Two questions about a gorgon's breath weapon...
1) A gorgon's breath weapon is described as a gas. Does that mean a Necklace of Adaptation (which protects from harmful gasses) makes you immune to a gorgon's breath attack? If not, is there an item that does?
2) Are gorgon's immune to gorgon breath attacks? If not, a 60 ft. cone attack is VERY dangerous for the herd (which can number up to 12 large creatures. That takes up a lot of map space, and that means that a breath attack is likely to catch at least 1, if not multiple other members of the herd in their cone attack. With an intelligence of 2, they would have pretty simple combat tactics, and this could easily happen.
The necklace specifically says it protects against all harmful vapors and gases so I'd say that it's a good defense against gorgon breath.
For the other, I'd just rule that gorgons can't be petrified by their own breath. Maybe outright immunity to petrification.
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1.) Yes. The examples listed under necklace of adaptation list spell effects that are no more clearly defined as "gas attacks" than the gorgon's breath weapon is. "Gas" is not a subtype or a descriptor - the necklace of adaptation simply provides protection from any gas-or-vapor-based attacks.
2.) Gorgons are immune to the gorgon breath weapon, but they are certainly not immune to petrifaction in general, as the above poster suggests.
Breath Weapon (Su)
Some creatures can exhale a cone, line, or cloud of energy or other magical effects. A breath weapon attack usually deals damage and is often based on some type of energy. Breath weapons allow a Reflex save for half damage (DC 10 + 1/2 breathing creature's racial HD + breathing creature's Con modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's descriptive text). A creature is immune to its own breath weapon unless otherwise noted. Some breath weapons allow a Fortitude save or a Will save instead of a Reflex save. Each breath weapon also includes notes on how often it can be used, even if this number is limited in times per day.
Emphasis mine, of course.
1.) Yes. The examples listed under necklace of adaptation list spell effects that are no more clearly defined as "gas attacks" than the gorgon's breath weapon is. "Gas" is not a subtype or a descriptor - the necklace of adaptation simply provides protection from any gas-or-vapor-based attacks.
2.) Gorgons are immune to the gorgon breath weapon, but they are certainly not immune to petrifaction in general, as the above poster suggests.
Emphasis mine, of course.Breath Weapon (Su)
Some creatures can exhale a cone, line, or cloud of energy or other magical effects. A breath weapon attack usually deals damage and is often based on some type of energy. Breath weapons allow a Reflex save for half damage (DC 10 + 1/2 breathing creature's racial HD + breathing creature's Con modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's descriptive text). A creature is immune to its own breath weapon unless otherwise noted. Some breath weapons allow a Fortitude save or a Will save instead of a Reflex save. Each breath weapon also includes notes on how often it can be used, even if this number is limited in times per day.
I knew I'd seen that line somewhere! Thanks Garden Tool! And for the record, I was suggesting, didn't mean to imply or take a stance on an actual rule for that part.
Two questions about a gorgon's breath weapon...
1) A gorgon's breath weapon is described as a gas. Does that mean a Necklace of Adaptation (which protects from harmful gasses) makes you immune to a gorgon's breath attack? If not, is there an item that does?
If a mundane blindfold can protect against a Medusa's Gaze, I don't see how a Magic item that protects against gases doesn't protect against a gaseous breath weapon, unless the weapon or magic item specify otherwise.
2) Are gorgon's immune to gorgon breath attacks? If not, a 60 ft. cone attack is VERY dangerous for the herd (which can number up to 12 large creatures. That takes up a lot of map space, and that means that a breath attack is likely to catch at least 1, if not multiple other members of the herd in their cone attack. With an intelligence of 2, they would have pretty simple combat tactics, and this could easily happen.
By RAW "A creature is immune to its own breath weapon unless otherwise noted." and by extension, logic or at least RAI, Gorgon's can't turn each other to stone. The species would have died off long ago if this were the case.
1) I thought so, but I was wrong about other things I thought were self-evident. At least 1 person I know disagrees, hence the rules question.
2) I missed that, thanks. It may seem like a no-brainer, but scorpions, snakes, spiders, and other creatures are usually NOT immune to the poison of their own species. Since no actual creature has a petrifying breath weapon, the closest real-world example I could think of was poison.