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Fear effect in Pathfinder are usually described as "mind-affecting fear effects". The Bestiary glossary entry on "Fear (Ex or Su)" even states that "All fear attacks are mind-affecting fear effects." Fear attacks usually result in the affected creatures becoming shaken, frightened, or panicked. However, there are some abilities that can cause creatures to become shaken, frightened or panicked that are not explicitly spelled out as fear effects or even as mind-affecting effects, for example the demoralize option of the Intimidate skill. Now, neither the skill description nor the glossary entry for the shaken condition (and the whole "Fear" block of the glossary) say anything about this being a mind-affecting effect, or even a fear effect. Still I have a hard time imagining, for example, a stone golem being impressed by someone's demoralization attempt or even becoming panicked and running away.
Is it an oversight that creatures immune to mind-affecting effects, and even more so, mindless creatures, are not stated as being immune to the shaken, frightened, and panicked conditions? Is it just assumed? Or are they, in effect, not intended to be immune, so that I really can actually demoralize the golem with impressive swordplay, or use the intimidating glare rage power on a skeleton?
I think that oversight was in not flagging demoralize as mind-affecting fear effect.
There are possible shaken, frightened and panicked conditions caused by non-fear, non-mind-affecting effects that would affect creatures immune to mind-affecting abilities: Turn Undead is prime example, but it would be possible to envision Golem Repeller spell that would make Constructs act as if panicked being Transmutation and working by scrambling their "programming".
There is also uncertaininty with Construct/Undead immunities - they are listed as "immunity to mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effect, phantasms and patterns). Fear effects are not listed on the list. There is no hint is the list is meant to be examples of mind-affecting effects or is this specific mind-affecting effects subkinds they are immune to.
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There are possible shaken, frightened and panicked conditions caused by non-fear, non-mind-affecting effects that would affect creatures immune to mind-affecting abilities: Turn Undead is prime example [...]
I was prepared to simply add a clarification to my house rules that "all shaken, frightened, and panicked conditions are mind-affecting fear effects". I don't see that as being necessarily wrong with Turn Undead (it's simply a type of fear effect that works on undead).
However, I'm curious what the other possible causes of those three conditions are that are not qualified as "mind-affecting fear effects". We know about Demoralize, but what are the others?
I'm trying to determine if my "house rule clarification" would solve the problem AFAIAC.
Thanks.
From the Core Rulebook, the barbarian's rage powers Intimidating Glare and Terrifying Howl can impose fear conditions, for example. Other instances are the infernal sorcerer's bloodline powers Corrupting Touch and Hellfire, and the undead bloodline's Grave Touch.
Bumping this. Came up in my game tonight when PC used Grave touch against a plant creature once and a demoralize attempt against another plant type creature later. I know I can house-rule it, but I would rather not if it can be helped.
Faq-ing the main question and shamelessly bumping it.