Power Word Kill

[Zocelot]

This is a hate thread for power word kill.

The spell is decent for PCs to use, but it is killer (literally) in the hands of a DM. The point to Power Word Kill is a death spell without a save, so if the DM uses it on a player, the DM knows it will either kill the player or do nothing. Also, the DM knows the health of the character, and very, very few DMs will use the spell just to make the fighter feel good. To summarize, if this spell is used, it is an automatic kill. Nothing says "DM wants you dead" better then this spell.

[Smiley_]

Hmm, maybe because it's a compulsion effect, there are ways to circumvent it. Protection from evil comes to mind. Three levels of the palidin of freedom variant render power words useless because they get immunity to compulsion instead of fear.

doesn't seem too bad compared to some spells.

[mostlyharmful]

Personally I'd be quite happy for my DM to use this one since the chances of it landing are very little with so much to defeat it, deathward, SR, Spell Turning, etc... It's when they break out Gate and Shapechange that the whole parties doomed. PWK is a one shot that can wipe out one PC with some simple protections available should a party believe they're about to face a high level caster.

Really that's the problem with it, it just doesn't do what it says on the tin. It certainly isn't up to the level of most of the other 9th level spells available and its crappy in a game, Guy speaks a word and either you're dead or you're totally unaffected in any way... bleh...

Frankly the lower Power Words are a whole lot more effective, esspecially when Metaed.

[RTGoodman]

Some reasons it's not the worst thing ever:

-No save, but it allows SR, which is pretty easy to get.
-It's [Mind-affecting], which is easy to stop.
-It's a [Death] effect, which is also pretty easily stopped by a level 4 spell.


Still, I'm not that big a fan of no save-or-dies against PCs. I mean, I'm all for killing players, but that's just cheap. Especially the whole, "they don't even have to hear it" thing.


EDIT: Ninja'd of course, while I looked up what level spell death ward was.

[Frosty]

Protection Against Evil won't help. PW: K doesn't grant ongoing control over the subject.

[SamTheCleric]

Is Death Ward chainable?

[Frosty]

Yes. You need to Reach Spell it first. So, it is chainable...+5 slot adjustment total.

[SamTheCleric]

Huh. not worth it for a 9th level spell. Blech. (especially I'm only up to 6th level spells... and my party demands Heroes Feast every morning :P)

[Douglas]

Mass Death Ward is in the Spell Compendium and is only 8th level for clerics.

[SamTheCleric]

Really? Awesome. I'll start getting some scrolls of that... I havent seen any death effects from my DM yet... but I wouldn't hold it against him.

[Douglas]

Still only a minute/level, though. Good for casting at the start of a fight against lots of undead, not so great for casting early and then going adventuring - it probably won't last long enough to cover you when you need it.

[Emperor Tippy]

Huh. not worth it for a 9th level spell. Blech. (especially I'm only up to 6th level spells... and my party demands Heroes Feast every morning :P)

You reach spell it to a 5th level slot and then use a rod of chain spell on in.

[Frosty]

Death Ward is 4th level. So you reach it up to 6th, use a rod of Chain, and then have an Incantatrix Persist it.

[Chronos]

Some reasons it's not the worst thing ever:

-No save, but it allows SR, which is pretty easy to get.
-It's [Mind-affecting], which is easy to stop.
-It's a [Death] effect, which is also pretty easily stopped by a level 4 spell.

Yes, but your DM knows whether you have Mind Blank and Death Ward. If you have either of those, then the DM using Power Word Kill is just wasting one of the BBEG's actions (which is probably enough to cost it the fight). If you don't, then he knows in advance that it's an auto-kill. The only way it doesn't come down to DM preordination is if you have SR, but not Mind Blank or Death Ward.

Now, I do think it could still be fair. The DM could decide, well in advance, that the BBEG is going to start the fight by using PWK, and then provide the PCs with some way to find that out. If the PCs learn that they should expect PWK, and still don't put up defenses against it, then it's their own fault.

[Grommen]

When the DM sais your dead.

Your dead.

Why bother with a spell?

Just freeken die already.

Your not in combat with your DM your telling a story with him.

Then again my players forget that too. Hummph

Speaking on the spell. couple questions.

Does every PC in the multiverse walk around 24/7 with mind blank, death ward, stoneskin, protection from evil, greater toe jam, and avoid bad plot hooks cast?

People sleep some times. Not all evil bad guys are fully buffed when you get the drop on them. And their is this nifty spell called Dispel magic that tends to drop guards and wards off players.

Yet if your HP < 101 points you die.

The sheer novelty of looking at someone and saying "Die!", then watching them turn colors, and keel over ded. Not transported to another place, held, mind blasted....No ded. Do not pass go, do not collect 100 gold.

It's actually one of the few spells I don't use with bad guys. No one likes to go out that way. I prefer implosion on Wizards. Gets the job done, allows a save, and squashing PC's like a bug is kool.

[Avor]

I just hate hypocritical players.

PCs have absolutly ZERO hessitation to murder sleeping orcs, cast deaths spell, or use off the wall poisons. But when it happens to them they get extreamly pissed off.

[Sholos]

Wait, people play with the DM knowing HP totals? In real life, I mean. All the games I've played in the players kept track of their own HP. So if the DM wanted to pull a PW there was a chance he'd cast it on someone who had too much HP.

That said, it's probably a good idea to give fair warning to your players (for a certain value of fair) that an enemy likes the spell. Pulling "rocks fall you die" tends to get players annoyed at you.

[John Campbell]

The only time I've ever actually seen it used, the DM had the BBEG kill his own DMPC with it.

Sadly, all the casualties from that fight got a free deus (literally - Lathander did it) ex machina true res after it was over, 'cause we saved Faerûn or some such. I would've happily paid for the diamonds to have the sorceress and the rogue resurrected if that was what it took to keep the DMPC dead. (Hate DMPCs soooo much. Especially hate DMPC paladins.)

[Kantolin]

It is true to say that it is difficult for a DM to use power word kill without it essentially being a deux ex 'I'm tired of your existance'.

Cloudkill has similar application against a sufficiently low level party, but power word kill's 'You can do nothing about this except keel over' makes it harsh.