Diamond Body Unchained

[LoPan666]

The diamond body ki power in Pathfinder Unchained does not specify what type of action is used to activate it. Is no action required? Can it be used an any time? Should it be an immediate action that can be activated after a poison save is failed but before damage is taken?

[Archaeik]

Supernatural Abilities (Su) wrote:

Using a supernatural ability is usually a standard action (unless defined otherwise by the ability's description). Its use cannot be disrupted, does not require concentration, and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

It is a departure from how it functioned previously, but given the large amount of combat goodies the revision has, I have no issue with unchained monks having to wait until their turn to attempt to remove the toxin.

[LoPan666]

Yes, as a Supernatural Ability, it would take a standard action unless specified otherwise. I was thrown by most the other ki powers specifying a action type, even when a standard action was required, so I forgot to apply the base rule. Thanks for pointing out my error.

Since you'll have to suffer the effects of the poison first (including ability damage, drain, or unconsciousness), this limits the utility of the power. As has been pointed out on other threads regarding qinggong monks substituting out the original Diamond Body ability, monks of high enough level to have it have good odds of making a Fort save, making many folks question its value even when it granted full immunity.

This would also apply to Slow Fall - because no action type is specified for it, it could no longer be activated in response to falling into a pit trap (the citation of <i>feather fall</i> in the description refers specifically to falling damage). The power would be much better if it simply allowed the monk to cast <i>feather fall</i> on himself only. A cost of 1 ki point is not out of line for a 1st level spell, but seems excessive for an ability that is a very limited version of a 1st level spell.