How does Ability Score damage and Negative Levels affect an Eidolon?

[TheCIASentMe]

Pretty much the thread title sums it up.

If an Eidolon takes ability score damage how does that heal? Is lesser restoration the only way?

Also how do Negative Levels work with the Eidolon? What happens if an Eidolon dies from Negative Levels? Does time unsummoned count towards the 24 hours later time limit for removing temporary negative levels or is the timer paused and only runs while they are summoned?

[Hauke Klimenko]

TheCIASentMe wrote:

Pretty much the thread title sums it up.

If an Eidolon takes ability score damage how does that heal? Is lesser restoration the only way?

Also how do Negative Levels work with the Eidolon? What happens if an Eidolon dies from Negative Levels? Does time unsummoned count towards the 24 hours later time limit for removing temporary negative levels or is the timer paused and only runs while they are summoned?

I understand the Eidolon descripntion and the spell purified calling to say that the Eidolon does not, in any way shape or form, heal on its own. The way you release it is the way you get it back. If you want it to regain lost ability scores, levels or hitpoints, you habe to use other means. The only exception is a dead Eidolon returning with half its hp.

[Jamz]

Casting Raise Thread...

So this came up at GenCon as a wight kille an eidolon due to Negative Levels. (google did not show any newer thread so...)

Eidolon only references hp: "When summoned in this way, the eidolon’s hit points are unchanged from the last time it was summoned. The only exception to this is if the eidolon was slain, in which case it returns with half its normal hit points. The eidolon does not heal naturally."

So, if you summoned it the next day, are ALL the negative levels gone? If not, wouldn't the summoned eidolon just instally die again?

Negative levels only state creatures that have 'permanent' negative levels can not be raised, etc.

So, lets say we have a 4 HD blind, deafened, eidolon with 4 permanent negative levels and missing a leg.

Does the summoner just summon a new "Aspect" the next day and has a perfectly fine eidolon again with half normal hp?

Follow up, what happens if you cast "Summon Eidolon" an hour later after it's death due to neg level?

[Volkard Abendroth]

I would assume the same thing that happens when you reduce an eidolon's CON to zero.

The next time you summon the eidolon, it is one point/level short of death.

All other conditions remain unaltered.

[blahpers]

Why would you assume that?

[Yorien]

We're slightly entering the lands of Houserulia here, since Paizo has not a thorough explanation for all:

Jamz wrote:

So, if you summoned it the next day, are ALL the negative levels gone? If not, wouldn't the summoned eidolon just instally die again?

I'd say yes and no, due to how Negative Levels work

"Negative levels remain until 24 hours have passed or until they are removed with a spell, such as restoration. If a negative level is not removed before 24 hours have passed, the affected creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 draining creature's racial HD + draining creature's Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's descriptive text). On a success, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. On a failure, the negative level becomes permanent. A separate saving throw is required for each negative level."

If 24h passed and the eidolon is not restored beforehand (any restorarion removes all pre-24h negative levels), then Eidolon rolls for each negative level it took. On a success the negative level goes away; on a failure the negative level becomes permanent.

Unless your eidolon happens to fail ALL checks, then he'll be alive although very weakened, but you may normally remove the negative levels that "latched" (although at a high price cost)

Jamz wrote:

So, lets say we have a 4 HD blind, deafened, eidolon with 4 permanent negative levels and missing a leg.

Does the summoner just summon a new "Aspect" the next day and has a perfectly fine eidolon again with half normal hp?

The summoner forms a bond with one particular outsider. While the outsider's aspect can change, the outsider is still an unique creature, so permanent effects stick on the outsider like they stick with everyone else. This is one of the things that Paizo fails to explain (thus, Houserulia), although in previous versions (namely, D&D), there's this sentence:

"A summoned creature also goes away if it is killed or if its hit points drop to 0 or lower, but it is not really dead. It takes 24 hours for the creature to [u]reform[/u], during which time it can't be summoned again.

This means, if your GM abides, if the Eidolon ended up dead he'd reform normally with everything on it's place, but id the Eidolon was removed from the equation still alive, then all permanent effects on the Eidolon stay there untill normally removed. Dispel Magic, Restoration, Remove Blindness... you get the idea.

Jamz wrote:

Follow up, what happens if you cast "Summon Eidolon" an hour later after it's death due to neg level?

He dies immediately since he's a 0 levels, you can summon him with Purified Calling

Purified Calling removes all temporary negative effects (permanent ones like blindness and deafness stay). Since Negative Levels are considered temporary for the first 24h for the effects of spells like restoration and so, then they'd be immediately removed.

[Volkard Abendroth]

blahpers wrote:

Why would you assume that?

Why would you assume otherwise when we've already had one FAQ resolving the exact same issue with CON?

[blahpers]

Volkard Abendroth wrote:

blahpers wrote:

Why would you assume that?

Why would you assume otherwise when we've already had one FAQ resolving the exact same issue with CON?

Argh, that took some work to find. I'd expect summoner FAQs to be for the book where summoners were introduced and not buried in the FAQ for one particular archetype from another book.