Even if you can only use one word commands, being able to force a creature to do something is pretty great and the open-endedness of the spell leaves it open to creativity. What are some ways you've used this spell?
Undress is a good one for someone wearing armor. It takes longer to put armor on than to take it off and that will effectively keep them out of combat for at least 3-4 rounds or make them fight with their armor half on and half off.
I've been trying to come up with ways to use it in social encounters, but there's a lot of lattitude if the DM wants to be a dick. "Confess," "Reveal," "Explain"...
It's a little whack that the spell is more or less useful depending on whether your group speaks english or another language. "Dime" vs "Tell me" is a great example of the spell being more powerful in spanish... and a kind DM might be willing to expand Suggestion to allow simple concepts rather than hard imposing single "words", since the characters are speaking one of several fantasy languages and not Magical English. Or, letting the context of the spell be influenced by a surrounding sentence. "Tell me where the princess is!"
I think the surrounding sentence is a bit too much of a deviation from the intent of the spell. I agree that maybe a loosening of the 1 word restriction could be expanded to a be a single concept. It does make it harder to adjudicate.
Okay, so now I pose another but related question: the command "Approach"
Now, the target must approach you by the fastest and most direct rout, which got me thinking...if they're 30ft up, say on a building, will they be compelled to jump down (which is not fatal, nor is the command itself directly harmful) or would they use their dash the carefully climb down (which is neither fast nor direct)?
In addition to the command word itself, can the terrain be used to give you an edge so long as you don't directly tell the target to hit their head or jump off a cliff?
I'm going to argue that jumping off a building large enough to hurt you with falling damage is directly harmful, so that would be an invalid way to fulfill the command. Falling damage is a direct result of your jump. That's little different than trying to order someone to stick their hand in fire. However, I would also say that they would be compelled to climb down.
Indirect harm would be like using the command kneel while fighting in combat. You don't receive damage as a result of falling to the ground, you get damaged because someone is taking advantage of what you're doing. That's a two step process there.
There was a game i played on the playstation called deception where the point is to lay traps and lure people into them and chain as many as possible. Command made this significantly more plausible in dnd.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You only lose if you die. Any time else, there's opportunity for a come back.
Undress is a good one for someone wearing armor. It takes longer to put armor on than to take it off and that will effectively keep them out of combat for at least 3-4 rounds or make them fight with their armor half on and half off.
Only problem the spell only lasts for 1 turn, 6 seconds. Armor takes a lot longer than that to remove.
It would take 10 rounds just to take off light armor.
You’re correct. But they will start to take their armor off which will leave them partly out of armor and partly in armor at the end of that round. Meaning they’ll have to put the armor back on, taking 2 rounds, or fight hindered because they’re partly out of their armor.
It also depends on the language at your playing table. For example in German you can say: „Schweig!“ which means „Be silent!“ I used that multiple times to great effect when we sneaked into a lair and came across a guard that could have sounded an alarm before going down. It also can turn spellcasters nearly useless for a round.
In Finland Command must be completely OP because in finnish you can combine almost anything into a verb. Most famous is „kalsarikännit“ which means „drinking alone at home in your (long) underpants“…
It also depends on the language at your playing table. For example in German you can say: „Schweig!“ which means „Be silent!“ I used that multiple times to great effect when we sneaked into a lair and came across a guard that could have sounded an alarm before going down. It also can turn spellcasters nearly useless for a round.
In Finland Command must be completely OP because in finnish you can combine almost anything into a verb. Most famous is „kalsarikännit“ which means „drinking alone at home in your (long) underpants“…
It's not very useful out of combat, unlike the Suggestion spell. It would only make them be silent for 6 seconds (one turn), by the rules.
Hollow unbreakable arrows are the most OP common magic item, and my current method of coming up with insane combat shenanigans.
if you make a steel pipe with one end closed and a nozzle on the other, you can enlarge it, fill with any liquid, and then drop concentration, creating a high pressure squirt gun. (or a pipe bomb, depending if it holds)
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Even if you can only use one word commands, being able to force a creature to do something is pretty great and the open-endedness of the spell leaves it open to creativity. What are some ways you've used this spell?
I had a player use "Defenestrate" as a command. Of course: that only worked on creatures that knew the word.
... which might lead to the idea of explaining made-up words to enemies during combat:
PC: Did you know that the word "Ildratify" means "to give your weapon to your enemy"?
Enemy: Why are you telling me this?!
Dolphinese.
They only speak in dolphin from now on.
Undress is a good one for someone wearing armor. It takes longer to put armor on than to take it off and that will effectively keep them out of combat for at least 3-4 rounds or make them fight with their armor half on and half off.
Professional computer geek
My go to is “drop.” People will either drop what they are holding or drop to the ground. Either way it’s a win.
"Run!" Makes the enemies give OA to anyone in melee.
"Kneel" because I played a tiefling fiend'lock with a god complex. Bonus points for activating Thaumaturgy at the same time.
I've been trying to come up with ways to use it in social encounters, but there's a lot of lattitude if the DM wants to be a dick. "Confess," "Reveal," "Explain"...
It's a little whack that the spell is more or less useful depending on whether your group speaks english or another language. "Dime" vs "Tell me" is a great example of the spell being more powerful in spanish... and a kind DM might be willing to expand Suggestion to allow simple concepts rather than hard imposing single "words", since the characters are speaking one of several fantasy languages and not Magical English. Or, letting the context of the spell be influenced by a surrounding sentence. "Tell me where the princess is!"
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
I think the surrounding sentence is a bit too much of a deviation from the intent of the spell. I agree that maybe a loosening of the 1 word restriction could be expanded to a be a single concept. It does make it harder to adjudicate.
Okay, so now I pose another but related question: the command "Approach"
Now, the target must approach you by the fastest and most direct rout, which got me thinking...if they're 30ft up, say on a building, will they be compelled to jump down (which is not fatal, nor is the command itself directly harmful) or would they use their dash the carefully climb down (which is neither fast nor direct)?
In addition to the command word itself, can the terrain be used to give you an edge so long as you don't directly tell the target to hit their head or jump off a cliff?
I'm going to argue that jumping off a building large enough to hurt you with falling damage is directly harmful, so that would be an invalid way to fulfill the command. Falling damage is a direct result of your jump. That's little different than trying to order someone to stick their hand in fire. However, I would also say that they would be compelled to climb down.
Indirect harm would be like using the command kneel while fighting in combat. You don't receive damage as a result of falling to the ground, you get damaged because someone is taking advantage of what you're doing. That's a two step process there.
There was a game i played on the playstation called deception where the point is to lay traps and lure people into them and chain as many as possible. Command made this significantly more plausible in dnd.
You only lose if you die. Any time else, there's opportunity for a come back.
Sorry Tim,
It would take 10 rounds just to take off light armor.
8319639938
Only problem the spell only lasts for 1 turn, 6 seconds. Armor takes a lot longer than that to remove.
Probably the most effective is already listed in the spell,
Grovel. The target falls prone and then ends its turn.
They waste their turn, and every melee attacker on your team now has advantage until the target's next turn.
You’re correct. But they will start to take their armor off which will leave them partly out of armor and partly in armor at the end of that round. Meaning they’ll have to put the armor back on, taking 2 rounds, or fight hindered because they’re partly out of their armor.
Professional computer geek
It also depends on the language at your playing table. For example in German you can say: „Schweig!“ which means „Be silent!“ I used that multiple times to great effect when we sneaked into a lair and came across a guard that could have sounded an alarm before going down. It also can turn spellcasters nearly useless for a round.
In Finland Command must be completely OP because in finnish you can combine almost anything into a verb. Most famous is „kalsarikännit“ which means „drinking alone at home in your (long) underpants“…
It's not very useful out of combat, unlike the Suggestion spell. It would only make them be silent for 6 seconds (one turn), by the rules.
If you allow German at your table, Command instantly becomes broken, because EVERYTHING in German can be one word.
use command to tell your fellow pcs to win.
instantly win every fight.
profit.
Hollow unbreakable arrows are the most OP common magic item, and my current method of coming up with insane combat shenanigans.
if you make a steel pipe with one end closed and a nozzle on the other, you can enlarge it, fill with any liquid, and then drop concentration, creating a high pressure squirt gun. (or a pipe bomb, depending if it holds)