Does a souless body breathe?


Rules Questions


If your soul leaves your body (Familiar Melding, Magic Jar, Astral Projection, Skinsend, probably other options) does the body still require air? Does the spell that is used to cause the the soul extraction change the answer any?


I see no reason why it wouldn't require air. The body is left unconscious, and unconscious bodies still breathe. Anyone unconscious and not breathing is dying rapidly.

If breathing is required, it provides a treacherous apprentice with the opportunity to easily murder his spirit-walking master with no tell-tale slashed throat - a big plus.


Magic jar leaves the body lifeless - "When you transfer your soul upon casting, your body is, as near as anyone can tell, dead."

I'd say that it means it does not breathe. The same for familiar melding which uses the same sentence.

Astral projection leaves the body in state of suspended animation - I'd say again that it does not breathe.

Skinsend does not specify either way but I think that in this case your body is treated as still alive and functioning but at 0 hp and helpless so I would probably rule that it still breathes.


Like said above, some abilities are specific about it. If they are not, I would assume they do so - breathing is an automatic function, and comatose, unconscious, and lobotomized people still breathe. This gets into a modern discussion of what exactly a person's "soul" is (whereas it is defined in Pathfinder), but there it is.


Is there any meaningful difference between Magic Jar that "leaves the body lifeless" and Familiar Melding that leaves "your body is, as near as anyone can tell, dead."?

I think in the first case it is unarguable the body doesn't breathe, in the second case, is there some extremely minor blood circulation/breathing that is taking place that is so minute as to not be able to be tested, but still requires air?


Is the objective to, say, save oneself from drowning by possessing your aquatic familiar?

Well first of all I think that's clever enough to allow regardless, but for the rules, I think that it's a fine line. It may only mean "near as can tell" in the sense that it IS dead, but won't decay or anything. It may also mean "imperceptible and minute breathing", in which case it could technically drown- but it could probably hold its breath for dozens or hundreds of times longer than normal. So you shouldn't leave it in the water for the full hours/level , or if you do, you will need to evacuate the lungs first, but it should be OK.


Pretty close, I was thinking of throwing the body in a bag of holding.


Sitri wrote:
If your soul leaves your body (Familiar Melding, Magic Jar, Astral Projection, Skinsend, probably other options) does the body still require air? Does the spell that is used to cause the the soul extraction change the answer any?

It depends on the spell.

Dead = The character's hit points are reduced to a negative amount equal to his Constitution score, his Constitution drops to 0, or he is killed outright by a spell or effect. The character's soul leaves his body. Dead characters cannot benefit from normal or magical healing, but they can be restored to life via magic. A dead body decays normally unless magically preserved, but magic that restores a dead character to life also restores the body either to full health or to its condition at the time of death (depending on the spell or device). Either way, resurrected characters need not worry about rigor mortis, decomposition, and other conditions that affect dead bodies.

Shadow Projection = helpless (with no shadow), Heal check = "alive". Body can be destroyed.

Skinsend = helpless (with no skin), Heal rheck "alive but skinned". Can eat, breathes, body functions continue. Body can be destroyed. Spell lists other conditions.

Familiar Melding, Magic Jar = lifeless body, Heal check "dead". Does not eat, breathe; body functions halted, bad things that happen when you actually die don't happen (being nice) but you will get rigor mortis, decay. Body can be destroyed. One assumes a hostile environment or action causes the destruction.

Astral Projected = suspended animation, Heal check "barely living". does not eat but can, breathe very slowly, body functions very slow, bad things that happen when you actually die don't happen. Body can be destroyed. One assumes a hostile environment or action causes the destruction.


Sitri wrote:

Pretty close, I was thinking of throwing the body in a bag of holding.

that would be a rather poor choice which will be highlighted when the spell ends and you die. You are on another plane or out of range when in an extradimensional space.

You might think about Shrink Item (when your body is an object), Reduce Person, Statue, Pearly white spindle ioun stone (cracked $3400), Life Bubble, Bottle of Air $7250, Water Breathing (stowed in water), Secret Chest(recall that puppy or suffer the fate as above)...


Azothath wrote:
Sitri wrote:

Pretty close, I was thinking of throwing the body in a bag of holding.

that would be a rather poor choice which will be highlighted when the spell ends and you die. You are on another plane or out of range when in an extradimensional space.

You might think about Shrink Item (when your body is an object), Reduce Person, Statue, Pearly white spindle ioun stone (cracked $3400), Life Bubble, Bottle of Air $7250, Water Breathing (stowed in water), Secret Chest(recall that puppy or suffer the fate as above)...

I kind of thought that before, but couldn't find anything specific on how such things work with distances and when we starting imagining a person in a Create Pit spell at infinite distance came to the conclusion that couldn't be right.

I have a witch, so many of your spells are off the table, but I had considered giving the body water breathing and putting that in the bag as well. I also considered rigging a snorkel to stick out of the bag. Of course none of this is necessary if the body doesn't breathe. Ultimately I think I decided to go on the Porter option.....after starting this thread.

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