Does creature type do much any more?

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

As far as I can tell, creature type gives few, if any, mechanical effects.

Does this mean a GM can, with maybe a few exceptions, switch creature types as they like? Say, I wanted to make Bugbears Fey instead of Humanoids.

I know these tags are supposed to do something, but I can't find anything like PF1e's "We have to make these enemies Humanoids so they'll be affected by low-level charm".

[Grankless]

Oftentimes a particular creature type will bring with it some resistances, immunities, or senses. Not always.

For instance if you make a bugbear fey, it would probably have a weakness to cold iron, but maybe not necessarily.

Undead usually are immune to mental effects (if they're undead) or are affected by positive damage. Stuff like that! But there's not the "all oozes are immune to crits" (unless it says that, of course)

[Ascalaphus]

Actually, undead aren't immune to mental effects all that often anymore. That's mostly reserved for mindless creatures (undead or otherwise).

[Claxon]

In PF2 they almost completely removed immunities and resistances from creature types and placed them in the individual creature entries.

I haven't recently review all the creature types to say it's 100%, but it's probably close.

So generally, yes you would change creature type with little repercussion on mechanics.

Edit: Reviewing the creature types only 3 seem to grant immunities (to something than the effects of planes where those creatures are from):

Constructs: A construct is an artificial creature empowered by a force other than necromancy. Constructs are often mindless; they are immune to disease, the paralyzed condition, and poison; and they may have Hardness based on the materials used to construct their bodies. Constructs are not living creatures, nor are they undead. When reduced to 0 Hit Points, a construct creature is destroyed.

Dragon: Dragons are reptilian creatures, often winged or with the power of  flight. Most are able to use a breath weapon and are immune to sleep and paralysis.

Oooze: Oozes are creatures with simple anatomies. They tend to have low mental ability scores and immunity to mental effects and precision damage.

[Grankless]

Yeah. Everything I said was an "often". It's never part of the type itself, but the type often informs what's true of the creature just due to Thematics™.

[Paradozen]

Grankless wrote:

Oftentimes a particular creature type will bring with it some resistances, immunities, or senses. Not always.

For instance if you make a bugbear fey, it would probably have a weakness to cold iron, but maybe not necessarily.

Undead usually are immune to mental effects (if they're undead) or are affected by positive damage. Stuff like that! But there's not the "all oozes are immune to crits" (unless it says that, of course)

Just adding that these are found in Trait Abilities in the Gamemastery Guide.

Also there are some player-facing options that care about creature traits like Fey Fellowship, Fiendsbane Oath, Favored Enemy, etc.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Okay, thanks for the responses!

[Themetricsystem]

The traits are MOSTLY in place to act as an enabler for OTHER things, spells, magic items, effects, attacks, etc to function.

For example some spells only affect Animals while other specifically are powered up if the creature has the Undead Trait.

There are also a handful of Traits that DO grant wholesale benefits and abilities such as Incorporeal and Devil. Most of these are "usually" type affairs that offer more in the way of guidance but some do have mechanical implications on their own. Check out the "Trait Abilities" page on the Archives of Nethys to get a good overhead view of how they work.

[masda_gib]

The biggest influence a creature type now has is with which Summon X spell a creature can be summoned.

As TheMetricSystem said, they are mostly to interact with for other effects. And maybe to get a general idea about the creature.