Disintegrate: Does it affect characters???

[Drasmir]

I was reading the description of the disintegrate spell and it states that it affects up to a 10ft cube of NON-living matter. However, it later states that :

A **creature** or object that makes a successful Fortitude save is only partially affected. It takes 5d6 points of damage instead of disintegrating.

So which is it? A non-living object or a creature. Perhaps by creature they mean undead, but I'm not sure if that is the case or not.

Advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[AuraSeer]

Read the first sentence again. The ray disintegrates "the creature or object it strikes".

If you hit nonliving matter, there's a size limit. For living creatures who fail the save, the entire creature goes away.

 

[JLXC]

Undead are only effected by Fortitude save spells that will effect an object, which Disintegrate clearly does. So it blows them away as well.

 

[Drasmir]

Read the first sentence again. The ray disintegrates "the creature or object it strikes".

Ahhhhhhh, I see. Much appreciated.

 

[Celebrim]

Back up a little further.

...causing the creature or object it strikes to glow and vanish, leaving behind only a trace of fine dust. The character must make a successful ranged touch attack to hit.

The spell effects a creature or an object. If the object is larger than a 10ft cube, it is only partially disentigrated (you can't disintegrate a whole planet with a measly 6th level spell). There is no limit on the size of a living creature that can be disintigrated, though obviously a colossal creature is very unlikely to fail its Fort save and so in all likelihood is only going to take 5d6 damage.

 

[Jemal]

Also with regards to the Undead thing - I'm not sure where I read it, but I'm certain that Intelligent Undead can use their force of spirit to shrug off Physical attacks, b/c of their nature... Meaning they can make a Will save to resist what would normally require Fortitude.

It makes sense for a Lich or Vampire, who is otherwise overly screwed, having an effective -5 con bonus...

 

[Staffan]

Actually, undead don't have Con 0. They have Con --, which means that they have no Con bonus (not -5). So, they only get whatever bonus they should have for class and/or HD (and the Undead monster type has a poor Fort progression), plus magic stuff - but aren't handicapped by the -5.

 

[Destil]

Read the first sentence again. The ray disintegrates "the creature or object it strikes".

If you hit nonliving matter, there's a size limit. For living creatures who fail the save, the entire creature goes away.

Of course, as effective non-living objects I think I'd rule that particuarly large undead and constructs only loose a 10'x10' cube if they fail the save (20d6+1d6/level or so)... Usualy not an issue, unless you have 60 story high golems wandering about.