 | |
| Spell Information | |
| Spell level : | Innate level: 1, Bard: 1 |
|---|---|
| School : | Abjuration |
| Components : | Verbal and Somatic |
| Range : | Close |
| Target/Area : | Friends in a Colossal area |
| Duration : | 60 seconds |
| Save : | None |
Description[]
This spell provides immunity to silence spells or effects.
Notes[]
This is the only spell which provides immunity to silence in the game. The use is specific, but there: the ability to have a single slot of a level 1 spell make the entire party immune to silence, thus being able to cast the Silence spell with impunity, is quite a good one. Tactically, this can wipe out casters since you cast this first, then silence on the fighter, which renders anyone near him in an area of silence with no save or magic resistance to prevent it.
It sadly only lasts 60 seconds (10 rounds and cannot normally be extended, yet see below) but sometimes this is more than enough.
As noted above previously, this spell behaves very much like a bard song in that the following conditions apply:
- The feats Lasting Inspiration and Lingering Song both affect this spell (the "Lasting Inspiration" feat is not available in NWN2; this is leftover from NWN:Hordes of the Underdark).
- Those currently deaf or silenced before the application of this spell will not benefit from this spell (even the caster themselves); these states must be removed first . No other spell (even bard-only spells - such as Amplify) does this, but bard songs are constrained in exactly this way.
Characters protected by Joyful Noise are, in fact, affected by the silence spell but are not themselves silenced: they receive protection from sonic damage while still being able to cast spells and everything else (since they are not silenced).
For other spell-casting classes that find this spell on a scroll, the use magical device skill can allow them to continue casting spells by reading the scroll and using it on themselves (although if silenced, they must move out of the area of silence first). Since this is a level one spell, lower investment in use magic device is needed to allow the user to cast it.
Notes (3.5E)[]
This spell isn't a core spell in the 3.5E rules (like noted; it'd be too useful to have utter immunity from silence effects).
Bugs[]
(checked 1.03) Is the feat lingering song truly meant to affect this spell? The code seems to be copied from the Bard Song scripts (and has many references to unused variables like the bard's level).
There are also copied parts about not affecting people who are silenced or deaf, but this is not mentioned in the description nor applicable to any of the other spells a bard can cast. Specifically, the feat Lingering Song affects this spell as if it was a bard song, and it behaves like one in many respects: targets of this spell which are deafened or silenced before its application are unable to receive its benefits.
There is also some weird code in the associated script that will prevent the spell from applying its effect to those targets that are already affected by this spell. This makes it impossible to renew the spell duration by recasting the spell, because as long as you are immune to silence, the spell effect will not be re-applied and as soon as silence immunity wears off you will not be able to cast the spell if you are still in the silence area. This simply makes no sense, as all other buff spells (Haste, Displacement etc.) can be recast to renew the duration. It's all the more aggravating, because Joyful Noise cannot be extended.
The spell is set as undispellable. Probably some leftover code from the bard songs scripts that were used for this script, as mentioned above. There is no reason for this spell to be undispellable.
The description is wrong regarding the area of effect. It affects all friends in a colossal area.
External resources[]
- Joyful noise on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.