After reading through many other posts and checking the FAQ, I decided to start a new thread.
There seems to be confusion, and conflicting guidance as to what a gaze constitutes, and how similar many of the interpretations seem to be to auras. Some clarification from Paizo would be apprecaited with regard to the gaze ability creatures like medusas and basilisks have.
While the concept of a gaze attack seems pretty straight forward in that vision is involved... a variety of circumstances resulting in many posts on this topic have prompted the need for clarification.
For example, if eye to eye contact cannot be made because one party is sleeping, or both are in darkness, or one is invisible, or senses other than vision are employed (echolocation, tremorsense, blindsense, etc...), is the gaze attack thwarted?
Additionally, if eye to eye contact is not needed, is the gaze attack a defensive ability (meaning that creatures within the necessary range who see the gazing creature are affected) or an offensive ability where the gazing creature needs to actually see (not just percieve such as with an invisible character) the target/victim of its gaze?
If someone would be so kind as to provide some guidance or game mechanics to go by, it would be most helpful.
Thanks for your time and consideration.
If the creature with a gaze attack cannot be seen by the other party, then the gaze attack doesn't function. That's why you can put on a blind fold and be unaffected by a medusa's gaze attack.
So, if a creature with a gaze attack is invisible, or if it is in darkness (and the other creature cannot see through darkness), if the other creature closes its eyes, etc then the gaze doesn't work.
If you are employing other means of sensing such as echolocation then you can be effectively immune to a gaze attack, but are not automatically. Same for scent termorsense or blindsight. If you always walk around with your eyes closed then sure, the gaze attack wont work on you. However, if you don't close them until you see the medusa you will still have to make at least one check.
Gaze (Su) A gaze special attack takes effect when foes look at the attacking creature's eyes. The attack can have any sort of effect: petrification, death, and charm are common. The typical range is 30 feet, but check the creature's entry for details. The type of saving throw for a gaze attack varies, but it is usually a Will or Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 gazing creature's racial HD + gazing creature's Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's text). A successful saving throw negates the effect. A monster's gaze attack is described in abbreviated form in its description. Each opponent within range of a gaze attack must attempt a saving throw each round at the beginning of his or her turn in the initiative order. Only looking directly at a creature with a gaze attack leaves an opponent vulnerable. Opponents can avoid the need to make the saving throw by not looking at the creature, in one of two ways.
Averting Eyes: The opponent avoids looking at the creature's face, instead looking at its body, watching its shadow, tracking it in a reflective surface, etc. Each round, the opponent has a 50% chance to avoid having to make a saving throw against the gaze attack. The creature with the gaze attack, however, gains concealment against that opponent.
Wearing a Blindfold: The foe cannot see the creature at all (also possible to achieve by turning one's back on the creature or shutting one's eyes). The creature with the gaze attack gains total concealment against the opponent.
A creature with a gaze attack can actively gaze as an attack action by choosing a target within range. That opponent must attempt a saving throw but can try to avoid this as described above. Thus, it is possible for an opponent to save against a creature's gaze twice during the same round, once before the opponent's action and once during the creature's turn.
Gaze attacks can affect ethereal opponents. A creature is immune to gaze attacks of others of its kind unless otherwise noted. Allies of a creature with a gaze attack might be affected. All the creature's allies are considered to be averting their eyes from the creature with the gaze attack, and have a 50% chance to not need to make a saving throw against the gaze attack each round. The creature can also veil its eyes, thus negating its gaze ability.
Format: gaze; Location: Special Attacks.
Thanks for the answer and this mostly answers my questions. What about circumstances where a medusa or basilisk are sleeping, unconscious, or blinded? If a rogue walks in on a sleeping medusa or a blinded basilisk, do they have to save, or is the gaze "turned off" until the creature's condition changes?
Thanks for the prompt response.
If the eyes cannot be seen then it doesn't function.
I would presume that while sleeping a medusa's or basilisk's eyes are not visible. Same for unconscious. Blinded could be tricky, and depend on how they were blinded. If it was a physical means of blinding that damage the eyes, then I might say the monster has permanently lost its gaze attack as its eyes have been damaged/destroyed. If they lost sight due to magic, I might say it still works. It's not clear how blindness causes one not to see, only that you do not see. The eyes could still be complete intact and unaffected, but the optic nerves are messed up by magic so that no signals reach the brain. It's simply not explained.
To that end, I would probably say that magical blindness doesn't remove the gaze attack, unless there is something to indicate damaging the eyes.
Thanks and please forgive the question since I rarely post on here. Do you work for Paizo/Pathfinder or are you another gamer like me putting in their 2 cents?
Thanks.
Thanks and please forgive the question since I rarely post on here. Do you work for Paizo/Pathfinder or are you another gamer like me putting in their 2 cents?
Thanks.
You're welcome, and you don't need to ask forgiveness. This is why the rules forum exists.
I do not work for Paizo, but section I quoted (in grey) is from the core rule book on universal monster abilities.
The rest of what I have written in my interpretation of those rules, with a smidgen of opinion on how things should be run that are less than clear (mostly how to deal with blinded).