Thurbane
2022-09-28, 06:35 PM
So our party encountered an Umber Hulk last night. The party Wizard failed a save and ended up confused.
This lead to some lengthy debates about how to interpret some of the Confusion results.
First one was "Attack caster with melee or ranged weapons (or close with caster if attack is not possible)". Simple enough - he whipped out a bow (he's an elf) and shot the Umber Hulk.
Second was "Flee away from caster at top possible speed". Again, straightforward. He did a full move away from the hulk.
At this time we killed the hulk, but the effect was set to last another 6 rounds or so, and we didn't have a Dispel handy.
So the party Ranger sends her wolf companion to attack the Wizard - triggering the "Any confused character who is attacked automatically attacks its attackers on its next turn, as long as it is still confused when its turn comes" clause.
This is where things got a bit complicated. Unlike the first result, it doesn't specify how the confused character is to attack. Should the Wizard throw a spell at the wolf? If so, does he chose the spell, or is it determined randomly? How exactly is an attacking spell defined - would Grease count?
Anyhow, after some debate, the DM ruled that since he had his bow in his hands, he would 5 foot step and attack the wolf with the bow.
Now, previously, due to the wording we have run confusion so that when that clause is triggered, the confused character keeps attacking the last creature to attack it, unless something changes. However, it was ruled this time, after a re-reading, that that clause is only triggered for 1 round, so a new attack would need to be made by the wolf each round we wanted the Wizard to retaliate.
At one point, the wizard rolled "Attack caster" again after the hulk was downed. This lead to the question - should he be attacking the dying/dead hulk on this result?
After the fight, we also noticed that the "Attack nearest creature (for this purpose, a familiar counts as part of the subject’s self)" lacks the "melee or ranged weapons" qualifier.
So, anyway, here's what I think is up for debate:
1.) On the "Attack nearest creature" result or under the "Any confused character who is attacked" clause, how does the character attack? If they are a caster, should they use a spell? If so, do they get to choose the spell (I can see a nasty situation where someone is throwing a Disintegrate at an ally). Would they use wands or other attacking magical items? If yes to a spell or item, does it need to be one that causes damage to count as an attack?
2.) Under the "Any confused character who is attacked" clause, does this persist for the duration of the spell, unless anything changes, or dies it reset after one round?
3.) Does the "Attack caster" result still apply if the caster is dead?
Cheers - T
This lead to some lengthy debates about how to interpret some of the Confusion results.
First one was "Attack caster with melee or ranged weapons (or close with caster if attack is not possible)". Simple enough - he whipped out a bow (he's an elf) and shot the Umber Hulk.
Second was "Flee away from caster at top possible speed". Again, straightforward. He did a full move away from the hulk.
At this time we killed the hulk, but the effect was set to last another 6 rounds or so, and we didn't have a Dispel handy.
So the party Ranger sends her wolf companion to attack the Wizard - triggering the "Any confused character who is attacked automatically attacks its attackers on its next turn, as long as it is still confused when its turn comes" clause.
This is where things got a bit complicated. Unlike the first result, it doesn't specify how the confused character is to attack. Should the Wizard throw a spell at the wolf? If so, does he chose the spell, or is it determined randomly? How exactly is an attacking spell defined - would Grease count?
Anyhow, after some debate, the DM ruled that since he had his bow in his hands, he would 5 foot step and attack the wolf with the bow.
Now, previously, due to the wording we have run confusion so that when that clause is triggered, the confused character keeps attacking the last creature to attack it, unless something changes. However, it was ruled this time, after a re-reading, that that clause is only triggered for 1 round, so a new attack would need to be made by the wolf each round we wanted the Wizard to retaliate.
At one point, the wizard rolled "Attack caster" again after the hulk was downed. This lead to the question - should he be attacking the dying/dead hulk on this result?
After the fight, we also noticed that the "Attack nearest creature (for this purpose, a familiar counts as part of the subject’s self)" lacks the "melee or ranged weapons" qualifier.
So, anyway, here's what I think is up for debate:
1.) On the "Attack nearest creature" result or under the "Any confused character who is attacked" clause, how does the character attack? If they are a caster, should they use a spell? If so, do they get to choose the spell (I can see a nasty situation where someone is throwing a Disintegrate at an ally). Would they use wands or other attacking magical items? If yes to a spell or item, does it need to be one that causes damage to count as an attack?
2.) Under the "Any confused character who is attacked" clause, does this persist for the duration of the spell, unless anything changes, or dies it reset after one round?
3.) Does the "Attack caster" result still apply if the caster is dead?
Cheers - T