Changes in Con and Massive Damage

[Hypersmurf]

Damage is, among other things, defined as "A decrease in hit points caused by a magical effect".

Does this mean that if someone loses two points of Con to a Poison spell, the decrease in hit points - caused by a magical effect - they incur as a result of a lower Con bonus is considered "damage"?

If that same Poison spell causes a 20th level character to lose 6 points of Con, is he considered to have taken 60 points of damage from a single attack... breaking the Massive Damage threshold?

If the same character removes his +6 Amulet of Health, his hit points drop by 60 in a single go, just as if he'd been hit by the Poison spell... but not as the result of an attack. Is there any difference?

If, instead, an opponent uses a Disarm or Sunder action to remove or destroy the belt, the charactr loses 6 points of Con and therefore 60 hit points as the result of an attack. Same question.

-Hyp.

 

[Darklone]

I can't quote anything in the rules... but the spirit of the rules IMHO was in 3rd edition to count the damage that you take... and as soon that damage supercedes your hitpoints total (where your con, whatever it may be at the moment, comes into play), you're dying.

So IMHO: no.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I can't quote anything in the rules... but the spirit of the rules IMHO was in 3rd edition to count the damage that you take... and as soon that damage supercedes your hitpoints total (where your con, whatever it may be at the moment, comes into play), you're dying.

Hmm? If you have 80 hit points, and take 55 points of damage from a greataxe critical, your damage doesn't supercede your hit point total, but you still break the MDT.

I'm not talking about hit points dropping below zero, I'm talking about hit points dropping by more than 50.

-Hyp.

 

[Darklone]

Sorry if I sounded confusing... Just tried to explain my "No".

I don't see it as damage. Damage for me is the total of your wounds. Lowering your hitpoint maximum isn't as much damage as increasing your hitpoint maximum isn't healing.

Again: Casting Endurance on a level 5 character with hitpoints 26 and Con 14 who has taken one greataxe hit for 12 points of damage... will put him at a maximum of 36 hitpoints and 24 current hitpoints. His "total damage" does not change.

 

[CRGreathouse]

I'm with Darklone.

Imagine the following (contrived) situation for the flipside:

If a cursed +5 greataxe of enemy health crits for 55 damage but gives 2 points of temp. Con, raising your hit points by 20, you've still taken massive daamge, no?

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I also side with the "artificial human in shadows"

I think I even read that one somewhere, either in the Massive Damage write-up or in the FAQ (or somewhere else?)