Timing question (involves paralyisis)

[swordsmasher]

1. okies, the barbarian of the group is raging. he gets paralyzed by the mohrg. does his rage end?

I couldn't find the answer, so i rulled it didn't. i described the paralyzed pc as becoming fuming mad trying to move his limbs.

2. So then, the mohrg attempts a coup de grace, and deals some damage, but the barbarian lives through it, but now his hit point total is down to like 16, and if his rage ends, he goes to negatives.

3. anyway, the paralysis ends during the turn. now, the barbarian was paralyzed during his own action, so that is when i started the paralysis clock.

4. so, the barbarian's action during the round comes up, at the end of his action he is no longer paralyzed.

5. another pc charges in to the fray, and pours a cure serious wounds potion down the barbarian's gullet. here is where i am confused.

i am under the impression that everything that happens in a round is happening at the same time, so wouldn't the barbarian still be paralyzed while the pc is throwing the juice down his throat?

if so, can a paralyzed victim recieve benefits from potions? you'd think they can't swallow or something, right? lol

 

[Goolpsy]

Well.. its hard to have everything happen on the same time with so many characters fighting. Sure he could give the not paralyzes Barbarian a potion (he mgiht be able to even if the barbarian was paralyzes.. - dont know about that)
Just describe it as the paralyzation is wearing off.. the barbarian can on a limited basis move his limb, still can't attack or move or anything.. but as some other player sees this he jumps in and gives the barbarian the potion...

It all depend on how you play..

 

[irdeggman]

i am under the impression that everything that happens in a round is happening at the same time, so wouldn't the barbarian still be paralyzed while the pc is throwing the juice down his throat?

Actuallly this is incorrect. Nothing in a round happens at the same time, but what a character does on his turn in the initiative essentially does happen at the same time.

IIRC being paralyzed doesn't have anything to do with taking a potion. The effect is instantaneous and again IIRC independent on being able to swallow - which is why skeletons can benefit from potions as well.

Actually the paralyzing clock should start from time the mohrg attacked since it was his action and not the barbarians, since that attack caused it - similar to spell effects they initiate and wane based on the caster's action.

 

[Peter Gibbons]

i am under the impression that everything that happens in a round is happening at the same time, so wouldn't the barbarian still be paralyzed while the pc is throwing the juice down his throat?

The actions you declare on your "turn" represent what your character has been doing (or at least, trying to do) for the last six seconds. So in a sense, yes, everything that happens in a round is happening at the same time--or more correctly, has already happened at some point during the last six seconds.

The exact timing of various actions during a round is not important, however. What's important is the order in which the actions are resolved. For example, an orc fighting a human may try to Sunder the human's longsword, provoking an attack of opportunity from the human. If the human's attack of opportunity kills the orc, the orc never actually makes the Sunder attack. How is that possible? If the orc doesn't make the Sunder attack, how can it provoke an attack of opportunity?

The answer is: because the system doesn't care when (or even if) a given action occurs, only when it is resolved. The human's attack of opportunity is triggered by the orc's Sunder attack, which was declared first, but is resolved second.

So to take your example of the paralyzed barbarian and the potion, the event of the barbarian recovering from being paralyzed is resolved before the event of the potion being poured down his gullet. And that's all you have to worry about.

(I do not address the issue of whether a paralyzed subject can swallow a potion or not, as it is moot.)

 

[Hypersmurf]

IIRC being paralyzed doesn't have anything to do with taking a potion. The effect is instantaneous and again IIRC independent on being able to swallow - which is why skeletons can benefit from potions as well.

From the SRD:
A creature must be able to swallow a potion or smear on an oil. Because of this, incorporeal creatures cannot use potions or oils.

Any corporeal creature can imbibe a potion. The potion must be swallowed. Any corporeal creature can use an oil.

So, as a corporeal creature, a skeleton can imbibe a potion... but unless it can swallow it, the potion won't activate.

-Hyp.

 

[irdeggman]

From the SRD:
A creature must be able to swallow a potion or smear on an oil. Because of this, incorporeal creatures cannot use potions or oils.

Any corporeal creature can imbibe a potion. The potion must be swallowed. Any corporeal creature can use an oil.

So, as a corporeal creature, a skeleton can imbibe a potion... but unless it can swallow it, the potion won't activate.

-Hyp.

So how can skelton swallow if it doesn't have any muscles?

I believe the intent is that they have a mouth or something equivalent that allows intake not the actual act of swallowing since it is obvious without muscles you can't perfomr that act, well at least in my mind it is. Hence a gelatinous cube, while corporeal can't "swallow".

The swallow whole ability requires the opponent to be in the creature's mouth.

 

[Hypersmurf]

So how can skelton swallow if it doesn't have any muscles?

It can't.

That's why I disagree with your assertion "which is why skeletons can benefit from potions as well". I don't believe they can.

Oils, they can use just fine.

-Hyp.

 

[Nail]

The OP's first post is written a bit confusingly, and there are a few rules problems. Lemme try to clean it up:

Round 1:

• raging BBn is paralyzed by a Mohrg. This must have happened on the Mohrg's action, not the Bbns. The "paralyzation clock" starts on the Mohrg's turn. Moreover, paralyzation doesn't end raging.
• Bbn's turn is wasted, as he's paralyzed.
• Other PCs actions, which apparently included one PC using a move action to retrieve the potion he will use next round on the Bbn. Did you forget this part, or is retrieving a potion a free action in your game?

Round 2:

• Mohrg spends a full round action on a Coup de grace.
• Bbn survives, now at very low hp. Bbn's actions wasted as BBn is still paralyzed. Mohrg paralysis lasts for 1d4 minutes, not rounds. The BBn is still screwed until, at a minimum, round 11.
• Another PC uses a move action to move up, and a standard action to administer the potion of CSW. Since the Bbn can't swallow, he can't benefit from the potion. Sorry, Bbn! Try the potion on someone else.

Round 3: ......the fight continues....and hopefully someone uses either the Heal skill or casts a cure spell on the poor Bbn before he bleeds out.....

<EDIT>Regardless, remember that you don't have to worry about simultaneity......rounds and turns are there to help you sort out what is first, what is second, etc.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Round 1:

• raging BBn is paralyzed by a Mohrg. This must have happened on the Mohrg's action, not the Bbns.

• 
  
  Not if it was an AoO with the tongue that paralyzed him.
  
  

  [*]Another PC uses a move action to move up, and a standard action to administer the potion of CSW. Since the Bbn can't swallow, he can't benefit from the potion. Sorry, Bbn! Try the potion on someone else.

Well...

A character can carefully administer a potion to an unconscious creature as a full-round action, trickling the liquid down the creature’s throat. Likewise, it takes a full-round action to apply an oil to an unconscious creature.

Granted, he's not unconscious, and it's a full-round action to administer, not a standard action.

But I don't really see a problem with administering a potion to a paralyzed creature as a full round action. Unconscious creatures can't take actions, and the paralyzed condition means you can't take actions... so swallowing a potion isn't an action (since unconscious creatures can do it), which means it isn't prevented by paralysis.

-Hyp.