How does Freedom of Movement actually work?

[Kami2awa]

Freedom of Movement makes you immune to almost everything that could slow your movement, including any form of grappling. My question is ... how? What is the actual spell effect?

For instance, if you use FoM to escape a grapple, what happens? To you suddenly become a Jujutsu master able to counter and escape any hold? Do you become briefly and very precisely ethereal? Or just really, really greasy and frictionless?

Also, a brief rules question: Would FoM allow you to walk away from chains, rope bindings and similar? It doesn't mention this in the spell description but it seems like it should.

[ZeroNumerous]

What actually happens is entirely dependent on the DM. Whether he becomes greasy or what is just a flavor application.

Escaping ropes: No, it explicitly states escaping a grapple or impeded movement. Ropes do not grapple, nor do they cause a movement penalty unless you're wrapped up from head to toe.

As long as they don't wrap your feet up, you're stuck with it.

[Craig1f]

I agree that it's largely DM interpretation. It says you "automatically pass your grapple check." So, from the point of view of the monster, he may think you rolled a natural 20, or have a ridiculous escape artist score. You don't turn ethereal.

If you pass multiple grapple checks, I'd say that the monster will dismiss the "nat 20" theory, and either believe you have a great escape artist score, or figure out you have freedom of movement going.

Some DMs rule that having defensive spells up is apparent, and makes you glow or look different. I dispelled a mage with about 10 defensive spells up, the DM made it clear that he wasn't glowing quite as much.

Personally, if I were DMing (although I've never DMd), I'd go with "frictionless" but not "greasy". If the target of the FoM is obviously a poor grappler, I'd make it pretty obvious that magic is at work.

Another option, that I just thought of, but that I think I like, is that I'd make the FoM target make a grapple check anyway. If they roll low, it's obvious that magic is at work helping them. If they roll high, the grappler believes that the FoM target struggled very hard, and maybe just got lucky with a nat 20, or has a good escape artist score.

[Fixer]

If you are already tied up you cannot cast FoM (unless you can bypass the requirement of somatic component, in which case I would judge the ropes slide off and you are able to move and attack normally).

If you are not already tied up, no one can tie you up without your permission (because it would require grappling you or somehow impeding your movement).

It is a very broken mechanic. Even just granting a +20 enhancement bonus to escape artist attempts instead of autosuccess would be better. The other freedom from impeding spell effects thing would be a seperate part of the spell.

[Keld Denar]

For magic effects such as Web and Evards, the effects simply slide off of the target, as if they were water on glass.

For grapples, an intangible yet powerful force pushes the attackers arms/claws/tenticles/whatever back, keeping it from snaring the spelled creature.

For thick undergrowth, rough stone, or underwater, the character glides through or over as needed, never really making contact with the surface.

The cool thing is, Freedom of Movement gives you perfect fly with a speed of your land speed while underwater, since you are completely unhindered to move in any direction.

[Craig1f]

If you are already tied up you cannot cast FoM (unless you can bypass the requirement of somatic component, in which case I would judge the ropes slide off and you are able to move and attack normally).

If you are not already tied up, no one can tie you up without your permission (because it would require grappling you or somehow impeding your movement).

It is a very broken mechanic. Even just granting a +20 enhancement bonus to escape artist attempts instead of autosuccess would be better. The other freedom from impeding spell effects thing would be a seperate part of the spell.

Well, someone could cast FoM on you while you're tied up. That's not hard to imagine. And still spell isn't out of the question either. You might be a beguiler that's tied up, for example. They get still spell as a class feature.

+20 enhancement on escape artist or grapple checks would probably make more sense. I agree with you on that.