Unseen servant (questionable uses)

[AxeMental]

The spell states the unseen servant cannot engage in combat. How do you rule on stuff like this: 1) Unseen servant poring flasks of oil down a hallway with a trail leading to the PCs who will light it up when orcs stationed at the other end come down on their patrol. Or, 2) an unseen servant dressed in a cloak goes into a camp of orcs until spotted and then runs out toward the PCs who have set up an ambush.

My impression is that both of these activities are not within the scope of combat (ie. rolling to see if you hit something). These seem more like traps, and the actual combat involves the PCs lighting the oil and following threw with the ambush (in the above examples). Both scenarios (and others like them) have come up in the past and I've always allowed it (since the spell is being used creatively (albeit greatly reducing the risk to the party), which seems to fit the feel of the game), but I've always been a bit uneasy about this ruling. I'm not sure if these sorts of actions fall under the scope, or at least the intent, of the spell (especially when the spell description seems to focus on "butler like activities" opening doors, carrying things etc., and the spell does have a long duration relative to other spells, which seems like it could be abused). Your thoughts...

[ScottyG]

The unseen servant has to stay within 30' of the caster, and dressing it up is specifically forbidden.

[TRP]

Yes, it's a sophisticated form of telepathy; it's not an invisible butler.

[AxeMental]

The unseen servant has to stay within 30' of the caster, and dressing it up is specifically forbidden.

Right, the PCs fabricated a dummy (stuffed sacks held together with stick frame dressed in a cloak) which is then carried by the unseen servant to give the rough appearance of a person. They do the same with a lit torch at night (luring out targets from guard positions) similar to dancing lights. My question is, would you consider this sort of use of the unseen servant spell as engaging in combat (banned) or would this be copacetic?

Scotty, 3'' outdoors is a pretty good ways (far enough with cover) and also suitable distance for setting traps as described above. For instance, could an unseen servant pore a couple oil flasks around and under a bed being slept upon by an ogre (which would be pretty quiet considering no foot steps are involved). Lets say the MU looks threw a cracked door and sees the sleeping ogre 20 feet away. Once the oil is down, the party can simply light it up throwing a torch (or lighting an oil trail left by the unseen servant). Or do you think this is over stepping the limits of the spell.

[AxeMental]

Yes, it's a sophisticated form of telepathy; it's not an invisible butler.

I'm not reading the spell that way at all. Its an invisible servant (with the qualities mentioned by the spell) it could just as easily be named invisible butler as unseen servant.

[Juju EyeBall]

Pouring oil is a standard action.

[ScottyG]

Area of affect does not change outdoors, it's still only 30'

[ScottyG]

To clarify a bit, the spell does not say that an unseen servant cannot "engage in combat". It says it cannot fight. It seems like your wondering if the servant could do anything that could affect combat. I think 'cannot fight' means it cannot attack/deal damage directly. Carrying a jug of oil down the hall would be fine. Carrying a stick frame stuffed sack, wouldn't be a problem, as long as it was less than 20 lbs.

[Flambeaux]

Yes, it's a sophisticated form of telepathy; it's not an invisible butler.

I've always treated it as an entity that can valet the magic-user, not a form or telepathy.

[TRP]

Yes, it's a sophisticated form of telepathy; it's not an invisible butler.

I've always treated it as an entity that can valet the magic-user, not a form or telepathy.

What I mean, is that, it's not some invisible, person-like "valet or butler" walking around and doing things. If it were, then it could wear armor, hold a sword or shoot an arrow from a bow. The spell should read something more like "the unseen servant can perform some of the functions of a valet or butler."

[AxeMental]

Area of affect does not change outdoors, it's still only 30'

Right, was thinking of range, still you get the point...what constitutes "combat"? Poring oil on the ground around a sleeping ogre I would allow (though I wouldn't allow it to light the oil as this to me would constitute combat). I wouldn't allow the unseen servant to pore oil directly onto the body of the sleeping ogre (seems to much like combat, as I'd want to role some sort of surprise). Likewise, I wouldn't allow the unseen servant to smash a flask of oil on the ground in front of the ogre once it had waken on his way to attack the party (this seems less like a trap and more like an attack). But I could see a DM allowing all of these.

[Juju EyeBall]

Pouring oil is a standard action.

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[T. Foster]

I'm pretty sure the US's prohibition on fighting was meant as an indication of its practical limitations - that being a mindless telepathic force rather than an actual invisible creature it doesn't have the instinctive ability, fine motor control, or mass necessary to swing a weapon or aim and fire a missile - rather than a statement that it's a pacifist that refuses to do combat-related things. So pouring an oil flask or carrying a decoy in order to try to lure bad-guys into a trap or ambush would both be fine (so long as the area of effect and carrying capacity of the US aren't exceeded). I'd probably also allow an US to remotely trigger a pre-set trap. What you can't do is give it a sword or a crossbow and order it to directly attack somebody. [Note: I didn't actually re-read the spell description before typing this, so the description may well be more specifically limiting than what I'd otherwise be inclined to allow, in which case I go with what the book says.]