Nauseated and Sickened

[foxylady]

I find it odd that no creature type is immune to the "nauseated" and "sickened" conditions. One would think that, at a minimum, constructs and undead should be, being nonliving. By the usual rules of English construction, being immune to disease should make one impossible to sicken, but as "sicken" is a term of art that isn't the case by RAW. The use of the word "stomach" in the 3.5 SRD description of "nauseated" lends support to the idea that constructs and undead, lacking stomachs, can't be nauseated, but it doesn't actually say that lack of a stomach grants immunity to the condition.

 

[FireLance]

Actually, constructs and undead are immune to the nauseated and sickened condition. Both these types have the following trait:

Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).

Since creatures get a Fortitude save to avoid being nauseated or sickened, and objects cannot be nauseated or sickened, neither can constructs and undead. You can nauseate and sicken an elemental or a plant, though (whether this is logical or not is a separate issue).

 

[Three_Haligonians]

However!

Undead and Constructs are immune to effects that require Fort saves (unless it would also affect an object) and without going to my library of gaming books, I am fairly certain that most effects that causes those conditions grant Fortitude saves to avoid them. I could be wrong though but I find it hard to imagine how a reflex save could apply.

(unless it's a gag reflex of course... ba-doom-boom-CHING!)

J from Three Haligonians

 

[Hypersmurf]

Actually, constructs and undead are immune to the nauseated and sickened condition. Both these types have the following trait:

Since creatures get a Fortitude save to avoid being nauseated or sickened, and objects cannot be nauseated or sickened, neither can constructs and undead. You can nauseate and sicken an elemental or a plant, though (whether this is logical or not is a separate issue).

Unholy Blight sickens a non-evil creature, no save. Non-evil undead and constructs are not immune to this effect, since it grants no Fort save, and they have no inherent immunity to the sickened condition.

Similarly, any effect that gave the nauseated condition without allowing a Fort save would affect undead or constructs.

-Hyp.

 

[billd91]

I'm not sure I'd be too literal about the term nauseated. While a convenient descriptor for things like Stinking Cloud, the main point of the condition is the description of how it affects the character. Just think of 'nauseated' as the code word for those specific rules being applied to the character's condition and allowable actions and you can justify using it against constructs and anything else not technically in stomach distress.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'm not sure I'd be too literal about the term nauseated. While a convenient descriptor for things like Stinking Cloud, the main point of the condition is the description of how it affects the character. Just think of 'nauseated' as the code word for those specific rules being applied to the character's condition and allowable actions and you can justify using it against constructs and anything else not technically in stomach distress.

For example, being in a Swarm of bats can produce the nauseated condition due to their 'Distraction' ability.

Of course, since it grants a Fort save, undead are immune to Distraction

-Hyp.

 

[FireLance]

Unholy Blight sickens a non-evil creature, no save. Non-evil undead and constructs are not immune to this effect, since it grants no Fort save, and they have no inherent immunity to the sickened condition.

Similarly, any effect that gave the nauseated condition without allowing a Fort save would affect undead or constructs.

-Hyp.

Um, unholy blight allows a Will save, and does not sicken neutral creatures, but point taken. By the rules, an effect that infllicts the sickened or nauseated condition and which does not allow a Fortitude save would affect constructs and undead.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Um, unholy blight allows a Will save...

Sorry, I meant 'No Fort save'...

... and does not sicken neutral creatures.

Oops - yeah, my mistake. So Good undead and Constructs would be sickened.

-Hyp.