Level
3rd
Casting Time
1 Action
Range/Area
Self
(30 ft )
Components
V, S, M *
Duration
Concentration
1 Minute
School
Illusion
Attack/Save
WIS Save
Damage/Effect
Frightened
You project a phantasmal image of a creature’s worst fears. Each creature in a 30-foot cone must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or drop whatever it is holding and become frightened for the duration.
While frightened by this spell, a creature must take the Dash action and move away from you by the safest available route on each of its turns, unless there is nowhere to move. If the creature ends its turn in a location where it doesn’t have line of sight to you, the creature can make a Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the spell ends for that creature.
* - (a white feather or the heart of a hen)
Does this take priority over the Conquest paladin's aura effect? Does the player get to choose which one occurs. The word "must" makes me think that this spell would have priority, but I believe I recall most fear effects having a similar wording, which would make the aura useless. I think some clarification is needed, most likely in the conquest paladin section.
*Never mind. The Aura of Conquest Ability specifies that the creatures speed drops to zero, meaning that the dash action taken by a creature under this spells effect would be useless.
Does this mean a creature who gets frightened by Fear can't do anything if it is within range of a Paladin of Conquest's Aura of Conquest which makes the creature's movement 0 and it also takes psychic damage? This is in regard to the creature having to take the Dash action on its turn unless there is no where to move. Well how can it do that if its movement is zero? And there is room to move, it just can't move. Does it attack instead of moving?
A frightened creature still can attack or do ability checks. It onky says they take the dash action unless there's nowhere to move, which there wouldn't be within the aura. If the paper in is within strike range or the creature has a reach weapon they can still attack just with disadvantage
That makes sense. Thanks.
No problem, I'm using this exact idea with a paladin for my players to combat lol
Can the frightened creature use misty step as a bonus action before using the dash action? By using misty step first the frightened creature will avoid any applicable OA while moving away from the caster.
I'd rule they have to take the dash action still, but don't move. "Must take the dash action" not "Must move away" that even if the speed is 0, it still has to take the dash action, it just doesn't go anywhere. Basically it spends it's action trying as hard as it can to go no where, but some other force is keeping it held in place from getting to safety. Unless there is no where to move isn't the same as having another force keep you from moving.
The spell specifies "a creature must take the Dash action and move away from you by the safest available route on each of its turns" meaning it does indeed need to use the dash action and then run away from you...
«Any increase or decrease to your speed changes this additional movement by the same amount. If your speed of 30 feet is reduced to 15 feet, for instance, you can move up to 30 feet this turn if you dash.»
The Aura of Conquest reduces your speed to 0, so as I read it, Dash would grant you 0 speed. Given your in an open space, you have somewhere to move, you just can’t because your so to speak paralyzed with fear.
This is probably how I’m going to rule it for my OoC paladin in my game.
Yes
Fun spell to use on someone with a net on them. Panicked, fruitless flailing.
Is the duration applied to the action when the spell is cast or the fear "cone" is "UP" for the whole minute of the spell duration ?
if it's so, then any creature entering that cone (even in the following turns) should roll for the ST ?
thanks
The cone only lasts a moment, it’s the fear that has a maximum duration of 1 minute
This is also a gloom stalker spell
chicken hearts are tasty
so what happens when the character moves as far away as possible and hits a wall. What happens on the next turn? does it need to take the dash action again, but it cant go anywhere??
Another question - does a Warlock drop their Pact weapon?
It depends how exactly you interpret "move away" but I'd say the fleeing creature still has some leeway in where it goes, it doesn't have to flee by the most direct route but "the safest available route". So even if you chased it into a dead end, if the alternative is to stay where it is and be attacked repeatedly, then running past you and risking an attack of opportunity may actually be the safest route available.
Put another way, the creature is trying to get away and hide from you, I don't think it serves the game to be too strict beyond that as long as it's fleeing, as it leads to potential exploits.
It's a held item, so yes, and if they then run away it may disappear if they're further than 5 feet from it for longer than a minute. But they can use their action to recreate it if they want to.
Enemy can't chose a route would get them closer to you, even if they are cornered. Frightened condition prevents them from doing so as they CAN'T move closer to the source of fear. Spell itself forces them to use dash action but frightened condition limits the direction they can take.
I'd say if they are backed to a wall like this they meet the "unless there is nowhere to move" criteria, thus meaning they get their action for the turn.
It doesn't say anything about ONLY being able to take the dash action and move, so it should work fine. The only time I would question this is if the character is able to bonus action dash, is dashing as a bonus action a "dash action"? Does dashing with your action mean you've satisfied the "must do" and don't need to do it twice? I'd say you don't need to bonus dash away by the word of the rules, but it does seem like it would make sense.
I think being caught in a net means you have "nowhere to move", just like any other physical barrier would, and they can try to escape. But disadvantage on attacks and ability checks to get out is definitely fun.