I can't seem to find this in any of the FAQ's. What happens when a creature without an ability (i.e. many animals have no INT, AD&D Shriekers have no DEX, incorporeal creatures have no STR) take ability drain damage? Does a single point of ability drain damage knock them unconscious or are they immune to ability drain for any ability they do not have?
The rulebooks say that any creature who has an ability reduced to zero is immediately made unconscious. However some creatures naturally have a zero in an ability score. So how are these creatures even functioning?
I can't seem to find this in any of the FAQ's. What happens when a creature without an ability (i.e. many animals have no INT, AD&D Shriekers have no DEX, incorporeal creatures have no STR) take ability drain damage? Does a single point of ability drain damage knock them unconscious or are they immune to ability drain for any ability they do not have?
The rulebooks say that any creature who has an ability reduced to zero is immediately made unconscious. However some creatures naturally have a zero in an ability score. So how are these creatures even functioning?
I am unaware of a creature with a zero in a score. Usually it is a "-" which means they do not have that value. Undead and Con for example. Typically this means they are unaffected by anything that targets that ability score in the first place. You can usually find that actually stated in their creature type as well.
Rathendar is right, creatures have a "-" in the stat and not a 0. If a creature with a 1 or above in an ability score reaches 0 it is paralyzed (Str or Dex), dead (Con), braindead (Int), or Insane (Wis or Cha).
Rathendar is right, creatures have a "-" in the stat and not a 0. If a creature with a 1 or above in an ability score reaches 0 it is paralyzed (Str or Dex), dead (Con), braindead (Int), or Insane (Wis or Cha).
Pathfinder makes it easier than that: the character is dead if reduced to 0 Constitution, and rendered unconscious if any other ability reaches zero.
Rathendar is right, creatures have a "-" in the stat and not a 0. If a creature with a 1 or above in an ability score reaches 0 it is paralyzed (Str or Dex), dead (Con), braindead (Int), or Insane (Wis or Cha).Pathfinder makes it easier than that: the character is dead if reduced to 0 Constitution, and rendered unconscious if any other ability reaches zero.
Easier, but not that easy.
If you are reduced to 0 dex, you are not unconcious, but only immobile.
Easier, but not that easy.
If you are reduced to 0 dex, you are not unconcious, but only immobile.
Nope, even Dex renders one unconscious:
(SOURCE)
Diseases, poisons, spells, and other abilities can all deal damage directly to your ability scores. This damage does not actually reduce an ability, but it does apply a penalty to the skills and statistics that are based on that ability.
For every 2 points of damage you take to a single ability, apply a –1 penalty to skills and statistics listed with the relevant ability. If the amount of ability damage you have taken equals or exceeds your ability score, you immediately fall unconscious until the damage is less than your ability score. The only exception to this is your Constitution score. If the damage to your Constitution is equal to or greater than your Constitution score, you die. Unless otherwise noted, damage to your ability scores is healed at the rate of 1 per day to each ability score that has been damaged. Ability damage can be healed through the use of spells, such as lesser restoration.
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]Nope, even Dex renders one unconscious:
I guess that depends on where you look...
(SOURCE)
Dexterity measures agility, reflexes, and balance. This ability is the most important one for rogues, but it's also useful for characters who wear light or medium armor or no armor at all. This ability is vital for characters seeking to excel with ranged weapons, such as the bow or sling. A character with a Dexterity score of 0 is incapable of moving and is effectively immobile (but not unconscious).
There haven't been any errata concerning this, so it might be worth a FAQ.
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Ah, I think I see the difference. If a character has a score of 0, he's immobile but not unconscious. But a Dexterity score of 0 is a rare thing, because ability damage doesn't actually reduce a character's ability score. Ability drain can, but it's not as common.
When ability damage equals a character's ability score, the score itself is unchanged; a character with a Dexterity score of 10, and suffering 10 points of ability damage to that ability, still possesses a Dexterity score of 10. However, the amount of ability damage he has suffered equals his ability score, rendering the character unconscious.