[RPG] Can Unseen Servant be used for cover if carrying a large shield

"Mindless" is probably the limiting factor for this problem. How a mindless servant reacts to this kind of command is simple, really. Imagine how another mindless creature, such as a servant zombie, would react.

Unfortunately, I do not see a servant zombie walking ahead, peeking around the corner, and then calling out "I see three orcs and a goblin, my master!" It is unable to communicate the results back to you!

You might be able to get it to communicate some simple results. The command "If a creature is around the corner pick up that pebble and hand it to me" would likely be successful, but if he handed you the pebble you have no way of knowing if the 'creature' was a rat or an ogre.

Let's dive into this spell a bit.

Unseen Servant

"....creates an invisible, mindless, shapeless force that performs simple tasks at your command... The servant springs into existence...on the ground within range. ...you can mentally command the servant to move... and interact with an object. ...can perform simple tasks that a human servant could do to the best of it's ability..."

Now that I've enforced the relevant sections of the text; we can start to answer your questions.

1. Can an Unseen Servant be interacted with?

   • Since the Unseen Servant is not only mindless; possessing no intelligence of it's own and unable to act of its own will; it simply follows the most basic of commands, aided in it's endeavors by the same magic that binds it to you; but is also invisible, as well as shapeless, you would have to have a way of divining the servants location or seeing invisible creatures before you can even attempt to ponder interacting with it. Since it DOES occupy a space, however, this leads me to believe that force applied upon it CAN effect it. It can be pushed out of the way and such.

2. Can it be commanded to 'hang on' or otherwise interact with another creature?

   • It's strength score is 2, that's a -4 . Looking at the relevant entry (do not currently have access to it) we find that a -4 is extensively lower than the average human being. This creature can do simple tasks to the best of it's ability , and it's -4 strength ability probably does not allow for what you are asking.

3. Can Unseen Servant displace substances?

   • Considering that the Unseen Servant is shapeless, as made clear in the first line of text, generally we would have to rule that there is no shape it possesses in which it WOULD displace any kind of matter, liquid or otherwise. Since the spell does not explain HOW this mindless, shapeless magical servant affects the items it does interact with; such as cleaning and folding clothes, we must assume it does so through magical means, NOT with any sort of invisible appendages or form that it possesses.

In closing; this is one of the very few spells that leaves me with holes in it's logic. It is invisible. This one is easy enough. If it DOES possess some sort of form, then you can not see it by mundane means. It is mindless. Possessing of no intelligence or mental acuity, and so it can only follow commands to the best of its abilities, which are very poor and extremely under your average human beings range of capabilities. It is shapeless. This is where the most confusion appears. Possessing of no shape, no substance that comprises it's physical being; whether invisible or not. If it has no shape, yet occupies a space on the ground, how does it interact with the items it must interact with in order to do it's job as per the spell permits? I can't logic this one away. 'Magic' seems to be the only thing holding this together.