Total Defense


Rules Questions


Is there any kind of limitation with Total Defense and mindless creatures?

Such as a skeleton or scorpion.

Grand Lodge

VonGonda wrote:

Is there any kind of limitation with Total Defense and mindless creatures?

Such as a skeleton or scorpion.

I don't think I understand your question. Are you asking if mindless creatures can use the Total Defense action?


Yes

It seems they can, but from a game perspective does it makes any sense?

To extend this a little more can an animal companion use Total Defense? There is no trick for it.

Grand Lodge

If so, then no. A mindless creature is not mechanically prevented from using Total Defense.

That being said, a mindless creature has no intelligence score and should probably use very simple and direct tactics. So I personally would avoid having a mindless skeleton guardian use full defense in a fight (unless directly instructed to do so). I could see a scorpion use total defense if it was trying to back away from a fight though.

Silver Crusade

A mindless creature will defend itself when attacked. If ordered to not hurt anyone or anything, it should constantly use total defense. If you believe that a mindless creature shouldn't get attacks of opportunity (a misinterpretation of the concept if you ask me), then they probably couldn't use total defense, either. The rules don't say that mindless creatures can't use certain types of attack or defense- they just say they lack tactics on their own, more or less.


Mindless is a very vague term, and mechanics aside, seems to be not clearly defined. What a mindless creature does or does not do depends on its instructions, probably the best course is to have them carry out their instructions in the most literal sense possible, for example, if you tell your skeletal minion to "guard this location" they will attack anything that enters aside from you on sight. They will have no sense of self preservation and never stop attacking until destroyed or given new orders.

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