Medusa Help

[David Fryer]

I have a question. Is there a way that a medusa could, in essence, turn off their petrifying gaze if they wanted to? I understand that it would be impossible naturally, but what about magical means? Say she had fallen in love with a human and didn't want to turn him to stone, how would she do that? I figure alter self can handle the pysical apperrance, but what about the powers?

[Matthew Morris]

David Fryer wrote:

I have a question. Is there a way that a medusa could, in essence, turn off their petrifying gaze if they wanted to? I understand that it would be impossible naturally, but what about magical means? Say she had fallen in love with a human and didn't want to turn him to stone, how would she do that? I figure alter self can handle the pysical apperrance, but what about the powers?

www.d20.org wrote:

Unless specified otherwise, a creature with a gaze attack can control its gaze attack and “turn it off ” when so desired. Allies of a creature with a gaze attack might be affected. All the creature’s allies are considered to be averting their eyes from the creature with the gaze attack, and have a 50% chance to not need to make a saving throw against the gaze attack each round.

So yes, they can. Would make it hard for Basilisks to mate otherwise.

Now thematically, I like the idea that Medeusae can't, but they can blindfold themselves etc. I think a Dragonshard on the wizards site had Eberron Medusae able to close their eyes and see through their snakes at a -2 spot/search/to hit penalty.

But then, Medusae are high on my list of a Pathfinder style 'reimaging' since they're a race, not a single cursed woman.

[Nobody Important]

If you're using any of the FR supplements, Serpent Kingdoms (pg 146) has a feat, "Narrowed Gaze." It states:

BENEFITS: You may chose to limit your gaze attack to an active attack. Doing so prevents you from accidently affecting friends with your gaze.

NORMAL: A gaze attack functions constantly on all those within range, and it can also be used to actively attack as an option.

PRE REQS: Int 13, gaze attack

[solo24601]

I have a question that somewhat relates to this. A couple actually.

1) If a character is turned to stone, are all of their items?
2) Is it right to assume that a Medusa can only use her "Gaze Attack" once per round against a single target since gaze attacks state they are an attack action?
3) Does a Medusa's head have any magical qualities after being severed?

Thanks,
Rich

[Phrennzy.]

Petrified

A petrified character has been turned to stone and is considered unconscious. If a petrified character cracks or breaks, but the broken pieces are joined with the body as he returns to flesh, he is unharmed. If the character's petrified body is incomplete when it returns to flesh, the body is likewise incomplete and there is some amount of permanent hit point loss and/or debilitation.

According to the rules, just the flesh is affected. I dont think its out of bounds to rule either way, as long as the players understand before they are petrified that their gear is stone as well, and that the break enchantment or flesh to stone reverts everything back to its normal form.

Gaze attacks are 'always on'. Each PC makes a save against it unless they are blinded or averting their eyes, etc. Look up gaze in the rules.
Creatures with gaze attacks can also use their gaze as a standard attack, trying to meet an opponents eyes. So a PC could be making two saves, once at the start of their turn for the general gaze attack, and once on the medusa's turn, as she tries to force them to meet her gaze.

A severed medusa's head has no properties, RAW. However, mythology and movies have given her head properties, from turning the kraken to stone to her blood spawning giant scorpions. All up to you, but be consistant. Any special properties outside of the rules should be documented and possibly known by characters - if there is a large coven of medusa not far from their home city, they've probably heard that the severed head can be used as a 1/day flesh to stone magic item.

[Vivar]

solo24601 wrote:

3) Does a Medusa's head have any magical qualities after being severed?

Rich

Corpses and chuncks of dead flesh have no supernatural special attacks, so no. But you can always use Create Greater Undead to turn the severed head into a ghoul, ghast, bodak (templates from Dragon Magazine 307 p38)or mummy (template from Libris Mortis p111); since undead are immune to critical hits, they are immune to death by decapitation, and an undead with a severed head should work fine.

You will need to find a way to control the head (spells or Command Undead), and bury the body somewhere safe (destroying it could destroy the undead, due to the loss of hit points).

As for "turning off" their gaze attack, medusas can close their human eyes and use the eyes of her snakes to see. A medusa in the Ghostwalk campaign had her human eyes pulled out, and she could still work fine with her snake eyes.