Author Topic: How Many Different Truth Spells?  (Read 1971 times)

Offline kevin video

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How Many Different Truth Spells?
« on: December 06, 2012, 02:18:51 AM »
What are all the truth spells one can gain access to for a wand or potion? A scroll is fine too, I suppose.

I know of Detect Lies and Zone of Truth, even Glimpse of Truth from Book of Vile Darkness, but I'm looking for something that would work as a truth serum. I did find Truth Wine (Dragon 280) but it doesn't affect elves.
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Offline Maat Mons

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Re: How Many Different Truth Spells?
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2012, 03:06:33 AM »
There's the inquisition spell (Book of Exalted Deeds).  It's considered mind-affecting and only works on creatures with int 6 or higher, so it might not suit your purpose. 

More troubling, its duration is “see text,” and the text doesn't say anything about duration.  I think it was meant to last until the caster has compelled the allotted number of answers.  The subject can't lie, even outside of the answers you can compel.  Is the durations effectively permanent if the caster just never asks any questions? 

If made into a potion, this behaves a bit oddly, since the drinker is both the caster and target.  He'd be prevented from telling any lies until the spell expired.  If my previous assumption is correct, it would last until he'd asked himself three questions.  I don't know if the conversation with himself has to be out loud. 

The spell is 5th level, but there are a couple of prestige classes that allow for higher-level potions.  I had to look it up, but the creator of the potion wouldn't take the 1d4 con damage that serves as the sacrifice component, but the drinker would. 

Offline kitep

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Re: How Many Different Truth Spells?
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2012, 03:37:16 AM »
Used right, Charm Person and Hypnosis could be truth spells.

Detect Thoughts lets you read surface thoughts.

There's probably ways to get your Sense Motive skill into the can't-be-lied-to numbers.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2012, 03:47:39 AM by kitep »

Offline Captnq

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Re: How Many Different Truth Spells?
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2012, 09:22:37 AM »
Well, I went to The Spell Book and did Find (truth) then spent a few minutes seeing which entries were related.

BESTOW CURSE (Curse then to speak only the truth)
CONTACT OTHER PLANE (get the answer)
DETECT THOUGHTS (read their mind to see if they are lying.)
DISCERN LIES (Duh)
DOMINATION (Force them to tell you the truth.)
GLIMPSE OF TRUTH (Duh)
INQUISITION (Duh)
ZONE OF TRUTH (Duh)
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Offline ariasderros

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Re: How Many Different Truth Spells?
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2012, 02:52:57 PM »
There's also Enduring Scrutiny.

No save, not Mind-affecting, nothing to resist it but SR, and that can be worked around with appropriate buff/debuff spells and effects anyway.

You set a condition, you instantly know that the person performed the act. Basically, you get a mental ding.
For instance, you tell the spell to "ding" you whenever the person dances, then that person goes to a bar, gets drunk, and goes dancing, you get ze ding.

I have used this as a DM as a way to get around Glibness.
One person got caught lying in a Zone of Truth, because they failed their save against Discern Lies when talking to the military officials, so the whole party had Enduring Scrutiny put on them with the condition "Lie to or intentionally deceive a figure of governmental authority ". So then a different party member, for whom that spell condition was basically his MO, started tripping that spell like it was a doorbell to the bathroom, despite his (constantly maintained) Glibness.
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