Kimenhul Eternal Fear ability

[Geosharp]

Hey there,
So, the Kimenhul's ability Eternal Fear reads:

"Eternal Fear [two-actions] (divine, emotion, fear, incapacitation, mental) The kimenhul contorts its faces and presents itself to its enemies in a terrifying and traumatic display that causes lingering fear. Each creature within 100 feet that can observe the kimenhul must attempt a DC 42 Will save. They are then temporarily immune for 10 minutes.

Critical Success: The target is unaffected.

Success: The target becomes frightened 3.

Failure: The target becomes frightened 3 and is fleeing as long as it’s frightened. Even after recovering from the initial experience, the trauma is lodged in the target’s mind for 1 year. Once per day, the kimenhul can communicate telepathically with the target for 1 minute as long as both creatures are on the same plane. Any time a creature under the effect of Eternal Fear is in a stressful situation (such as combat or intense social pressure), they must succeed at a DC 11 flat check or become frightened 2. While Eternal Fear lasts, the target always becomes fleeing as long as it’s frightened, regardless of the source of the fear. The target can attempt a new saving throw each week to remove these effects, but they can otherwise be removed by only powerful magic such as a wish ritual.

Critical Failure: As failure, but the effects are permanent, and the target doesn’t get to attempt a weekly save to end the effect."

Specifically my question is about how the phrase "They are then temporarily immune for 10 minutes." in the beginning block interacts with the failure condition.

If I fail, flee for 3 rounds while my Frightened goes down then come back into the fight, do I immediately have to start making flat checks or become Frightened again, or does the immune for 10 minutes phrase override that?

Cheers :-)

[NorrKnekten]

This is covered under Temporary Immunity.

"Temporary immunity doesn't prevent or end ongoing effects of the source of the temporary immunity."

You do not become immune to any parts of the failure block as that is a continious effect that lasts for a year, you only become immune to repeated uses of Eternal Fear.

I do not belive it wants you to redo the flat check EVERY turn, rather it seems to be once you enter a stressful situation and then you are 'safe' until the next situation.

[Finoan]

Agreed on the temporary immunity. The immunity is to a repeated use of Eternal Fear by that Kimenhul.

I think I also at least mostly agree on the duration of the flat check success part. If you succeed at the DC 11 flat check, then you are not going to become frightened or fleeing again from that stressful situation. So one success is good for the entire combat or social encounter skill challenge.

If you fail the flat check and flee for two rounds and then come back, I would probably make you roll the flat check again. Assuming that combat is still going on after two rounds of fleeing and probably two rounds returning.

[Geosharp]

Thank you for the replies, I had read the bit on Temporary Immunity and assumed that would be the case, but was after others thoughts as that was the only way really I could see to not make this just horrific.

Whilst I think the thing about only having to succeed the flat check once is really the best way to do it, I ( as a player who had to face it, not a GM) really struggle to read it that way as it says "is in a stressful situation" when really for me it should say "enters a stressful situation" so I do feel as it stands it's definitely saying every round.

To be clear, our GM didn't do that, and if I ever ran one of these I wouldn't as it just makes a really crappy gameplay experience for players, but that bit seems clear so I was fishing round for other ways to not just make that a terrible ability to face if I ever have a GM who's very RAW.

Cheers :-)

[NorrKnekten]

Worth to notice, The creature is essentially identical to its 1e apperance.

where the ability instead read "each time the affected creature finds itself in a stressful situation (such as combat), it has a 50% chance of being shaken for 1 minute". which suggest rolling on a transistion of circumstance.

I believe that is the raw for the 2e version aswell as otherwise that the text needs to tell us how often to roll the flat check. Much akin to how Stupified or Slowed cannot come without a duration.

But it certainly is up to the GM to determine what counts as a new stressful situation.

[Perses13]

The kimenhul has plenty of ways to inflict frightened outside of Eternal Fear with its Frightening Flurry and at will spells. So anyone who flees and comes back will likely get hit with frightened regardless if they're making the flat check or not and go fleeing again. So making them do a flat check every round feels like overkill to me.

But yeah this guy is nasty. A Moderate encounter with this guy ended a campaign I was playing in. The only reason it wasn't a full TPK because this ability caused a couple of people to run away.

[NorrKnekten]

mhm, the temp immunity is basically just there to ensure it doesn't get a second attempt with the Eternal Fear against targets that succeeded the save.

But between 9th rank at-will castings of fear, Guaranteed frighten on hit with its flurry. Not to mention that everyone in the party is likely to be Stupified 3.

its just a matter of time before one is frightened again, regardless if one succeeded against eternal fear or not.

[Perses13]

And you haven't even mentioned Mask of Terror. So any hostile action could trigger a save on frightened.

[Theaitetos]

That's why you fight them with a party of Madrosarai. :P