Formian Queen, isn't she very vulnerable to CDG?

[frankthedm]

From her description, it sure seems like if you get up to her, you ought to be able to CDG her.

Formian Queen

Saves: Fort +19, Ref —, Will +19
Abilities: Str Ø, Dex Ø, Con 20, Int 20, Wis 20, Cha 21

The formian queen cannot move. With her telepathic abilities, though, she can send instructions to and get reports from any formian within her range.

She is about 10 feet long, perhaps 4 feet high, and weighs about 3,500 pounds.

The queen speaks Formian and Common, although she can communicate with any creature telepathically.

Combat
The queen does not fight. She has no ability to move. If necessary, a team of workers and myrmarchs (or dominated slaves) haul her enormous bulk to where she needs to go. This sort of occurrence is very rare, however, and most of the time the queen remains within her well-defended chambers.

Despite her utter lack of physical activity, the queen can cast spells and use spell-like abilities to great effect in her own defense as well as the defense of the hive-city.

 

[Nimloth]

I suppose so, as soon as you get through her army of servants and guards, all who would die for her. And, since Formians are intelligent, they are aware of this vulnerability and have probably taken steps (which I will leave to your imagination).

 

[Runestar]

This would make her hp irrelevant, since she would never be able to successfully make the high fort save accompanying a successful CDG from a high lv PC. A warblade could just dim-door adjacent to her and CDG.

I guess you will have to rely on her spellcasting prowess to provide for her defensive capabilities.

 

[frankthedm]

The question came up when i was checking the formian entry when making this...

 

[Hypersmurf]

From her description, it sure seems like if you get up to her, you ought to be able to CDG her.

Your quoted text is wrong; her Str and Dex are not 0, but rather --.

A creature with a Str (or Dex) of 0 is helpless. A creature with a Str (or Dex) of -- is not.

Note her AC: 23, touch 9. If her Dex were 0, it would be 18, touch 4 - a Dex penalty of -5. If she were helpless, likewise.

She can't move, she automatically fails Reflex saves, Str checks, and Dex checks, but she is not helpless and thus not susceptible to CDG.

-Hyp.

 

[Runestar]

So a creature with 1 dex is even more vulnerable than a creature without a dex score...

Oh well, no one ever said that dnd was supposed to make sense.

 

[Jack Simth]

Your quoted text is wrong; her Str and Dex are not 0, but rather --.

That's not zero (0), that's phi (Ø). Denotes the empty set - it's a different way of writing "--"; the text is correct, although it doesn't look like it.

 

[Hypersmurf]

So a creature with 1 dex is even more vulnerable than a creature without a dex score...

A creature with 1 Con has fewer hit points than a creature without a Con score. The modifier for a nonability is +0; the modifier for a 1 is -5.

-Hyp.

 

[Tonguez]

Really once you've battled your way through hordes of formians, myrmachs, taskmasters and dominated slaves; overcome her spell defense (which should stop any teleport/dim-door attacks) and gotten close enough to stare into here multifaceted eyes CDG should be the least of her worries

and don't underestimate the hidden eggs

 

[frankthedm]

She can't move, she automatically fails Reflex saves, Str checks, and Dex checks, but she is not helpless and thus not susceptible to CDG.

To me "can't move" & "automatically fails Reflex saves, Str checks, and Dex checks" is at an attackers mercy, thus vulnerable to CDG.

Now I know the designers did not intend for her to be vulnerable to CDG, but if it ain’t moving to avoid the great axe, how is the fools’ head not being chopped off?

Helpless Defenders
A helpless opponent is someone who is bound, sleeping, paralyzed, unconscious, or otherwise at your mercy.

Looks like we are back at this issue… http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=193130