Mortal creature VS liiving creature

[Belzbet]

Some abilities in "Deities and Demigods" affect only mortals or only living creatures... My question is this: where do outsiders, fey and elementals stand?
Outsiders are seemingly immortal but are they living? Elementals may die from natural causes (just ebb out of existence) but are they living? Fey must be living but??? undead and contructs are uncontroversially immortal and not living (well maybe they are "uncontroversially immortal but for sure they are not living; even INT constructs dont 'live' in the same sense that organic creatures live, but still what of a warforged? is it both living and immortal, probably???). Humanoids, Monstrous humanoids, magical beasts, plants, aberrations, dragons, animals, vermin are uncontroversially living and mortal. thats our starting point. What about outsiders and elementals and fey?

 

[Jackinthegreen]

Starting with http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/typesSubtypes.htm:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#elementalType has: "Unlike most other living creatures, an elemental does not have a dual nature—its soul and body form one unit." Thus, elementals seem to be living at the very least. Whether they are mortal might depend on the creature itself rather than its type.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#feyType has the line "Fey eat, sleep, and breathe." so they're living, but like elementals it probably depends on the creature rather than the type to determine if they're mortal or immortal. One example of a fey that does have limited life is the Uldra from Frostburn. On page 41 it specifically gives Uldra age categories, including Venerable, and then does the usual thing for when they die.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#outsiderType is similar to the elementals with the line "Unlike most other living creatures, an outsider does not have a dual nature..." So outsiders are definitely alive. Once again though, whether one is mortal will depend on what outsider it is. Aasimar (and many other outsiders) as described in the Planar Handbook page 18 have maximum ages, meaning those ones are mortal.

 

[DanotheSlender]

as for affecting only mortals...even the seemingly immortal fey/outsiders/elementals are essentially mortal ie: they will live until they are killed by outside forces, unlike "true" immortals- read gods/godlike beings which can be killed or excised on planes outside their home planes but their "essence" on their home plane remains relativly unscathed or at the least will regenerate quickly back to their full power. Lesser beings like the aformentioned fey etc. may cross over from their home planes to other planes but they do not leave behind their essence like gods do when they cross dimentions. There are a few exceptions like elemental lords and perhaps fey who have reached heights of power that makes them akin to gods, but run of the mill summoned/cross dimentional beings are mortal and able to be affected by those godlike powers that affect mortals or living beings.

just my thoughts on the matter...others may differ and probably do.

game on my friend!

 

[Belzbet]

The consensus is that "hand of death" ("deities and Demigods" divine slient ability) and the stronger versions thereof effects outsiders (and elementals, fey?)? And that "Life Drain" (divine salient ability) effects all non living (non deity) creatures but undead and non living contructs? Are undead mortal then? what of contructs? Are dieties living?

 

[Mirtek]

See Deities&Demigods, page 6: Mortal = anything without divine rank

So if you do not have at least divine rank 0 you are a mortal, even if you happen to have an immortal life span

Are undead mortal then? what of contructs?

Yes and yes, unless they happen to possess divine rank 0+

Are dieties living?

This depends entirely on their subtype (e.g. outsider, undead, ...) while being a deity doesn't affect that. Being mostly outsiders, most deities are living creatures, with the oddball [undead] deity being excluded