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Thread : Hold Person... too powerful?
Started at 11-14-04 12:18 PM by Nifftin
Visit at http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=337612
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[Post 1]
Author : Nifftin
Date : 11-14-04 12:18 PM
Thread Title : Hold Person... too powerful?

Am I the only one who thinks that hold person in second ed. is kind of too powerful?

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[Post 2]
Author : TheEnder
Date : 11-14-04 06:10 PM

more like useful :) it is a human fighter's bane (no bonus to saves or resistance charm) but I wouldn't say it's excessively powerful, and all but the most evil creatures will even harm a held person. And if that human has a ring of free action-- he's got nothing to fear at all. Along with the limited casting range it's a less versatile spell than one might thing. IMO, it may seem daunting at first read, but in an actual game terms we've never had any problems.

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[Post 3]
Author : Nifftin
Date : 11-14-04 09:08 PM

Well, the problem I have is the duration. In a small fight it'll put beefy BBEG Fighter's in their place. It's very useful, I agree, but only to those who use it.

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[Post 4]
Author : Soel Griffin
Date : 11-15-04 02:19 PM

all but the most evil creatures will even harm a held person. 

But those are exactly the type most pcs will face. I think its the spell most harmful to pcs at early levels.

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[Post 5]
Author : Hiryu
Date : 11-15-04 11:14 PM

The priest version is indeed overpowered at 2nd level, but then again, priests are overpowered to begin with.

Now, the 3rd level wizard version? I think that one's just fine. I agree that the duration may be a tad long, but not enough to make it worthy of being a 4th level spell.

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[Post 6]
Author : WizO_Catoblepas
Date : 11-21-04 09:17 AM

But those are exactly the type most pcs will face. I think its the spell most harmful to pcs at early levels.

I agree with this.  In the 1st Edition modules, it seemed that an automatic spell that a cleric would recognize was Hold Person just due to how much power the spell has over beginning characters.

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