Raging flower!


Rules Questions


6 people marked this as FAQ candidate.

So, I was looking at the Treesinger druid Archetype for lolz. I noticed something a bit odd. The carnivorous flower says that it can rage 1/day for 6 rounds, as the barbarian class feature.

Except, being of the plant type, they are immune to morale effects: EG: rage. So they can... do what, exactly? Nowhere in the entry does it say that the flower is susceptable to morale effects, which rules it out in my mind as a case of special exemption. If it IS an exemption, does that mean the flower is suceptible to things like fear as well?

Now lets say that just for lolz I didn't take the flower and took say, the Treeant instead. Lets further suppose I multiclass into barbarian and take frenzied companion. Can I get a raging tree? Because I'm not gonna lie that sounds pretty awesome.


I also found this thread:

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ptdg?Carnivorous-Flower-Companion

which talks about the same. They seemed to imply that the plant companion is vulnerable to mind effects because it has an INT score? That seems a bit odd to me as it still has the plant type. But it would let me have my raging tree, which is fine by me. Is this the case?


i would rule that the plants form of rage is not morale

but i would probably allow you as a player to have a raging tree(WOODEN TOOTHPICKS YOU MONSTER) but tree would lose the "immune to morale effects"


The thing is that the rage effect is *clearly* morale...

I have to say, the more I think about the "conclusion" on the other thread the more rediculous it seems. Plants creatures that are not mindless still have the plant type, and they still have plant traits.

Take the Shambling Mound, for instance. Nowhere does it say it loses it's ability to be immune to mind affecting abilities, it lists plant traits under its defenses. Yet it is intelligent.


checked the prd there does not seem to be errata so its between you and your DM but there is going to be some hand waving one way or the other


Because rage in 3.5 was untyped. In pathfinder its morale. Some people forget it.
Ether make plant not immune to morale as it is not mindless anymore or make Floral Rage that gives untyped bonuses.


I will need a reference to where it says that morale bonuses are mind-affecting effects, before i can comment on this, because neither does the plant trait mention morale bonuses as mind-affecting effects, nor does the explanation of morale mention mind-affecting. It only says INT 0 or - creatures don't gain morale bonuses, but that's not the same as immune to mind-affecting.


While in rage, a barbarian gains a +4 morale bonus to her Strength and Constitution, as well as a +2 morale bonus on Will saves. In addition, she takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase to Constitution grants the barbarian 2 hit points per Hit Dice, but these disappear when the rage ends and are not lost first like temporary hit points. While in rage, a barbarian cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration.

Plant Traits (Ex) Plants are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms), paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, and stun.

the PRD its a thing....


I swear i read that three times and i never spotted the "morale effects" in there.

My bad.

In that case I advise to simply make an exception as it was clearly a design oversight.


I am not sure morale bonuses and morale effects are the same thing. I would say "morale effects" deals with fear and related conditions...


so kinda a weak argument but in Combining Magic Effects it talks about bonuses being part of magic effects, but other then that your right they could be different but i don't think they are.


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Oh come on, nobody wants to say it?

Treesinger is poorly written. The writer/editor did not consider plant immunities when it was created. Plants are also immune to polymorph effects, which removes a huge number of potential buffs from the druid's list.

It's clearly a sloppy mistake and the fact that the plant has rage means it was intended to be able to use that rage, and it has share spells, so it was intended to have spells shared with it.

In PFS, well, you're screwed. In a real game, a reasonable GM will accommodate you.


mplindustries wrote:

Oh come on, nobody wants to say it?

Treesinger is poorly written. The writer/editor did not consider plant immunities when it was created. Plants are also immune to polymorph effects, which removes a huge number of potential buffs from the druid's list.

It's clearly a sloppy mistake and the fact that the plant has rage means it was intended to be able to use that rage, and it has share spells, so it was intended to have spells shared with it.

In PFS, well, you're screwed. In a real game, a reasonable GM will accommodate you.

I did.

Threeshades wrote:
In that case I advise to simply make an exception as it was clearly a design oversight.

I just decided not to bash what i consider a small oversight into the ground as much as you deemed it necessary.

Also druid buffs are rarely polymorph effects.


@mplindustries
pretty sure that "dont be a jerk" rule apples to the writer as well

the Polymorph spells is not that big of a bust on druid's spells maybe if it was wizards


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Thomas, A wrote:

@mplindustries

pretty sure that "dont be a jerk" rule apples to the writer as well

the Polymorph spells is not that big of a bust on druid's spells maybe if it was wizards

Being a jerk and providing objective analysis of a person's errors are very, very different. Telling someone they made a mistake and describing what that mistake involves is not rude or being a jerk. If you told someone that the mistake occurred because they are retarded, that'd be different and clearly within the "being a jerk" domain. But MLP pointed out that the problem arises because of sloppy work (which it was), failing to note changes between versions, failing to double-check principals, etc. A savvy writer would read that, note his error, learn from the mistake, and endeavor to avoid repetition of said mistake in future writing. But to criticize the critique as "being a jerk" is being overly sensitive and basically amounts to this.


Clearly the plant gains the benefit despite the immunity to other morale bonuses. This is one of those situations where I would he shocked to see a GM rule against this, ever, because it's a unique and listed ability of the plant. No character should have a listed ability but be unable to use it for no reason- you find a rationale that allows them, not the other way around.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps Subscriber

This happens in a number of Scenarios where for example an Evil Cleric under his tactics buffs the undead with spells that only affect living targets.

Sczarni

I misinterpreted something in regards to the companion. My apologies. Carry on!

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Without something telling me that "Morale Effects" include Morale Bonuses , I'll carry on ignoring it.

The closest I see to a Morale Effect is the "moral penalty" on a Core rulebook item.

So the flower has Rage and can use his Rage to get STR/CON.


Generally, I would also say this falls under the "specific beats general" provision. The flower is specifically stated to be able to rage. Generally, plants can't be affected by morale effects. Specific is more important.


Sissyl wrote:
Generally, I would also say this falls under the "specific beats general" provision. The flower is specifically stated to be able to rage. Generally, plants can't be affected by morale effects. Specific is more important.

While I agree that the plant should be able to benefit from its own rage, i have to adress this particular post: Nothing in the plant traits say the plant isn't able to rage. It can begin and end its rage just fine, since rage itself is not a morale effect. Only the effects of the rage are morale bonuses. So theoretically the plant would enter rage successfully but only incur the inability to use Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration, the armor class penalty and the fatigue afterwards.


Again, an effect is not nearly the same thing as a bonus. Looking through the plant immunities, I don't see anything pertaining to fear, which I would expect if the protection was due to mindlessness.


Sissyl wrote:
Again, an effect is not nearly the same thing as a bonus. Looking through the plant immunities, I don't see anything pertaining to fear, which I would expect if the protection was due to mindlessness.

The protection is not due to mindlessness, since a lot of regular plant creatures (even if not all of them) have an Intelligence score.

Silver Crusade

This discussion is going to be relevant to any Ghoran players out there.

I have to admit, Ghoran bard is something I'd like to try someday.


It states that they are immune to mind-affecting effects. This includes charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns and phantasms. You can't charm them, control them or fool them with illusions. The only thing missing is scare them, which I would say is what "morale effects" aims for. And vermin and oozes both have protection from being mindless that does NOT disappear if they gain an Int score.


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Behold! You have angered my sunflower called Daffodil...your's is soon to be a story of woe, for Daffodil is a raging sunflower....

All that they found at the murder site were bloody sunflower seeds everywhere and a puddle of tears....


ClarkKent07 wrote:

Behold! You have angered my sunflower called Daffodil...your's is soon to be a story of woe, for Daffodil is a raging sunflower....

All that they found at the murder site were bloody sunflower seeds everywhere and a puddle of tears....

I didn't know sunflowers were carnivorous.


Threeshades wrote:
I didn't know sunflowers were carnivorous.

I didn't know any flowers were carnivorous...but now I will be feeding all of my house plants raw steak just in case!


I hit the FAQ button. I'd definitly agree that it's a case of "specific trumps general" and applying common sense. It says it can rage as per a barbarian - the fact that the barbarian's bonuses are of a type that the plant is immune to is overridden by the "as a barbarian".

If there was an undead creature with a similar ability, I'd say that it also got the Con boost from raging - except that any number added to - is still -.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Personally, I think Mindless is a trait that should have been cleaned up with Pathfinder. Make it a subtype that applies as appropriate and remove it as being an automatic feature of Oozes, plants and vermin. I would even say remove the immunity to mind-affecting effects from Constructs and Undead. Instead focus on making sure abilities call out "living creature" and such if they can only affect living minds. Personally I would think Charm Monster should be able to work on liches, vampires, and free roaming homunculi. They have minds. These minds may be foreign, but are they any more alien than that of the stranger aberrations?


Mindless is not even a factor it does not have mindless it has plaint traits


ClarkKent07 wrote:
Threeshades wrote:
I didn't know sunflowers were carnivorous.
I didn't know any flowers were carnivorous...but now I will be feeding all of my house plants raw steak just in case!

Well, flowers, no. Plants, yes. (though technically not carnivorous, since they also photosynthesize; they'd be omnivorous.) Venus Flytraps and all that.

There's fictional ones, though. "FEED ME, SEYMOUR!"


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
Thomas, A wrote:
Mindless is not even a factor it does not have mindless it has plaint traits

Good point, I should have put plants in with Constructs and Undead instead of with Oozes and Vermin.


Thomas, A wrote:

@mplindustries

pretty sure that "dont be a jerk" rule apples to the writer as well

the Polymorph spells is not that big of a bust on druid's spells maybe if it was wizards

Also the share spell ability has built in exceptions that should allow polymorph to work on a plant.

Quote:


Share Spells (Ex)

The druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself. A druid may cast spells on her animal companion even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion's type (animal). Spells cast in this way must come from a class that grants an animal companion. This ability does not allow the animal to share abilities that are not spells, even if they function like spells.

This doesn't help with the rage though.

Shadow Lodge

Basic breakdown

Specific>General. Means that

Plant Rage>Plants are immune to morale.

Now, the bigger problem for the Archetype is you only get to have bonus tricks RAW, as nothing in the Archetype says you can teach plants tricks via handle animal.


ArmouredMonk13 wrote:

Basic breakdown

Specific>General. Means that

Plant Rage>Plants are immune to morale.

Now, the bigger problem for the Archetype is you only get to have bonus tricks RAW, as nothing in the Archetype says you can teach plants tricks via handle animal.

lol that is a better point sweet god this may go on for ever

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