Is Cold Damage Nonlethal?

[Timeskipper]

Sorry if this was already covered, I didn't find anything in my searches.

While playing a session recently, my GM informed me that all cold damage dealt is considered nonlethal damage. I checked the Core Rulebook, and found a section under Environmental that states, "All cold and exposure damage is considered nonlethal."

What I'd like to know is if that is meant to be all cold damage from the environment is nonlethal, or if that would extend to cover cold-based spells as well.

[Potato disciple]

Only environmental cold damage is non lethal. IIRC, there are spells that SPECIFICALLY state they deal non lethal cold damage, so we can safely assume this means cold damage is lethal (i.e., subtracts from your current HP).

[Claxon]

Only environmental cold damage, though I can understand how one might misunderstand it because it's not written very clearly.

Anyways, those rules are from the Environmental Rules subset, and not meant to be applied to all "cold" damage.

[Kitty Catoblepas]

That section also gives us this rule: "A character who takes any nonlethal damage from cold or exposure is beset by frostbite or hypothermia (treat her as fatigued)."

So if you can't convince your GM that cold damage and environmental cold damage are different things, your Ray of Frost spell now fatigues with no saving throw.

[Melkiador]

prd environment wrote:

Environmental Rules

Environmental hazards specific to one kind of terrain are described in the Wilderness section. Environmental hazards common to more than one setting are detailed below.

Cold Dangers
Cold and exposure deal nonlethal damage to the victim. A character cannot recover from the damage dealt by a cold environment until she gets out of the cold and warms up again. Once a character has taken an amount of nonlethal damage equal to her total hit points, any further damage from a cold environment is lethal damage.

An unprotected character in cold weather (below 40° F) must make a Fortitude save each hour (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A character who has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and might be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well (see the skill description).

In conditions of severe cold or exposure (below 0° F), an unprotected character must make a Fortitude save once every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 per previous check), taking 1d6 points of nonlethal damage on each failed save. A character who has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and might be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well. Characters wearing a cold weather outfit only need check once per hour for cold and exposure damage.

A character who takes any nonlethal damage from cold or exposure is beset by frostbite or hypothermia (treat her as fatigued). These penalties end when the character recovers the nonlethal damage she took from the cold and exposure.

Extreme cold (below –20° F) deals 1d6 points of lethal damage per minute (no save). In addition, a character must make a Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage.

You could also try to argue that your cold attacks are probably below -20° F, so should deal that damage per minute.

[blahpers]

Hooray, English. -_-

[MrCharisma]

It probably doesn't help that one of the most common cold spells is FROSTBITE which is also nonlethal.

[Timeskipper]

Thanks for all the help everyone! I'll bring it up with my GM.