Dreamscarred Soulknife Question- WIng Clip Clarification

[Jeffrey Palmer]

I was hoping to get some clarification/advice on a rules question. The soulknife in my Rappan Athuk adventure just picked up the Blade skill Wing Clip. Here's the rules as written:

"Wing Clip: As a standard action, the soulknife may make a single melee attack against a single creature. If he hits, instead of dealing damage, the vibrations in his mind blade damages the creature’s ability to move, rendering it unable to move for a number of rounds equal to the soulknife’s Strength modifier (minimum 1). A successful Fortitude save negates the effect. The DC of this save is 10 + the soulknife’s base attack bonus."

It doesn't seem to have any limitations in terms of creature type, HD, or anything. The adventure has the party up against a party of specters and the soulknife is gonna wanna wing clip 'em, but it seems strange that this power can work on an incorporeal spectres. Maybe this is a case of me not attending to the RAW, which doesn't give any limitations, so I should just shut up and be a good storyteller and let it happen, but I'd love any thoughts on this. Are there any limitations on the power? Can you use it on an ooze, construct, ghost, zombie, gaseous creature, etc? Thanks.

[Changing Man]

Hmm, that does sound like something FAQ-worthy.
(and dotted for interest)

[Andreas Rönnqvist]

Short answer: Yes.

The name "wing clip" doesn't actually mean clipping anything, it is a reference to shutting down someones ability to maneuver. The vibrations are a form of localized gravity-well that prohibits movement from the spot, yet still allows them to defend themselves or attack. :D

Hope that helps.

- Andreas Rönnqvist
Dreamscarred Press

[Jeffrey Palmer]

Andreas Rönnqvist wrote:

Hope that helps.

Andreas, that helps a lot! Thanks, I just wanted to make sure that there were no limitations regarding stuff that isn't all nice and solid, i.e. incorporeal stuff, oozes, evil fog monsters, stuff like that. Sounds like the power is NOT bounded by any physical characteristics of the target, right?

[Changing Man]

Hmm, vibrations, psychic energy- why shouldn't it affect incorporeal undead? If anything, it should be more effective than some other 'mainstream' attacks...

[Prince of Knives]

Changing Man wrote:

Hmm, vibrations, psychic energy- why shouldn't it affect incorporeal undead? If anything, it should be more effective than some other 'mainstream' attacks...

There is that whole thing where they're immune to Fort Save effects that don't also affect objects.

[Jeffrey Palmer]

Prince of Knives wrote:

There is that whole thing where they're immune to Fort Save effects that don't also affect objects.

Maybe that's what was bugging me... Since Wing Clip targets a "creature" and it has to make a Fort save or be frozen in one spot, it sounds like undead would be unaffected, but things like constructs, oozes, mist monsters, etc, would be effected.... Sound right?

[Changing Man]

Prince of Knives wrote:

Changing Man wrote:

Hmm, vibrations, psychic energy- why shouldn't it affect incorporeal undead? If anything, it should be more effective than some other 'mainstream' attacks...

There is that whole thing where they're immune to Fort Save effects that don't also affect objects.

I thought maybe that would be brought up- it's yet another example of where flavor and mechanics don't play nice with each other. I mean, why (logically) should an incorporeal anything be affected by something that affects objects? Incorporeal- bodiless- certainly not physical (like an object). Psychic energy also operates on alternate frequencies than the vibrations of the physical. But the mechanics don't like it...

*heavy sighs*

[Andreas Rönnqvist]

Undead are unaffected, as are constructs, but not everything incorporeal must be undead. :)