Possession and mind swap questions

[Viondar]

1 Can you cast possession on a corpse?

2 Can you cast possession on a target that you're already possessing (to increase the duration)?

3 Can you cast possession on a mindless undead?

4 and on a free willed undead?

5 Can you cast possession on a non native outsider?

6 question 2 with mind swap

7 question 4 with mind swap

8 question 5 with mind swap

[Dasrak]

1) No, a corpse is not a creature

2) No reason why not

3) Yes; it's not mind-affecting, and undead have no immunity against it

4) Same as above

5) Again, yes. They have no immunity to it

6) This would cause you swap back

7) No, it's mind-affecting and undead are immune to it

8) Same as above

[Pizza Lord]

1. I would say you can cast possession on a corpse. Just because it's a corpse doesn't mean it still isn't a creature too. For instance, if bodies weren't still creatures, spells like raise dead wouldn't work on them (and we obviously know they do.)

Raise Dead wrote:

Target: dead creature touched

A GM can rule any spell or effect as ineffective when it makes sense a,d for most spells, casting them on a creature wouldn't have much effect. In this case, probably wouldn't have any real effect either, it would likely immediately count as being in a dead host and return you to your body. Most corpses will be dead because they have no hit points and thus wouldn't be suitable for inhabitation (undead creatures are a strange situation, since those walking corpses have hit points).

Only in a rare case where a body becomes vacant and isn't damaged too badly might it work effectively. This might be from an effect that flat out kills a character without damage, like possibly energy drain or negative levels. Even most death spells do damage now in Pathfinder, but a GM might rule a corpse sufficiently robust enough to function with a new animating force inside it (like yours). Other possibilities might be corpses from drowned or suffocated victims. This might also work on a body vacated by another user of possession or magic jar. You GM might have a different view on it though.

[Viondar]

Thanks for the answers, so far. They are correct and clear, according to the rules, and I could work with them. Gladly, even!

The reason I'm asking these questions is because undead are stated to have no soul and outsiders are stated to have no duality: they ARE their soul.

Mind swap on undead, btw, needed some extra information. Targeting undead with mind affecting spells is possible via the 'will of the dead' phrenic amplification. Which would lead to the question: if it's not a soul that in turn possesses your body, but merely aninating force from the negative energy plane... How would a living body react to being in constant touch with negative energy?