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Charm Person

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Charm Person
  • Level: 1
  • School: Enchantment
  • Class: Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
  • Casting Time: Action
  • Range: 30 feet
  • Components: V, S
  • Duration: 1 hour

One Humanoid you can see within range makes a Wisdom saving throw. It does so with Advantage if you or your allies are fighting it. On a failed save, the target has the Charmed condition until the spell ends or until you or your allies damage it. The Charmed creature is Friendly to you. When the spell ends, the target knows it was Charmed by you.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. You can target one additional creature for each spell slot level above 1.

Tactical Usage​

When to Choose Charm Person:

  • Essential early-game social manipulation tool
  • Excellent for avoiding combat with humanoid enemies
  • Strong choice for information gathering and interrogation
  • Valuable for gaining access to restricted areas or services

Target Selection:

  • Guards and Sentries: Gain passage through checkpoints
  • Information Sources: Charm NPCs with valuable knowledge
  • Social Obstacles: Convert hostile NPCs to friendly ones
  • Combat Avoidance: Turn potential enemies into allies

Timing Considerations:

  • Cast before hostilities begin to avoid Advantage on saves
  • 1-hour duration allows extended social interaction
  • Effect ends if target takes damage from party
  • Target becomes aware of charm when effect ends

Spell Combinations​

Social Enhancement:

  • Zone of Truth: Combine charm with honesty compulsion
  • Suggestion: Give specific commands to charmed person
  • Comprehend Languages: Communicate across language barriers
  • Friends: Stack social bonuses with charm effects

Information Gathering:

  • Detect Thoughts: Read mind of cooperative charmed target
  • Guidance: Enhance social skill checks with charmed NPCs
  • Message: Coordinate with charmed person discreetly
  • Disguise Self: Appear more trustworthy before charming

Material Component Details​

Verbal and Somatic Components:

  • Persuasive Speech: Words that build instant rapport
  • Friendly Gestures: Movements that convey warmth and trust
  • No Material Cost: Available without component investment
  • Social Integration: Components blend naturally with conversation

Roleplay Opportunities:

  • Describe charm as natural charisma and appeal
  • Reference the gradual shift in target's attitude
  • Use genuine-seeming friendly conversation as cover
  • Emphasize the magical enhancement of natural social skills

Creator Notes​

Adjudication Guidance:

  • Humanoid restriction limits effectiveness against many monsters
  • Charmed condition creates friendship but not complete control
  • Target retains personality and basic behavioral patterns
  • Damage from any party member immediately ends effect

Social Implications:

  • May create long-term consequences when charm ends
  • Different societies have varying views on charm magic
  • Could be considered assault or magical coercion
  • Success depends on follow-up social interaction

Balancing Considerations:

  • 1st-level slot cost makes this accessible early
  • 1-hour duration provides significant utility
  • Damage vulnerability prevents combat abuse
  • Humanoid limitation restricts universal effectiveness

Environmental Interactions​

Social Dynamics:

  • Charmed person treats caster as trusted friend
  • May share information normally kept private
  • Willing to provide reasonable favors and assistance
  • Other NPCs may notice sudden personality change

Behavioral Changes:

  • Target becomes friendly but retains core personality
  • More inclined to give benefit of doubt in conversations
  • May bend rules or make exceptions for "friend"
  • Still has limits based on personal values and loyalty

Long-term Consequences:

  • Target remembers being charmed after effect ends
  • May create resentment or hostility when discovered
  • Could damage caster's reputation in community
  • Might trigger legal or social consequences

Common Rulings & Clarifications​

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can I give the charmed person commands? A: You can make requests as you would to a friend, but it's not mind control.

Q: Does charm work on elves? A: Yes, but elves have advantage on saves against charm effects.

Q: What happens if the charmed person's allies attack me? A: The charm doesn't end unless the charmed person themselves is damaged.

Q: Can a charmed person reveal secrets? A: They might share information they'd tell a trusted friend.

Alternative Applications​

Urban Infiltration:

  • Access Control: Gain entry to restricted buildings or areas
  • Information Networks: Build temporary spy networks
  • Service Access: Obtain help from service providers
  • Legal Assistance: Gain cooperation from minor officials

Social Manipulation:

  • Reputation Management: Turn enemies into character witnesses
  • Economic Advantage: Gain favorable treatment from merchants
  • Political Influence: Temporarily sway minor political figures
  • Cultural Integration: Ease acceptance in foreign communities

Charm Magic:

  • Charm Monster: Version affecting all creature types
  • Mass Suggestion: Group behavioral influence
  • Dominate Person: Complete mental control
  • Enthrall: Attention and fascination effects

Social Spells:

  • Friends: Temporary charisma enhancement
  • Suggestion: Specific behavioral commands
  • Command: Brief behavioral control
  • Zone of Truth: Honesty compulsion

1st-Level Alternatives:

  • Disguise Self: Appearance alteration for social advantage
  • Comprehend Languages: Communication enhancement
  • Command: Direct but brief control
  • Sleep: Incapacitation for stealth approaches

Scaling Analysis​

Level Progression:

  • Early Game (Levels 1-5): Essential social tool
  • Mid Game (Levels 6-12): Still useful but competes with higher options
  • Late Game (Levels 13+): Situational use for resource efficiency

Target Scaling:

  • 1st Level: Single target charm
  • 2nd Level: Two targets (significant improvement)
  • 3rd Level: Three targets (excellent for group social encounters)

Long-Term Viability:

  • Social utility never becomes completely obsolete
  • Higher-level humanoids often have better Wisdom saves
  • Multiple targeting maintains usefulness in social situations
  • Core tool for social-focused character builds

Narrative Flavor​

Extended Description: You speak words that seem to carry an irresistible warmth and genuine appeal, while your gestures convey an almost magnetic friendliness. As your magic takes hold, you watch as suspicion melts away from your target's eyes, replaced by the warm recognition one might have for a long-lost friend. The transformation is subtle but profound - where once there was wariness or hostility, now there is trust, openness, and a genuine desire to help and please you.

Sensory Details:

  • Social: Instant rapport and emotional connection
  • Visual: Relaxed posture and genuinely friendly expressions
  • Emotional: Warm feelings of friendship and trust
  • Behavioral: Shift from guarded to open and helpful

Cultural Context: Charm Person represents one of the most commonly known and feared forms of social magic, raising fundamental questions about free will, consent, and the ethics of magical influence. Different societies may treat its use as anything from acceptable social lubrication to serious criminal assault.