Dragon
Frightful Presence (Ex): A dragon's frightful presence has a range equal to 30 feet × the dragon's age category, but otherwise functions as detailed in the Universal Monster Rules.
Universal Monster Rules
Frightful Presence (Ex) This special quality makes a creature's very presence unsettling to foes. Activating this ability is a free action that is usually part of an attack or charge. Opponents within range who witness the action may become frightened or shaken....
The Universal rules makes it seem as though the monster type determines whether the opponent becomes frightened or shaken, but I could not find anything that said which of the two fear affects the dragon's frightful presence does now.
Dragon
Frightful Presence (Ex): A dragon's frightful presence has a range equal to 30 feet × the dragon's age category, but otherwise functions as detailed in the Universal Monster Rules.Universal Monster Rules
Frightful Presence (Ex) This special quality makes a creature's very presence unsettling to foes. Activating this ability is a free action that is usually part of an attack or charge. Opponents within range who witness the action may become frightened or shaken....The Universal rules makes it seem as though the monster type determines whether the opponent becomes frightened or shaken, but I could not find anything that said which of the two fear affects the dragon's frightful presence does now.
I am currently setting up an Old White Dragon as a final villain in my story, I also am unsure about the specifics of (Frightened or Shaken) a save makes the character immune to the presence for 24 Hours.
So is it....
Save = Shaken for 5d6 rounds immune for 24 hours afterwards
Fail Save = Frightened and still vulnerable to another effect from the Frightful Presence ?
Or is it...
Save = No effect from fear, and immune for 24 hours
Fail Save = Frightened or Shaken ? which one ?
It helps to read the entire ability:
This special quality makes a creature's very presence unsettling to foes. Activating this ability is a free action that is usually part of an attack or charge. Opponents within range who witness the action may become frightened or shaken. The range is usually 30 feet, and the duration is usually 5d6 rounds. This ability affects only opponents with fewer Hit Dice than the creature has. An opponent can resist the effects with a successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the frightful creature's racial HD + the frightful creature's Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's descriptive text). On a failed save, the opponent is shaken, or panicked if it has 4 Hit Dice or fewer. An opponent that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to that same creature's frightful presence for 24 hours. Frightful presence is a mind-affecting fear effect.
The third sentence should be "Opponents within range who witness the action may become panicked or shaken." in which case the entire ability makes sense. I think this is an editorial artifact, as the following lines makes it pretty clear that the ability is:
Successful save: Immune to ability for 24h
Failed save: Shaken for 5d6 rounds, panicked if 4HD or less.
Yes apparently your rule you posted is a clarification upon the one that is printed in the Bestiary which is as follows.
Frightful Presence (Ex) This special quality makes a
creature’s very presence unsettling to foes. Activating this
ability is a free action that is usually part of an attack or
charge. Opponents within range who witness the action
may become frightened or shaken. The range is usually 30
feet, and the duration is usually 5d6 rounds. This ability
affects only opponents with fewer Hit Dice or levels than
the creature has. An affected opponent can resist the
effects with a successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 frightful
creature’s racial HD + frightful creature’s Cha modifier;
the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text). An
opponent that succeeds on the saving throw is immune
to that same creature’s frightful presence for 24 hours.
Frightful presence is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Format: frightful presence (60 ft., DC 21); Location: Aura.
I appreciate your clarification jorgenporgen but after reading it your revised definition now throws in Panicked.
So now the rule for Frightful Presence causes Panic or Shaken but not Frightened ?
I believe the Universal Monster rules were updated in Bestiary 2. I don't own a copy of the Bestiary, so I can't say anything about the old wording. My advice is to just read whatever it says in the PRD closely (The PRD has the wording I posted).