Compulsive Order

Tome of Magic Version

The victim of compulsive order is compelled to place everything he encounters into perfect order. If he discovers treasure, he divides it into tidy piles or containers of silver, gold, and copper. He is reluctant to enter a dungeon because it is a messy place, but once inside, he is obsessed with cleaning it. A character under the power of this spell will sweep dirt from dungeon corridors into neat piles, arrange the corpses of a defeated orc band according to size, dash forward to remove a bit of lint on clothing, and insist that the party organize themselves alphabetically, then by size, and then by age. While the spell does not affect a character's abilities, the overwhelming desire for order impairs the character's usefulness in most adventures.

When a character afflicted by this spell attempts to undertake a new event (begin a battle, haggle with the merchant, etc.), the player must rationalize the action on the basis of his compulsion for order. Thus, the character cannot simply attack a goblin; he must announce a condition such as attacking the tallest goblin and fighting his way down according to size. Once stated, the character must follow through with this plan.

If the player cannot conceive a rationale for his character's behavior, the character is forced to delay his actions for 1d6 rounds, with the time spent in preparation for the subsequent action. The character spends time arranging spell components artistically, deciding how to hold his sword, cleaning his weapon, etc.

Anyone affected by compulsive order may become violent if he is prevented from being neat. He will do what he must to make the world around him more orderly. If he is allowed to organize his surroundings, he will quickly calm down again. The victim will constantly petition the people around him to be neat and organized.

The victim is allowed a saving throw to avoid the effects of the spell. Compulsive order can be removed with a dispel magic spell.

The material component is a perfect cube made of metal.

Priest's Spell Compendium Version

A being affected by compulsive order is compelled to place everything encountered into perfect order. For example, treasure will be divided into tidy piles or into containers of silver, gold, and copper. Reluctant to enter a dungeon because it is a messy place, once inside, the creature is obsessed with cleaning it. A creature under the power of this spell might sweep dirt from dungeon corridors into neat piles, arrange the corpses of a defeated ore band according to size, dash forward to remove a bit of lint on clothing, or insists that the party organize themselves alphabetically, then by size, and then by age. While the spell does not affect a creature's abilities, the overwhelming desire for order impairs its usefulness in most adventures.

When an individual afflicted by this spell attempts to undertake a new action (begin a battle, haggle with a merchant, and so on), the player must rationalize the action on the basis of the character's compulsion for order. Thus, a character cannot simply attack a goblin; the player must announce a condition, such as attacking the tallest goblin and fighting his way down according to size. Once the condition stated, the character must follow through with the plan.

If the player cannot conceive a rationale for the character's behavior, the character's action is delayed for 1d6 rounds, with this lime spent in preparation for the subsequent action. For example, the character might spend time arranging spell components artistically, deciding how to hold a sword, cleaning his weapon, and so on.

Those affected by a compulsive order spell may become violent if prevented from being neat. They do what is necessary to make the world around themselves more orderly. If allowed to organize the surroundings, they quickly calm down again. They constantly petition those around them to be neat and organized.

The target creature is allowed a saving throw to avoid the effects of the spell. A successful dispel magic spell counters the effect.

The material component is a perfect cube made of metal.