Ecorche's Sieze Skin: 'So, is like that tablecloth trick...?'

[Ninjaxenomorph]

I like the Ecorche. Really nasty undead. That rips your skin off and wears it. But, I have a question about its signature ability:

Bestiary 3 wrote:

Seize Skin (Su) Whenever an ecorche damages a target with its rend ability, the target must succeed at a DC 25 Fortitude save to resist being skinned alive. Those who fail the save become staggered and take 1 point of Constitution drain per round. Both of these effects are permanent but can be removed with a regenerate or heal spell (or 1 round of regeneration). The ecorche can use its wear skin ability to don a skin stolen in this way as a full-round action. The save DC is Dexterity-based.

My question is that, after that ability is used, is the victim still wearing their gear (like that tablecloth trick where you pull it out from under the stuff on top without moving it), or are they truly stripped naked of anything above their muscles?

RAW, I believe only the skin is taken. It is a supernatural ability, after all. RAI, and by my ruling if a I was running, the victim would drops their gear. Or more accurately, the Ecorche would shake out the skin like a blanket.

[Cussune]

Most people will probably visualize it like that scene in the Silent Hill movie: clothing, then skin. An ecorche wearing naked skin would have some difficulty being unnoticed. Bloodied and soiled clothing and gear likewise would be hard to explain away if the ecorche just takes the skin then waits for the victim to die before grabbing the rest of the stuff. It's vague, so you can go either way with it, but I'd argue it snags all of it for an adequate disguise in my games. Skin-only though gives PCs a better chance at survival, so that should be an important consideration.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

Didn't actually think of that. Yoinking gear like that would be pretty powerful, though...

[Lemartes]

As DM I ruled skin only.

One of my favourite monsters.

[Dave Justus]

Rules wise it is only the skin.

[Claxon]

It's definitely not intended to include gear, or else it would mention it. It would destroy any character that failed a single save (since everyone is pretty gear dependent) by level 11+.

Being left with no gear and 1 point of con damage per round is pretty much a death sentence.

[Game Master]

Just the skin. It would be absurdly powerful to just snap your fingers and steal someone's 256,000 gp set of magical rings, necklaces, clothing, headbands, backpacks, belt, boots, gloves, armor, etc, etc, etc.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

Well, more like hit with two claw attacks and hope the victim fails a fortitude save...

[Doomed Hero]

I'd describe it as an unnatural effect where the "rend" is actually the creature putting it's hands one someone and the victim's skin splitting and crawling away from their body and up the creature's arms. After each attack it looks more and more like them.

Less like Pyramid Head and more like a special version of Skinsend