This is a question about fear effects that cause Shaken, but can't increase an existing Shaken condition to a higher fear level.
If such an effect is effecting a creature (let's use the Demoralize action from the Intimidate skill), and then a different affect that causes Shaken, and CAN increase an existing Shaken condition to a higher fear level (let's say a successful Will save vs. a Cause Fear spell), does the first ability's inability to stack still prevent the target from becoming Frightened?
Scenario A - Wizard casts Cause Fear on a Kobold. The Kobold succeeds at its saving throw, and is Shaken for 1 round. Within that duration, Bard uses the Demoralize action with Intimidate. He succeeds his Intimidate check. Demoralize can't increase the Kobold's Shaken condition to Frightened. Everyone feels a bit awkward.
Scenario B - Bard uses the Demoralize action on a Kobold and succeeds his Intimidate check. The Kobold is Shaken for 1 round. Within that duration, Wizard casts Cause Fear. Kobold succeeds at his saving throw, which causes the Shaken condition for 1 round. Is the Kobold instead Frightened for 1 round?
Using demoralize on the same creature only extends the duration; it does not create a stronger fear condition.
The current wording of demoralise appears to me to only prevent stacking by use of further attempts to demoralise.
Demoralise appears to stack just fine with non-demoralise shaken to create stronger fear effects.So either way works.
This would be more consistent, and avoids difficulties with the order things are applied. A goal I understand is desirable where possible.
But it does depend I guess on whether the semicolon links the idea of 'using demoralise...' or 'Using demoralise on the same creature...' and whether I've missed something relevant.
I am aware that intimidate had an earlier version which explicitly disallowed any form of stacking, for comparison:
This shaken condition doesn’t stack with other shaken conditions to make an affected creature frightened
Well that is easy, d20pfsrd is not official in any way. Go with the PRD.
I made a similar thread about stacking demoralize, and the consensus seemed to be that PRD is unreliable as a (up to date) rules source.
It was a Core Rule Book errata from several years ago that Paizo has never edited into the PRD.
"Page 99—In the Intimidate skill, add the following
sentence after the first sentence of the Demoralize
paragraph:This shaken condition doesn’t stack with other shaken
conditions to make an affected creature frightened."
Is there some kind of developer input as to what is the intent? Did the errata get errata'd, or was it an oversight to not include the text?