simth
2022-02-04, 07:12 PM
1. It's a special attack, so she's got to decide to use it. To take a similar example, Monks don't deal Unarmed Strike damage when shaking somebody's hand, they've got to decide to attack.

2. Rules don't say. Personally I'd think that this would be an extremely powerful ability if it worked across planes.

It's useful either way.

If it can cross planes, it's useful to the Succubus (an agent on the material plane while she is elsewhere).

If it can't cross planes, then a Wizard can planar bind, get the boost, and dismiss to get rid of the drawback.

Raven777
2022-02-05, 10:55 PM
2) On the matter of Profane Gift enabling communication even across planes, it does in at least one Adventure Path.

Arueshalae uses hers to communicate with the party across the planes and to offer advice. Details are in Demon's Heresy p. 58 and The Midnight Isles p. 9.

So at least in the context of Pathfinder/Golarion, the authors assumed Profane Gift works across planes.

Crake
2022-02-06, 01:02 AM
Telepathy (unless stated otherwise) does not work across planar boundaries, because distance is not a factor in how far 'apart' the two creature are. You cannot travel any amount of distance to reach each other while on different planes.

Actually, the rule seems to be to specify when planar boundaries prevent the telepathy, rather than the opposite, so it seems the default is yes, and requires a specific no to not work cross planes. Take a look at the telepathic bond, or pretty much every time it says "across any distance (but not on other planes)". It is always specified when planar distance breaks it, so the default must be the inverse, that planar distance does count for "any distance".

Jervis
2022-02-06, 02:35 AM
Raw I believe they can chose not to but it’s worth mentioning that a official adventure model (I forgot the name) has a succubus NPC struggling with the fact that she can’t turn it off

Jack_Simth
2022-02-06, 09:03 AM
2) On the matter of Profane Gift enabling communication even across planes, it does in at least one Adventure Path.

Arueshalae uses hers to communicate with the party across the planes and to offer advice. Details are in Demon's Heresy p. 58 and The Midnight Isles p. 9.

So at least in the context of Pathfinder/Golarion, the authors assumed Profane Gift works across planes.
Nice find.


Raw I believe they can chose not to but it’s worth mentioning that a official adventure model (I forgot the name) has a succubus NPC struggling with the fact that she can’t turn it off
Weren't her powers on the fritz in general as she's an Evil subtype critter and trying to be a good person? In an adventure module, you'd be looking for basically one of two things:
1) An in-control succubus who is outed because she killed her cover with a kiss.
2) An in-control succubus who is NOT outed when she kisses her cover.

Alcore
2022-02-06, 04:02 PM
I think 1 is an ability she can choose to not use. Energy drain requires grapple or willing/helpless so it is not the same as getting flesh/lips to any part of the target.

Drelua
2022-02-07, 01:14 PM
It does say they must be grappled, so even if you can't turn it off you can just not grapple them.

Also, might be an expensive solution, but if you can keep them under the effect of death ward then they're immune. A scarab of protection would cover them, but 12 times for 38k is a bit steep. It did kinda take me out of a certain computer adaptation of an adventure path when the succubus NPC was saying she can never kiss anyone and I'm thinking... 'you know we have a party member that can cast death ward, right?' I think we have a rod of extend too. :smallwink: (Sorry, couldn't resist)

Alcore
2022-02-08, 10:32 AM
It does say they must be grappled, so even if you can't turn it off you can just not grapple them.

I bring up the grapple and stuff because it just seems like the succubus is required to do more than just mash lips. A conscious effect (that is still a “free action” if that) that requires her to be attentive to the target.