Suggested applications of Suggestion?

[Zergrusheddie]

I have never even cast the spell in the entire time that I have played DnD. As a Mindbender in one campaign, I can see it being useful because I could use Suggestion through Telepathy to avoid needing to know every language and as an interesting part of the Mental Trickster that I'm trying to pull off. So how can Suggestion actually be used? The only time I have ever seen it in use is from Vaarsuvius and the Black Dragon...

Best of luck
-Eddie

[Gauntlet]

Use it on guards and minions- take them out of a fight relatively quickly, and also use it for interrogation purposes. It's a great way of getting a load of information on the villain's lair and his likely defenses/allies. Especially useful when he's had the sense to ward the place against Scrying.

[Zergrusheddie]

So something like: "You are getting a little flabby. I suggest you go to the corner and do jumping jacks until I say otherwise" would work as Battlefield Control?

[Sstoopidtallkid]

So something like: "You are getting a little flabby. I suggest you go to the corner and do jumping jacks until I say otherwise" would work as Battlefield Control?

Save-or-Suck.

[Paramour Pink]

So something like: "You are getting a little flabby. I suggest you go to the corner and do jumping jacks until I say otherwise" would work as Battlefield Control?

I don't know. If I was the mook, I'm sure that swinging my weapon would stop the people harming me while giving me a good workout, and a longe life span...

[Zergrusheddie]

I don't know. If I was the mook, I'm sure that swinging my weapon would stop the people harming me while giving me a good workout, and a longe life span...

I was going to say get "some exercise" but the target would go "Ok!" and probably swing Full Power Attack every round...

Has anyone here ever used Suggestion to some powerful effect?

[Zaq]

Remember, an evil wizard will hit you with Suggestion and make you give him everything you're holding, help him with his plan, or feed false information to your friends.

An evil bard will hit you with Suggestion and make you say "at least things can't get any worse."

[Serenity]

If the enemy fails their Will save, they don't get to reinterpret or refuse the Suggestion, unless its to stab themselves or something along those lines. Telling them to start doing jumping jacks, drop their weapons and shield, or to just plain leave all work.

[Zergrusheddie]

If the enemy fails their Will save, they don't get to reinterpret or refuse the Suggestion, unless its to stab themselves or something along those lines. Telling them to start doing jumping jacks, drop their weapons and shield, or to just plain leave all work.

So Suggestion is really a Save-or-You're-Screwed Spell?

[Paramour Pink]

If the enemy fails their Will save, they don't get to reinterpret or refuse the Suggestion, unless its to stab themselves or something along those lines. Telling them to start doing jumping jacks, drop their weapons and shield, or to just plain leave all work.

That's the thing though. If you Suggest to me in the middle of a lethal confrontation that jumping jacks are the best thing I could do, that strikes me as touching on the "do some obviously harmful act" clause. I'm exerting my efforts on something (fat, in this case, I guess) when I could be focusing on the more demanding situation of several aggressive strangers trying to stab me to death.

I can see that particular Suggestion being just fine before a fight, but not during.

[Epinephrine]

Suggestion is tricky, but very powerful. The course of action can't be "harmful" - no jumping into lava. But it could lead to harm - I think putting down a weapon, or tossing your weapon into the lake falls into a possible suggestion.

"Let's not get worked up - we'll all put down our weapons...you first."

After all, this isn't substantially more effective than the spell "Entice Gift", which is only 2nd level, but more limited in function - essentially a suggestion to "hand me your weapon, now".

[Iku Rex]

The classic is "[Ally] has been replaced by a doppelganger and it is about to stab you in the back. Kill it before it kills you!"

[Asheram]

Lots of fun things to do with suggestion.

"The king is actually a spy changeling!"

"The Royal Mage is a danger to the kingdom! Steal his spellbook before he gets too powerful."

*Cast random spell* I just cast featherfall on you. We need to hurry down to the village with this new information, jump off the cliff with me."

Or my favorite "This document is a royal decree that you are to surrender any equipment that we deem necessary for our great quest."

[Jack_Simth]

How is something like, oh, "You have no chance. I Suggest you surrender now to avoid destruction" unreasonable in the middle of a lethal fight? If you follow through on your half of "Surrender now" (no longer attacking him), then you:
1) Remove the other guy from battle (without having to kill him or spend any more actions on him)
2) Get a prisoner to interrogate later

With such a Suggestion, the spell becomes save-or-lose.

[lesser_minion]

The clause "The suggested course of action must sound reasonable" is the big thing to worry about - it looks like the easiest way to prevent people breaking the spell.

Bear in mind that the DM is under no obligation to require the target to follow a flawed line of reasoning, although you can still do pretty well.

[Zergrusheddie]

The clause "The suggested course of action must sound reasonable" is the big thing to worry about - it looks like the easiest way to prevent people breaking the spell.

Bear in mind that the DM is under no obligation to require the target to follow a flawed line of reasoning, although you can still do pretty well.

That comic is exactly why I made this post (well, that and I just got the spell). The term reasonable is extremely vague and is really open the the DM shouting in a mighty voice "NO!" That single word appears to make the spell either only slightly weaker than Dominate Person or a lot weaker than Charm Person.

[Zeta Kai]

So Suggestion is really a Save-or-You're-Screwed Spell?

Basically. Suggestion is the thinking man's Save-or-Suck. It's one of those obnoxious things bards do to get their way. And it's more flavorful, fun, & versatile than other SOL's like sleep.

[Devils_Advocate]

Were I DMing, I'd just treat a successful suggestion as an auto-won Bluff, like charm person is an auto-won Diplomacy: It lets you convince someone that something is true so long as it isn't obviously false, and this is an easy means of influencing action.

So "I'm really a polymorphed dragon" would work, and so would "Your sword is about to burst into flames!"

[Saph]

Suggestion can be powerful, but it shouldn't be an automatic save-or-lose. For instance, if you use "Surrender" in combat on a target who believes he's currently on the winning side, and who also knows that surrendering during combat will get him executed by his boss immediately afterwards, then "Surrender" is a very unreasonable suggestion.

On the other hand, if the target isn't very willing to fight in the first place and has no backup, then it's perfectly reasonable. If the caster tailors the spell to the target, then it should have a good chance of working, but you never know for sure.

- Saph

[Haven]

"Your shoe's untied."