| Name | Crowd Control: Fascinate, Enchantment and Conjuration |
| Category | General |
When monsters become too overwhelming for the party, it's time to call in a Bard (or a Sorcerer, Cleric, Wizard...a caster) to do some Crowd Control (CC) magic. Sometimes it's easy to take CC for granted because it's in our nature to use brute force to take down monsters and enemies. For the more patient bunch, CC buys enough time for the party to rethink plans and strategies. Most of all, it makes things a little less chaotic and more manageable.
Casters have quite a number of Enchantment and Conjuration spells they can use depending on the monster type. Some spells are useless on certain monster types, but sometimes, in the middle of an intense battle, some casters find themselves using enchantment spells on monsters that are known to be immune to the spell that has been cast. This really happens even in mid- to high- level quests.
For the benefit of Bards and casters who will be tasked to do Crowd Control, here are some of the things you need to remember to make sure that your CC works for the entire party. This is not to say that non-Bards and non-Casters don't need to know any of these. In fact, the key to an effective and flawless CC is knowing what CC is all about and how it works.
BARDS AND FASCINATE
A Bard is usually the "go to" guy when mobs start to attack forcefully thus becoming unmanageable. It's the class that's arguably the best in using Crowd Control tactics. And the one thing that makes a Bard different from Wizard, Sorcerer and Cleric, is in the use of "Fascinate" skills.
For Bards, the use of Fascinate renders mobs (creatures) immobile hence unable to attack the party. The song that Bard plays will have this effect on monsters but note that the effect only happens towards the end of the song and not immediately (as wrongly assumed by some players). The fascinated mobs remain in that state until they are attacked. So, party members should refrain from hitting the fascinated creatures, otherwise the party would have to contend with mobs hitting back and hitting back hard. But if a Bard uses Otto's dance, you shouldn't worry about accidentally hitting the creatures as they would remain fascinated no matter what you do with them. When they start their foot shuffling and tapping, they are helpless.
Using Fascinate does not use up spell points, which can only be a good thing for a Bard. When creatures are fascinated, the group doesn't need to cast spells, hence saving up on spell points as well. There's also less need to heal up members as there are no hostile mobs attacking.
Downside is that Fascinate doesn't work on:
Vermin (spiders, scorpions)
Oozes (all types - purple, gray, etc.)
Undead (skeletons, wraiths, ghouls, ghasts, wights, specters)
Constructs (warforged, golems, and the tough mechanical dogs)
Bosses
Note however that as your Bard progresses in the game, he can get an Enhancement to effectively fascinate constructs and undead (Music of Makers and Music of the Dead). They are optional, but it will be a big help when you do take the enhancements as a lot of dungeons are infested with the mentioned creatures.
While it is a viable option to use Fascinate, a Bard has to accept the reality of only having a few songs he can use between rests. That is, your Bard's Fascinate can be limited. You can take enhancements to increase the number of songs. For example, you can take Extra Song VI and you can perform 10 additional songs before resting. But in case you don't have these enhancements, you can always rely on Otto's.
Otto's Resistable Dance - Level 1 spell that causes creatures to start dancing, rendering them helpless.
Otto's Sphere of Dancing - Level 4 spell that compels enemies to dance when they enter a magical sphere.
CROWD CONTROL: ENCHANTMENT AND CONJURATION SPELLS
Bards spell options are quite limited, and if the group deems fascinate as an unnecessary tactic on a particular quest, they turn to Wizards, Clerics or Sorcerers to do Crowd Control using Enchantment or Conjuration Spells. While some would prefer Enchantment over Conjuration (or Conjuration over Enchantment), it's important to remember that certain monsters are immune to spells. So, whether Enchantment is better than Conjuration is really not the issue when it comes to Crowd Control tactics. The important thing to know is when to use the spells at which monsters at the precise time.
Enchantment Spells
The reason why some players favor Conjuration over Enchantment spells is that the Enchantment spells' effectiveness relies on getting past a creature's saves and spell resistance level. Also, the caster should also have taken the Spell Penetration feat to make things work effectively. But that's not to say that Enchantment spells are useless. In fact, you'll see some of the spells work just fine even without Spell Penetration. Here are some Enchantment spells you can use for CC purposes, arranged by level. It also indicates the type of mobs the spell would be effective at.
Level 1
Charm Person [Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard]. This works on an enemy humanoid which will be forced to fight as your ally. This new-found friend gets an additional saving throw every 3d6+12 seconds. If the target humanoid has high enough Will saves, then it'll remain a foe.
Hypnotism [Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard]. Works on giants, humanoids, and creatures with low saves. Nearby enemies are caused to stare blankly for about 25 seconds until damaged.
Sleep [Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard]. Renders creatures helpless until attacked. It does not work on Undead and Constructs. It lasts for one minute per level and would require high will save to resist. Works great on kobolds.
Command [Cleric]. Only works on low-level enemies. When cast, a foe is "commanded" to lie down, making it easier for party members to kill certain monsters.
Level 2
Command Undead [Wizard, Sorcerer]. As the name suggests, it's a spell that works specifically on zombies, skellies, and other undead creatures. When used, the spell forces the undead enemies to fight as an ally permanently (if mindless). Other undead get an additional saving throw every 20 seconds.
Daze Monster [Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard]. It works on non-humanoids but it will not work on spiders, scorpions, undead, and oozes. What it does it to cloud the minds of enemies causing them to not take action for about six seconds. It does get useful in certain situations but is short.
Hold Person [Sorcerer, Wizard]. Works on enemy humanoids. The spell paralyzes humanoids, hence unable to attack.
Touch of Idiocy [Sorcerer, Wizard]. When used, it gives enemies penalty to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, which makes them unable to effectively fight back using skills affected by the said abilities. It's rarely used, but it works best on enemy shamans and spell casters.
Level 3
Deep Slumber [Wizard, Bard, Ranger, Sorcerer]. This is a more effective variant of Sleep. When used, enemies are forced to go into a deep sleep rendering them helpless and unable to attack. They will remain in that state until they are attacked. It does not work on Undead and Constructs.
Prayer [Cleric]. This works two ways as it gives special favor to allies and disfavor to enemies. As such, it's rarely used for CC, and more to buff party members.
Suggestion [Wizard, Sorcerer]. When used, the enemies are influenced to fight as an ally for about six seconds per caster level. It does not work on spiders, scorpions, undead, and constructs.
Level 4
Charm Monster [Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard]. Similar effects as in Charm Person, but this time it works on monsters. A monster is charmed and is forced to fight as an ally.
Level 5
Hold Monster [Wizard, Sorcerer]. It works pretty much the same as Hold Person, but as the name suggests, it works on monsters. It works like magic on giants but it doesn't do anything for spiders, scorpions, and undead.
Level 6
Mass Suggestion [Wizard]. Similar to Suggest but this time works on multiple enemies.
Greater Command [Cleric]. This is the higher level variant of the Command spell introduced in Level 1. When used, enemies are commanded to lie on the floor. Cooldown is 11 seconds (as opposed to 2 seconds for Command).
Symbol of Persuasion [Wizard]. This has a similar effect as the Suggestion spell. When the symbol is activated by an approaching target, other nearby enemies will be charmed for 1 round per caster level, or until the symbol expires.
Conjuration Spells
As mentioned above, Conjuration spells don't rely on the mobs' saves and spell resistance. As such, they have become the most used spells for Crowd Control purposes.
Level 1
Grease [Sorcerer, Wizard, Bard]. When used, the ground is covered with slippery grease forcing your targets to fall (or make a reflex save). Once fallen, party members could take turns dealing damage to the target on the floor. It does not work effectively on spiders and scorpions.
Obscuring Mist [Wizard, Sorcerer]. Casts a misty vapor around the caster and those within the range concealing themselves from creatures. While this is quite effective in trying to be "invisible" to the eyes of mobs, it makes things a little difficult to navigate where you're going. It works more of a protection rather than a primary Crowd Control spell, but it does make mobs miss you when they attack.
Level 2
Fog Cloud [Wizard, Sorcerer]. Thos works on mobs that are not immune to enchantment effects. When used, fog obscures the sight of all enemy targets within the Area of Effect. It also slows down attacks from mobs.
Glitterdust [Wizard, Sorcerer]. When used, Golden particles blind targets. What's more, they let you see the outline of invisible creatures without activating the See Invisibility spell. The effect is permanent and there's no way it will affect you or your party members. Interestingly, this works on Undead, albeit temporarily.
Web [Wizard, Sorcerer]. This has got to be one of the most used spells for CC, perhaps used more than a Bard's Fascinate. When used, it traps targets within layers of strong web strands. It works great on most enemy casters, but note that Web doesn't work on Giants and Fire creatures. It's also easy to destroy the Web when enemies cast fire spells. Some players complain that the webs obscure their sight, but other than that, the spell works just fine.
Level 3
Sleet Storm [Wizard, Sorcerer]. When used, the ground becomes icy, hence slowing mobs within the area of effect for six seconds. It has a similar effect as Grease. Works on creatures with Reflex 12 save.
Stinking Cloud [Wizard, Sorcerer]. As the name suggests, the spell releases an obnoxious and nauseating smell (though we really don't smell it when used hehe), which affects living targets. Downside is that the enemies can wander away from the stink cloud, so if you can manage to cast it in enclosed areas, it will be very effective. It works best on enemy spellcasters.
Level 4
Acid Rain [Wizard, Sorcerer]. This is quite a powerful spell as affected creatures continue to take 3d4 acid damage every 2 seconds, every 3 caster levels. It's effective in stopping mobs on their tracks, but the one casting the spell would have to contend with more aggression from enemies affected by the spell. Hence, it's mostly used when the caster is given support by other party members such as Clerics (for healing purposes) and combatants (to help take down the enemies).
Solid Fog [Wizard, Sorcerer]. This is a somewhat more powerful version of Fog Cloud in that it obscures the sight of enemies, as well as slowing their movement. It does not work on spiders, scorpions,and minotaurs.
Level 5
Cloudkill [Wizard, Sorcerer]. When used, a poisonous fog rises up, killing weak targets (6 hit dice) and inflicting 2 Constitution damage on stronger targets. When mobs become too overwhelming, this spell becomes very useful.
Honorable Mention
Illusion Spells are sometimes used for CC purposes. One of which is Hypnotic Pattern. It's described as a "Twisting pattern of subtle, shifting colors weaves through the air, fascinating targets within it". What's great about it is that it renders enemies helpless while party members deal damage. The spell has no duration, which makes it even more appealing to Crowd Control specialists. However, many players actually request Wizards and Sorcerers not to use it as it makes them dizzy (literally). It really doesn't obscure your sight, but it does look too bright and shiny. It annoys some and at the extreme, could trigger headache and dizziness (hehe).
These are some of the Enchantment and Conjuration spells used by Bards, Wizards, Sorcerers, and Clerics to set up an effective Crowd Control. The spell used relies heavily on the effectiveness on certain monsters and of course, there's the preference factor. Choose the spells that will work on a number of monsters. The only time you'd need to switch spells is when you are being overwhelmed by Undead, Vermin, and Constructs, which need specific spells to be able to have successful Crowd Control.
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