So I was looking at the various undead you could create via Animate Dead and found out about the Frostfallen Template. Apparently they get to keep the SLA, since they keep Special Attacks but I wanted to really find out what was defined as a special attack.
So under the Magic & the Special Abilities on the pfsrd there is short description of Spell-Like-Abilities (SP), Supernatural Abilities (SU) and Extraordinary Abilities (EX).
Then under the Universal Monster Rules section you have a few EX and SU abilities spread out between 3 subgroup of Special Abilities: Defensive Abilities, Special Attacks and Special Qualities, but SLA have their own section that is not under either Special Qualities or Special attacks. On top of this in the introduction to the bestiary SLA are under their own section.
From this post it appears that the idea of SLA being special attacks are an old 3.5 thing.
From this post it appears that any Special Abilities that are not a Special Attack and that are not offensive are Special Qualities (then again it references 3.5 as the ground for those judgment)
So SLA are (most of the time) offensive and therefore not Special Qualities and are not Special Attacks so what are they?
Now at the start of most of the undead templates they have this wording:
Type: ....It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Defensive Abilities: A skeleton loses the base creature’s defensive abilities ....
Special Attacks: A skeleton retains none of the base creature’s special attacks.
Special Qualities: A skeleton loses most special qualities of the base creature. It retains any extraordinary special qualities that improve its melee or ranged attacks.
Nowhere does it mention losing SLA, since they are not defensive Abilities, Special Attacks or Special Qualities so regular skeletons get to keep the SLA which is a Special Abilities and if the SLA`s are special attacks then the Frostfallen template would get to keep them since it has "Special Attacks: A frostfallen creature retains all of the base creature’s special attacks and also gains the following" as the wording.
So do we confirme that SLA are Special Attacks and the Frostfallen SLA idea is correct or are SLA Special Qualities and Frostfallen do not keep them or are SLA neither of those and Frostfallen, Skeleton and Zombie Template keep them?
[edit] This Post here arived at the same conclusions.
