Chapter 1 - Non-weapon Proficiencies
Hypnotism Proficiency Non-weapon Proficiency
With this proficiency, the wizard can hypnotize another character, placing him into a relaxed state in which he is susceptible to suggestions. The subject must be willing and must know he is being hypnotized. Only human, demihuman, and humanoid characters may be hypnotized, and the hypnotist and subject must be able to understand one another's language.
It takes about five minutes to hypnotize someone in a reasonably calm or peaceful environment. Once hypnotized, the subject is willing to do almost anything that isn't very dangerous or against his alignment. However, a hypnotized subject can be fooled into thinking he's doing one thing when he's actually doing something else. Hypnotism can have the following effects:
- A character can be induced to remember things he has forgotten by reliving a frightening or distant event.
- A character can be made calm and unafraid in the face of a specific situation that he has been prepared for, gaining a +2 bonus to saving throws versus fear effects or morale checks.
- A character can be cured of a bad habit or addiction (but not of curses, physical diseases, or magical afflictions.)
Hypnotism can't increase a character's attributes, give him skills he does not normally possess, let him do things that are beyond his capabilities, or give him information he couldn't possibly know. As a guideline for adjudicating effects, the hypnotism proficiency is substantially weaker than magical commands or directions, such as charm person, command, or hypnotism. Spells magically compel a person to obey the caster's will; a well phrased hypnotic command is nothing more than a strong suggestion.
