Limits of Suggestion

[ffone]

What can one suggest with Suggestion? Stuff like "Attack your ally until they're dead" or "give me all your loot," or just less crunchy stuff like "Tell us everything you know about your Evil Organization", "flee and never come back" (though they might after the spell expires), "take us to your master" etc.?

The description says "Asking the creature to do some obviously harmful act automatically negates the effect of the spell." But does that mean anything potentially harmful (like attacking an ally or joining in a fight) or just suicidal ("go jump in that volcano").

[Ernir]

This does not have a clearly defined mechanical meaning. What its limits are are subject to DM interpretation.

Personally:

• I'd say "attack your ally" is beyond the power of the spell, but that's mostly because I think that kind of effect should be relegated to the higher-level Dominate Person.
• "Give me all your stuff" should work out of combat, but if handing your weapon to your opponent isn't obviously harmful, I don't know what is - it's breaking the "The suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the activity sound reasonable." part of the spell description. However, "Hand me your weapon to facilitate your surrender" might fly. Maybe with a bluff check?
• "Tell us everything you know about your Evil Organization" should be turned into "Tell us everything you know about your Evil Organization to spare yourself from having it tortured out of you." or something before I'd let it fly, assuming that telling the caster everything about the Evil Organization is a harmful thing to do.
• "Flee and never come back" - sure! The best way to not come to harm anyway when PCs are involved, usually.
  If it were a slightly silly game, I'd have this use of the spell fail on Knights, because not acting with honor kind of sucks when you're one of those...
• "Take us to your master" - basic. Go with it.
• "Go jump in a volcano" - this is explicitly disallowed without some fluffytext.

[dsmiles]

I'm a big fan of suggesting to somebody that I'm their new god, and that only I deserve their worship. Rinse, repeat, ad infinitum, until you have a proper body of worshippers. Once you have worshippers, anything is possible.
mwahahaMwaHaHaMWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAAAAAHHAAHAA!!!

[Gullintanni]

This is a spell who's limits are difficult to define.

"Give me your weapons." is obviously harmful if the target is a clear enemy and you are in combat.

"Surrender your equipment and I'll allow you to flee." might work assuming the target is aware that it is overmatched.

The problem is that "obviously harmful" is both circumstantial and subjective and you have room to play with that, and you could, with careful enough wording, really abuse the spell.

...but, you know...Don't.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

I'd say "attack your ally" is beyond the power of the spell, but that's mostly because I think that kind of effect should be relegated to the higher-level Dominate Person.

Indeed. In most cases, you’d have a hell of a time making “attack your ally” sound reasonable. And even when you use dominate person attacking one’s ally would typically be against a target’s nature, thereby granting the victim a second save. So for the most part, that’s right out.

[Asheram]

Indeed. In most cases, you’d have a hell of a time making “attack your ally” sound reasonable. And even when you use dominate person attacking one’s ally would typically be against a target’s nature, thereby granting the victim a second save. So for the most part, that’s right out.

Well... there's still "Your ally has been dominated by our spellcaster, quickly subdue him before he kills you or himself"
Hopefully that'll take two enemies out in one go.

To be frank, there's few things you can't make people do with suggestion as long as they're not really awkward things like killing, maiming or torturing.. but even those will work on some people.

It's a spell that's just limited to your imagination and your charisma. :)

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Well... there's still "Your ally has been dominated by our spellcaster, quickly subdue him before he kills you or himself"
Hopefully that'll take two enemies out in one go.

Well, now that you mention it, I suppose there is that.