Spes Magna Games

For as long as I can remember, the World’s Most Popular Roleplaying Game has included energy drain as a special attack for various monsters, especially certain iconic undead such as vampires. Regardless of edition, energy drain invokes fear from players as well as a degree of frustration from everyone since the mechanics have often been cumbersome.

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game defines energy drain’s game effects as follows:

This attack saps a living opponent’s vital energy and happens automatically when a melee or ranged attack hits. Each successful energy drain bestows one or more negative levels (the creature’s description specifies how many). If an attack that includes an energy drain scores a critical hit, it bestows twice the listed number of negative levels.

Unless otherwise specified in the creature’s description, a draining creature gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows on an opponent. These temporary hit points last for a maximum of 1 hour.

For each negative level a creature has, it suffers the following:

* A cumulative -1 penalty on all ability checks, attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, Combat Maneuver Defense, saving throws, and skill checks.
* In addition, the creature reduces its current and total hit points by 5 for each negative level it possesses.
* The creature is also treated as one level lower for the purpose of level-dependent variables (such as spellcasting) for each negative level possessed. Spellcasters do not lose any prepared spells or slots as a result of negative levels.
* If a creature’s negative levels equal or exceed its total Hit Dice, it dies.

Negative levels remain until 24 hours have passed or until they are removed with a spell such as restoration. If a negative level is not removed before 24 hours have passed, the affected creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the draining creature’s racial HD + the draining creature’s Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text). On a success, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. On a failure, the negative level becomes permanent. A separate saving throw is required for each negative level.

A Problem: Energy Drain & Sameness

The core rules for energy drain do an adequate job of making energy-draining monsters fearsomer, but the rules themselves lack something I as a GM desire, namely variety. Other than differing save DCs and differing numbers of negative levels inflicted, all energy drain is pretty much the same. This seems a shame. After all, there isn’t just one type of poison or disease, even though almost all poisons and diseases use the same basic mechanics.

Feeling the lack of energy drain variety unacceptable, I said to myself, “Self, let’s see if we can ‘fix’ this ‘problem’.”

A Solution: Energy Drain as Inflicted Conditions

To use these optional rules, you don’t have to change the energy-draining monster. Use the same save DC, the same attack mode, and the same number of negative levels inflicted. Instead of using the energy drain rules explained above, give these are whirl.

Each negative level inflicts a condition. Additional negative levels increase the severity of the effect. Conditions are tracked by degree of severity, and can be immediately resisted by a saving throw. Degrees of severity (DoS) above the first DoS fade after 1 round per Hit Die of the inflicting monster, but the first DoS remains and the higher degrees may reassert themselves under the right conditions.

The inflicting monster still benefits from condition-causing energy drain as outlined above. Thus, the monster gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows on an opponent. These temporary hit points last for a maximum of 1 hour.

To get a grip on what this means, let’s look at one increasing scale of conditions:

Fear Condition Degrees of Seriousness

Now imagine your PCs are facing a vampire spawn. This is a 4 Hit Die monster that inflicts one negative level with a 14 save DC. This particular vampire spawn, however, doesn’t actually inflict negative levels. Instead, it inflicts fear conditions of increasing severity.

Combat starts, the vampire hits a PC, and the PC must make a DC 14 Fortitude save. The PC fails the save, becomes shaken for 4 rounds, and the vampire spawn gains 5 temporary hit points. Another round starts. The PC is hit again, fails the Fortitude save again, and is now frightened for 4 rounds. The vampire spawn is defeated despite the 10 temporary hit points it gained. The PC is no longer frightened, but he remains shaken.

Now here’s where things get interesting. The PC stays shaken until 24 hours have passed or until the shaken condition is removed with an appropriate spell. (I recommend the spell be of at least 4th level even if you don’t opt to let restoration work.) If the shaken condition is not removed before 24 hours have passed, the PC must attempt another DC 14 Fortitude save. On a success, the shaken condition goes away with no harm to the PC. On a failure, the shaken condition becomes permanent (albeit only in the sense that it now requires magic to dispel, as mentioned above).

What’s worse, as long as the PC remains shaken, he is more vulnerable to fear effects. Should the PC be affected by any effect that inflicts a fear condition, he automatically gains the fear condition that is equal to highest DoS caused by the energy-draining creature (unless the fear-causing attack would normally inflict a more serious condition).

Imagine our shaken PC. The vampire spawn encounter is over and done with, but he still can’t pull himself together. A gnawing dread nibbles at the fraying edges of his imagination. Several hours later, the PC is still shaken when he encounters a hill giant. The hill giant uses Intimidate to demoralize the PC and succeeds. Normally, this would cause the PC to become shaken, but he’s already shaken. Instead, he automatically becomes frightened, since this was the highest DoS inflicted by the vampire spawn.

DoS for Other Conditions

With some thought (and descriptive refluffing where necessary), energy drain could inflict other conditions with varying DoS. For example:

Fatigue Condition Degrees of Seriousness

Lethargy Condition Degrees of Seriousness

The fatigue condition DoS represents energy drain that saps physical vitality. An affected PC is winded as from great exertion, and more susceptible to effects that cause fatigue. The lethargy condition DoS simulates energy drain making a PC’s movements slower. The entangled condition doesn’t prevent movement, but has its other normal effects, which are that the entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a -2 penalty on all attack rolls and a -4 penalty to Dexterity. Also, an entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell.

When using monsters that inflict more than one negative level with an attack (such as vampires and spectres), consider combining the core rules with these optional rules. A vampire that inflicts both a negative level and forces a Fortitude save to resist fatigue condition DoS presents a different threat than players would normally expect.

And how could shaking up too comfortable players be a bad thing?

Tags: A to Z, energy drain, Pathfinder monsters, vampires

Remember the good old days when your cleric unleashed some turning against some undead? Some of them ran away. Others exploded. What variety! Nowadays with Pathfinder, undead take damage from turning, which is now called channel energy. The undead get a saving throw for half damage. Your cleric can get them to run away if he happens to have the Turn Undead feat. Again, what variety!

And, just in case my sarcasm wasn’t detectable, by “What variety!” I mean pretty much the opposite. Unleashing all that channeled positive energy at the undead ought to do more than a few d6 points worth of damage, and it ought to do so without having to spend precious resources like feats to get a limited effect. So, here’s my latest, completely unplaytested idea.

Whenever a cleric channels positive energy, he can opt to sacrifice a certain number of d6s of channeling damage in order to tack on additional effects. The two quickie charts below show the number of d6s of channeling damage that must be sacrificed to gain a desired effect for a desired duration. N.B. The maximum duration for dazed equals 1 round.

Additional Positive Channeling Effects
1d6: dazed
2d6: fatigued, shaken, or sickened
3d6: blinded, stunned, exhausted, or frightened
4d6: nauseated or panicked
5d6: paralyzed

Positive Channeling Effect Durations
0d6: 1 round
1d6: 1d3 rounds
2d6: 1d4 rounds
3d6: 1d6 rounds
4d6: 1d8 rounds

All additional effects can affect undead creatures even though undead are normally immune to such effects. The positive energy overwhelms normal undead immunities when channeled properly. The undead affected still get a Will save against the channel energy at the same DC as before. If the save succeeds, the undead takes one-half the damage and the additional effect is negated.

For example, Bob the Brewer is a 9th-level cleric who channels 5d6 worth of positive energy. He confronts a ghoul pack, and lets fly with some holy power. Bob sacrifices 4d6 to add 1d3 rounds of blinded to his channeling. The ghouls attempt their Will saves. Those that fail suffer 1d6 points of damage and are blinded for 1d3 rounds. Those that succeed take one-half of 1d6 points of damage.

Of course, we don’t want to leave the evil clerics without some of the fun. Evil clerics normally can channel negative energy to damage enemies or to heal undead creatures. Instead of the latter, evil clerics can channel negative energy to make undead temporarily more formidable. N.B. The maximum duration for “+1 move action” equals 1 round.

Additional Negative Channeling Effects
1d6: +1 move action
2d6: +2 profane bonus to Strength or Dexterity
3d6: +4 profane bonus to Strength or Dexterity
4d6: +4 profane bonus to Strength and Dexterity
5d6: haste

Negative Channeling Effect Durations
0d6: 1 round
1d6: 1d3 rounds
2d6: 1d4 rounds
3d6: 1d6 rounds
4d6: 1d8 rounds

For example, Evil Ed is a 9th-level cleric who channels 5d6 worth of negative energy. He and his ghoul pack confront a gang of adventurers, and Ed lets fly with some unholy power. He sacrifices all 5d6 to add 1 round of haste to his undead minions.

Tags: A to Z, undead

Darkness falls across the land. The midnight hour is close at hand. Creatures crawl in search of blood to terrorize y’all’s neighborhood. The foulest stench is in the air. The funk of forty thousand years and grizzly ghouls from every tomb are closing in to seal your doom. Though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver, for no mere mortal can resist the evil of the Thriller.

Design Notes: The Thriller is a town killer of a monster. With its skills, spells, and native Charisma, it can easily infiltrate a community. Once there, it can quickly transform dozens of residents into dancing ghouls and ghasts, which further spreads the undead plague. Drop the Thriller into any of your campaign’s population centers and you have the makings for an undead apocalypse scenario.

The Thriller
Unique ghast dirge bard 10
CR 15; XP 51,200
CE Medium undead
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +15

DEFENSE
AC 28, touch 19, flat-footed 22 (+5 armor, +3 deflection, +6 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 141 (12d8+84); fast healing 10
Fort +13, Ref +16, Will +21
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4; Resist fire 10; Immune undead traits

OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +16 (1d6+5 plus disease and paralysis) and 2 claws +16 (1d8+5 plus paralysis), or
Ranged +2 human bane shortbow (1d6+2 plus 1d6 electricity, x3) N.B. Add +2 to attack rolls against humans. Damage versus humans is 1d6+4 plus 2d6 plus 1d6 electricity.
Special Attacks irresistible dance, dance of the dead, haunting refrain, paralysis (1d4+1 rounds, DC 25), stench
Spells per Day (CL 10th; concentration +19):
4th (2/day)- dance of a hundred cuts, freedom of movement, greater false life
3rd (5/day)- dispel magic, displacement, fear (Will DC 22 with -3 penalty), mass feather step
2nd (6/day)- cat’s grace, detect thoughts (Will DC 21), distressing tone (Fort DC 21), enthrall (Will DC 21), seducer’s eyes, unshakable chill (Fort DC 21)
1st (7/day)- charm person (Will DC 20), chord of shards (Ref DC 20), disguise self, ear-piercing scream (Fort partial 20), innocence, interrogation (Fort 20)
0th- dancing lights, detect magic, lullaby, mage hand, read magic, summon instrument

STATISTICS
Str 17, Dex 23, Con —, Int 19, Wis 20, Cha 29 (25)
Base Atk +8; CMB +11; CMD 27
Feats Brain Eater, Civilized Ghoulishness, Improved Natural Attack, Lingering Performance, Spellsong, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +24 (+28 jumping), Bluff +22, Climb +8, Diplomacy +22, Disguise +34, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge (religion) +14 (+19 to identify undead), Perception +15, Perform (dance) +22, Perform (percussion) +22, Perform (sing) +22, Sense Motive +15, Spellcraft +9, Stealth +21, Use Magic Device +22; Racial Modifiers +10 Disguise
Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Necril
SQ command ghasts and ghouls, haunted eyes, secrets of the grave

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Bardic Knowledge (Ex): The Thriller adds half its bard level (+5) to all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained.

Bardic Performance: The Thriller is trained to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around it, including itself if desired. It can use this ability for a 29 number of rounds per day. Each round, the Thriller can produce any one of the types of bardic performance that it has mastered. Starting a bardic performance is a move action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a bardic performance from one effect to another requires the Thriller to stop the previous performance and start a new one as a standard action. A bardic performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the Thriller is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. The Thriller cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time.

Each bardic performance has audible components, visual components, or both. If a bardic performance has audible components, the targets must be able to hear the Thriller for the performance to have any effect, and such performances are language dependent. A deaf Thriller has a 20% change to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with an audible component. If it fails this check, the attempt still counts against its daily limit. Deaf creatures are immune to bardic performances with audible components.

If a bardic performance has a visual component, the targets must have line of sight to the Thriller for the performance to have any effect. A blind Thriller has a 50% chance to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with a visual component. If it fails this check, the attempt still counts against its daily limit. Blind creatures are immune to bardic performances with visual components.

* Countersong (Su): The Thriller can counter magic effects that depend on sound (but not spells that have verbal components.) Each round of the countersong it makes a Perform (percussion or sing) skill check. Any creature within 30 feet of the Thriller (including the Thriller itself) that is affected by a sonic or language-dependent magical attack may use the Thriller’s Perform check result in place of its saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the countersong is already under the effect of a non-instantaneous sonic or language-dependent magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it hears the countersong, but it must use the Thriller’s Perform skill check result for the save. Countersong does not work on effects that don’t allow saves. Countersong relies on audible components.

* Distraction (Su): The Thriller can use its performance to counter magic effects that depend on sight. Each round of the distraction, it makes a Perform (dance) skill check. Any creature within 30 feet of the Thriller (including the Thriller itself) that is affected by an illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack may use the Thriller’s Perform check result in place of its saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the distraction is already under the effect of a non-instantaneous illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it sees the distraction, but it must use the Thriller’s Perform check result for the save. Distraction does not work on effects that don’t allow saves. Distraction relies on visual components.

* Fascinate (Su): The Thriller can use its performance to cause three creatures to become fascinated with it. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear the Thriller, and capable of paying attention to it. The Thriller must also be able to see the creatures affected. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working.

Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 24) to negate the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the Thriller cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and observes the performance for as long as the Thriller continues to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect. Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.

* Inspire Courage (Su): The Thriller can use its performance to inspire courage in its allies (including itself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to perceive the Thriller’s performance. An affected ally receives a +2 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +2 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability. Inspire courage can use audible or visual components. The Thriller must choose which component to use when starting its performance.

* Inspire Competence (Su): The Thriller can use its performance to help an ally succeed at a task. The ally must be within 30 feet and able to see and hear the Thriller. The ally gets a +3 competence bonus on skill checks with a particular skill as long as she continues to hear the Thriller’s performance. Certain uses of this ability are infeasible, such as Stealth, and may be disallowed at the GM’s discretion. The Thriller can’t inspire competence in itself. Inspire competence relies on audible components.

* Suggestion (Sp): The Thriller can use its performance to make a suggestion (as per the spell) to a creature that it has already fascinated (see above). Using this ability does not disrupt the fascinate effect, but it does require a standard action to activate (in addition to the free action to continue the fascinate effect). The Thriller can use this ability more than once against an individual creature during an individual performance. A Will saving throw (DC 24) negates the effect. This ability affects only a single creature. Suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language-dependent ability and relies on audible components.

* Dirge of Doom (Su): The Thriller can use its performance to foster a sense of growing dread in its enemies, causing them to take become shaken. To be affected, an enemy must be within 30 feet and able to see and hear the Thriller’s performance. The effect persists for as long as the enemy is within 30 feet and the Thriller continues the performance. The performance cannot cause a creature to become frightened or panicked, even if the targets are already shaken from another effect. Dirge of doom is a mind-affecting fear effect, and it relies on audible and visual components.

* Inspire Greatness (Su): The Thriller can use its performance to inspire greatness in itself or a single willing ally within 30 feet, granting extra fighting capability. To inspire greatness, all of the targets must be able to see and hear the Thriller. A creature inspired with greatness gains 2 bonus Hit Dice (d10s), the commensurate number of temporary hit points (apply the target’s Constitution modifier, if any, to these bonus Hit Dice), a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves. The bonus Hit Dice count as regular Hit Dice for determining the effect of spells that are Hit Dice dependent. Inspire greatness is a mind-affecting ability and it relies on audible and visual components.

* Dance of the Dead (Su): The Thriller can use its bardic performance to cause dead bones or bodies to rise up and move or fight at its command. This ability functions like animate dead, but the created skeletons or zombies remain fully animate only as long as the Thriller continues the performance. Once it stops, any created undead collapse into carrion. Bodies or bones cannot be animated more than once using this ability. Unlike animate dead, dance of the dead requires no components and does not have the evil descriptor.

Brain Eater: If the Thriller eats a portion of the brain of a creature with Intelligence 3 or higher, it gains a +2 insight bonus on all skill checks and Will saving throws for 1 hour. Eating a brain is a full-round action, and the target must be dead or helpless. If the target is living, the Thriller may attempt to eat its brain as a coup de grace attack on the target, but the Thriller gains the insight bonus only if its attempt results in the victim’s death.

Command Ghasts and Ghouls (Su): The Thriller can automatically command all normal ghasts and ghouls within 30 feet as a free action. Normal ghasts and ghouls never attack a dread ghast unless compelled.

Disease (Su): Thriller Fever: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 25; onset 1 day; frequency 1 day; effect 1d4 Con and 1d4 Dex damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Charisma-based. A humanoid who dies of Thriller fever rises as a dancing ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid who becomes a dancing ghoul in this way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is not under the control of any other ghouls, but it hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a normal ghoul in all respects. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice or more rises as a dancing ghast.

Haunted Eyes (Ex): The Thriller gains a +4 bonus on saves against fear, energy drain, death effects, and necromantic effects, even though, as an undead monster, he’s immune to most of this.

Haunting Refrain (Su): The Thriller is able to stir primal terrors in the hearts of listeners. It can use a Perform (percussion) check in place of an Intimidate check to demoralize an opponent, with a +5 bonus. In addition, saving throws against any fear effect it creates are made with a –3 penalty.

Irresistible Dance (Su): Any living, intelligent creature that witnesses the Thriller’s uncanny dance moves may be overwhelmed with the urge to join in. To trigger this ability, the Thriller must spend a full round dancing. Any affectable creature within 30 feet of the Thriller who sees its dance must make a DC 25 Will save. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the Thriller cannot attempt to affect that creature again with this ability for 24 hours. If this save fails, the victim must use a move action every round for the next 1d4+3 rounds to make a Perform (dance) check. If the victim meets or beats a DC 20 on its Perform (dance) check, it looks really good. Otherwise, it is found without the soul for getting down and suffers 1d4 points of ability damage to Constitution and Dexterity. A humanoid who dies from irresistible dance rises as a dancing ghoul or dancing ghast 1d4+3 minutes later, just as if he had died from Thriller fever.

Paralysis (Su): Creatures damaged by the Thriller’s natural attacks must make a successful DC 25 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds. Paralyzed creatures cannot move, speak, or take any physical actions. The creature is rooted to the spot, frozen and helpless. Unlike ghouls, the Thriller’s paralysis even affects elves. Unlike hold person and similar effects, a paralysis effect does not allow a new save each round. A winged creature flying in the air at the time that it is paralyzed cannot flap its wings and falls. A swimmer can’t swim and may drown.

Secrets of the Grave (Ex): The Thriller gains a bonus equal to half its bard level on Knowledge (religion) checks made to identify undead creatures and their abilities. The Thriller may use mind-affecting spells to affect undead as if they were living creatures, even if they are mindless (though spells that affect only humanoids do not affect them, even if they were humanoids in life).

Stench (Ex): The Thriller exudes an overwhelming stink of death and corruption in a 10-foot radius. Those within the stench must succeed at a DC 25 Fortitude save, or be sickened for 1d6+4 minutes. The Thriller can suppress this ability as a free action.

Undead Inspiration (Su): The Thriller’s bardic performance abilities can affect undead creatures even if the bardic performance ability is a mind-affecting effect.

GEAR
+4 light fortification padded armor, +2 human bane shortbow, +1 shock arrows (x50), amulet of mighty fists +2, boots of striding and springing, cloak of resistance +3, gloves of arrow snaring, headband of alluring charisma +4, ring of minor fire resistance, ring of protection +3, wand of magic circle against good (50 charges), wand of major image (50 charges), plus another 23,000 gp

Dancing Ghouls and Dancing Ghasts
To create a dancing ghoul or dancing ghast, replace the 2 ranks in Climb with 2 ranks in Perform (dance), or Perform (dance) +7 for dancing ghouls Perform (dance) +9 for dancing ghasts. Add this special ability:

Chorus Attack (Ex): As part of a move action, a dancing ghoul or dancing ghast can attempt a DC 20 Perform (dance) check. If successful, the monster gains a +1 bonus on its first attack roll, with an additional +1 per every adjacent dancing ghoul or dancing ghast that also succeeds in its Perform (dance) check that turn. This bonus lasts until the end of the monster’s next turn, or until it attacks, whichever comes first.

Tags: A to Z, NPCs, Pathfinder monsters, undead

Animals are amazing. They often have abilities that seem as if they’ve been lifted out of some science fiction story. Game stats for animals often (usually?) give the short shrift to some of the remarkable things animals can do. For example, a tiger’s roar can stun its prey via infrasound frequencies. Check out Pathfinder‘s tiger stats. There’s no stunning sonic roar attack there (and, in my opinion, there should be).

Let’s look at snakes, since today is all about the S. Pathfinder snakes have the scent extraordinary ability, which makes sense. Snakes track prey through scent. The receptors on the snake’s tongue provide a sort of directional sense of smell and taste at range. Yes, that snake can sort of taste you without actually having to lick you. Snakes can also detect movement by picking up faint vibrations transmitted through the ground and the air. It’s not impossible to sneak up on a snake, but it isn’t that easy either. Many types of snakes — and not just pit vipers — also exhibit sensitivity to the infrared portion of the spectrum.

If I were going to feature snakes as a regular foe for my players’ characters, I’d consider beefing them up just a bit. All snakes should have a racial bonus to Perception checks and/or Skill Focus (Perception) as a feat or bonus feat. This bonus would account for the snake’s superior olfactory senses and its ability to detect vibrations. Tremorsense might seem like a good fit, but this ability is too good for the average snake since tremorsense permits the ability to automatically pinpoint a creature’s location. As mentioned above, it is possible to sneak up on a snake if one is sufficiently stealthy.

But what about that infrared sensitivity? The game doesn’t have a good equivalent. Darkvision doesn’t fit because darkvision is sort of magical. The easiest thing to do is to ignore penalties for Perception checks related to darkness that a snake would otherwise suffer so long as the snake is sensing a warm-blooded creature. (Or, in the case of creatures without blood, those that otherwise generate their own body heat, such as fire elementals, although what a snake would be doing preying on a fire elemental, I don’t know.)

Snakes also tend to be ambush predators, many of which stalk their prey. Racial bonuses to Escape Artist (to squeeze into lairs) and Stealth are appropriate. (Most snake game stats include the latter.)

When a snake constricts its prey, unconsciousness or death by asphyxiation is a real risk. The constrictor is sensitive enough to detect when its prey exhales, and it tightens its grip at that time, putting more pressure on the lungs and reducing the capacity of those organs to inhale. The rules enable a constrictor to inflict additional damage with every successful grapple check, but they don’t reflect the risk of asphyxiation.

I’d like to playtest a variation of the suffocation rules to reflect the asphyxiation hazard associated with constriction. A character being constricted has enough air to last 2 rounds per point of Constitution plus 1 additional round per point of Strength. If a character takes a standard or full-round action, the remaining air duration for the character is reduced by 1 round. Also, remaining air duration is reduced by 1 round per point of damage the character suffers due to constriction. Once a character has no more air left, he must make a DC 10 Constitution check in order to avoid suffocation. The check must be repeated each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous success. When the character fails one of these Constitution checks, he begins to suffocate. In the first round, he falls unconscious (0 hit points). In the following round, he drops to –1 hit points and is dying. In the third round, he suffocates.

Tags: A to Z, animals, Pathfinder monsters

Okay, so here’s the scenario. The adventurers are in the middle of a 40-foot-square chamber. Other than a bit of debris here and there, the room is empty and devoid of cover for the adventurers to, well, take cover behind. Suddenly, an up-until-then invisible sorcerer appears, lobbing a fireball at the adventurers. The wizard and the cleric fail their Reflex saves and take full damage. The fighter makes his and takes half damage. The rogue also makes his saving throw and, thanks to his evasion class feature, takes no damage at all.

Why does the fighter take half damage? Why does the rogue take none?

Well, we could say that the fighter hunkered down behind his shield, avoiding a lot of the direct heat. That is, if the fighter has a shield. The rogue, however, evaded the entire attack. Without moving. When the flames clear, he’s still in the exact same square, unharmed.

Again, why?

It seems as if making a Reflex save implies some sort of movement. Some sort of reflex action. But, as noted, when all is said and done, no one’s positions on the battlefield actually change due to a Reflex save. This bugs me. It didn’t bug me back in 1E or 2E days because there were no Reflex saves. Instead, you saved versus spells, or death magic, or rods and staves and wands, et cetera. These categories really didn’t have much in the way of descriptive power. They really don’t even imply anything about how the character resisted whatever it was he just resisted. Fortitude, Reflex, and Will, however, are descriptive. How did you resist the poison? Through Fortitude! Why didn’t that vampire dominate you? Because of my Will! Wow, that fireball barely hurt you! How come? My Reflex! But you didn’t move. Uh….

So here’s my quick thought before I head off to bed after a long week of molding young minds: Whenever a character makes a Reflex save, he gets an immediate move action.

That’s it. It’s not a big idea. It might not even be a good idea, but I’d be willing to give a try. Who knows? Could make the game more fun, and, if it did, that’d make it a winner idea in my book.

Tags: A to Z, fireball, fun, game play