Assassin's 'Angel of Death' ability vs. Druid Reincarnation?


Rules Questions


Can a Druid Reincarnate someone who die from an Assassin's `Angel of Death` ability?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
harmor wrote:
Can a Druid Reincarnate someone who die from an Assassin's `Angel of Death` ability?

I would say no since It says in the discription of the spell "So long as some small portion of the creature's body still exists, it can be reincarnated" on pg 331 of the Core Rulebook.


Isn't the pile of dust left your body? Or are you interpreting it as a having to be a fleshy part of your body.

Reincarnate creates a new body anyway. And also the Assassin ability only prohibits raise dead and resurrection specifically.

Assassin - Angel of Death (Su):
At 10th level, the assassin becomes a master of death. Once per day, when the assassin makes a successful death attack, he can cause the target's body to crumble to dust. This prevents raise dead and resurrection (although true resurrection works as normal). The assassin must declare the use of this ability before the attack is made. If the attack misses or the target successfully saves against the death attack, this ability is wasted with no effect.

Druid -Reincarnate:
With this spell, you bring back a dead creature in another body, provided that its death occurred no more than 1 week before the casting of the spell and the subject's soul is free and willing to return. If the subject's soul is not willing to return, the spell does not work; therefore, a subject that wants to return receives no saving throw.

Since the dead creature is returning in a new body, all physical ills and afflictions are repaired. The condition of the remains is not a factor. So long as some small portion of the creature's body still exists, it can be reincarnated, but the portion receiving the spell must have been part of the creature's body at the time of death. The magic of the spell creates an entirely new young adult body for the soul to inhabit from the natural elements at hand. This process takes 1 hour to complete. When the body is ready, the subject is reincarnated.

A reincarnated creature recalls the majority of its former life and form. It retains any class abilities, feats, or skill ranks it formerly possessed. Its class, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and hit points are unchanged. Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores depend partly on the new body. First eliminate the subject's racial adjustments (since it is no longer necessarily of his previous race) and then apply the adjustments found below to its remaining ability scores. The subject of the spell gains two permanent negative levels when it is reincarnated. If the subject is 1st level, it takes 2 points of Constitution drain instead (if this would reduce its Con to 0 or less, it can't be reincarnated). A character who died with spells prepared has a 50% chance of losing any given spell upon being reincarnated. A spellcasting creature that doesn't prepare spells (such as a sorcerer) has a 50% chance of losing any given unused spell slot as if it had been used to cast a spell.

It's possible for the change in the subject's ability scores to make it difficult for it to pursue its previous character class. If this is the case, the subject is advised to become a multiclass character.

For a humanoid creature, the new incarnation is determined using the table below. For non-humanoid creatures, a similar table of creatures of the same type should be created.

A creature that has been turned into an undead creature or killed by a death effect can't be returned to life by this spell. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures can't be reincarnated. The spell can bring back a creature that has died of old age.

The reincarnated creature gains all abilities associated with its new form, including forms of movement and speeds, natural armor, natural attacks, extraordinary abilities, and the like, but it doesn't automatically speak the language of the new form.

A wish or a miracle spell can restore a reincarnated character to his or her original form.

The Exchange

Well, Resurrection requires the exact same thing as Reincarnate, a small portion of the creature's body, so I would say no.

Resurrection wrote:
The condition of the remains is not a factor. So long as some small portion of the creature's body still exists, it can be resurrected, but the portion receiving the spell must have been part of the creature's body at the time of death.
Reincarnate wrote:
The condition of the remains is not a factor. So long as some small portion of the creature's body still exists, it can be reincarnated, but the portion receiving the spell must have been part of the creature's body at the time of death.

Resurrection recreates the old body, reincarnate creates a new one. I think it was probably an oversight, as the intent seems to be (since they mention it specifically) that you need a True Resurrection spell to bring someone back from the 'Angel of Death' ability. By the RAW though, it does not prohibit Reincarnate, so it's alright... as long as you can gather enough dust before it blows away in the wind. And although it does not say so anymore, you used to need a whole Cubic inch of flesh. If I were an assassin I would have mad ranks in UMD so I could carry around a wand of Gust of Wind to get rid of the dust.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Angel of death basically forces you to use high level magic to bring a dead person back to life. The assassin who does this is probably a 15th level character at least, after all; it's a potent effect. The implication of the rules is that reincarnate wouldn't work as a result.

THAT SAID: House ruling that reincarnte WOULD work would probably be fine, since it is such an unusual and potent method of restoring life. It can bypass death from natural aging, after all! ALSO: The risk of being reincarnated as a dwarf is probably punishment enough for a dead person that most assassins won't mind. :P


Looks like we House ruled it. Goblin now...and just got a `Hat of Disguise`.


James Jacobs wrote:


Angel of death basically forces you to use high level magic to bring a dead person back to life. The assassin who does this is probably a 15th level character at least, after all; it's a potent effect. The implication of the rules is that reincarnate wouldn't work as a result.

THAT SAID: House ruling that reincarnte WOULD work would probably be fine, since it is such an unusual and potent method of restoring life. It can bypass death from natural aging, after all! ALSO: The risk of being reincarnated as a dwarf is probably punishment enough for a dead person that most assassins won't mind. :P

For the old timers, a certain Wizard Prince comited suicide after being reincarnated into a Dwarf.

The Exchange

And then got reincarnated again, to try his luck?


Hunterofthedusk wrote:
And then got reincarnated again, to try his luck?

Nah, final death... such was the indignity!

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