Iron Body, Stone Body, Oak Body and Physiology Question?

Aluvial

Explorer
I'm inerested in what physiology entails/covers; specifically, Fatigue and Exhaustion. Here is the SRD on two of the spells, both really the same (Stone Body, the third, is in the Spell Compendium).
SRD said:
Iron Body
This spell transforms your body into living iron, which grants you several powerful resistances and abilities.

You gain damage reduction 15/adamantine. You are immune to blindness, critical hits, ability score damage, deafness, disease, drowning, electricity, poison, stunning, and all spells or attacks that affect your physiology or respiration, because you have no physiology or respiration while this spell is in effect. You take only half damage from acid and fire of all kinds. However, you also become vulnerable to all special attacks that affect iron golems.

You gain a +6 enhancement bonus to your Strength score, but you take a –6 penalty to Dexterity as well (to a minimum Dexterity score of 1), and your speed is reduced to half normal. You have an arcane spell failure chance of 50% and a –8 armor check penalty, just as if you were clad in full plate armor. You cannot drink (and thus can’t use potions) or play wind instruments.

Your unarmed attacks deal damage equal to a club sized for you (1d4 for Small characters or 1d6 for Medium characters), and you are considered armed when making unarmed attacks.

Your weight increases by a factor of ten, causing you to sink in water like a stone. However, you could survive the crushing pressure and lack of air at the bottom of the ocean—at least until the spell duration expires.


Oak Body
This power transforms your body into living oak, which grants you several advantages.

You gain damage reduction 10/ slashing and a +5 bonus to natural armor that overlaps (does not stack with) any natural armor bonus you may already have. You are immune to ability damage, blindness, deafness, disease, drowning, poison, stunning, and all powers, spells, or attacks that affect your physiology or respiration, because you have no physiology or respiration while this power is in effect.

You take only half damage from cold effects of all kinds. However, you become susceptible to all special attacks that affect wood, and you gain vulnerability to fire.

You gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, but you take a -2 penalty to Dexterity (to a minimum Dexterity score of 1), and your speed is reduced to half normal. You can speak but cannot drink (and thus can’t use potions) or play wind instruments. You have an armor check penalty of -4 and an arcane spell failure chance of 25%.

Your unarmed attacks deal damage equal to a club sized for you (1d4 for Small characters, 1d6 for Medium characters), and you are considered armed when making unarmed attacks. When you make a full attack against an object or structure using your unarmed strike, you deal double damage.[/i]
So my question is, what constitutes for physiology? I know that you couldn't draw a brain out, or stop a heart, breathing doesn't matter, nor would a spell that effected any organ (that maintains life) or blood. But, energy seems to damage these (some have special resistance and vulnerabilities) as well as other force effects, melee attacks, and the like.

Physiology seems wide reaching and is really open to interpretation. I would say that fire hurts your physiology for instance.

Aluvial
 

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Aluvial

Explorer
For instance, could you be dazzled?

I think yes because it isn't listed, but then you can hear my players shouting, "I can't be dazzled, or dazed, because that affects my physiology."
 


shilsen

Adventurer
Unfortunately, there's no hard and fast rule one can use to define what physiology means here. As a DM you're going to have to do some adjudication here. I'd say that someone benefiting from those spells can be dazzled or dazed.
 

Krelios

First Post
I'd say they only grant the benefits specifically called out in the spell. That means they're still subject to Fatigue, Exhaustion, Dazzled, Dazed, etc. Don't make the spell more powerful than it already is.
 

LokiDR

First Post
As a rule of thumb, I would include immunity to any effect that specifically mentions physiology or is based on one of the other immunities. For example, sneak attacks are not specifically mentioned, but you cannot sneak attack a creature immune to critical hits.
 

Infiniti2000

First Post
Aluvial said:
I think yes because it isn't listed, but then you can hear my players shouting, "I can't be dazzled, or dazed, because that affects my physiology."
If they want to be that way about it, tell them they can't see, hear, smell, or touch because that requires physiology.
 

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