FAQ Update

[dcollins]

Updated Official FAQs: Main, Monster, FRCS, and BOVD (new), dated 12102002.

New entries in the core-rules FAQs (Main, Monster):

- Rapid Shot "stacks" with multiple attacks from high BAB.
- Fast Healing works and stablizes dying creatures (under 0 hp), but not dead ones (-10 hp).
- One can use "imbue with spell ability" with a metamagic spell, counting the spell at its higher metamagic spell slot.
- (Monster FAQ) Regeneration protects against any amount of subdual damage, but not environmental effects or massive damage.

Opinion/Editorial:

I don't think there's anything surprising there. The implication of the Regeneration ruling is that PCs have an option of subduing regenerating creatures they can't otherwise harm, and throwing them in the nearest pool so they drown. That might be a little odd.

 

[Stalker0]

I'll have to take a look at the FAQ, but is it saying that you can't knock a troll out with subdual damage?

 

[Mahali]

No, just that when when they're down to -1000000000 HP they're sleeping very peacefully and not really hurt.

 

[magnas_veritas]

I'll have to take a look at the FAQ, but is it saying that you can't knock a troll out with subdual damage?

Oh, you can. He'll get up again, though, until you hit him with something that breaches his regen, or hold him underwater.

Brad

 

[dcollins]

I'll have to take a look at the FAQ, but is it saying that you can't knock a troll out with subdual damage?

Sorry. It's saying you can't kill a troll without the necessary weapon type (that is, it's allowed to rack up infinitely much subdual damage). It talks about chopping a creature into arbitrarily small pieces and one of those pieces regenerating into the creature -- unless it starves or spends a few minutes underwater drowning.

 

[hong]

New entries in the core-rules FAQs (Main, Monster):

- Rapid Shot "stacks" with multiple attacks from high BAB.

Wow. Someone actually needed this cleared up?

1 theory is that answering questions like this is what made Skip the bitter, twisted, burnt-out shell of a man he is today.

 

[Darklone]

hehehehehe

 

[dvvega]

Wasn't that alwasy the way Regeneration worked?

 

[Iku Rex]

- (Monster FAQ) Regeneration protects against any amount of subdual damage, but not environmental effects or massive damage.

Regeneration is ineffective against some kinds of assaults, such as death effects or other special effects that cause death, massive damage, drowning, starvation, or having one's Constitution score reduced to 0.

-- DnD FAQ, 01/19/2003

An attack that can cause instant death, such as a coup de grace, massive damage, or an assassin's death attack, only threatens the creature with death if it is delivered by weapons that deal it normal damage.

-- Regeneration, SRD

Once again one wonders if this is intended as errata or (and?) if the FAQ is just written by a complete moron.

Opinion/Editorial: I don't think there's anything surprising there. The implication of the Regeneration ruling is that PCs have an option of subduing regenerating creatures they can't otherwise harm, and throwing them in the nearest pool so they drown. That might be a little odd.

This is not news at all - the description of regeneration as always said that it doesn't protect from suffocation.

The surprising bit is that, apparently, having your head removed will not cause suffocation. Even if you assume that creatures with regeneration have physiologies where "suffocation" is not actually caused by lack of oxygen to the brain, any creature that breathes will "suffocate" (in that it won't get oxygen to it's body parts) if you destroy the lungs or prevent blood from flowing. In other words, at some point even a creature with regeneration will die from suffocation if you keep hacking at it.

 

[Steverooo]

???????

I thought that ANY type of magical healing removed ALL Subdual damage. Wouldn't Regeneration, then, remove all Subdual damage each round, at the Troll's (or whatever's) action? That's the way I interpretted this, anyway...