Can poison kill?

[Marimmar]

Well, the cleric lvl 11 was surprised by the trap being sprung on her, she rolled badly on her 1st save and had no neutralize poison prepared. She drank an antidote potion but rolled even worse on her second save and took another 11 Con damage.

I (as the DM) let her live on the reasoning that:
a) An ability score cannot be drained below 0
b) An amulet of health +2 wouldn't be affected by the poison so it would grant the bonus even though the total poison Con damage exceeded the modified Con score of the cleric. So I thought she had 0+2 Con.

In retrospect I find it too powerful since no effect that is based on damaging Con would ever be able to kill someone with an amulet of health, thus effectively negating the power of Con draining/damaging effects.

This is why I asked around here to see some other opinions and thus far I'm pleased by the comments though I'm still missing something backed by the rules/FAQ/other source. Something that would help me argue.

~Marimmar

 

[Liquidsabre]

Wow you have argue *this*?

An Amulet of Health +2 increases the wearer's Con score by 2. The only way to win this kind of argument is to have the other side try to back up their reeasoning for 0+2 Con, find that one in the book.

Con score +2 due to Amulet's enhancement bonus, poison effects and damage to Con score, Con 0 = death for PC. That's all in the text, it shouldn't be arguable really with the other side not having anything to back up their reasoning for going against the text.

 

[Knight Otu]

What Liquidsabre said. With a base Con of 14, and an amulet of health +2, the cleric has a Con score of 16, since the amulet grant an enhancement bonus to the Con score. Taking 19 points of Con damage, that Con score of 16 is reduced to 0.

Otherwise, the "Animal Buff" spells would also work as a delay ability drain and ability damage spell.

 

[Presto2112]

Here's another question? What if their Strength was drained to 0? Could they die after that? Or are only Con-draining poisons capable of killing on their own?

If I recall correctly, 0 Strength means you can't lift anything, including your own weight, and you'rer rendered immobile.

0 Dexterity means you're completely stiff and immobile.

0 Constitution is dead.

0 Intelligence is utter mindlessness. Essentially Catatonic.

I think 0 Wisdom is essentially utter insanity.

I can't recall what 0 Charisma means. You have no friends and are as ugly as chewed up shoe leather, maybe?

 

[Nail]

Otherwise, the "Animal Buff" spells would also work as a delay ability drain and ability damage spell.

Kind of like how Ray of Enfeeblement prevents you from having a Str score of less than 1, right?

What a way to become immune from Shadow attacks! Quick, cast Ray of Enfeeblement on the wizard!

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Only Con=0 kills, all other stats only disable you.

Which bothers me, actually.

A rat bastard DM could make a strong argument for requiring a Massive Damage save the moment any ability score drops to 0.


Wulf

 

[Henry]

I think you have rightly discerned you set a bad precedent here, but if you want to play it by the book, the only solution is to say that her particular amulet is somehow special; i.e., it had an unknown power come to the fore, and that power is either now spent or is used up for x number of days. Then you need to reinstate the rule that poison can and does kill when CON is reduced to zero, magic or not. Otherwise, it's giving ability boost magic a far greater bonus than it needs to have.

It's your campaign of course, but that's the requested two cents.

 

[Thanee]

This is why I asked around here to see some other opinions and thus far I'm pleased by the comments though I'm still missing something backed by the rules/FAQ/other source. Something that would help me argue.

"enhancement bonus" - that's all the argument you need.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

I can't recall what 0 Charisma means. You have no friends and are as ugly as chewed up shoe leather, maybe?

I highly doubt, that Cha drain affects your appearance normally.

100% apathic probably? Cha is strength of personality, after all.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

A rat bastard DM could make a strong argument for requiring a Massive Damage save the moment any ability score drops to 0.

I don't quite get the link between massive damage and (esp. mental) ability damage/drain!?

Bye
Thanee