Dominate monster vs Monstrous thrall

[darknighthg]

I've always looked at Dominate monster and asked... why?
Why this is spell is level 9? when you could just use Monstrous thrall that is better in any way.

They are both enchantment, compulsion, mind-affecting, one creature target, SR: yes, Save: will negates, 1 standar casting time, V,S components. Here're the differences:
1) Range:
MT is medium
DM is short
2) Duration:
MT is permanent (as it says in the description, the duration line is wrong)
DM is 1 day/lv
3) Dominate gives +2 bonus to the creature's saves when you're attempting that he does something against his nature. MT impose a penalty of -4 until he get success on a will save.

I am missing something?

[wotmaniac]

Spell Compendium fucked up when they ported monstrous thrall over from CDiv -- it's supposed to have an XP component of 500/HD.

Also of note: dominate monster is a wiz/sorc spell, while monstrous thrall is a domain-specific cleric spell.  That in itself generally indicates that the spells are gonna be treated differently along the <spell level vs. effectiveness> continuum.


Does that answer your question?

[Tshern]

Spell Compendium fucked up when they ported monstrous thrall over from CDiv -- it's supposed to have an XP component of 500/HD.

Also of note: dominate monster is a wiz/sorc spell, while monstrous thrall is a domain-specific cleric spell.  That in itself generally indicates that the spells are gonna be treated differently along the <spell level vs. effectiveness> continuum.


Does that answer your question?

The SpC Monstrous thrall has 24h/CL duration. At least in the stat table.

Edit: Oh crap, again working before my morning coffee. To be fair, one day per level is pretty much permanent...

[wotmaniac]

The SpC Monstrous thrall has 24h/CL duration. At least in the stat table.

But the spell text says permanent.  The duration line in CDiv (from which this spell was directly ported) happens to say "instantaneous" -- which also leads me to believe that the "permanent" reference in the description is just a simple descriptive using natural-language (the difference being whether or not it can be dispelled -- and since it had a very significant XP cost, it would make the most sense for it to be "instantaneous").

To be fair, one day per level is pretty much permanent...

true enough.

[Halinn]

The SpC Monstrous thrall has 24h/CL duration. At least in the stat table.

But the spell text says permanent.  The duration line in CDiv (from which this spell was directly ported) happens to say "instantaneous" -- which also leads me to believe that the "permanent" reference in the description is just a simple descriptive using natural-language (the difference being whether or not it can be dispelled -- and since it had a very significant XP cost, it would make the most sense for it to be "instantaneous").

That sounds like a mistake when copying it over, intending to update it to day/level, but not updating the text to say so.

[wotmaniac]

That sounds like a mistake when copying it over, intending to update it to day/level, but not updating the text to say so.

to try to justify removing the XP cost?
I guess that makes sense.

[darknighthg]

Not much. It's exactly the same as True Domination (the spell in which MT is based), but the only difference is MT is permanent. So it would  have no sense to have it be 1/lv

dominate monster is a wiz/sorc spell, while monstrous thrall is a domain-specific cleric spell.  That in itself generally indicates that the spells are gonna be treated differently along the <spell level vs. effectiveness> continuum.

true... that is probably the only reason.