First of all, this is my first post here, so if this is posted in the wrong section, I apologize.
Hi everyone,
recently a scenario in a campaign I'm playing occurred in which an enemy (DM) used Command on my character. That was the last part of the session and the fight will happen next week, so we would appreciate any and every opinion on how the mechanics would work and how to roleplay it. : )
The fight is taking place in a cave with an underwater lake and the command was "swim", but the lake is too far away from my character. I can't reach it even when dashing. The spell text says "If the target can’t follow your command, the spell ends.".
What does it mean exactly? My character would move in the direction of the lake and stop when it can't reach it? Also, would I dash or just normal movement?
Or do I simply get my next turn as normal, and the enemy wasted a spellslot? I saw in another thread that people normally default the "can't follow command' to "halt", as if the character is thinking if it can follow or not the command.
Anyways, although it is up to the DM ruling, how would you rule and interpret this scenario?
The spell Command last 1 round only, so if you can't follow the command on your next turn, the spell ends. Taken that you won't be in water to swim, the spell should have no effect, unless the DM rule otherwise and say that such command has effect similar to Halt or Grovel for exemple as you lay down and do swiming gestures nonetheless.
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Yeah you don't necessarily have to lay down to swim, i was more refering to an exemple of DM ruling could make to justify a target getting prone with Grovel.
I don't know how the spell is meant to be interpreted, but if you commanded me to "swim" and I knew there is water over there, I might make my way toward the water in order to attempt to swim, especially if i didn't understand that this compulsion would end very very soon. I don't know if that is the intention of the spell or if the command is given any leeway for interpretation by the target or if the target knows they only have a very short amount of time to do the thing.
Anyway, I'd lean toward interpreting any single command as one of the example effects given in the spell before ruling the spell has no effect. If a creature commanded another to "drop" when it wasn't holding anything, then I might have it drop prone instead.
I don't know how the spell is meant to be interpreted, but if you commanded me to "swim" and I knew there is water over there, I might make my way toward the water in order to attempt to swim, especially if i didn't understand that this compulsion would end very very soon. I don't know if that is the intention of the spell or if the command is given any leeway for interpretation by the target or if the target knows they only have a very short amount of time to do the thing.
I would agree with this. Since water is there and your PC knows that and can see it, its reasonable that they would make an attempt to go swimming in it (obviously as OP said they won't make it before the spell effect ends). Now if your PC was in a cave with no water nearby, then that might be a case where the spell does nothing.
If we carefully look at the various typical Command 's effects, they're generally pretty direct; before ending it's turn a target either moves toward or away from you, drops whatever it is holding, falls prone or don't move or act...
Having the target move before it can perform the command to me may seems like a stretch. The command is not to move and swim but one-word command it must follow on its next turn. Otherwise you could end up with creature commanded to take some action and move until it can do so and i don't think it's intended.
The fight is taking place in a cave with an underwater lake and the command was "swim", but the lake is too far away from my character. I can't reach it even when dashing. The spell text says "If the target can’t follow your command, the spell ends.".
My take on this is that your character would do their best to get to the lake and swim. You, the player, knows it's a one-turn spell effect. Your character may not know this. All they know is that they really want to do what they were told. I would have the character move, action dash, then bonus action dash if possible to get as close to the lake as they can and then at the end of the turn, the spell is over, and the character is wherever they are.
As a player, you can look analytically at this and say "well, if there's no way they can reach the lake, they cannot swim and if they cannot swim, then the spell does nothing," but I don't think that's a very satisfying way to play the spell's effect as it is written.
I didn't meant to say the target would move over multiple rounds, more the Command either involve moving, or doing something. For example, if you command a target to Attack, on it's next turn could it moves before doing so or directly do so from it's position?
I didn't meant to say the target would move over multiple rounds, more the Command either involve moving, or doing something. For example, if you command a target to Attack, on it's next turn could it moves before doing so or directly do so from it's position?
For me, it depends on the nature of the one-word command. If you can come up with such a command that compels an orc to attack his buddy across the way and the orc only has a club, I would expect the orc to attempt to walk over to his buddy and take a whack at him. But that's just how I see the spell working. I also cannot think of a one-word command that articulates that situation explicitly enough, but maybe someone else can :)
It's another stretch to me. Fetch has multiple meanings and even if you intend the target to go pick up something or attack someone, the spell doesn't forces it to pick a target of your choosing, it's only one word command it must follow. A target can opt to fetch or attack anything it wants.
That was sort of my point earlier. How much interpretation does the target get to make?
The spell as written is highly interpretation dependent, which means it would be much better if you were limited to effects in a list -- like the ones in the spell. I would defalt to those types of commands and those types of effects.
The way I would play it regarding the swim command would be to go through the motions of swimming while standing in place. It would burn the targets movement for the round.
It's ONE word. It is difficult to give detailed instructions with one word.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
Found the most relevant portion of the spell description:
You might issue a command other than one described here. If you do so, the DM determines how the target behaves.
It's up to them to adjudicate the effect of the spell, within reason. Players don't get to try and play semantic games with the spell on either end of it.
Many thanks to everyone! Sorry for the late reply, but I had some exams this past week.
I am happy to see it was not unanimous haha.
For everyone who answered to swim in place, although that would be the funniest outcome (and most rage-inducing to my DM), my character is a Triton. So, not only is he seeing water nearby, for my specific situation, I don't think it would make sense for the fish-man to 'swim'-dance, if there is water there. This is also my reasoning as to why the 'grovel' wouldn't make sense.
I liked the idea that my character would move in the direction of the lake, because, as stated by some of you, the character doesn't know the effect wears off soon. But I got confused by something @TexasDevin said:
My take on this is that your character would do their best to get to the lake and swim. [...] they really want to do what they were told. I would have the character move, action dash, then bonus action dash if possible...
Say I have Misty Step, or maybe even teleport, would the character use those to try and complete the command? Like, how much effort is too much?
As a side note, is it written anywhere that they would try their best, or is it just how some people decided to interpret the spell?
First of all, this is my first post here, so if this is posted in the wrong section, I apologize.
Hi everyone,
recently a scenario in a campaign I'm playing occurred in which an enemy (DM) used Command on my character. That was the last part of the session and the fight will happen next week, so we would appreciate any and every opinion on how the mechanics would work and how to roleplay it. : )
The fight is taking place in a cave with an underwater lake and the command was "swim", but the lake is too far away from my character. I can't reach it even when dashing. The spell text says "If the target can’t follow your command, the spell ends.".
What does it mean exactly? My character would move in the direction of the lake and stop when it can't reach it? Also, would I dash or just normal movement?
Or do I simply get my next turn as normal, and the enemy wasted a spellslot? I saw in another thread that people normally default the "can't follow command' to "halt", as if the character is thinking if it can follow or not the command.
Anyways, although it is up to the DM ruling, how would you rule and interpret this scenario?
The spell Command last 1 round only, so if you can't follow the command on your next turn, the spell ends. Taken that you won't be in water to swim, the spell should have no effect, unless the DM rule otherwise and say that such command has effect similar to Halt or Grovel for exemple as you lay down and do swiming gestures nonetheless.
Nothing says you have to lie down to swim
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Yeah you don't necessarily have to lay down to swim, i was more refering to an exemple of DM ruling could make to justify a target getting prone with Grovel.
I don't know how the spell is meant to be interpreted, but if you commanded me to "swim" and I knew there is water over there, I might make my way toward the water in order to attempt to swim, especially if i didn't understand that this compulsion would end very very soon. I don't know if that is the intention of the spell or if the command is given any leeway for interpretation by the target or if the target knows they only have a very short amount of time to do the thing.
Anyway, I'd lean toward interpreting any single command as one of the example effects given in the spell before ruling the spell has no effect. If a creature commanded another to "drop" when it wasn't holding anything, then I might have it drop prone instead.
I would agree with this. Since water is there and your PC knows that and can see it, its reasonable that they would make an attempt to go swimming in it (obviously as OP said they won't make it before the spell effect ends). Now if your PC was in a cave with no water nearby, then that might be a case where the spell does nothing.
If we carefully look at the various typical Command 's effects, they're generally pretty direct; before ending it's turn a target either moves toward or away from you, drops whatever it is holding, falls prone or don't move or act...
Having the target move before it can perform the command to me may seems like a stretch. The command is not to move and swim but one-word command it must follow on its next turn. Otherwise you could end up with creature commanded to take some action and move until it can do so and i don't think it's intended.
My take on this is that your character would do their best to get to the lake and swim. You, the player, knows it's a one-turn spell effect. Your character may not know this. All they know is that they really want to do what they were told. I would have the character move, action dash, then bonus action dash if possible to get as close to the lake as they can and then at the end of the turn, the spell is over, and the character is wherever they are.
As a player, you can look analytically at this and say "well, if there's no way they can reach the lake, they cannot swim and if they cannot swim, then the spell does nothing," but I don't think that's a very satisfying way to play the spell's effect as it is written.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
I didn't meant to say the target would move over multiple rounds, more the Command either involve moving, or doing something. For example, if you command a target to Attack, on it's next turn could it moves before doing so or directly do so from it's position?
For me, it depends on the nature of the one-word command. If you can come up with such a command that compels an orc to attack his buddy across the way and the orc only has a club, I would expect the orc to attempt to walk over to his buddy and take a whack at him. But that's just how I see the spell working. I also cannot think of a one-word command that articulates that situation explicitly enough, but maybe someone else can :)
"Not all those who wander are lost"
It's another stretch to me. Fetch has multiple meanings and even if you intend the target to go pick up something or attack someone, the spell doesn't forces it to pick a target of your choosing, it's only one word command it must follow. A target can opt to fetch or attack anything it wants.
That was sort of my point earlier. How much interpretation does the target get to make?
The spell as written is highly interpretation dependent, which means it would be much better if you were limited to effects in a list -- like the ones in the spell. I would defalt to those types of commands and those types of effects.
The way I would play it regarding the swim command would be to go through the motions of swimming while standing in place. It would burn the targets movement for the round.
It's ONE word. It is difficult to give detailed instructions with one word.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Found the most relevant portion of the spell description:
It's up to them to adjudicate the effect of the spell, within reason. Players don't get to try and play semantic games with the spell on either end of it.
Many thanks to everyone! Sorry for the late reply, but I had some exams this past week.
I am happy to see it was not unanimous haha.
For everyone who answered to swim in place, although that would be the funniest outcome (and most rage-inducing to my DM), my character is a Triton. So, not only is he seeing water nearby, for my specific situation, I don't think it would make sense for the fish-man to 'swim'-dance, if there is water there. This is also my reasoning as to why the 'grovel' wouldn't make sense.
I liked the idea that my character would move in the direction of the lake, because, as stated by some of you, the character doesn't know the effect wears off soon. But I got confused by something @TexasDevin said:
Say I have Misty Step, or maybe even teleport, would the character use those to try and complete the command? Like, how much effort is too much?
As a side note, is it written anywhere that they would try their best, or is it just how some people decided to interpret the spell?
Ah ok. I think this is the key wording that we're looking for:
If the target would spend it's turn running, it is conceivable that the target might spend its turn trying to get to water.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Yes, moving can include different type of movement so the target could walk and swim for example.