[RPG] Do either Freedom of Movement or Freedom work for difficult terrain and encumbrance

encumbrancepathfinder-1espellsterrain

Do either Freedom or Freedom of Movement allow you to move normally over difficult terrain or prevent being slowed down by encumbrance?

  • Freedom of Movement

    This spell enables you or a creature you touch to move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web.

  • Freedom

    The subject is freed from spells and effects that restrict movement, including binding, entangle, grappling, imprisonment, maze, paralysis, petrification, pinning, sleep, slow, stunning, temporal stasis, and web.

So neither spell specifically mentions difficult terrain or encumbrance, but both can affect movement speed.

There are other spells which address the difficult terrain and armor, but none seem to directly mention encumbrance from weight (not counting Ant Haul since it increases carrying capacity — that helps but does not actually ignore or remove the condition):

  • Feather Step

    For the duration of this spell, the subject ignores the adverse movement effects of difficult terrain, and can even take 5-foot steps in difficult terrain.

  • Effortless armor

    Armor you wear no longer reduces your speed.

So, what are Freedom and Freedom of Movement's effects when you're slowed by difficult terrain, armor encumbrance, or weight encumbrance? I am most interested in answers for Freedom of Movement, as I am more likely to cast Freedom of Movement since it's a lower level spell.

Best Answer

By RAW Freedom of Movement does, Freedom doesn't. Freedom of Movement ignores anything that would impede your normal movement, this includes encumbrance and difficult terrain. Freedom is very specific in what it frees you from however, not to mention Freedom is an instantaneous spell so it only helps you in the immediate. So even in the case of something like web, if you were freed and then immediately failed reflex again and got stuck, you'd have to cast Freedom again. Freedom of movement just wouldn't let you get stuck by anything as long as it's working.

Although you bringing it up in that case you could rule it that the squares of difficult terrain you're currently in turn into normal terrain, and that all your gear falls off. However that wouldn't be RAW, it'd just be funny.