Brendan's post also mentioned problems with Ventriloquism. How could we fix that?
This may be harder, because honestly, why aren't we just using mundane ventriloquism as a learned talent? 5+ on 1d6, modified by Int or Wisdom. As written, the spell doesn't really trump anything. In fact, since the caster has to be close to the planned target and has to recite an incantation first, wouldn't everyone know what was going on? An Illusionist variant, with an option to use concentration only, no incantation, could work, but that's another topic entirely.
Magic Mouth is actually a much more interesting spell. It is delayed and can thus trump the need to be physically present to speak, so it can be used to set up interesting tricks or distractions, or deliver messages. I'd actually consider moving this to 1st level and dropping Ventriloquism.
Another spell, not listed in Greyhawk, is Audible Glammer, which is a magically-produced sound. If Audible Glammer exists, there's no need for Ventriloquism at all, since an Audible Glammer can do anything that Ventriloquism can do, and more.
This is a good solution. Ventriloquism could also be added as a "hear noise" style thief skill, if one is using that class.
ReplyDeleteI would just point out that mundane ventriloquism doesn't actually make your voice come from somewhere else. It's really just the art of speaking without moving your lips - the illusion comes from lip-syncing the dummy.
ReplyDeleteThe spell does allow your voice to literally come from somewhere else, and it lasts for some time, so you can cast it, and then use it later.
I only have my Basic Edition handy, but it lists 2 turn duration, 60' range, and area of effect of one item or location.
Yes and no. There's another talent that's occasionally lumped in with ventriloquism, although it's technically not related: cupping your hand or turning your head to make your voice echo off a different wall and confuse listeners as to your location. The two talents often get conflated as "throwing your voice" in literature and it's depicted as being a little better than what you'd see in reality, but I'd base a game talent off this.
DeleteAs for the spell, some people interpret "turns" in the spell descriptions as "combat turns", i.e. one-minute rounds, and lately I've been moving towards that interpretation. So the usefulness of the Ventriloquism spell depends on which interpretation you use. Again, Magic Mouth will do everything you list for Ventriloquism, only better.
I'd say audible glammer can't reproduce intelligible speech.
ReplyDeleteYou can do that, but that would obviously be the spell equivalent of "niche protection", artificially limiting one spell to justify the existence of another.
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