Iron Body and Fire


Rules Questions


1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.

Hello! How does Iron Body interact with natural fire and fire spells?

Iron Body: "Immunity to electricity. You take only half damage from acid and fire. However, you also become vulnerable to all special attacks that affect iron golems."

Iron Golem: Immunity to Magic(Ex) An iron golem is immune to spells or spell-like abilities that allow spell resistance. Certain spells and effcts function diffrently against it, as noted below.

• A magical attack that deals electricity damage slows an iron golem (as the slow spell) for 3 rounds, with no saving throw.

• A magical attack that deals fire damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. An iron golem gets no saving throw against fire effects.

• An iron golem is affected normally by rust attacks, such as those of a rust monster or a rusting grasp spell.

• So, if you have Iron Body, magical electric attacks Slow you for 3 rounds. Normal electric attacks don't? (like a natural lightning).

• If you are under Slow from a electric attack, does a magical fire attack cancels the effect? What about natural fire? If it does cancel, does the attack have to do "damage", or will a resisted attack also cancel the effect? I think, by RAW, at least the magical ones do. Since electric attacks do no damage but slows, the fire attacks don't need to do damage either to cancel the slow effect.

• Do you take only half damage from natural fire and heal 1/6 of the damage from a magical fire attack?

• Also, if you have Iron Body and Fly spell, you are not considered to be wearing heavy armor, right? (unless you are in fact wearing some medium or heavy armor) Otherwise your speed would be only 20ft (half of 40ft).


Look at Iron Body again. It says "you also become vulnerable to all special attacks that affect iron golems."

Negating Slow and getting healed, being positive things, doesn't sound like something one can be vulnerable to, nor attacks.


vulnerable is a defined term. It means you either take 50% more damage to an energy type or -4 to saves.

Special attacks that affect iron golems is a bit more confusing. It would probably have been better if the spell listed the exact vulnerabilities it gave. A couple are fairly obvious.

Rust attacks: Technically since 'rust attack' is not an energy type it would be -4 for any saves, although I think it makes more sense to treat this as a rust attack energy type and add more damage.

Electricity: Defined energy type. Extra 50% damage. Fortunately this doesn't matter, since you are immune.

Some are more confusing:

Fire: Iron golems are certainly affected by fire, but it would be strange that a spell gives you half damage from fire and makes you vulnerable to it.

Any other spells without SR that a golem isn't immune to: Any spell that fit this criteria you would be vulnerable to (either extra damage or -4 to save), but it doesn't seem to me that that is the intent of the rusting body spell.

My guess is that what they really wanted was extra 50% damage from any rust attack, and it would have been better if that was what they said in the spell description.


What if I want to be Slow? Like if I'm fighting this evil mummy who's gaze attacks kills anybody who is not slowed in a horrible and painfull death, wouldn't that make negating slow a vulnerability? (unless, of course, you want to die.)

Although I do agree that the word vulnerable most of the times implies beeing susceptible to negative effects, the way it was written seems more to me it means "susceptible to all special attacks", and by RAW, since it doesn't specify which special attacks are the vulnerable ones, it's more likely to mean you are vulnerable to all of them.

I think as RAI, they didn't intend for you to heal with fire, but I think it's intended for a harmefull fire spell to remove the slow effect. I'm just not sure about the difference between magical and non-magical fire and lightning, not only for Iron Body, but for a real Iron Golem as well.


Kchaka wrote:

What if I want to be Slow? Like if I'm fighting this evil mummy who's gaze attacks kills anybody who is not slowed in a horrible and painfull death, wouldn't that make negating slow a vulnerability? (unless, of course, you want to die.)

No. Special circumstances that aren't around 99.9% of the time that make a benefit a liability instead don't make that thing a vulnerability. It's still a benefit, that just in this particular situation happens to have some negative side effects.


Dave Justus wrote:
vulnerable is a defined [game/rules] term.

No it isn't in this context.

Also is spell immunity a vulnerability if someone wants to heal or buff me? ;-) Probably not.

I say you're slowed by magical lightning and can be rusted.


Bump.

SHOOORYUKEN!!!

I would like to know the opinion of more people on this matter.


For balance reasons I feel that you do not get unslowed and healed by fire. For reality reasons, I feel like the better question is "Do I get to glow red hot and hug orcs?"

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