I've got a group of 4 level 3s that have pissed off a banshee. Now they have to fight for their lives, and I'm pretty sure how this encounter will go... but I ran into one possibility that I'm just not sure how to handle. The wizard has Tasha's Hideous Laughter. I know that the banshee can't fall prone, but should I allow the banshee to be incapacitated? Here's the two perspectives as I see them.
1. No. The Banshee cannot fall prone and therefore does not become incapacitated. The spell may make it have a fit of laughter but the banshee cannot fall prone because of it and therefore may laugh and attack at the same time.
2. Yes. The Banshee must succeed the save or become incapacitated while it floats in the air in a fit of laughter.
Falling prone doesn't feel like the main part of the spell. The main thing about the spell is that the laughter incapacitates them. The banshee not falling prone would mean the banshee can move like normal, but will be unable to take actions due to being incapacitated.
I've got a group of 4 level 3s that have pissed off a banshee. Now they have to fight for their lives, and I'm pretty sure how this encounter will go... but I ran into one possibility that I'm just not sure how to handle. The wizard has Tasha's Hideous Laughter. I know that the banshee can't fall prone, but should I allow the banshee to be incapacitated? Here's the two perspectives as I see them.
1. No. The Banshee cannot fall prone and therefore does not become incapacitated. The spell may make it have a fit of laughter but the banshee cannot fall prone because of it and therefore may laugh and attack at the same time.
2. Yes. The Banshee must succeed the save or become incapacitated while it floats in the air in a fit of laughter.
You've asked this in the Rules forum, not the advice forum, so you're going to get Rules answers, not Advice answers. RAW:
Banshees are immune rather than resistant to prone, which means if an effect renders them prone and also does something else, they ignore the prone and take the something else, rather than getting advantage on the save.
This means, RAW, the Banshee rolls a normal Wisdom saving throw, and on a failure suffers the effects of the spell in full except for falling prone. This means the Banshee will not be forced to crawl, as THL's targets usually are.
Also, I don't normally do this, but putting the RAW aside and delving into RAI (I know, I know, this is bad form), Banshees are immune to prone because all incorporeal creatures in the game are immune to prone - it doesn't imply they're immune to magic that modifies their mental state.
I know that the banshee can't fall prone, but should I allow the banshee to be incapacitated?
Yes. The Banshee must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or fall prone, becoming incapacitated and unable to stand up for the duration. It just won't be prone while ''falling'' into fits of laughter
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I've got a group of 4 level 3s that have pissed off a banshee. Now they have to fight for their lives, and I'm pretty sure how this encounter will go... but I ran into one possibility that I'm just not sure how to handle. The wizard has Tasha's Hideous Laughter. I know that the banshee can't fall prone, but should I allow the banshee to be incapacitated?
Here's the two perspectives as I see them.
1. No. The Banshee cannot fall prone and therefore does not become incapacitated. The spell may make it have a fit of laughter but the banshee cannot fall prone because of it and therefore may laugh and attack at the same time.
2. Yes. The Banshee must succeed the save or become incapacitated while it floats in the air in a fit of laughter.
Falling prone doesn't feel like the main part of the spell. The main thing about the spell is that the laughter incapacitates them. The banshee not falling prone would mean the banshee can move like normal, but will be unable to take actions due to being incapacitated.
That's how I'd rule it anyway.
There's text elsewhere like, "while poisoned, the target is incapacitated." This isn't that. It can be incapacitated without needing to be prone.
There's text elsewhere like, "while poisoned, the target is incapacitated." This isn't that. It can be incapacitated without needing to be prone.
You've asked this in the Rules forum, not the advice forum, so you're going to get Rules answers, not Advice answers. RAW:
Also, I don't normally do this, but putting the RAW aside and delving into RAI (I know, I know, this is bad form), Banshees are immune to prone because all incorporeal creatures in the game are immune to prone - it doesn't imply they're immune to magic that modifies their mental state.
Yes. The Banshee must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or
fall prone, becoming incapacitated and unable to stand up for the duration. It just won't be prone while ''falling'' into fits of laughter