Help me to understand a DC rule (paralysis)

[Cathawk]

Okay, first, my background is heavy 2nd edition and 4e. Honestly I played about one session of 3e back when. My group tried 4e for a while and decided to go Pathfinder for more options/possibilities.

So last night I was running our campaign and I got caught up short on something.

The party was fighting a group of ghouls. Obviously the ghoul has a special paralysis attack if it hits you with its bite or claws

Special Attacks paralysis (1d4+1 rounds, DC 13, elves are immune to this effect)

My problem was this. Player A is hit. According to the monster stats the Player has to overcome a DC 13 to not suffer paralysis. This is where I was lost. What is the DC against? Does the player get any bonus? Like sometimes you'll have "make a DC 14 Acrobatics" check. Obviously it's a d20 + any Acrobatics skill you might have. The paralysis completely threw my group. We spent about 5 minutes looking for rules to clarify and then just flubbed it to speed up the game and not slow it down looking up a solution. The thought was if it was simple a true d20 roll against a DC 13. If so, that seems awkward because then a ghoul could equally paralyze a level 1 or level 20 character.

Question #2 - The length of paralysis. For the ghoul example, it reads 1d4+1 rounds. Does this mean if a player suffers paralysis they're suffering that condition for the entire random duration or is there some sort of check to break per round? (I read it as entire duration with no check).

So that's it. The DC is really what threw me for a curve here.

[Evert Te Pas]

It is a Fortitude save.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/rules-for-monsters/universal-monster-rules #TOC-Paralysis-Ex-or-Su-

[hogarth]

Shane Clarke wrote:

Question #2 - The length of paralysis. For the ghoul example, it reads 1d4+1 rounds. Does this mean if a player suffers paralysis they're suffering that condition for the entire random duration or is there some sort of check to break per round? (I read it as entire duration with no check).

Most of the time, there is no way to break out of paralysis early. There are exceptions, though. For instance, the spell Hold Person allows you to break free every round, and there are various class abilities that allow you to reroll saves.

[Von Marshal]

If they fail the dc then they are under the effect for the full duration of the 1d4+1 rounds.

Paralysis (Ex or Su) This special attack renders the victim immobile. Paralyzed creatures cannot move, speak, or take any physical actions. The creature is rooted to the spot, frozen and helpless. Paralysis works on the body, and a character can usually resist it with a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the paralyzing creature's racial HD + the paralyzing creature's Con modifier; the DC is given in the creature's description). Unlike hold person and similar effects, a paralysis effect does not allow a new save each round. A winged creature flying in the air at the time that it is paralyzed cannot flap its wings and falls. A swimmer can't swim and may drown. The duration of the paralysis varies and is included in the creature's description

so yup they are screwed if they fail thier check.

[Stockvillain]

Yup, Fortitude save. As for duration; once you fail a save you generally don't get to save again until the conditions change. You have to look at each ability to determine if there's an early out, and unless it says that a specific action or condition allows for a new save, you're stuck with the condition for whatever duration was rolled.

[Cathawk]

Okay that really helps. We thought it was a Fortitude save, but because the monster stat block didn't explicitly say "Fortitude" we were a confused a moment.

On a funny note: our instant solution was actually a Fortitude save because it is what made most sense.

Thanks guys!

[hogarth]

Shane Clarke wrote:

On a funny note: our instant solution was actually a Fortitude save because it is what made most sense.

It's funny that the answer that makes sense is the right answer?

MUST...NOT...MAKE...SNIDE...REMARK...ABOUT...2E...OR...4E...

;-)

[Drejk]

If the creature does not have description of an ability it has below it's stat block then it means that the ability will be described in universal monster rules Bestiary 1 version, Bestiary 2 version or Bestiary 3 version. Of course the more recent bestiaries contain universal monster rules from previous bestiaries plus general monster abilities added later.

So, answering to your questions:
#1: in that particular case it is a Fortitude saving throw because Fortitude deals with poisons, disease, death effects and physical paralysis (mental paralysis, such as created by hold person would fall under Will saving throw) as well as petrification, polymorphy, most transformations and physical shock.

#2: No, unless specific effect states that it can be ended prior to stated duration (like hold person, which lasts for 1 round per caster level but allows a saving throw each round) or character has special ability that allows to shrug off effects with extra saving throws (much rarer ability than in 4 edition - at the moment only thing which I can recall is rogue's talent slippery mind that works against Enchantment effects).

Generally, as far as I can remember, there there is no such thing in Pathfinder as rolling unadjusted d20 roll against DC x.