Do magic users have to be registered or something? I‘d assume they‘d have no way of knowing if a random stranger from another town is a high level mage or not without being told by the person or it‘s party.
"The town has now induced a registry system for all magic users able to cast magic above a fourth level, and a secondary involuntary Registry for those who can cast above a 7th level. The secret police will be visiting you shortly"
@@blacky_Ninja 9th level casters are a huge rarity, usually if literally anyone knows you're capable of casting spells of the 9th level your name spreads
@@phantomlantern9169 Yeah but anyone capable of casting 9th level spells proooobably won't be brought in and questioned by some random towns guards if they don't want to.
You know, saying that after the choice of word lynch sure makes you seem like a racist maniac. The weak don't get pruned out. We get shit thrown at us day after day until we have so much experience we're level 20 and not so weak anymore. Maybe don't frame your worldviews around TTRPGs to dehumanize the general population of the world. Worm.
@@skell6134 me as the DM wondering how they got the exact HP value of the NPC (if it was lame metagaming I'm giving him 20 more HP, if not I'm absolutely letting them have the cool moment)
@@colmecolwag they don't, they just try it and wait to see if it has effect, but most of the time they will just look at the other guy and say "Yes, he is weak/hurt enough, it will work"
David Lynch is a historically famous surrealist film maker, it's not an uncommon name, but you are right it's funny it's not a word that upsets the censor bots considering it's being used in the worst context here
It is absolutely absurd that censorship & controlled speech has gotten so bad that communicating any significant subject can get your post deleted before it's ever seen & bar you from all further communications, forcing using symbols. $3×, 9@¥, þɛɗ0, |
If you can cast power word kill I think murdering random people is a little under your pay grade. Edit: now the comments are arguing over what a book is
Ya, but the idea is that you could essentially murder folks without anything other then a spell slot and libe of sight. There's no smoking gun or anything else to can clue anybody into who may have done it.
@@joshsmit2890I mean with that kind of power, you should BE the Duke by then, I’d think.. idk I’m use to my players gaining immense political power by the time they could annihilate entire towns alone
@@vaughnhelthira1704 those with true power rarely need to flaunt it. So, being the Duke would be tedious and too high profile. Especially if you wanted to fly under the radar. Food for thought.
@@lem2004against the mage with subtle spell and a party that probably includes at least one lvl17+ martial character. Good luck. Characters art that level are heroes of the world or demigods, nations would handle them with care, no anti magic task force would touch them.
@@henrikt.183 Hahahahaha oh you sweet summer child. 17 is on the doorstep. Ever heard of the Astral Plane? People ABOVE level 20 are common there. There is an entire city (the city of doors btw) that is linked to every reality, the lowest leveled guard is 30. The ruler is a level 40+. If they have a favor to call in from the planes...your 17 self is cooked.
"Now that 5 weeks of travel have passed, as you're fishing by the stream, you hear a voice call out to you. Looking back, you see 2 magical crime investigators approach."
You know if you can cast power word kill, you probably don't really need to worry about the repercussions of doing so considering you cane weave the entire universe to your whims at that point.
@@TheGiggleMasterP sort of... Fun Fact: Glyph of Warding can hold 9th level spells such as Power Word Kill, Meteor Swarm, Invulnerability and Wish. Concentration isn't a factor as it just runs to duration if held in a Spell Glyph. The activation trigger can be whatever you want. Such as, "this Glyph activates 0.0001 seconds after the previous page activates. Or, this Glyph activates when a counter spell is targeted at any Glyph of Warding in this book. The average notebook has over 100 pages. Custom ones can get to 1000 pages. See where I'm going with this???
I mean.. if a sorcerer was present at such an event, the magically literate would probably put two and two together. Once they put together it was a Power Word Kill (or any sufficiently powerful spell), it’s only a matter of time before they look at you, a 17th-20th level sorcerer, for interrogation. Now if you’re a wizard, bard, warlock etc. with metamagic adept, it would probably take them a little longer to piece it together
Who, exactly, is bringing a 17th-20th level caster in for interrogation? One you suspect just assassinated your duke in the middle of a parade? Every guard in the city knows whoever did this can kill them with a glance; not thinks or suspects, but straight knows they'd lose if the suspect resists arrest. Oh, and the suspect is known to hang with another 3-5 other equally storied and powerful individuals. Yeah, good luck with that.
How would you tell who is a Sorcerer? It's not like this is a video game where you have to wear stat enhancing items that make you obviously look like a spell caster.
Lynch is not the word you’re looking for here… That aside, yes. However, there’s presently no way to single PC combo for a feature that lets you know current HP and grant 9th level spells. So get your Battlemaster buddy to let you know when he’s at 100HP or less and then go bananas.
Or if you want to put it in another light, the Duke turns out to have been a famous adventurer(Paladin or something) in his past and got his title through heroic deeds. Thus raising the question of why your employer/their boss wants him gone.
Or he just has a Death Ward. A 4th level touch spell that lasts 8 hours. It'd be pretty strange for the local temple to have clerics for raising dead and restoration and remove curse when it's PCs but not provide the lord of the town a medium level spell every day in place of some taxes or something.
You don't need lvl 9 spells for that. Just imagine a tavern full of people having a merry time. Then, in comes a disgruntled stranger, a dark hood covering his eyes filledwith malintent. Loudly his words echo by the magic he evokes as a sudden burst of magic sends several tables and people flying. The thunderous roar rings in your ear as half the room lies on the floor. Dead. The lucky ones only suffering from ringing in their eyes and dust in their lungs. Thunder Wave is in any enclosed space with normal people is devasting. Having one wizard apprentice on a murder trip is enough to make any normal person fearful of magic. So, if you have a strong enough cohesion in a society to regulate magic extensively, there are more than enough reasons for it. In my setting spellcasters of arcane orientations have to have a license to practice. This is effectively a national registration of their existence, the range and nature of their abilities as well as a judgement of character. If their are deemed dangerous, they are brought to "reeducation" fascilities. But is also a world that thrives in a techomagical industrial revolution, so people in cities are used to magical items and the convenience of magic in general.
I mean in every world it is, some DMs forget how many tools are available (most basic one I use is a "detect magic" lamp, whenever a spell (not magic item, a spell) is nearby turns light to red. Very simple. Fancy ones have alarm incorporated, by 3.5 edition rules to forge items they cost between 1000 to 2500 GP, depending on radius and extra effects
Huh, usually I use Disguise Self and turn into a guard then cast Haste, PWK my target, run away and use my next action to Minor Illusion a trash can and disappear into the 5-foot cube illusion. Basically Prop Hunt.
@ oh I abuse the heck out of illusion spells. Once our target was a mayor because he was corrupt so we had the Yuan-Ti bard spend the night with one of the guards and poisoned him and planted a note, then i disguised myself as that guard and approached the mayor and had a speech about him being corrupt, where I grappled him and the doomstalker ranger killed him and they had to chase 2 targets so we got away thanks to the rubbish bin trick. Then again the king was killed because I used a spell scroll of Disintegrate and as I opened the scroll to “read the summons” because I was playing as a messenger and the court wizard knew it was a spell scroll and saw through my disguise. Still killed the king but the court wizard was the bbeg and I fell for it. Try dipping the hat In Barbecue Sauce, it helps with the hat flavor.
It takes one dog to track you down, common amongst most guard garrisons, yes you can kill the dog and like a hundred guards if you are lvl 17+ but sooner than later some high level adventurers are going to be hired to track you down and bring you doa.
nah i prefer the cantrip "toll the dead." point at target- they hear a bell tolling in their vicinity and have to succeed a wis saving throw or take damage. it deals more damage to targets already injured. so if you can stealth/blend in, you can literally turn into death from puss in boots and psychologically torment your victims as you stalk them, only appearing briefly to recast the spell on them. from their pov you are just suddenly appearing out of a crowd or some shadows, and then they hear that ungodly ringing that brings them ever closer towards death.
I subtle spelled my way through a hostage situation where I was tied up and gagged. I sat there and shrugged after the Bandit Captain looked at me after his lackeys burst into flames
If 9th level spellcasters are to be discreet that means they are common, 9th level divination casters can easily track the assas... caster, 9th level divine casters are really good at shutting down arcane casters
for mine it's simply "yeah, Mystra specifically commissioned the training of an entire organization of Warlocks, specially trained to counter mages by preying on the typical weaknesses, afterall how do you fight a guy who just rocks up, identifies you're a spellcaster with a glance, drops both an aura of silence and darkness, then attempts to use a whip to grapple and drag you close enough for the 'stun baton' he carries off hand to do it's work?
Subtle spell would remove the verbal component, but you would still need to speak the word of power to kill the guy. Its like if you used subtle spell on command or suggestion, you would skip the verbal components but would still need to speak the commands.
Rules as written probably yes for command no for power word kill. Command set the creature must be able to understand you, isn't an undead, and the command mustn't be directly harmful to it other than a range of 60 ft it doesn't have anything that says the creature must be able to hear you although it is assumed that if it can't hear you it can't understand you. However power kill has none of that "You utter a word of power that can compel one creature you can see within range to die instantly. If the creature you choose has 100 hit points or fewer, it dies. Otherwise, the spell has no effect." There's only one sentence that you may be able to use however it doesn't say that creature needs to understand nor hear you and it just says you speak the word not how loud. And it should be assumed that the word of power is the verbal component.
@4amtoast Why should one assume that power word kill is an exception. It is assumed that the components are used before you cast the spell. The verbal component in the phb says: Most spells require the chanting of mystic words. The words themselves aren't the source of the spell's power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. By this description, one would assume verbal components are different from the description of a spell. Power word kill description say a word of power and it reads like the word is the spells power, verbal components are mystic words that aren't the source of the spells power.
@bloody4558 You should reread what i said. My point is that the players handbook makes it clear what verbal components are and if you apply it to power word kill, the power word wouldn't fit the description of what verbal components are so it shouldnt be counted as one.
Technically, this wouldn't be a "lynch" cause that's a violent and painful and horrible to experience or witness thing. The target would literally blink and be in the afterlife while everyone outside sees them drop like a puppet whose strings were cut, with no clue how it happened. Magical forensics might be able to determine it was a spell, and if it was powerful enough it might even figure out who did it, but in the moment it would be very confusing cause it wouldn't even have the twitching associated with more common rapid modes of demise like aneurysm, heart attack, stroke, etc, and no blood like a sniper would produce.
no, not anti-magic shell, that prevents you from being healed or protected from other things. You want Death Ward cast on you. Extended Death Ward, and Contingency: Death Ward, which casts Death Ward if the first Death Ward is used up. Subtle PWK! plink! Death Ward Triggers! You are not dead. Contingency Triggers, Fresh Death Ward kicks in. Death Ward also has the advantage of stopping non-magical instant kills as well. Consider the important NPC is walking around town with in an Anti Magic Shell. Safe from spells? No. Simply Teleport a Real 1000t Boulder just above the anti-magic shell. Slam. Dead. Its a real boulder... the magic isn't happening inside the shell, so it just lands on him. You could even set it up so the Anti Magic Shell is what causes them to die! Dig a deep pit. put a magically created path over it. Arrange it so that the target is walking on a real path, which is supported by the magical path, when the anti-magic field reaches the magically created support path, the whole thing collapses into the pit. The Target falls to their death on poison coated spikes 100' below. Can't be saved with misty step, feather fall, or whatever because Anti-Magic Shell.
Being an American, the choice of the word "Lynch" is unsettling lol. Do Australians just say lynch in place of kill? Cause it does NOT mean just to kill
To answer your question, no, we in Australia use the same meaning for that word as you do. It was used here to get around youtube censorship more than likely.
@@Atalas5yes but it doesnt *mean* just kill, it means when a large crowd of people publicly grab a person and murder them. It _could_ be a religious or class thing, but it was (is, frankly) almost ALWAYS A RACE THING. Primarily black men accused of something like looking at a white woman. There is no sense in which this word is accurate OR APPROPRIATE Pretty sure u know all this but I think it bears repeating
Pretty sure it's for the sake of trying to sideline RUclips sensors since he had to sensor "kill" in power word kill for the subtitles. Probably just trying to cause less editing work for himself
I was stated in the Sage Advice Compendium that: " *Is the sentence of suggestion in the suggestion spell the verbal component, or is the verbal component separate?* Verbal components are mystic words (PH, 203), not normal speech. The spell’s suggestion is an intelligible utterance that is separate from the verbal component. The command spell is the simplest example of this principle. The utterance of the verbal component is separate from, and precedes, any verbal utterance that would bring about the spell’s effect." The description of power word kill states: "You utter a word of power that can compel one creature you can see within range to die instantly.". Nowhere does it say that the power word is the incantation. In fact, as it is called a 'word of power', I do not see any reason to think that word would _also_ be the 'mystic words' that trigger spells. Those are two different types of words. The only people I can imagine arguing against this logic is players that want to abuse this and DMs who just don't care or also want to use it on their players. (In which case, I wish I could be there to see their face when they realize that the dumb shit they argued should be allowed by the game to make themselves OP can be used against them. For some reason they never see it coming.)
Alternatively if you are considering the word of power separate from the verbal component nothing stops the word of power from being.... say... "Congratulations!" It could be pretty much impossible to associate anyway.
@@kirinashia567 I'm pretty sure in 3rd edition Power Word spells where based on either Dark Speech or Words of Creation, which are real languages and thus there is an actual word you have to say, but I don't remember which one for sure (It might even have just been Utterances) and since 5e hates lore, it's not even relevant anyways.
A lot of comments about how rare a caster of a high enough level is, so they'd be easy to find, but at that point you're looking for the fantasy world equivalent of The Justice League. "This man could only have been killed by someone at least as powerful as Superman! Let's send the police to round up all the people who could throw a planet into the sun. I'm sure nothing could go wrong."
@miriamweller812 That's assuming you know for certain Batman wasn't involved. Part of the metaphor is that you know it must have been *someone* in the Justice League, but you don't know who, which is another reason for subtlety.
There's actually something that's specifically made for this purpose in pathfinder: mind thrust. A multi-level (e.g. Mind thrust II) Psychic-only spell that, because of psychic spellcasting, doesn't have outward signs of casting, and has no visual effects. You just think at someone and they die.
Psionics was OP in 3.5e specifically because of stuff like this. Negating manifestation displays was laughably easy. It didn't require you to give up any of your precious feats. All it needed was a concentration check. It didn't even increase the power point cost.
Speaking of sorcerer and power word kill TECHNICALLY via rules as written twinned spell would also work since it’s only requirement is that it’s a singular target. Going further into the build you could also with the added benefits of say Boon of high magic granting you a second 9th level spell slot, you could after taking 2 levels in fighter action surge and get a total of 4 power word kills in a single turn. (Your DMs will hate this.)
The difference between a world where magic is inherent and where it is laid over top. Where it is inherent not only would there be safeguards in place, but probably tracking, reversals, and contingencies. One player tested an unplanned and improperly researched assassination attempt. No one did ever again.
This same interaction is an entire path in Shadow of the Weird Wizard, The arcanist gets to subtle spell all the time, and evocation in that system is all only verbal power words. A truly terrifying caster.
The psionic spellcasting of abberant mind sorcerer can take this even further, I have a thri-kreen with expertise in stealth and slippers of spiderclimbing... he uses his camouflage carapace to become a wall crawling predator that just causes spell effects to happen completely unseen... black tentacles, summon aberration and polymorph are his favorite.
Id prefer the sniper approach. Warlock, Spell sniper doubles range of spells, eldritch spear raises eldritch blast range to 300, use lance of lethargy to lower movement speed by 10, grasp of hadar can pull them 10 feet closer, meaning they can only make 10 movement away per turn (or 30 if they dash away) All of this at level 5. Also if you went variant human, you could get metamagic adept to get distant spell and have a 1200 foot range. "Oh my arch nemesis is in the next town over , enjoying breakfast? Enjoy being dragged through the mud and taking that 2d10 damage." And good luck seeing i did it from 4 football fields away (use pact of the chain and have your familiar near the target, so you see the target easy)
If you're doing warlock, and your only priority is subtle murder (not combat), hex + maddening hex is quite good. Hex like... A rat. Kill the rat. Now you can reapply the hex without any visual notice, and then just keep ticking away at the HP until they die. And warlocks don't have the same physical tells as sorcerers do.
If subtle spell didn't make spellcasting subtle, it would be very nearly entirely pointless. You aren't restrained and muted often enough to justify it taking even 1 meta magic known or the 1 sorcery point, even. DND should more clearly lay out how to investigate evidence of magic, though. There's traces and suggestions of it all over source material, but no clear rules of any kind outside of set scenes.
Power Word Kill is a DM spell. In 5th edition, there is no ability that allows you to see the current hitpoints of a creature (not without the DM finangling rules, at least). For a player, you're essentially blind casting a 9th level spell that does nothing if you wiff it. The spell is best used in the hands of a DM as a metagame spell.
Counter argument; Dominate Person. Available at 9th level for full casters. Aberrant mind sorcerer can cast it using only sorcerer points to subtle it for free, at 10th level the sorcerer can spend all his sorcery points to twin spell it at the same time, as the subclass specifies that using sorcery points to cast the spell puts it under the effects like subtle spell, but not under the effects of Metamagic, meaning you can twin spell this spell while keeping it under the effects of subtle spell. If the targets fail the saving throw, command them to freeze, exhale, and stop breathing. In a number of rounds equal to their constitution modifier, they drop to 0 hit points. Yes it’s a wisdom save, but the chance to instakill 2 targets makes the spell op. If not playing Aberrant Mind, just pick up the Metamagic feat and pick subtle spell. Worth mentioning the spell doesn’t state it ends when the target is unconscious, so depending on the DM you can control the target all the way through their death saves, forcing them to fail. For narrative purposes, imagine describing to the players as two of their companions suddenly freeze up for about 10 seconds, becoming unresponsive to outside stimuli. Before anyone thinks to try dispel magic, both characters slump in their seats. Not a bad way to remind murder hobos with low wisdom who is in charge, and not requiring a 18th level caster to do it. Honestly, there are a few default kill spells in the game, power word kill is overrated. Power word kill only works on characters with less than 101 hit points. Dominate person is only 5th level and doesn’t discriminate hit points.
Easily overcome. All subtle spells now require a gemstone of at least 100gp per spell level, additive. (So, 100gp for a level 1 spell, 300gp for a second level spell, 500gp for a third, etc). *NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE. WHY IS YOUR POWER ANY DIFFERENT?*
Counterpoint if you are the 18-20 level character that you are and he’s a mission target he’s also most likely the boss and therefore has the hit points to make the spell utterly pointless without engaging him in a fight you could anonymously lynch random villagers but not major targets at the level you get that spell
In my campaigns, Power Words echo like thunder, and can be heard from a good distance away. Subtle Spell just prevents anyone from knowing the spell was cast until AFTER you've already cast it. 🌩️
I have Power Word Kill have a silencing effect whenever its spoken, like its something so loud and powerful that reality itself hits the mute button on everyone but the target, so the only way to even have a chance to learn it is to have the spell cast on you and survive.
Thats why in my setting, magical death leaves evidence just like physically murdering someone. Each caster has a minutely unique way of working the weave for their spells. They may go through the same motions, but theres a magical fingerprint of sorts left behind.
Power Word Command may be a decent alternative given certain scenarios. Subtle spell then lock eyes with the captain of the king's guard, point at the king and command "assassinate".
Even more fun: The 2024 version of Power Word Kill has a secondary effect: If your target has more than 100 hit points, they instead take 12d12 Psychic damage, averaging about 78 damage.
"He was killed by magic! Using Power Word Kill!"
"Round up the handful of magic users capable of using 9th level magic!"
Do magic users have to be registered or something? I‘d assume they‘d have no way of knowing if a random stranger from another town is a high level mage or not without being told by the person or it‘s party.
Good luck with that.
"The town has now induced a registry system for all magic users able to cast magic above a fourth level, and a secondary involuntary Registry for those who can cast above a 7th level. The secret police will be visiting you shortly"
@@blacky_Ninja 9th level casters are a huge rarity, usually if literally anyone knows you're capable of casting spells of the 9th level your name spreads
@@phantomlantern9169 Yeah but anyone capable of casting 9th level spells proooobably won't be brought in and questioned by some random towns guards if they don't want to.
I think we all just learned why rulers tend to be high level characters in dnd worlds. The weak get pruned out.
They all got exactly 101 HP on the dot
You know, saying that after the choice of word lynch sure makes you seem like a racist maniac.
The weak don't get pruned out. We get shit thrown at us day after day until we have so much experience we're level 20 and not so weak anymore.
Maybe don't frame your worldviews around TTRPGs to dehumanize the general population of the world. Worm.
@@colmecolwag Fighter sniping guy from mile away with single arrow while Sorcerer in crowd uses power word kill:
@@skell6134 me as the DM wondering how they got the exact HP value of the NPC (if it was lame metagaming I'm giving him 20 more HP, if not I'm absolutely letting them have the cool moment)
@@colmecolwag they don't, they just try it and wait to see if it has effect, but most of the time they will just look at the other guy and say "Yes, he is weak/hurt enough, it will work"
I love that saying "Kill" in videos is bad but saying "Lynch" is just fine.
But typing it is hit or miss.
David Lynch is a historically famous surrealist film maker, it's not an uncommon name, but you are right it's funny it's not a word that upsets the censor bots considering it's being used in the worst context here
It is absolutely absurd that censorship & controlled speech has gotten so bad that communicating any significant subject can get your post deleted before it's ever seen & bar you from all further communications, forcing using symbols.
$3×, 9@¥, þɛɗ0, |
Especially since he actually says "kill" several times in this video.
Reminds me of Town of Salem
If you can cast power word kill I think murdering random people is a little under your pay grade.
Edit: now the comments are arguing over what a book is
Perfect cover, ain't it?
to be fair he was talking about assassinating a Duke, so that is kind of high pay grade right?
Ya, but the idea is that you could essentially murder folks without anything other then a spell slot and libe of sight. There's no smoking gun or anything else to can clue anybody into who may have done it.
@@joshsmit2890I mean with that kind of power, you should BE the Duke by then, I’d think.. idk I’m use to my players gaining immense political power by the time they could annihilate entire towns alone
@@vaughnhelthira1704 those with true power rarely need to flaunt it. So, being the Duke would be tedious and too high profile. Especially if you wanted to fly under the radar.
Food for thought.
When you're using 9th level spells its more a question of who would even try to arrest you?
Anti-magic Task Force. A bunch of guy with silencer spell.
@lem2004 subtle spell removes the verbal component. Silence does nothing but let him kill you in peace.
@@lem2004against the mage with subtle spell and a party that probably includes at least one lvl17+ martial character. Good luck. Characters art that level are heroes of the world or demigods, nations would handle them with care, no anti magic task force would touch them.
@@henrikt.183 Hahahahaha oh you sweet summer child. 17 is on the doorstep. Ever heard of the Astral Plane? People ABOVE level 20 are common there. There is an entire city (the city of doors btw) that is linked to every reality, the lowest leveled guard is 30. The ruler is a level 40+.
If they have a favor to call in from the planes...your 17 self is cooked.
@@henrikt.183I think anti magic task forces wouldn't try to capture/arrest them. They'd just skip to KoS.
We must be using different definitions of Lynch.
That's what I was thinking
RUclips censors don't like the word kill.
That's probably the main reason they choose Lynch.
Probably a way to get around the censor bot that is the RUclips de-monetizeation algorithm.
Yes - was going to say this too.
One of your commenters made a good point though - Assassins Creed ING maybe a forbidden topic ATM.
@@governedmoth1749 I feel like there's better substitutes for murder than lynch. Like iced, snuffed, sleep with the fishes, take your pick.
"Now that 5 weeks of travel have passed, as you're fishing by the stream, you hear a voice call out to you. Looking back, you see 2 magical crime investigators approach."
Arthur, Arthur Morgan yes one of van der lindes most trusted associates
Who would willingly go and confront you you're a level 17-20 sorcerer?
@@SajidKhuwaja-di5og someone with an antimagic field amulet, provided courtesy of the local mages guilds magical ethics enforcement division.
@@Corporal_Coyote mages that powerful usually have something to counter that amulet.
Like extremely powerful friends.
@@scottlemiere2024 Or a big rock
You know if you can cast power word kill, you probably don't really need to worry about the repercussions of doing so considering you cane weave the entire universe to your whims at that point.
Fireball for that squad of guards, and that one, and one for those guys too, and I'm bored so we're leaving, Teleport
Um sir murder is illegal
Mage: FIREBALL
So do the people chasing you, they have divination to know who did what and where he is and silence, void, force cages to keep you locked up
He found the Death Notebook
I was about to make a joke about imbuing this power into a magical item, but I see you beat me to making this Death Note.
@@TheGiggleMasterP sort of...
Fun Fact: Glyph of Warding can hold 9th level spells such as Power Word Kill, Meteor Swarm, Invulnerability and Wish.
Concentration isn't a factor as it just runs to duration if held in a Spell Glyph.
The activation trigger can be whatever you want. Such as, "this Glyph activates 0.0001 seconds after the previous page activates.
Or, this Glyph activates when a counter spell is targeted at any Glyph of Warding in this book.
The average notebook has over 100 pages. Custom ones can get to 1000 pages.
See where I'm going with this???
Notebook of death*
The Death Note is too op
😅i mean he could glyph if warding power word kill with their name then just ask them to sign it😅
I mean.. if a sorcerer was present at such an event, the magically literate would probably put two and two together. Once they put together it was a Power Word Kill (or any sufficiently powerful spell), it’s only a matter of time before they look at you, a 17th-20th level sorcerer, for interrogation.
Now if you’re a wizard, bard, warlock etc. with metamagic adept, it would probably take them a little longer to piece it together
Who, exactly, is bringing a 17th-20th level caster in for interrogation? One you suspect just assassinated your duke in the middle of a parade? Every guard in the city knows whoever did this can kill them with a glance; not thinks or suspects, but straight knows they'd lose if the suspect resists arrest. Oh, and the suspect is known to hang with another 3-5 other equally storied and powerful individuals.
Yeah, good luck with that.
How would you tell who is a Sorcerer? It's not like this is a video game where you have to wear stat enhancing items that make you obviously look like a spell caster.
Ah yes my magic eyes that can tell what level someone is.
@@matthewhafner962 To be entirely fair, the guy dressed like Gandalf probably isn't a barbarian.
@@marsphoenix1359 A D&D Sorcerer can wear anything that's not armor. They don't have a look to them.
Lynch is not the word you’re looking for here…
That aside, yes. However, there’s presently no way to single PC combo for a feature that lets you know current HP and grant 9th level spells.
So get your Battlemaster buddy to let you know when he’s at 100HP or less and then go bananas.
Lynch is there because murder and assassinate are likely bad youtube words
@@spenhaPot yeah but not really the word to use as a workaround
@@Scrimblo__ i'll take it over "unalive".
@@spenhaPot That is beyond weird. Makes it worse. Would explain how all those eugenic painter fans stay on this plattform, tough.
Cant Say Kill or the RUclips gods will smite you. So he choose an alternative that got the point across. Whats the issue?
Once a day, the Great Old One Warlock can just do it. No meta-magic required. Their Enchantment and Illusion spells are already nonverbal.
Immediately thought about subtle spell when i heard power word kill
"should we CEO of healthcare this duke?"
This is when they attempt this, only for the Duke to not die and later be revealed to be an archdevil or some such
Or if you want to put it in another light, the Duke turns out to have been a famous adventurer(Paladin or something) in his past and got his title through heroic deeds. Thus raising the question of why your employer/their boss wants him gone.
Or the dm is lame and just says no
@@daprotato his HP would be over 100. So it wouldn't work if he's an Archdemon
Or he just has a Death Ward. A 4th level touch spell that lasts 8 hours.
It'd be pretty strange for the local temple to have clerics for raising dead and restoration and remove curse when it's PCs but not provide the lord of the town a medium level spell every day in place of some taxes or something.
@@kieranharwood7186 that's incredibly clever.
This is the type of shenanigans why magic in my homebrew world is tightly regulated.
You don't need lvl 9 spells for that. Just imagine a tavern full of people having a merry time. Then, in comes a disgruntled stranger, a dark hood covering his eyes filledwith malintent. Loudly his words echo by the magic he evokes as a sudden burst of magic sends several tables and people flying. The thunderous roar rings in your ear as half the room lies on the floor. Dead. The lucky ones only suffering from ringing in their eyes and dust in their lungs.
Thunder Wave is in any enclosed space with normal people is devasting. Having one wizard apprentice on a murder trip is enough to make any normal person fearful of magic.
So, if you have a strong enough cohesion in a society to regulate magic extensively, there are more than enough reasons for it.
In my setting spellcasters of arcane orientations have to have a license to practice. This is effectively a national registration of their existence, the range and nature of their abilities as well as a judgement of character.
If their are deemed dangerous, they are brought to "reeducation" fascilities.
But is also a world that thrives in a techomagical industrial revolution, so people in cities are used to magical items and the convenience of magic in general.
I mean in every world it is, some DMs forget how many tools are available (most basic one I use is a "detect magic" lamp, whenever a spell (not magic item, a spell) is nearby turns light to red. Very simple. Fancy ones have alarm incorporated, by 3.5 edition rules to forge items they cost between 1000 to 2500 GP, depending on radius and extra effects
You've just become D&D Kira.
Huh, usually I use Disguise Self and turn into a guard then cast Haste, PWK my target, run away and use my next action to Minor Illusion a trash can and disappear into the 5-foot cube illusion. Basically Prop Hunt.
Usually? If you've done this more than once, I will eat my hat
@ oh I abuse the heck out of illusion spells. Once our target was a mayor because he was corrupt so we had the Yuan-Ti bard spend the night with one of the guards and poisoned him and planted a note, then i disguised myself as that guard and approached the mayor and had a speech about him being corrupt, where I grappled him and the doomstalker ranger killed him and they had to chase 2 targets so we got away thanks to the rubbish bin trick. Then again the king was killed because I used a spell scroll of Disintegrate and as I opened the scroll to “read the summons” because I was playing as a messenger and the court wizard knew it was a spell scroll and saw through my disguise. Still killed the king but the court wizard was the bbeg and I fell for it.
Try dipping the hat In Barbecue Sauce, it helps with the hat flavor.
It takes one dog to track you down, common amongst most guard garrisons, yes you can kill the dog and like a hundred guards if you are lvl 17+ but sooner than later some high level adventurers are going to be hired to track you down and bring you doa.
@ prestidigitation. Hide your scent.
@@specialk5523 you sound like someone that read every game book but has never actually played a game, just imagined scenarios in your head.
nah i prefer the cantrip "toll the dead." point at target- they hear a bell tolling in their vicinity and have to succeed a wis saving throw or take damage. it deals more damage to targets already injured. so if you can stealth/blend in, you can literally turn into death from puss in boots and psychologically torment your victims as you stalk them, only appearing briefly to recast the spell on them. from their pov you are just suddenly appearing out of a crowd or some shadows, and then they hear that ungodly ringing that brings them ever closer towards death.
I subtle spelled my way through a hostage situation where I was tied up and gagged. I sat there and shrugged after the Bandit Captain looked at me after his lackeys burst into flames
Until someone casts detect magic and finds an aura lingering on the corpse, then discerns the spell’s school.
If 9th level spellcasters are to be discreet that means they are common, 9th level divination casters can easily track the assas... caster, 9th level divine casters are really good at shutting down arcane casters
The Duke's parade is traveling past the wizard scroll depository and the grassy knoll, I sure hope nothing bad happens!
An old tower in a state of disrepair falls and crushes him.
And some of my players ask me why I make unsanctionned magic a crime in most of my settings XD
for mine it's simply "yeah, Mystra specifically commissioned the training of an entire organization of Warlocks, specially trained to counter mages by preying on the typical weaknesses, afterall how do you fight a guy who just rocks up, identifies you're a spellcaster with a glance, drops both an aura of silence and darkness, then attempts to use a whip to grapple and drag you close enough for the 'stun baton' he carries off hand to do it's work?
Subtle spell would remove the verbal component, but you would still need to speak the word of power to kill the guy. Its like if you used subtle spell on command or suggestion, you would skip the verbal components but would still need to speak the commands.
Rules as written probably yes for command no for power word kill. Command set the creature must be able to understand you, isn't an undead, and the command mustn't be directly harmful to it other than a range of 60 ft it doesn't have anything that says the creature must be able to hear you although it is assumed that if it can't hear you it can't understand you. However power kill has none of that "You utter a word of power that can compel one creature you can see within range to die instantly. If the creature you choose has 100 hit points or fewer, it dies. Otherwise, the spell has no effect." There's only one sentence that you may be able to use however it doesn't say that creature needs to understand nor hear you and it just says you speak the word not how loud. And it should be assumed that the word of power is the verbal component.
@4amtoast Why should one assume that power word kill is an exception. It is assumed that the components are used before you cast the spell. The verbal component in the phb says: Most spells require the chanting of mystic words. The words themselves aren't the source of the spell's power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. By this description, one would assume verbal components are different from the description of a spell. Power word kill description say a word of power and it reads like the word is the spells power, verbal components are mystic words that aren't the source of the spells power.
you don't need to physically say words for them to be understood. There are several ways to go about it.
@bloody4558 You should reread what i said. My point is that the players handbook makes it clear what verbal components are and if you apply it to power word kill, the power word wouldn't fit the description of what verbal components are so it shouldnt be counted as one.
@@Twilbur48 reread my comment
That's when things start to get *'Inevitable'*
I thought he was going to cast the spell using sign language
Naruto ass shit
As a sorcerer main, I immediately knew what he was doing 😂
Technically, this wouldn't be a "lynch" cause that's a violent and painful and horrible to experience or witness thing. The target would literally blink and be in the afterlife while everyone outside sees them drop like a puppet whose strings were cut, with no clue how it happened. Magical forensics might be able to determine it was a spell, and if it was powerful enough it might even figure out who did it, but in the moment it would be very confusing cause it wouldn't even have the twitching associated with more common rapid modes of demise like aneurysm, heart attack, stroke, etc, and no blood like a sniper would produce.
"As long as they have less than 100 health"
**unintentionally discovers a new bbeg level threat**
that's why nobles only go out in public with anti-magic fields all around them
no, not anti-magic shell, that prevents you from being healed or protected from other things. You want Death Ward cast on you. Extended Death Ward, and Contingency: Death Ward, which casts Death Ward if the first Death Ward is used up.
Subtle PWK! plink! Death Ward Triggers! You are not dead. Contingency Triggers, Fresh Death Ward kicks in.
Death Ward also has the advantage of stopping non-magical instant kills as well.
Consider the important NPC is walking around town with in an Anti Magic Shell. Safe from spells? No. Simply Teleport a Real 1000t Boulder just above the anti-magic shell. Slam. Dead.
Its a real boulder... the magic isn't happening inside the shell, so it just lands on him.
You could even set it up so the Anti Magic Shell is what causes them to die!
Dig a deep pit. put a magically created path over it. Arrange it so that the target is walking on a real path, which is supported by the magical path, when the anti-magic field reaches the magically created support path, the whole thing collapses into the pit. The Target falls to their death on poison coated spikes 100' below.
Can't be saved with misty step, feather fall, or whatever because Anti-Magic Shell.
“Once there was a king who was a scourge upon his land, the citizens all wished him dead his rule they couldn’t stand
One day he just fell dead on the pavement by no hand
he happened to have died next to three kobolds in a trench coat!”
@@Limamastenthe3rd w-I was legitimately worried he’d have made that joke already
Being an American, the choice of the word "Lynch" is unsettling lol. Do Australians just say lynch in place of kill? Cause it does NOT mean just to kill
as a fellow American, and a Southener to boot, lynching could often have a killing involved. At least an attempted one.
To answer your question, no, we in Australia use the same meaning for that word as you do. It was used here to get around youtube censorship more than likely.
@@Atalas5yes but it doesnt *mean* just kill, it means when a large crowd of people publicly grab a person and murder them. It _could_ be a religious or class thing, but it was (is, frankly) almost ALWAYS A RACE THING. Primarily black men accused of something like looking at a white woman.
There is no sense in which this word is accurate OR APPROPRIATE
Pretty sure u know all this but I think it bears repeating
Pretty sure it's for the sake of trying to sideline RUclips sensors since he had to sensor "kill" in power word kill for the subtitles. Probably just trying to cause less editing work for himself
@ yeah of course, its just an awful, awful choice of alternative word
The NPC with 101 HP: “WHO TOUCHED MY BOAT!?”
I was stated in the Sage Advice Compendium that: " *Is the sentence of suggestion in the suggestion spell the verbal component, or is the verbal component separate?* Verbal components are mystic words (PH, 203), not normal speech. The spell’s suggestion is an intelligible utterance that is separate from the verbal component. The command spell is the simplest example of this principle. The utterance of the verbal component is separate from, and precedes, any verbal utterance that would bring about the spell’s effect."
The description of power word kill states: "You utter a word of power that can compel one creature you can see within range to die instantly.". Nowhere does it say that the power word is the incantation. In fact, as it is called a 'word of power', I do not see any reason to think that word would _also_ be the 'mystic words' that trigger spells. Those are two different types of words.
The only people I can imagine arguing against this logic is players that want to abuse this and DMs who just don't care or also want to use it on their players. (In which case, I wish I could be there to see their face when they realize that the dumb shit they argued should be allowed by the game to make themselves OP can be used against them. For some reason they never see it coming.)
Alternatively if you are considering the word of power separate from the verbal component nothing stops the word of power from being.... say... "Congratulations!"
It could be pretty much impossible to associate anyway.
@@kirinashia567 I'm pretty sure in 3rd edition Power Word spells where based on either Dark Speech or Words of Creation, which are real languages and thus there is an actual word you have to say, but I don't remember which one for sure (It might even have just been Utterances) and since 5e hates lore, it's not even relevant anyways.
i always thought lynch involved a rope, but im guessing its not yet on the naughty list. and thats the only reason your using it.
It specifically means a mob based kidnapping usually followed by murder.
A lot of comments about how rare a caster of a high enough level is, so they'd be easy to find, but at that point you're looking for the fantasy world equivalent of The Justice League.
"This man could only have been killed by someone at least as powerful as Superman! Let's send the police to round up all the people who could throw a planet into the sun. I'm sure nothing could go wrong."
at that point why bother with subtlety
@nonyabusiness5186 Some people just like subtlety
Well, to stay with your example: you call Batman to get rid of evil superman.
@miriamweller812 That's assuming you know for certain Batman wasn't involved. Part of the metaphor is that you know it must have been *someone* in the Justice League, but you don't know who, which is another reason for subtlety.
Even more fun (for the DM) when the fifth person they tried the spell on in this town has survived (more than 100hp) 😁
Did you know a a 9th level spell, a spell on the magnitude of wish allows to do some that would otherwise be ridiculous 🙀
There's actually something that's specifically made for this purpose in pathfinder: mind thrust. A multi-level (e.g. Mind thrust II) Psychic-only spell that, because of psychic spellcasting, doesn't have outward signs of casting, and has no visual effects. You just think at someone and they die.
Psionics was OP in 3.5e specifically because of stuff like this.
Negating manifestation displays was laughably easy. It didn't require you to give up any of your precious feats. All it needed was a concentration check. It didn't even increase the power point cost.
Speaking of sorcerer and power word kill TECHNICALLY via rules as written twinned spell would also work since it’s only requirement is that it’s a singular target.
Going further into the build you could also with the added benefits of say Boon of high magic granting you a second 9th level spell slot, you could after taking 2 levels in fighter action surge and get a total of 4 power word kills in a single turn.
(Your DMs will hate this.)
The difference between a world where magic is inherent and where it is laid over top. Where it is inherent not only would there be safeguards in place, but probably tracking, reversals, and contingencies.
One player tested an unplanned and improperly researched assassination attempt. No one did ever again.
Another busted strat thank you Arlentric I'll try to use and or prevent this in my Australian friends campaign
And suddenly all important NPC’s are always over 100hp behind the dm sheet
That's why all of my important NPCs have 101 hit points.
This same interaction is an entire path in Shadow of the Weird Wizard, The arcanist gets to subtle spell all the time, and evocation in that system is all only verbal power words. A truly terrifying caster.
Lynching. . . ?
The psionic spellcasting of abberant mind sorcerer can take this even further, I have a thri-kreen with expertise in stealth and slippers of spiderclimbing... he uses his camouflage carapace to become a wall crawling predator that just causes spell effects to happen completely unseen... black tentacles, summon aberration and polymorph are his favorite.
Murder Hobo's no don't
Id prefer the sniper approach.
Warlock,
Spell sniper doubles range of spells, eldritch spear raises eldritch blast range to 300, use lance of lethargy to lower movement speed by 10, grasp of hadar can pull them 10 feet closer, meaning they can only make 10 movement away per turn (or 30 if they dash away)
All of this at level 5. Also if you went variant human, you could get metamagic adept to get distant spell and have a 1200 foot range.
"Oh my arch nemesis is in the next town over , enjoying breakfast? Enjoy being dragged through the mud and taking that 2d10 damage."
And good luck seeing i did it from 4 football fields away (use pact of the chain and have your familiar near the target, so you see the target easy)
If you're doing warlock, and your only priority is subtle murder (not combat), hex + maddening hex is quite good.
Hex like... A rat. Kill the rat. Now you can reapply the hex without any visual notice, and then just keep ticking away at the HP until they die. And warlocks don't have the same physical tells as sorcerers do.
Subble Spell removes Verbal and Somatic spellcomponents. Casting a spell is still an obvius action. This is a rule i don't agree with
If subtle spell didn't make spellcasting subtle, it would be very nearly entirely pointless. You aren't restrained and muted often enough to justify it taking even 1 meta magic known or the 1 sorcery point, even.
DND should more clearly lay out how to investigate evidence of magic, though. There's traces and suggestions of it all over source material, but no clear rules of any kind outside of set scenes.
I agree. any dm that allows this is not one i want to play with
Sounds like a combination suited for a rouge assassin.
Not being American is doing a lot of work for the word “lynch” here
Power Word Kill is a DM spell. In 5th edition, there is no ability that allows you to see the current hitpoints of a creature (not without the DM finangling rules, at least). For a player, you're essentially blind casting a 9th level spell that does nothing if you wiff it. The spell is best used in the hands of a DM as a metagame spell.
Counter argument; Dominate Person. Available at 9th level for full casters. Aberrant mind sorcerer can cast it using only sorcerer points to subtle it for free, at 10th level the sorcerer can spend all his sorcery points to twin spell it at the same time, as the subclass specifies that using sorcery points to cast the spell puts it under the effects like subtle spell, but not under the effects of Metamagic, meaning you can twin spell this spell while keeping it under the effects of subtle spell. If the targets fail the saving throw, command them to freeze, exhale, and stop breathing. In a number of rounds equal to their constitution modifier, they drop to 0 hit points. Yes it’s a wisdom save, but the chance to instakill 2 targets makes the spell op. If not playing Aberrant Mind, just pick up the Metamagic feat and pick subtle spell. Worth mentioning the spell doesn’t state it ends when the target is unconscious, so depending on the DM you can control the target all the way through their death saves, forcing them to fail. For narrative purposes, imagine describing to the players as two of their companions suddenly freeze up for about 10 seconds, becoming unresponsive to outside stimuli. Before anyone thinks to try dispel magic, both characters slump in their seats. Not a bad way to remind murder hobos with low wisdom who is in charge, and not requiring a 18th level caster to do it. Honestly, there are a few default kill spells in the game, power word kill is overrated. Power word kill only works on characters with less than 101 hit points. Dominate person is only 5th level and doesn’t discriminate hit points.
Multi class as bard, make everyone believe you are a bard and use the power word while singing
You have to say the words to kill which gives out your location.
@la8ball If you hide the words in a Song they won't necessarily notice
I'm still in my first campaign and we had to pause for the holidays😅
Easily overcome.
All subtle spells now require a gemstone of at least 100gp per spell level, additive. (So, 100gp for a level 1 spell, 300gp for a second level spell, 500gp for a third, etc).
*NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE. WHY IS YOUR POWER ANY DIFFERENT?*
Thats....thats not what "lynch" means...
I mean, nondetection + Greater Invis + Plane Shift and you don't even need subtle spell
Counterpoint if you are the 18-20 level character that you are and he’s a mission target he’s also most likely the boss and therefore has the hit points to make the spell utterly pointless without engaging him in a fight you could anonymously lynch random villagers but not major targets at the level you get that spell
Or a simple protection item against death magic.
Missed out the best opprotunity to say "reaper-cussions"
everybody's gangster til 6 sessions later the dm introduces a new bumbling mild mannered npc named Columbo
Dude just laid out how to make the Deathnote as a magic item
It's **whispering** "avada kedavra" within range of your target.
Just know this, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. The DM now knows that this is available
This is why every setting needs the equivalent of the Cowled Wizards of Amn.
The moment he said parade, i thought it was going the JFK tour
By the time the sorcerer has access to 9th level spells, a subtle Power Word Kill is the least of your worries.
"lynch" is a poor choice of words
Sorceror Assassin with Subtle and Distant spell metamagic.
My warlock with subtle spell is INTRIGUED 🤩
In my campaigns, Power Words echo like thunder, and can be heard from a good distance away. Subtle Spell just prevents anyone from knowing the spell was cast until AFTER you've already cast it. 🌩️
Everyones gangster until the duke you use power word kill on snaps to you and orders your execution.
Also distant whispers if they fail a wisdom saving throw
I absolutely love the Dominaria island shattered glass poster in the background. My favorite island card of all time
Unfortunately, the Squirrel knows Power Word: Kill
I have Power Word Kill have a silencing effect whenever its spoken, like its something so loud and powerful that reality itself hits the mute button on everyone but the target, so the only way to even have a chance to learn it is to have the spell cast on you and survive.
my town of salem brainrot thinking lynch like hangman, and I'm just "Wut?"
this is why high level divination is truly the GOAT of dnd settings
Other magic users can detect when magic has been used in an area
Once per day. And there would be the circumstance of you being near each of those that suddenly die.
And an evil Bard can go around exploding heads by whispering "Your mom" to most villagers with Vicious Mockery.
You could also kill commoners with Dream, although that might be a… “Bitch move”.
Thats not what "lynch" means.
Thats why in my setting, magical death leaves evidence just like physically murdering someone.
Each caster has a minutely unique way of working the weave for their spells. They may go through the same motions, but theres a magical fingerprint of sorts left behind.
Just imagine you’re some dude minding your own business then notice someone staring at you really hard moments before your heart stops
You use power word kill to kill the duke. The spell fails and the duke looks at you. Then boss music starts playing.
I made a much lower level power word in a game that was still feared across the land
"power word piss" - "power word shit"
Immediately you are tracked down by a sugar hungry detective.
I thought you were going to take the route of "what commoner is going to notice a powerful 9th level spell?"
But that works too
Took 40 seconds to say “meta magic subtle spell can make power word kill silent” and kept going
I thought it was gonna be something like "power word poison" or "power word cancer" lmao
Power Word Command may be a decent alternative given certain scenarios. Subtle spell then lock eyes with the captain of the king's guard, point at the king and command "assassinate".
The target has to hear the Power Word to be affected by it.
"that is a lot of d's" is crazy taken out of context
Love the Dominaria full art lands posters.
there's always a way to get away with war crimes in DND
bro is literally that 200 year old grandpa from star wars, casting death on his enemies 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💀
So basically you given me something important for my Death Note build.
*plays a wizard who has a wand, gets Power Word Kill, waves wand at enemy* "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Even more fun: The 2024 version of Power Word Kill has a secondary effect:
If your target has more than 100 hit points, they instead take 12d12 Psychic damage, averaging about 78 damage.