I have bugged this previously as I group bandits hunt often. Can a name in red please comment on 'group' status of animates and how it is supposed to work as it seems to sometimes count in group and sometimes out of group.

It appears as though both bard songs and many other mass attack spells will target my animate. This I feel is tied to animates not always counting as part of the 'group'. When it comes to blurs and colors (and other mass spells) the animate counts as grouped. Not so vs song of disruption or sympathy.

Additionally, my animate recently cast an offensive spell that I should have been safe from if I was IN group, Implode.

An animated ethereal mining foreman flickers slightly, a strange glow emanating from his hollow eye sockets!
An animated ethereal mining foreman casts into the air above its head and a rip appears in the sky! The fissure begins to feed on the air around you!
An oak-shafted silvery blue trident is sucked into the void, striking you along the way!
... 5 points of damage!
Strike glances off your chest.
An elliptical brine-stained parma is sucked into the void, striking you along the way!
... 7 points of damage!
Blow grazes your left leg.
A sienna-banded scallop shell shield is sucked into the void, striking you along the way!
... 10 points of damage!
Blow to your neck tears tissue.
You are stunned for 1 round!
You are knocked over by the wind!
You are sucked into the void!
Rather abrupt decompression causes you to explode!
Billions and billions of tiny bits of flesh shower everything.
Quite severely dead.
* Rolfard has been vaporized!

Great! Do I need to bug sympathy, bard songs and animates imploding or does the previous post suffice?

Targeting my animate...

Jemiquist sings with renewed vigor!
Jemiquist continues to sing a disruptive song.
CS: +456 - TD: +85 + CvA: +20 + d100: +80 == +471
Warding failed!
A jungle troll reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 244 damage!
... 210 points of damage!
The jungle troll's neck explodes launching her head into the air.
The jungle troll falls to the ground as the stillness of death overtakes her.
The deep blue glow leaves a jungle troll.

CS: +456 - TD: +438 + CvA: -10 + d100: +38 == +46
Warded off!
An animated dwarven thug is unaffected.

CS: +456 - TD: +97 + CvA: +25 + d100: +42 == +426
Warding failed!
A giant fog beetle reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 217 damage!
... 185 points of damage!
The giant fog beetle kicks a leg one last time and lies still.

CS: +456 - TD: +106 + CvA: +25 + d100: +51 == +426
Warding failed!
A giant fog beetle reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 217 damage!
... 190 points of damage!
The giant fog beetle's midsection swells painfully then bursts, sending the giant fog beetle everywhere.
The giant fog beetle kicks a leg one last time and lies still.

CS: +456 - TD: +85 + CvA: +25 + d100: +38 == +434
Warding failed!
A jungle troll reels under the force of the sonic vibrations!
Sound waves disrupt for 222 damage!
[You have earned 1 prestige point.]
The jungle troll's body convulses one last time before the stillness of death overtakes her.
The deep blue glow leaves a jungle troll.

I never liked that animate anyway...

-- Robert

The town guard exclaims, "What do I look like, a scholar from Biblia?!"

BUGGED this today,

Apparently, casting open Maelstrom (710) will hit my animate as if it's not grouped. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!