How does a creature retreat with 1 (or 0) or fewer hit points?

[Julian Swifthands]

How does a creature retreat with 1 (or 0) or fewer hit points?
I've ran into this twice now, don't remember where the first one was but the second was in We Be Goblins, Too!
In We Be Goblins Too! the creature Piggy in it's Morale section says it "...attempts to flee back to the Munchmeat farm if reduced to 0 or fewer hit points."

Granted at 0 Hp it can still move but anything more than a move action, like double move, would cause it to take 1 hp damage. And last I checked anything, except undead, falls unconcious at -1hp.

[Pan]

Sounds like the pig has too few HPs to really worry about and there might be a typo too. Usually the description reads "at x HP this enemy will flee" X being half or some number of HP.

[Galnörag]

well the short answer is it might just retreat and take the AoO.

If at 1 hp you can do a withdraw action which is a full round action, and you can move up to double your speed, and don't provoke AoO from the first square you leave. Now unless you are really fast, or your foe merciful, a single opponent fleeing from a party is probably toast.

If the creature had die hard feat they are staggered but can still move, os they can take the 1 hp loss and provoke an AoO while retreating no so long they aren't at -con in damage.

[Anguish]

"Attempts to" is not the same as "is successfully able to".

That said, I've had players let the odd natural/animal monster run away. Not going to happen in your module, but hey.

[Thymus Vulgaris]

Boars have the Ferocity defensive ability, which allow them to act as if staggered when they are at negative hit points, just like Die Hard would.

[Sniggevert]

IIRC "Piggy"

Spoiler:

is a boar with a type of ferocity, where he doesn't actually fall down and die until he's AT negative CON.

[LazarX]

Boars don't retreat, they're one of the "go down fighting" breed of animals once you've proced their hair-trigger tempers.

[Finn Kveldulfr]

LazarX wrote:

Boars don't retreat, they're one of the "go down fighting" breed of animals once you've proced their hair-trigger tempers.

See the quote that began this thread. Maybe most boars react as you say, but "Piggy" in the named module is clearly an exception.