In the Bestiary entry for Demilich (PG. 222 - 223), the Trap Soul ability lists that a creature that succeeds the saving throw against the ability "doesn’t die and its soul is not trapped but it’s enervated 2 (or is unaffected entirely on a critical success)."
Best I can tell, there is no enervated condition in 2nd Edition. Based on the way the Enervation spell works in 1st edition, this appears to be intended as some kind of negative level effect. I've seen that the now-legacy 2e Enervation spell gives the drained condition, but given the demilich already has the ability to apply drained 4 via an AoE spell this feels a bit redundant.
Is there any 2nd Edition version of this effect, that I should use in its place? I've checked the errata and don't see this listed.
Thanks for your help!
It's doomed 2 I think.
Which makes it possible to instantly die even on success. Nasty.
|
1 person marked this as a favorite.
|
No, it's probably drained 2. The definition of enervated is "drained of energy or vitality." As for the redundancy, this is the result of a successful saving throw, so it's probably not supposed to be very dangerous.
Enervation spell gives the Drained condition, if it can help to decide.
Does anyone know if the creature is in Monster Core?
Finoan wrote: Does anyone know if the creature is in Monster Core? No, Demilich is OGL and is gone.
Is there a new monster with the same stat block?
Nope. Just went through and there's only the base Lich in Monster Core.
Thanks all for the help. Sounds like drained is probably the intended effect. I'll stick with that despite the sort-of redundancy.
|
1 person marked this as a favorite.
|
I would probably also run the demi-lich's "enervated" condition as drained, but I do own the printed Pathfinder playtest book for 2e, and Enervated is in the conditions. I'll just post what it says for the curious
Pathfinder playtest Enervated wrote: Enervation makes you less competent, as though your hard-earned experience had drained away. Enervated always includes a value. You take a conditional penalty equal to your enervated value on checks that include a proficiency modifier. The penalty can't exceed your level, even if the enervated value is greater. For example, if you become enervated 4 and were level 3, you'd take only a -3 penalty.
In addition, you treat your level as though it were lowered by your enervated value (to a minimum of 1st level) when determining which spells you can cast and which abilities you can use. This applies only to actions, activities, free actions, and reactions you gained from feats and class features, and only those that have a level prerequisite. You don't lose your prepared spells, but you can't cast those that are higher level than the enervated condition allows. You regain access to them if your enervated value is sufficiently reduced.
Every day you can attempt a Fortitude save to reduce your enervated value by 1 (or 2 on a critical success). The DC is the same as that of the effect that enervated you. If multiple effects enervated you, use the highest DC for your daily checks to recover from enervated. You can also spend a day of downtime training to reduce your enervated value by 1 automatically (in addition to attempting one save for that day to reduce your enervated value).
So basically it was a complicated "level drain" condition and was probably dropped because it looks like a PITA. Drained did exist in the playtest practically identical to how it is now. BTW, a "conditional penalty" appears to be what we now call a "status penalty", or at least that's my guess based on Drained, Enfeebled, Frightened, etc. also referring to their penalty being a "conditional" one in the playtest book
Errenor wrote: Finoan wrote: Does anyone know if the creature is in Monster Core? No, Demilich is OGL and is gone. Makes me sad. I loved those gem-encrusted little monsters. There was an artifact from 1st Edition, the skullsoul, that was functionally a demilich companion that I always wanted to quest for. I hope we get some kind of functional replacement for both of them later.
|
1 person marked this as a favorite.
|
It may be interesting to note that, unlike many examples, it's probably the name demilich which is the most OGL aspect to it. The image of the gem-encrusted skull (specifically with gold bands, ruby eyes, and diamonds and blackened pearls for teeth) actually comes from the short story, "Thieves' House" from the stories of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.
In the story the skull (and finger bones) belong to a master thief of old, hence the particularly wealthy state of the skull, and belonged to a cadre of fellow undead thieves. Of course, none of them were said to possess any special affinity for magic besides whatever forces animated their bones, so there's no real argument to save the demilich as a skull of an undead wizard, and I think its omission from the Monster Core may just speak for itself in this matter.
Perpdepog wrote: Errenor wrote: Finoan wrote: Does anyone know if the creature is in Monster Core? No, Demilich is OGL and is gone. Makes me sad. I loved those gem-encrusted little monsters. There was an artifact from 1st Edition, the skullsoul, that was functionally a demilich companion that I always wanted to quest for. I hope we get some kind of functional replacement for both of them later. Well, still nobody can forbid GMs from using them in their campaigns. Even in official ones.
______
And btw I think you guys are right and drained is better here. Even if it's not close to that 'enervated' at all.
Errenor wrote: Perpdepog wrote: Errenor wrote: Finoan wrote: Does anyone know if the creature is in Monster Core? No, Demilich is OGL and is gone. Makes me sad. I loved those gem-encrusted little monsters. There was an artifact from 1st Edition, the skullsoul, that was functionally a demilich companion that I always wanted to quest for. I hope we get some kind of functional replacement for both of them later. Well, still nobody can forbid GMs from using them in their campaigns. Even in official ones.
______
And btw I think you guys are right and drained is better here. Even if it's not close to that 'enervated' at all. I mostly want a replacement because of issues with the original statblock, like it giving out the Enervated condition. It's been a bit since I read the stats, but I recall the demilich having a couple other issues, as well.
Recent threads in Rules Discussion
|
