Prone?


Rules Discussion


Just checking: can any creature be prone?

For instance, can a snake or Owb be knocked prone?


AFAIK if a creature can't go prone it will list the condition in it's immunities.

Keep in mind that snakes can be flipped on their back and that a floating creature still probably wants to be floating in an upright position to be able to move normally.


Oddly even Oozes are not immune to the prone condition.


I disagree and believe some creatures (mostly oozes) simply aren't inconvenienced by being flipped over or tripped. I wouldn't want a rigorous rule spelling what can or can't be tripped because ingenuity plays a role here too, i.e. flipping a carpet over to "trip" a swarm of rats. And then what if there's an ability that requires somebody being prone? Would an ooze that's immune to prone not be prone enough to qualify? Seems they're perpetually prone in a sense.

I think this falls in the "so obvious why waste the print space" realm as well as "too many variants to factor in to map a rigorous rule" realm.


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Castilliano wrote:
I think this falls in the "so obvious why waste the print space" realm

Don't agree at all. Lots of creatures have very obvious immunities and resistances spelled out.

Blanket trip immunity and high trip resistance was incredibly common in PF1 and this seems like a very intentional change away from that.


no good scallywag wrote:

Just checking: can any creature be prone?

For instance, can a snake or Owb be knocked prone?

There are multiple creatures that are immune to the prone condition. In other words, Paizo knows that's an option. Therefore, it's safe to assume that if something doesn't say it's unable to be knocked prone, then it can be knocked prone. Simple as that. Though, a GM could always overrule that in special circumstances, but I'd be hesitant to do so in most cases.


Castilliano wrote:

And then what if there's an ability that requires somebody being prone? Would an ooze that's immune to prone not be prone enough to qualify? Seems they're perpetually prone in a sense.

Most of the time when an NPC creature has an ability, it is just part of the creatures statblock instead of being a feat it can choose or something. It's not like "oh, this snake can't go prone so it can't choose the Reclining Strike ability" - when you design a creature, it just has whatever abilities you write onto it, and you can just modify the ability to not require being prone or whatever for this creature.


Tender Tendrils wrote:
Castilliano wrote:

And then what if there's an ability that requires somebody being prone? Would an ooze that's immune to prone not be prone enough to qualify? Seems they're perpetually prone in a sense.

Most of the time when an NPC creature has an ability, it is just part of the creatures statblock instead of being a feat it can choose or something. It's not like "oh, this snake can't go prone so it can't choose the Reclining Strike ability" - when you design a creature, it just has whatever abilities you write onto it, and you can just modify the ability to not require being prone or whatever for this creature.

Obviously (I'd thought) I wasn't talking about stat blocks where yes, everything listed should work (if published) or could be tweaked to work suit one's needs (if designed), but rather the hypothetical meta-view on such things.

Since I hadn't really been worrying about oozes using any abilities (now or given later) maybe I should have gone simpler with something akin to:
Aren't most oozes already prone?
How much more prone could a Gray Ooze get?
What would the description of such an action look like?


Castilliano wrote:
Tender Tendrils wrote:
Castilliano wrote:

And then what if there's an ability that requires somebody being prone? Would an ooze that's immune to prone not be prone enough to qualify? Seems they're perpetually prone in a sense.

Most of the time when an NPC creature has an ability, it is just part of the creatures statblock instead of being a feat it can choose or something. It's not like "oh, this snake can't go prone so it can't choose the Reclining Strike ability" - when you design a creature, it just has whatever abilities you write onto it, and you can just modify the ability to not require being prone or whatever for this creature.

Obviously (I'd thought) I wasn't talking about stat blocks where yes, everything listed should work (if published) or could be tweaked to work suit one's needs (if designed), but rather the hypothetical meta-view on such things.

Since I hadn't really been worrying about oozes using any abilities (now or given later) maybe I should have gone simpler with something akin to:
Aren't most oozes already prone?
How much more prone could a Gray Ooze get?
What would the description of such an action look like?

Oozes are by their nature very flexible - prone would be when they have spread out on the floor like a puddle, while "standing" would be when they have lifted more of their mass up above the ground. (Most of the art of oozes shows them as being upright, when the natural state of their matter would instead be a puddle, so it would seem that they like to keep themselves upright when doing stuff)

Think of a prone ooze being when you pour jelly into a saucer, while a standing ooze is if you pour jelly into a glass.


Oozes being knocked prone is pretty weird, but I guess I could see it having to reform up to combat mode. So you would knock the thing lopsided causing it to have to reform to attack using a stand up actions.


Deriven Firelion wrote:
Oozes being knocked prone is pretty weird, but I guess I could see it having to reform up to combat mode. So you would knock the thing lopsided causing it to have to reform to attack using a stand up actions.

There is a lot of design space in between not being able to go prone at all, barely needing any effort (free action or even just a reaction) to get back up again and following the normal rules for going prone and having to get back up.

So even if we do consider making the Trip action a lot more viable by reducing the amount of monsters with flat-out prone immunity it still looks like a missed opportunity to add "Kip Up" (or similar ability) to some of the more obvious "can be knocked prone but doesn't really care" adversaries.


It wouldn't have taken much space to add prone beside mental and precision in the ooze trait.


Aw3som3-117 wrote:
no good scallywag wrote:

Just checking: can any creature be prone?

For instance, can a snake or Owb be knocked prone?

There are multiple creatures that are immune to the prone condition. In other words, Paizo knows that's an option. Therefore, it's safe to assume that if something doesn't say it's unable to be knocked prone, then it can be knocked prone. Simple as that. Though, a GM could always overrule that in special circumstances, but I'd be hesitant to do so in most cases.

What creatures are immune to prone? I am not finding any. Doesn't mean there aren't any, just that I am not finding them.

I see the Flumph that sort-of has a weakness to prone.


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breithauptclan wrote:

What creatures are immune to prone? I am not finding any. Doesn't mean there aren't any, just that I am not finding them.

I see the Flumph that sort-of has a weakness to prone.

I don't have the bestiary available, but sometimes it is just in the traits. Just compare swarms to oozes.


Ubertron_X wrote:
breithauptclan wrote:

What creatures are immune to prone? I am not finding any. Doesn't mean there aren't any, just that I am not finding them.

I see the Flumph that sort-of has a weakness to prone.

I don't have the bestiary available, but sometimes it is just in the traits. Just compare swarms to oozes.

Ah, the Swarm trait and all creatures that it applies to are immune to prone. Good enough for me.


They are few and far between, but I saw at least 2 during my search, hence "multiple". Also swarms, apparently, which makes sense.
But the ones I found are here (I stopped looking after finding 2, cause I'm lazy):

Tattoo Guardian
A specific Vampire

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