Indemaijinj:
"Here is an example of a P'n'P 3rd ed cheese tactic:
[Snip whale anecdote]
This was clearly not what was intended with this spell, but it worked."
This seems more like innovation to me. It'd be cheesy if it *shouldn't* be used that way, and I didn't see a reason why not. You used a spell brilliantly in a situation that permitted it.
Not Cheese: When resting in hostile areas, if I have any Animate Deads left I cast them before resting. The Skels last 8 or 9 hours. This way, if I'm interrupted I'll have defenders ready right away. Smart spell use.
Cheese: (I don't recall if this works, though if it does, it's cheese.) Summoning things that last only a few *rounds* to protect me during sleep. Unless something hungry came upon my sleeping party within 30 seconds of nodding off, the summons really should've expired during the nap.
Radek:
"I daresay it's a quite strange idea to jump in the middle of a pack of Umber Hulks, get dominated, and then try to rest there so as we get some Chaotic Commands spells to counter the Chaos spells of the hulks."
The cheese here comes in two parts:
1) Having divine foreknowledge of what's coming to expertly select spells
2) Casting the spells before combat, because you again know what's coming and exactly *when* it's coming
And you're right, it's cheesy to do that. I disagree that we all do it because we can't get around it, however. You can handle the situation without needing that divine foreknowledge. Some ways of doing it:
1) Scout with Farsight, Wizard Eye, or an Invisible/Stealthed character so your party *does* know what's coming
2) Rush headlong into trouble and run away! Come back prepared.
3) Rush into battle and, by some stroke of luck and/or strategy, triumph!
4) Keep certain spells memorized at all times, no matter what the situation. In the case of Chaotic Commands, you can justify this on the idea that you really hate having people Dominated. (It's what I do!) Death Spell is another excellent choice to keep memorized all the time - you never know when an enemy might have really annoying summons. Stoneskin. Etc.
5) Always cast the spell after resting. Stoneskin is an excellent example. Chaotic Commands lasts 1 turn/level, so you can easily justify casting it as a protective "after rest" spell - no matter where you are.
You need not play the game with omniscience to succeed. If you're careful, you can even avoid making (too much) (ab)use of the Bhaalspawn ability "Reload Omniscience."
-Lem