(see bottom for full spell description)
Dominate Person is an amazing spell. It's a 5th-level enchantment compulsion spell with no material component that places the affected humanoid creature under the caster's total control for DAYS PER CASTER LEVEL with the caveat that it gets another saving throw at a +2 bonus every time it's forced to do something with which it'd reasonably disagree, which is up to GM discretion. Hopefully that's not "everything because the creature doesn't WANT to be dominated", but that's not what I'd like to bring to light. The reason I call Dominate Person an amazing spell is because your party members are probably all humanoid creatures.
I'm not suggesting putting PCs under your thrall! That's a crazy dick move and would likely end the campaign immediately- the nerds you're doing this shit with are there to have fun and taking over their characters to exert your will is stealing that fun. The amazing thing about Dominate Person is that it gives the caster complete control over the character's mind. What I'm suggesting is that you cast it on each of your party members and give them the command, "Act like you would, given absolute free will," and continue the game as normal, remembering to spend a round per character enthralled (including yourself!) each day to keep the effect going and recasting it when the duration expires or it is dispelled. That command can't possibly be overruled by the "the creature doesn't want to" argument because you're telling it to do what it wants to do!
The real benefit of Dominate Person comes when they're hit by a mind-affecting effect. Suddenly they're no longer in control of whether or not they feel fear, or confusion, or charm- you are in control! Giving them a new command is a move action, and they're under your command, doing whatever you say to the exclusion of other compulsions or effects. Use your domination to deny fear or deny random actions; commanding instead (with the meta-gaming permission of their player) that they attack or retreat or whatever! This is also an incredible defense AGAINST Dominate Person, as the subsequent caster now has to wrestle against your mind to control a character under your control! This ends up as an opposed CHA check, which is a good argument for making a sorcerer or bard enchanter over a wizard or cleric enchanter.
(Note: The above Dominate Person opposing CHA checks are 'as far as I know'. I'm having trouble finding the ruling I initially read, but I'm mostly certain. For now, it'd be best to consider that hearsay unless you can confirm it in a FAQ or something.)
Additionally, this can be used to telepathically communicate with dominated creatures across "unlimited range", thus doubling as kind of a weaker, one-way free Sending, with which you can control and communicate with any creature you've currently dominated as long as they remain on the plane you're on (since it's not direct telepathy, what you'd do is use a mental command to get them to write down a specific message, which they could then read and figure out how to communicate back to you). There's a serious amount of versatility in this spell if you're clever with it. The final example I'll leave of its capability here is in being an additional target for Dispel Magic, potentially wasting a targeted dispel on an unobvious spell effect. I mean, it's a days-long spell; there aren't many reasons not to always have it up on everyone you possibly can, casting it during downtime or at the end of an adventuring day.
This spell has likely never been underrated by any means, but this particular use of it is even more absolute than Mind Blank, an 8th level spell (9th if you're using the Communal version). Try it out! I mean, it's not like Dominate Person isn't an incredible spell anyway.
Also, see my Kitsune Enchantment Sorcerer build for ideas on how to boost its DC up to ridiculous levels.
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Pre-Spell Description Post-Post Note: Okay, I thought about it for a bit, and I'd consider it a fair ruling to allow a +2 saving throw for the humanoid affected by Dominate Person if they were to fail a separate saving throw against another mind-affecting effect. For example, Fear would put into their mind a terror, making them feel like they needed to escape above all other things and attempt to override your complete mental control to do so. This makes Dominate Person a much more reasonable spell effect within the rules than complete dominion over a person's mental state, and gives an easier-to-accomplish defense against it when your characters are instead affected. ---
Dominate Person (Verbatim)
School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level bard 4, shaman 5, sorcerer/wizard 5, witch 5; Subdomain slavery 5
CASTING
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S
EFFECT
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one humanoid Duration 1 day/level Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes |
DESCRIPTION
You can control the actions of any humanoid creature through a telepathic link that you establish with the subject's mind.
If you and the subject have a common language,
you can generally force the subject to perform as you desire, within
the limits of its abilities. If no common language exists, you can
communicate only basic commands, such as "Come here," "Go there,"
"Fight," and "Stand still." You know what the subject is experiencing,
but you do not receive direct sensory input from it, nor can it
communicate with you telepathically.
Once you have given a dominated creature a
command, it continues to attempt to carry out that command to the
exclusion of all other activities except those necessary for day-to-day
survival (such as sleeping, eating, and so forth). Because of this
limited range of activity, a Sense Motive
check against DC 15 (rather than DC 25) can determine that the
subject's behavior is being influenced by an enchantment effect (see the
Sense Motive skill description).
Changing your orders or giving a dominated creature a new command is a move action.
By concentrating fully on the spell (a
standard action), you can receive full sensory input as interpreted by
the mind of the subject, though it still can't communicate with you. You
can't actually see through the subject's eyes, so it's not as good as
being there yourself, but you still get a good idea of what's going on.
Subjects resist this control, and any subject
forced to take actions against its nature receives a new saving throw
with a +2 bonus. Obviously self-destructive orders are not carried out.
Once control is established, the range at which it can be exercised is
unlimited, as long as you and the subject are on the same plane. You
need not see the subject to control it.
If you don't spend at least 1 round
concentrating on the spell each day, the subject receives a new saving
throw to throw off the domination.
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