killing regeneration


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can a creature with regeneration die from starvation, suffocation, and/or thirst?

RAW and RAI readings and rulings are accepted.


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No.

RAW: "They cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning". Cannot die is just it, not through any means (unless you disable their regeneration first).

That said, hit points lost due to starvation and thirst is not regenerated unless the creature get food or water. As such, a regenerating creature unconcious from starvation or thirst is not coming up on its own accord.


HaraldKlak wrote:

No.

RAW: "They cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning". Cannot die is just it, not through any means (unless you disable their regeneration first).

That said, hit points lost due to starvation and thirst is not regenerated unless the creature get food or water. As such, a regenerating creature unconcious from starvation or thirst is not coming up on its own accord.

so, a troll could be splattered into a pile of mush and suffocate, but if a friend of his drops by, channels positive energy on him, the troll will be just fine? same with starving to death, something that supposedly kills alot of trolls in game fluff.

Dark Archive

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showzilla wrote:
HaraldKlak wrote:

No.

RAW: "They cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning". Cannot die is just it, not through any means (unless you disable their regeneration first).

That said, hit points lost due to starvation and thirst is not regenerated unless the creature get food or water. As such, a regenerating creature unconcious from starvation or thirst is not coming up on its own accord.

so, a troll could be splattered into a pile of mush and suffocate, but if a friend of his drops by, channels positive energy on him, the troll will be just fine? same with starving to death, something that supposedly kills alot of trolls in game fluff.

Being splattered into a pile of mush won't even require them to have positive energy channeled on them. Given enough time that troll will get back up on its own, and it normally doesn't take as long as you might think.


The Beard wrote:
showzilla wrote:
HaraldKlak wrote:

No.

RAW: "They cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning". Cannot die is just it, not through any means (unless you disable their regeneration first).

That said, hit points lost due to starvation and thirst is not regenerated unless the creature get food or water. As such, a regenerating creature unconcious from starvation or thirst is not coming up on its own accord.

so, a troll could be splattered into a pile of mush and suffocate, but if a friend of his drops by, channels positive energy on him, the troll will be just fine? same with starving to death, something that supposedly kills alot of trolls in game fluff.
Being splattered into a pile of mush won't even require them to have positive energy channeled on them. Given enough time that troll will get back up on its own, and it normally doesn't take as long as you might think.

given your average troll can go 46 before it's time to save for suffocation, he regens 5 damage a round and he'd have to be saving for 12 rounds before an average roll wouldn't save him any more, let's put him at a bare minimum overkill damage of -420 HP before he's in any real danger of failing his fort save and then he might just "suffocate/die" before his regen saves him, lets save poor party has run all out of fire and acid and just decided to beat the ever loving shit out of this thing for a few rounds, going all power attack and a bunch of other stuff on him and drop him to -500 HP...he's probably a stain on the floor by this point, but still....if he suffocates before he's back up and ready to go...does he die? does he stay down? does he need the services of a healer?

similar question for starvation, can he starve to death like in the fluff?


"Characters who have taken nonlethal damage from lack of food or water are fatigued. Nonlethal damage from thirst or starvation cannot be recovered until the character gets food or water, as needed"

and

"Instead, when your nonlethal damage equals your current hit points, you're staggered (see below), and when it exceeds your current hit points, you fall unconscious."

Just always unconscious.

Shadow Lodge

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"Regeneration (Ex)

A creature with this ability is difficult to kill. Creatures with regeneration heal damage at a fixed rate, as with fast healing, but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning (although creatures with regeneration still fall unconscious when their hit points are below 0). Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, cause a creature’s regeneration to stop functioning on the round following the attack. During this round, the creature does not heal any damage and can die normally. The creature's descriptive text describes the types of damage that cause the regeneration to cease functioning.

Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage are not healed by regeneration. Regeneration also does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Regenerating creatures can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts if they are brought together within 1 hour of severing. Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally.

A creature must have a Constitution score to have the regeneration ability.

Format: regeneration 5 (fire, acid); Location: hp."

quoted from the d20srd.

Shadow Lodge

So it seems to me if you can find a way to starve or suffocate a troll he will die.


Jacob Saltband wrote:

"Regeneration (Ex)

A creature with this ability is difficult to kill. Creatures with regeneration heal damage at a fixed rate, as with fast healing, but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning (although creatures with regeneration still fall unconscious when their hit points are below 0). Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, cause a creature’s regeneration to stop functioning on the round following the attack. During this round, the creature does not heal any damage and can die normally. The creature's descriptive text describes the types of damage that cause the regeneration to cease functioning.

Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage are not healed by regeneration. Regeneration also does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Regenerating creatures can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts if they are brought together within 1 hour of severing. Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally.

A creature must have a Constitution score to have the regeneration ability.

Format: regeneration 5 (fire, acid); Location: hp."

quoted from the d20srd.

No.

While starvation and thirst can cause a creature with regeneration to fall unconscious due to having unhealable hitpoint damage, they cannot die, as quoted.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
showzilla wrote:

can a creature with regeneration die from starvation, suffocation, and/or thirst?

RAW and RAI readings and rulings are accepted.

I will say yes. Regeneration is a battle magic effect. Long term deprivation is another story. There is nothing about the regeneration ability that eliminates the need to breathe, eat, or drink.


Covent wrote:
Jacob Saltband wrote:

"Regeneration (Ex)

A creature with this ability is difficult to kill. Creatures with regeneration heal damage at a fixed rate, as with fast healing, but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning (although creatures with regeneration still fall unconscious when their hit points are below 0). Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, cause a creature’s regeneration to stop functioning on the round following the attack. During this round, the creature does not heal any damage and can die normally. The creature's descriptive text describes the types of damage that cause the regeneration to cease functioning.

Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage are not healed by regeneration. Regeneration also does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Regenerating creatures can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts if they are brought together within 1 hour of severing. Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally.

A creature must have a Constitution score to have the regeneration ability.

Format: regeneration 5 (fire, acid); Location: hp."

quoted from the d20srd.

No.

While starvation and thirst can cause a creature with regeneration to fall unconscious due to having unhealable hitpoint damage, they cannot die, as quoted.

You mean besides the fact that the rules state if your non lethal hp damage reaches a certain point that it starts inflicting lethal damage? As quoted by Rapthorn2ndform?

Liberty's Edge

LazarX wrote:
showzilla wrote:

can a creature with regeneration die from starvation, suffocation, and/or thirst?

RAW and RAI readings and rulings are accepted.

I will say yes. Regeneration is a battle magic effect. Long term deprivation is another story. There is nothing about the regeneration ability that eliminates the need to breathe, eat, or drink.

But there is the part about regeneration that says as long as regeneration is functioning, the creature CANNOT DIE. Nothing in the regeneration ability states that it ceases functioning when the creature is starving or suffocating. It does say that the creature can't heal damage from starvation, suffocation, or thirst. Not healing damage does not equal "regeneration stops working."

Submerge a troll in water, completely bound so it's impossible for the troll to escape. Come back in 6 years and the troll is unconscious. That's all. Hit it with enough cure spells to bring it's HP total above 0, viola...living, breathing, walking, troll.

Put a troll in a solid force cage, make it permanent, come back in 100 years and let it out. It's unconscious. Hit it with a couple of heals and some cure spells, botta bing, botta boom, troll ready to go.

I'm going to go so far as to say that, in the absence of a written statement by Paizo indicating trolls have a set lifespan, they are essentially immortal unless they get blasted with something to stop their regeneration.


Jacob Saltband wrote:

"Regeneration (Ex)

A creature with this ability is difficult to kill. Creatures with regeneration heal damage at a fixed rate, as with fast healing, but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning (although creatures with regeneration still fall unconscious when their hit points are below 0). Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, cause a creature’s regeneration to stop functioning on the round following the attack. During this round, the creature does not heal any damage and can die normally. The creature's descriptive text describes the types of damage that cause the regeneration to cease functioning.

Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage are not healed by regeneration. Regeneration also does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Regenerating creatures can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts if they are brought together within 1 hour of severing. Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally.

A creature must have a Constitution score to have the regeneration ability.

Format: regeneration 5 (fire, acid); Location: hp."

quoted from the d20srd.

So you can choke them to death.

Shadow Lodge

"Suffocation

A character who has no air to breathe can hold her breath for 2 rounds per point of Constitution. If a character takes a standard or full-round action, the remaining duration that the character can hold her breath is reduced by 1 round. After this period of time, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution check in order to continue holding her breath. The check must be repeated each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous success.

When the character fails one of these Constitution checks, she begins to suffocate. In the first round, she falls unconscious (0 hit points). In the following round, she drops to –1 hit points and is dying. In the third round, she suffocates.

Slow Suffocation: A Medium character can breathe easily for 6 hours in a sealed chamber measuring 10 feet on a side. After that time, the character takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage every 15 minutes. Each additional Medium character or significant fire source (a torch, for example) proportionally reduces the time the air will last. Once rendered unconscious through the accumulation of nonlethal damage, the character begins to take lethal damage at the same rate. Small characters consume half as much air as Medium characters."

What does suffocates mean?

Liberty's Edge

Jacob Saltband wrote:
What does suffocates mean?

There is no rules definition for "suffocates." We must, therefore, rely on the standard definition: "die or cause to die from lack of air or inability to breathe."

So, the definition of suffocate means to die from lack of air.

Regeneration wrote:
... but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning...

'Die' is a generalization that simply eliminates descriptors. You can say, "Die from suffocation," or "Die from starvation," or "Die from massive head trauma," or "Die from a sword through the innards." If a creature "...CANNOT DIE...", then they CANNOT DIE. Period. The method of death is irrelevant. If we can substitute the following in the regeneration definition, "...but they cannot die [from sword inflicted injuries] as long as their regeneration is still functioning...", why does anyone assume you CAN'T substitute, "...but they cannot die [from starvation] as long as their regeneration is still functioning..."?

It seems pretty self-explanatory to me.

Dark Archive

RAW on regeneration does indeed state that the creature cannot die so long as its regeneration is still functioning. It further states regeneration as being incapable of restoring HP lost to starvation, suffocation and the like. That being said, it still says they cannot die rather clearly. I suppose they just have to suffer for eternity. But uh... I sorta have a feeling disintegrate might be an exception for one major reason. ... How does nothing regenerate into something?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
darth_gator wrote:
LazarX wrote:
showzilla wrote:

can a creature with regeneration die from starvation, suffocation, and/or thirst?

RAW and RAI readings and rulings are accepted.

I will say yes. Regeneration is a battle magic effect. Long term deprivation is another story. There is nothing about the regeneration ability that eliminates the need to breathe, eat, or drink.

But there is the part about regeneration that says as long as regeneration is functioning, the creature CANNOT DIE. Nothing in the regeneration ability states that it ceases functioning when the creature is starving or suffocating. It does say that the creature can't heal damage from starvation, suffocation, or thirst. Not healing damage does not equal "regeneration stops working."

The monster ability rules for the most part only cover short term battle considerations, not the effects of long term deprivation. For my purposes, my games, I'm going to say that there are forms of death that regenertion does not specifically protect you from. If you insist on RAW, I will point out that there is no text that contradicts my statement.

It is also true that there are creatures that can go for ridiculously long periods without sustenance. It's also perfectly fine to say that this has to be judged on a situation by situation basis. Another possibility might be that regeneration prevents death but not the effects of deprivation which would lead to a hunger/thirst based insanity, as in the case of a vampire trapped in a box for centuries.

Ultimately my advice to judges... Make things what you want it to be. Rationalize it later.. if you need to, or not at all. You're only obliged to give answers to the right questions.... asked in the proper way.


What if you cut the head off of a troll, will the body regrow out of the neck stump? How can the troll breath while its got no lungs? In the absence of acid and fire, can you cut the head off of a troll to kill it?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Darthslash wrote:
What if you cut the head off of a troll, will the body regrow out of the neck stump? How can the troll breath while its got no lungs? In the absence of acid and fire, can you cut the head off of a troll to kill it?

In the absence of acid and fire.... You've got a problem. :)

You could try burying the remains under a rock slide, which should hold off the problem for a loong while.


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darth_gator wrote:


Regeneration wrote:
... but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning...

'Die' is a generalization that simply eliminates descriptors. You can say, "Die from suffocation," or "Die from starvation," or "Die from massive head trauma," or "Die from a sword through the innards." If a creature "...CANNOT DIE...", then they CANNOT DIE. Period. The method of death is irrelevant. If we can substitute the following in the regeneration definition, "...but they cannot die [from sword inflicted injuries] as long as their regeneration is still functioning...", why does anyone assume you CAN'T substitute, "...but they cannot die [from starvation] as long as their regeneration is still functioning..."?

It seems pretty self-explanatory to me.

Well, I can see why it doesn't seem self-explanatory to others. Is the troll's regeneration actually still functioning?

One could say, "Yes, the Troll's regeneration is still functioning. It still has the Regeneration ability, even though it can't restore the hit points lost from suffocation." In that interpretation, then the troll can't die from suffocation. It continues to lose hit points, going deeper and deeper into negative numbers, for days, weeks, months, years, or centuries, but, if at some point, even millions of years in the future, it can breathe again, it will come back to life (of course, it will, by that point perhaps need years of regeneration to get back out of negative HP).

Another, to me, perfectly reasonable, interpretation is, "No, the troll's regeneration is not functioning. It might still have the Regeneration ability, but the ability is not functioning, because the troll has lost hit points and regeneration, whose function is to restore them, is not restoring them." What does it mean to say that regeneration is 'functioning' if it is, in fact, not doing the very thing it is supposed to do? What other option is there for Regeneration to be 'not functioning'? I mean, given the clause, "as long as their regeneration is functioning", there seems to be a strong indication that, under some circumstances, regeneration can stop functioning. The situation where you have lost enough hit points to die, or more, and regeneration can restore NONE of them, seems to be a good candidate for being labeled "not functioning". Are there any others?

*Please note, that's not intended to be a snarky question. I'm not a Pathfinder collector, so there may well be numerous spells, spell-like abilities, and poisons which all suspend Regeneration. I don't know. Still, even if there is a level 3 "Stop Regeneration" spell, I think suffocation and starvation are still good candidates for other 'stop regeneration from functioning' scenarios.

Under that interpretation, if regeneration has restored all the hit points it can, but the troll is still at a negative hit point total which would normally result in death, the troll dies. This would lead to a slightly odd scenario where trolls always leave a beautiful corpse (in that, regeneration functions until it has restored all the 'physical' damage hit points, then kicks out, letting starvation and suffocation finish off the troll).

On the other hand, it wouldn't lead to another odd scenario, where starvation and suffocation CANNOT kill trolls, over any period of time whatsoever, but just leave them as inert piles of negative hit points (very huge piles of negative hit points, considering how quickly suffocation damage accrues). Trolls would be the equivalent of Dire Waterbears, going into suspended animation and reviving when conditions are right. Note that this scenario is weird, not wrong. I kind of like the idea of a glacier revealing ancient trolls, or explorers in Golarion's solar system creating a habitable environment and reviving dessicated troll corpses.

I'm not saying that you're wrong, but I don't see it as self-explanatory, as the key question doesn't seem to be understanding "cannot die", but understanding what constitutes 'functioning' Regeneration vs. 'not functioning' Regeneration.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Suffocation will still cause the creature to die, unless it has some way to survive without air (Or breath in the environment that is normally the cause of suffocation)

Remember, it says right at the beginning. "difficult to kill" It can regenerate all the hp it wants, if it can not breath, HP don't matter.

Grand Lodge

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Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Question 1:

Are you the GM?

If the answer is yes, just make it work the way YOU want it to. That's what we did in the days of old school GMing. It doesn't matter if you do things differently from me, or how James Jacobs would do it in his campaign. He even uses home rules which vary from the core books. Traditionally in the day, EVERY home campaign had such differences... and life was still good.

If you're not the GM, than it's not your problem, unless your character IS a troll, which makes it still the GM's problem.

Dark Archive

Still says plainly "It cannot die so long as regeneration is still functioning." Argument could go either way.

Grand Lodge

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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
LazarX wrote:

Question 1:

Are you the GM?

If the answer is yes, just make it work the way YOU want it to. That's what we did in the days of old school GMing. It doesn't matter if you do things differently from me, or how James Jacobs would do it in his campaign. He even uses home rules which vary from the core books. Traditionally in the day, EVERY home campaign had such differences... and life was still good.

If you're not the GM, than it's not your problem, unless your character IS a troll, which makes it still the GM's problem.

RAW and RAI readings and rulings are accepted. ;)

The RAI would be that a troll that was nothing more than a puddle of sliced and diced green mush on the ground will get up as soon as its regeneration restores enough HP for that to happen. As a fantasy game, strict adherence to biology is not the intent. Otherwise, trolls wouldn't regerate at all.

Want to kill a troll? Find out if it blends, then touch it with a torch. Or mix its remains with some acid. Don't have fire or acid sources available? I hope your hungry, hit it with stomach acid.


Stomach acid FTW! Throw up on it! The perfect answer! You rule MrCab.


Quote:
Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally.

So if I chop the head off and move it away from the body, in 1 hour the head will wither and die. Without a brain to control it I would say the troll dies as the only thing left would be a body but nothing to control said body.

Sczarni

"Regenerating creatures can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts if they are brought together within 1 hour of severing. Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally."

The body regrows a head within an hour (or the head a body, depending on the GM). It says that non-attached parts wither and die, but it also says they regrow lost portions (the head) within an hour. EX is a physical ability of all the cells of the body... basically.

"Pasting" a Troll, in games I run is enough to kill them without fire. Basically, if you spend a few minutes pounding the remains into pulp (helpless, coup de gras every strike) I let it slip. Why? Because everyone in the game can roll a SURVIVAL roll to start a fire (difficulty 10 or 15) and make a fire, thus killing it in one round after putting a torch to it. I just let it go if they paste it to -500 HP. Close enough to starting a fire and tapping it out with a torch for me, as a GM.


This thread stinks of rotting cheese.

I think this is more unfortunate wording from Paizo being twisted away from its spirit and turned into something sort of... abhorrent and stupid.

Clearly, a troll can starve to death. Why? Well, firstly, because the rules say that the regeneration cannot stop it from happening. Secondly, where on earth does the troll get the energy needed to continue regenerating if it does not eat something? Remember, regeneration is an Extraordinary ability (Ex), NOT a Supernatural (Su) ability. The troll is not regenerating through magic or some external source. It is regenerating via its own body's internal beyond-human ability. POWERED BY ITS OWN BODY.

No food = no power to regenerate.

The lame (make that UNBELIEVABLY LAME) position in these arguments that the rules somehow work RAW out of context of some in-game element, makes me want to vomit. The rules aren't just rules for rules' sake. They EMULATE something. You have to understand them in context.

Yes, Paizo did it again: they worded the rule in an unfortunate way (though the entry can easily be seen to be using the second paragraph to caveat the first -- but let's not confuse the cheese hunters with a big word like "caveat"). But we all should know what they're talking about. The spirit of the rule is clear. So long as the troll is not suffering from suffocation, starvation or thirst, it can regenerate and nothing OTHER THAN DAMAGE FROM THOSE THREE THINGS can kill it until it comes into contact with whatever OTHER damage form its regeneration cannot overcome. But if it IS starving, dying of thirst or suffocating, not even its regeneration can save it.

Sczarni

Am I - the Tarrasque's regen is EX as well... and its quite clear what that means for it (and it doesn't eat for centuries). Meaning that "it regenerates even if disintegrated or slain by a death effect. If the tarrasque fails a save against an effect that would kill it instantly, it rises from death 3 rounds later with 1 hit point if no further damage is inflicted upon its remains."

Seems pretty clear, when they say "nothing suppresses it" - that the "normal" regen has things that do, then ONLY when those things suppress it, the monster can be actually killed. The tarrasque is only a "special case" insomuch as nothing suppresses it.


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The arguments for physiology on needing food, air or a brain for the troll to regenerate, doesn't hold up.

Trolls are very clearly described as being able to regenerate from almost nothing: "even the smallest scrap of flesh can regrow a full-size troll given enough time".

This doesn't make any sense if we impose the starvation, thirst and suffocation rules upon the, while decimated to a small scrap of flesh. Clearly they cannot eat, drink and breathe without the internal organs to do so.
On that basis, could we choose to rule that they never get back up due to damage incurred from lack of either air or food? I guess we could, but that would go against everything that is specifically stated about regenerating trolls.


Specific trumps general. Generally you die when in the negatives troll does not unless regeneration is stopped. Specific - regeneration does not heal damage caused by lack of oxygen food etc. not healing means he doesn't heal it doesn't cause him to die. Essentially he'd be in a permanent state of unconsciousness(some might say hibernation) until exposed to what he requires to recover be it air food or water. Sort of like Anthrax actually.


gnomersy wrote:
Specific trumps general. Generally you die when in the negatives troll does not unless regeneration is stopped. Specific - regeneration does not heal damage caused by lack of oxygen food etc. not healing means he doesn't heal it doesn't cause him to die. Essentially he'd be in a permanent state of unconsciousness(some might say hibernation) until exposed to what he requires to recover be it air food or water. Sort of like Anthrax actually.

No the ability specifically states damage done would not be healed. Even if exposed to air, the damage wouldn't be healed, it persists. Same if the *very* helpless creature was somehow fed, the damage doesn't get healed.


Skylancer4 wrote:


No the ability specifically states damage done would not be healed. Even if exposed to air, the damage wouldn't be healed, it persists. Same if the *very* helpless creature was somehow fed, the damage doesn't get healed.

Except he wouldn't need regeneration to heal him it just keeps him alive. He'd heal naturally over time due to "resting" assuming he was kept in the presence of what he needed.


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pg. 62 of classical monsters revisited

"Trolls are still subject to some of the
risks that humans are: they can be killed by viruses that
inhibit their regenerative abilities, and drowning, fire,
and acid put an end to trolls in quick order. Starvation can
also end a troll’s life. A full-grown adult troll needs up to
half its body weight in food every day. After only a few days
without sufficient food, a troll’s regenerative abilities cease
to function. Once it loses its regeneration, a troll quickly
succumbs to starvation or other natural hazards. Troll
family groups sometimes bind weak trolls, dump them
into pits, and leave them to starve to death. More often, a
weak or ill troll is simply drowned."

does that help? trolls have a quasi-mystical/biological regenerative power, they need energy to regenerate, but can come back from some nasty shit.

the Tarrasque's regen entry specifically states that Death effects only slow it down, does this mean death effects (save or dies like spells, suffocation, starvation,ect.)


And here you had to go ruin a perfectly good internet forum argument. It didn't even get a chance to get good!


Buri wrote:
And here you had to go ruin a perfectly good internet forum argument. It didn't even get a chance to get good!

well, I did ask about regeneration as a whole, not just trolls....how bout a pitfiend? they don't eat,drink, breath or even sleep if I remember right.

besides, I don't know if the fluff for the trolls has any actual relevance to this forum, just felt like pointing it out.


Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Showzilla for the win. However, Classic Monsters Revisited isn't Core, so isn't valid in PFS.


showzilla wrote:

well, I did ask about regeneration as a whole, not just trolls....how bout a pitfiend? they don't eat,drink, breath or even sleep if I remember right.

besides, I don't know if the fluff for the trolls has any actual relevance to this forum, just felt like pointing it out.

Outsiders don't eat, sleep, or breathe as a creature type. That one would be moot. Outsider (native) type races do, though.


Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Irrelevant to RAW, but I like the explanation in S4 of "Angel." Angel gets locked in a box and sunk to the bottom of the ocean for months. He can't die, because only very specific things can kill him, but he does eventually start to hallucinate from extreme hunger. According to a character who is looking for him, he will eventually go completely insane and feral.

So that's an idea.


The Mighty Khan wrote:
Showzilla for the win. However, Classic Monsters Revisited isn't Core, so isn't valid in PFS.

that's a shame.

now, someone pointed out as the GM I can call it any way I want, so..this would be my ruling, somewhat influenced by what the feed back gathered.

suffocation, starvation and other such death effects kill a creature as they normally would. general vs general, specific vs specific, can't die vs you drop dead on the spot.

suffocation would count as a death effect and only the Tarrasque's regeneration goes into detail on his specific resistance to death effects. This is not mentioned in other creatures regeneration entries, so death effects (should they be applicable to said creature), would still drop it.

so....

Trolls= -500 hp, the troll is probably finished with no outside help

Pit-Fiends= this beast requires no mortal sustenance to continue "living",so simply painting the country side with his liquefied corpse won't do anything, though a well placed disentigration spell might finish it off.

The Tarrasque= what part of no known method of killing it exists didn't you understand? King Mogaru could step on this thing, leaving a greasy smear that drips into the earth and it would eventually come back.

this sound OK?


Sounds legit to me.

...still kind of wish there was more poo flinging... *sigh*


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Outsiders do breathe, they just don't need to eat or sleep.


That was nary a dingleberry.

(But, noted.)

Liberty's Edge

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Unfortunately for those of you claiming that regenerating creatures can starve to death (I'm not replying to all of those posts, though I specifically like Am I the Only One's? comment about cheese), are totally ignoring the rules. What the rules are meant to emulate is irrelevant. It isn't cheese to use them the way they're written. If you choose to allow creatures with regeneration to die in your games, so be it. That's you're choice. I have no issue with you doing that. I'll play the game the way I want to, too.

To avoid quoting and re-quoting the text, here are the basics:

If a creature has regeneration it:
Heals X hp every round
Can regrow lost body parts, including heads, chests, and hearts
Can regenerate from the smallest scrap of their physical form
Cannot die as long as their regeneration functions
Cannot regenerate damage caused by starvation, thirst, or suffocation
Has some way(s) to make the regeneration stop functioning

That's pretty much it. Since everyone seems to jump on the troll comment because of the fluff line in Classic Monsters Revisited, I won't use specific creature types. I used one everyone knows, and that everyone knows has regeneration, for simplicity's sake. Apparently some people can't understand that, though. (And they accuse ME of cheesing the rules...) So, let's call the creature with regeneration creature X. It normally has to eat, sleep, drink, and breathe.

One final point that everyone seems to be ignoring: Each creature with regeneration has in its stat block THE METHOD OF MAKING ITS REGENERATION CEASE FUNCTIONING. Allow that to sink in for a moment or two before continuing. Read through the caps section, again. And a third time. Now, continue.

Creature X has this line in its stat block: Regeneration 10 (acid and force). That means the Creature X's regeneration CEASES FUNCTIONING on the round following it taking any amount of damage from acid or force. At all other times, regardless of situation or circumstance, environmental conditions or celestial alignment, Creature X's regeneration is FUNCTIONING (i.e. it CANNOT DIE).

Now, Creature X has had a rough day. He ran into some adventurers and they took him to -30 hp. He's unconscious. The adventurers have no acid or force damage potential. What do they do? They walk away, because they can't do a damn thing to stop Creature X from regenerating. They can even chop it up into little bitty pieces and scatter them over the next 6 miles. Irrelevant. Creature X will regrow into a single being from ONE of those pieces. The rest disappear.

Now, enter player Y who believes that if a creature with regeneration suffocates, it dies. Player Y cuts out Creature X's lungs. Problem solved. The creature can't breathe, so it is dead. So, all you have to do to kill ANY creature with regeneration is subdue it, cut out its lungs, and it can't regenerate. And before any of you say, "But it didn't die from suffocation", please rethink your response. At -30 hp, Creature X is unconscious, ie, still breathing. If you cut out it's lungs, it can't breathe, therefore it begins to suffocate. It has three rounds. Don't like that? Stick its head in a barrel of water. Since it's unconscious and still breathing, it inhales water, resulting in triggering the drowning (ie, suffocation) rules. Problem solved. No acid or force necessary. All regeneration can be overcome with a sap and a bucket of water. Just knock it out and drown it.

How many of you believe that will actually work? Anyone?

Now, the (mostly) tongue in cheek sap and bucket of water example could be an interesting way to keep the regenerating creature out of action. Deal enough non-lethal damage, and ZERO lethal damage, to make it fall unconscious, stick it's head in water and wait for it to drown. It has then, essentially, taken it's full hp+1 in damage from suffocation. It can't regenerate that damage. It will remain unconscious until someone or something heals that specific damage, or it rests long enough to heal. And NONE of that damage will heal with regeneration. Ever. Until it rests enough to recover those lost hp, it will not recover its full hp with regeneration. Other damage it takes will regenerate, but not the suffocation damage. Furthermore, if you hit it with a single point of acid damage after it drowns, IT WILL DIE. Because it's regeneration STOPS FUNCTIONING the round after it takes that acid damage, it is at negative hp, so it dies.

This goes for the other two, also. Sovereign glue Creature X's mouth shut so it can no longer eat. It will, eventually, fall unconscious from thirst or starvation. It will continue to descend into negative hp. Until you hit it with acid or force, its regeneration is STILL FUNCTIONING, and it CANNOT DIE.

That's not twisting the rules to some cheesey end. That's called reading the rules and being able to understand them.

Shadow Lodge

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Quote:

Fast Healing (Ex)

A creature with the fast healing special quality regains hit points at an exceptional rate, usually 1 or more hit points per round, as given in the creature’s entry. Except where noted here, fast healing is just like natural healing. Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, nor does it allow a creature to regrow lost body parts. Unless otherwise stated, it does not allow lost body parts to be reattached. Fast healing continues to function (even at negative hit points) until a creature dies, at which point the effects of fast healing end immediately.

Format: fast healing 5; Location: hp.

Quote:
Creatures with regeneration heal damage at a fixed rate, as with fast healing, but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning (although creatures with regeneration still fall unconscious when their hit points are below 0).

The way I read this is that, like fast healing, regeneration heals at a fixed rate but ,unlike fast healing, the creatures cannont die from such damage.

To me this doesnt mean that creatures with regeneration cannot die period, it just means they cannot die from normal damage.

Shadow Lodge

@darth-gator,
Your whole assumption is based off your interpretation of one line of the regeneration discription.

That fines but understand that thats 'your' interpretation of that line. Saying that others cant seem to read or understand is not being very nice.


Jacob Saltband wrote:


Quote:
Creatures with regeneration heal damage at a fixed rate, as with fast healing, but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning (although creatures with regeneration still fall unconscious when their hit points are below 0).

The way I read this is that, like fast healing, regeneration heals at a fixed rate but ,unlike fast healing, the creatures cannont die from such damage.

To me this doesnt mean that creatures with regeneration cannot die period, it just means they cannot die from normal damage.

How can we the explain the ability to regrow from a scrap of flest?

Surely that scrap of flesh is neither breathing nor eating.

And Fast Healing and Regeneration differs on other points as well. Specifically regeneration regrows lost body parts.

Liberty's Edge

Jacob Saltband wrote:

@darth-gator,

Your whole assumption is based off your interpretation of one line of the regeneration discription.

That fines but understand that thats 'your' interpretation of that line. Saying that others cant seem to read or understand is not being very nice.

First, I haven't made any assumptions; I simply read the rule and applied my understanding of English to it. 'My' interpretation of that line is based off of basic reading comprehension. "If a creature's regeneration is functioning, it cannot die." No assumptions there, just the crunchiest of RAW.

Second, As soon as someone can come up with a legitimate argument for why the creature dies while its regeneration still functions, I'll be all ears. Of course, you'll have to find a way to beat the English language. If you don't like what the rule clearly states, that's fine. House rule away. I continue to maintain that's your option, just as I change rules I don't like in games I run. Understand that you're using a house rule, though, and not what the actual rule clearly states.

For the record, I don't think it's very nice when someone accuses other players of being cheese mongers for simply reading the rules as they're written. I tend to picture these as the same folks who subscribe to the Stormwind Fallacy

Shadow Lodge

HaraldKlak wrote:
Jacob Saltband wrote:


Quote:
Creatures with regeneration heal damage at a fixed rate, as with fast healing, but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning (although creatures with regeneration still fall unconscious when their hit points are below 0).

The way I read this is that, like fast healing, regeneration heals at a fixed rate but ,unlike fast healing, the creatures cannont die from such damage.

To me this doesnt mean that creatures with regeneration cannot die period, it just means they cannot die from normal damage.

How can we the explain the ability to regrow from a scrap of flest?

Surely that scrap of flesh is neither breathing nor eating.

And Fast Healing and Regeneration differs on other points as well. Specifically regeneration regrows lost body parts.

The bold part is particular to a troll not all monsters with regeneration. And the troll discription says its venerable to starvation.

Shadow Lodge

darth_gator wrote:
Jacob Saltband wrote:

@darth-gator,

Your whole assumption is based off your interpretation of one line of the regeneration discription.

That fines but understand that thats 'your' interpretation of that line. Saying that others cant seem to read or understand is not being very nice.

First, I haven't made any assumptions; I simply read the rule and applied my understanding of English to it. 'My' interpretation of that line is based off of basic reading comprehension. "If a creature's regeneration is functioning, it cannot die." No assumptions there, just the crunchiest of RAW.

Second, As soon as someone can come up with a legitimate argument for why the creature dies while its regeneration still functions, I'll be all ears. Of course, you'll have to find a way to beat the English language. If you don't like what the rule clearly states, that's fine. House rule away. I continue to maintain that's your option, just as I change rules I don't like in games I run. Understand that you're using a house rule, though, and not what the actual rule clearly states.

For the record, I don't think it's very nice when someone accuses other players of being cheese mongers for simply reading the rules as they're written. I tend to picture these as the same folks who subscribe to the Stormwind Fallacy

Again your interpretation, obviously there are differences of opinion otherwise there would be a question about it. Also no one said that @dath-gator was specifically being a cheese monger.

The way I read the discription is that a creature with regeneration cannot die from damage that it would normally be able to regenerate from unless its regeneration stops functioning.

Then I read the next paragraph and it says thirst, starvation, and suffication cannot be regenerated.

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