Monster critical effects

[Darrell Impey UK]

If a monster's attack has a critical effect listed (eg stagger) is there a saving throw, and if so how is it calculated

[Nefreet]

If it's from a weapon they're wielding, you'd calculate it the same as you would for a PC.

What creature is it?

[Darrell Impey UK]

Ice elemental, natural slam attack.

[Nefreet]

Numbing Cold (Ex) wrote:

An ice elemental’s slam has the staggered critical hit effect.

Staggered wrote:

The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or be staggered (see page 277) for 1 round.

I would probably suggest just using the creature's CR in place of item level to determine the DC.

[Darrell Impey UK]

Nefreet wrote:

Numbing Cold (Ex) wrote:

An ice elemental’s slam has the staggered critical hit effect.

Staggered wrote:

The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or be staggered (see page 277) for 1 round.

I would probably suggest just using the creature's CR in place of item level to determine the DC.

So 10+(CR÷2)+STR. Makes sense, thanks.

(Should probably be spelled out somewhere though.)

[Nefreet]

Agreed. And that's just my best guess, searching through archivesofnethys.

If you are creating a custom Ice Elemental, you could also use a DC based on its Array.

[Darrell Impey UK]

Wondered about that one, but this is a creature in a SFS game that has been lifted wholesale from an Adventure Path, and neither source covers the problem...

[Nefreet]

Have you checked the GM Discussion Forum for the Scenario?

Sometimes the author, or even someone from Campaign Leadership, will answer these types of questions there.

[Darrell Impey UK]

Nothing there, or GM shared Prep either.

Still, a positive test from one of my players means it all a moot point anyway...

Thanks Nefreet.

[Tim Emrick]

I've had to do this occasionally for creatures in Starfinder Society scenarios when a DC is omitted. In those cases, I just make a judgment call about which of the three roles (combatant, expert, or spellcaster) best fits the creature, then look up the Ability DC for its CR.

Most elementals should be considered combatants, so use that array's table to set the DC.