A special ability is either extraordinary, spell-like, or supernatural in nature.
Extraordinary Abilities (Ex): Extraordinary abilities are nonmagical. They are, however, not something that just anyone can do or even learn to do without extensive training. Effects or areas that negate or disrupt magic have no effect on extraordinary abilities.
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Spell-like abilities, as the name implies, are spells and magical abilities that are very much like spells. Spell-like abilities are subject to spell resistance and dispel magic. They do not function in areas where magic is suppressed or negated (such as an antimagic field).
Supernatural Abilities (Su): Supernatural abilities are magical but not spell-like. Supernatural abilities are not subject to spell resistance and do not function in areas where magic is suppressed or negated (such as an antimagic field). A supernatural ability’s effect cannot be dispelled and is not subject to counterspells.
The table below summarizes the types of special abilities.
| Effect | Extraordinary | Spell-Like | Supernatural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dispel | No | Yes | No |
| Spell resistance | No | Yes | No |
| Antimagic field | No | Yes | Yes |
| Attack of opportunity | No | Yes | No |
Explanation of Effects
Dispel: Can dispel magic and similar spells dispel the effects of abilities of that type?
Spell Resistance: Does spell resistance protect a creature from these abilities?
Antimagic Field: Does an antimagic field or similar magic suppress the ability?
Attack of Opportunity: Does using the ability provoke attacks of opportunity the way that casting a spell does?
Various attacks cause ability score loss, either ability damage or ability drain. Points lost to ability damage return at the rate of 1 point per day (or double that if the character gets complete bed rest) to each damaged ability, and the spells lesser restoration and restoration offset ability damage as well. Ability drain, however, is permanent, though restoration can restore even those lost ability score points.
While any loss is debilitating, losing all points in an ability score can be devastating.
Keeping track of negative ability score points is never necessary. A character’s ability score can’t drop below 0.
Having a score of 0 in an ability is different from having no ability score whatsoever. A wraith has no Strength score, not a Strength score of 0. A clay golem has no Intelligence, not an Intelligence score of 0. The wraith can move, it just can’t act physically on other objects. The golem is not in a stupor or helpless, but it has no thoughts or memory.
Some spells or abilities impose an effective ability score reduction, which is different from ability score loss. Any such reduction disappears at the end of the spell’s or ability’s duration, and the ability score immediately returns to its former value.
Some spells or abilities impose an effective ability score reduction, which is different from ability score loss. Any such reduction disappears at the end of the spell’s or ability’s duration, and the ability score immediately returns to its former value.
If a character’s Constitution score drops, then he loses 1 hit point per Hit Die for every point by which his Constitution modifier drops. For example, at 7th level, a fighter is hit by poison that causes his Constitution to drop from 16 to 13. His Constitution modifier falls from +3 to +1, so he loses 14 hit points (2 per level). A minute later, the poison deals another 8 points of Constitution damage, dropping his score to 5 and his modifier to –3. He loses another 28 hit points—for a total of 42 hit points lost because of an overall 6-point drop in his Constitution modifier.
A hit point score can’t be reduced by Constitution damage or drain to less than 1 hit point per Hit Die. At 7th level, Mialee has 22 hit points when fully healed. Even if her Constitution score drops to 5 or lower, she will still have at least 7 hit points (less any damage she may take).
The ability that some creatures have to drain ability scores (such as shadows draining Strength or lamias draining Wisdom) is a supernatural one, requiring some sort of attack. Such creatures do not drain abilities from enemies when the enemies strike them, even with unarmed attacks or natural weapons.
The beholder opens its large central eye, and suddenly the rogue (who had been invisible) becomes visible, and the fighter (who had been flying) drops unceremoniously to the floor. The adventurers’ magic weapons are now no better than masterwork versions, and their layers of magical protections are gone. The fire giant working with the beholder hefts his axe, grins, and charges.
An antimagic field spell or the main eye ray of a beholder cancels magic altogether. This spell-like effect is extremely powerful—the ultimate defense against magic. An antimagic effect has the following powers and characteristics.
Some creatures have blindsight, the extraordinary ability to use a nonvisual sense (or a combination of such senses) to operate effectively without vision. Such sense may include sensitivity to vibrations, acute scent, keen hearing, or echolocation. This ability makes invisibility and concealment (even magical darkness) irrelevant to the creature (though it still can’t see ethereal creatures). This ability operates out to a range specified in the creature description.
Blindsense: Other creatures have blindsense, a lesser ability that lets the creature notice things it cannot see, but without the precision of blindsight. The creature with blindsense usually does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to notice and locate creatures within range of its blindsense ability, provided that it has line of effect to that creature. Any opponent the creature cannot see has total concealment (50% miss chance) against the creature with blindsense, and the blindsensing creature still has the normal miss chance when attacking foes that have concealment. Visibility still affects the movement of a creature with blindsense. A creature with blindsense is still denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against attacks from creatures it cannot see.
While dragon fire is the classic example, a breath weapon may also be a cloud of poisonous gas, a bolt of lightning, or a stream of acid. The creature is actually expelling something from its mouth (rather than conjuring it by means of a spell or some other magical effect). Most creatures with breath weapons are limited to a number of uses per day or by a minimum length of time that must pass between uses. Such creatures are usually smart enough to save their breath weapon until they really need it.
As the strange, wolflike creature loped toward the fighter, he realized that it was a good friend that meant him no harm. But why was the wizard casting a fireball at it? He needed to stop her from doing that again. Later, things got even worse when the rogue didn’t know that the noble she was chatting up was actually a vampire. After one look into his eyes, she heard his voice in her mind, giving her orders that she obeyed without hesitation. She felt like a mere observer, trapped behind her own eyes, watching as “she” sought out her companions and invited them to a private party at the noble’s estate.
Many abilities and spells can cloud the minds of characters and monsters, leaving them unable to tell friend from foe—or worse yet, deceiving them into thinking that their former friends are now their worst enemies. Two general types of enchantments affect characters and creatures: charms and compulsions.
Charming another creature gives the charming character the ability to befriend and suggest courses of actions to his minion, but the servitude is not absolute or mindless. Charms of this type include the various charm spells. Essentially, a charmed character retains free will but makes choices according to a skewed view of the world.
Compulsion is a different matter altogether. A compulsion overrides the subject ’s free will in some way or simply changes the way the subject’s mind works. A charm makes the subject a friend of the caster; a compulsion makes the subject obey the caster.
Regardless of whether a character is charmed or compelled, he won’t volunteer information or tactics that his master doesn’t ask for. If a 1st-level wizard happens to have a staff of fire, the vampire that is compelling him doesn’t know that the wand is there and can’t tell the wizard to give him the staff or use the staff on his former friends. The vampire, however, can say, “Hand over your most powerful magic item.”
A creature with cold immunity, such as a frost giant, never takes cold damage. It has vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.
The arrow sticks into the vampire, but she just pulls it out and laughs as the wound instantly heals. “You’ll need to do better than that,” she hisses.
Some magic creatures have the supernatural ability to instantly heal damage from weapons or to ignore blows altogether as though they were invulnerable.
The numerical part of a creature’s damage reduction is the amount of hit points the creature ignores from normal attacks. Thus, a creature with a damage reduction number of 5 struck for 8 points of damage ignores 5 points and takes only 3.
Usually, a certain type of weapon can overcome this reduction. This information is separated from the damage reduction number by a slash. For example, a werewolf ’s damage reduction is 10/silver, meaning the werewolf ignores the first 10 points of damage from every normal attack unless the weapon is made with alchemical silver. Other kinds of damage reduction are overcome by magic weapons (any weapon with a +1 or higher enhancement bonus, not counting the enhancement from masterwork quality), certain types of weapons (such as slashing or bludgeoning), and weapons imbued with an alignment (such as that granted by the holy special ability or the align weapon spell). If a dash follows the slash (as with the damage reduction that is a class feature of the barbarian), then the damage reduction is effective against any attack that does not ignore damage reduction.
Ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an enhancement bonus of +1 or higher is treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. For example, a sling stone hurled from a +1 sling is treated as a magic weapon. Similarly, ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an alignment (such as a +1 holy longbow or a crossbow under the effect of the align weapon spell) gains the alignment of that projectile weapon (in addition to any alignment it may already have). For example, a +1 unholy arrow fired from a +2 anarchic shortbow would be both evil-aligned and chaos-aligned (the former from its own unholy special ability, the latter from the shortbow).
Whenever damage reduction completely negates the damage from an attack, it also negates most special effects that accompany the attack, such as injury type poison, a monk’s stunning, and injury type disease. Damage reduction does not negate touch attacks, energy damage dealt along with an attack (such as fire damage from a fire elemental), or energy drains. Nor does it affect poisons or diseases delivered by inhalation, ingestion, or contact. Attacks that deal no damage because of the target’s damage reduction do not disrupt spells.
Spells, spell-like abilities, and energy attacks (even nonmagical fire) ignore damage reduction.
Sometimes damage reduction is instant healing. A sword slash across a demon’s hide slices it open, but the open wound seals as fast as it’s made. Sometimes damage reduction represents the creature’s tough hide or body, such as with a gargoyle or iron golem. In either case, characters can see that conventional attacks don’t work.
If a creature has damage reduction from more than one source, the two forms of damage reduction do not stack. Instead, the creature gets the benefit of the best damage reduction in a given situation. For example, a werebear with damage reduction 10/silver receives a righteous might spell and gains damage reduction 5/evil. If the werebear is attacked with a weapon that is neither silver nor evil, it takes 10 fewer points of damage from each attack. Damage from a silver weapon that is not evil is reduced by 5 points per attack (since it bypasses the DR 10/silver but not the DR 5/evil), and damage from an evil weapon that is not silver is reduced by 10 points per attack (since it bypasses the DR 5/evil but not the DR 10/silver). Only a weapon that is both silver and evil (such as a silvered unholy weapon) deals full damage to the creature.
Darkvision is the extraordinary ability to see with no light source at all, out to a range specified for the creature.
Darkvision is black and white only (colors cannot be discerned). It does not allow characters to see anything that they could not see otherwise—invisible objects are still invisible, and illusions are still visible as what they seem to be. Likewise, darkvision subjects a creature to gaze attacks normally.
The presence of light does not spoil darkvision. If a character has darkvision with a 60-foot range, and he stands within a 20-foot radius of light, the character can see normally in the light, and 40 feet beyond the light because of his darkvision.
The rogue, scouting ahead of her party, meets the eyes of the figure she discovers in the shadows. It’s one of the awful undead creatures known as bodaks. She feels a sudden vertigo, as her spark of life itself is attacked by the bodak’s supernatural power.
The bodak’s abyssal eyes can kill with a glance. The dreaded power word kill spell can slay without even allowing the victim a saving throw. A single arrow of slaying can fell a dragon. Even a fighter with 100 hit points can be killed by a single death attack. In most cases, a death attack allows the victim a Fortitude save to avoid the affect, but if the save fails, the character dies instantly.
When a character is injured by a contaminated attack (such as a mummy’s slam attack, which can transmit mummy rot), touches an item smeared with diseased matter, or consumes disease-tainted food or drink, he must make an immediate Fortitude saving throw. If he succeeds, the disease has no effect—his immune system fought off the infection. If he fails, he takes damage after an incubation period. Once per day afterward, he must make a successful Fortitude saving throw to avoid repeated damage. Two successful saving throws in a row indicate that he has fought off the disease and recovers, taking no more damage.
You can roll these Fortitude saving throws for the player so that he doesn’t know whether the disease has taken hold.
Diseases have various symptoms and are spread through a number of vectors. The characteristics of several typical diseases are summarized on Diseases table and defined below.
Disease: Diseases whose names are printed in italic in the Diseases table are supernatural in nature. The others are extraordinary.
Vector: The disease’s method of delivery—ingested, inhaled, via injury, or contact. Keep in mind that some injury diseases may be transmitted by as small an injury as a flea bite and that most inhaled diseases can also be ingested (and vice versa).
DC: The Difficulty Class for the Fortitude saving throws to prevent infection (if the character has been infected), to prevent each instance of repeated damage, and to recover from the disease.
Incubation Period: The time before damage begins.
Damage: The ability damage the character takes after incubation and each day afterward.
| Disease | Vector | DC | Incubation | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blinding sickness | Ingested | 16 | 1d3 days | 1d4 Str1 |
| Cackle fever | Inhaled | 16 | 1 day | 1d6 Wis |
| Demon fever | Injury | 18 | 1 day | 1d6 Con2 |
| Devil chills3 | Injury | 14 | 1d4 days | 1d4 Str |
| Filth fever | Injury | 12 | 1d3 days | 1d3 Dex, 1d3 Con |
| Mindfire | Inhaled | 12 | 1 day | 1d4 Int |
| Mummy rot4 | Contact | 20 | 1 day | 1d6 Con, 1d6 Cha |
| Red ache | Injury | 15 | 1d3 days | 1d6 Str |
| Shakes | Contact | 13 | 1 day | 1d8 Dex |
| Slimy doom | Contact | 14 | 1 day | 1d4 Con2 |
| ||||
Types of Diseases: Typical diseases include the following:
Blinding Sickness: Spread in tainted water.
Cackle Fever: Symptoms include high fever, disorientation, and frequent bouts of hideous laughter. Also known as “the shrieks.”
Demon Fever: Night hags spread it. Can cause permanent ability drain.
Devil Chills: Barbazu and pit fiends spread it. It takes three, not two, successful saves in a row to recover from devil chills.
Filth Fever: Dire rats and otyughs spread it. Those injured while in filthy surroundings might also catch it.
Mindfire: Feels like your brain is burning. Causes stupor.
Mummy Rot: Spread by mummies. Successful saving throws do not allow the character to recover (though they do prevent damage normally).
Red Ache: Skin turns red, bloated, and warm to the touch.
The Shakes: Causes involuntary twitches, tremors, and fits.
Slimy Doom: Victim turns into infectious goo from the inside out. Can cause permanent ability drain.
Use of the Heal skill can help a diseased character. Every time a diseased character makes a saving throw against disease effects, the healer makes a check. The diseased character can use the healer’s result in place of his saving throw if the Heal check result is higher. The diseased character must be in the healer’s care and must have spent the previous 8 hours resting.
Characters recover points lost to ability score damage at a rate of 1 per day per ability damaged, and this rule applies even while a disease is in progress. That means that a character with a minor disease might be able to withstand it without accumulating any damage.
An undead wight bashes an adventurer, and she feels cold and weak, while the wight moves with greater vigor than before. When the wight strikes her again, she grows weaker, as if her life force were slipping away. Her friends see her face drain of color and her flesh shrivel slightly. With the third strike, the adventurer falls to the ground, a desiccated husk. A fellow adventurer, also struck by the wight, survives the encounter. Over the next day his spirit rallies, and he throws off the hungry force that clawed at his very soul.
Some horrible creatures, especially undead monsters, possess a fearsome supernatural ability to drain levels from those they strike in combat. The creature making an energy drain attack draws a portion of its victim’s life force from her.
Most energy drain attacks require a successful melee attack roll—mere physical contact is not enough. Monks, for instance, can pound such creatures with their fists without risking their life energy.
Each successful energy drain attack bestows one or more negative levels on the opponent. A creature takes the following penalties for each negative level it has gained.
Negative levels remain for 24 hours or until removed with a spell, such as restoration. After 24 hours, the afflicted creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ attacker’s HD + attacker’s Cha modifier). (The DC is provided in the attacker’s description.) The afflicted creature makes a separate saving throw for each negative level it has gained. If the saving throw succeeds, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. If the save fails, the negative level goes away, but the creature’s level is also reduced by one (see Level Loss).
A character with negative levels at least equal to her current level, or drained below 1st level, is instantly slain. Depending on the creature that killed her, she may rise the next night as a monster of that kind. If not, she rises as a wight.
A creature gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows (though not if the negative level is caused by a spell or similar effect).
Out of nowhere, a spider the size of a horse appears and bites the wizard. The rogue wheels to stab it, but it’s gone. The adventurers know the phase spider is somewhere nearby, lurking on the Ethereal Plane, watching them and waiting.
Phase spiders and certain other creatures can exist on the Ethereal Plane. While on the Ethereal Plane, a creature is called ethereal. Unlike incorporeal creatures, ethereal creatures are not present on the Material Plane.
Ethereal creatures are invisible, inaudible, insubstantial, and scentless to creatures on the Material Plane. Even most magical attacks have no effect on them. See invisibility and true seeing reveal ethereal creatures.
An ethereal creature can see and hear into the Material Plane in a 60-foot radius, though material objects still block sight and sound. (An ethereal creature can’t see through a material wall, for instance.) An ethereal creature inside an object on the Material Plane cannot see. Things on the Material Plane, however, look gray, indistinct, and ghostly. An ethereal creature can’t affect the Material Plane, not even magically. An ethereal creature, however, interacts with other ethereal creatures and objects the way material creatures interact with material creatures and objects.
Even if a creature on the Material Plane can see an ethereal creature (for instance, with see invisibility), the ethereal creature is on another plane. Only force effects (such as magic missile) can affect the ethereal creatures. If, on the other hand, both creatures are ethereal, they can affect each other normally.
A force effect originating on the Material Plane extends onto the Ethereal Plane, so that a wall of force blocks an ethereal creature, and a magic missile can strike one (provided the spellcaster can see the ethereal target). Gaze effects and abjurations also extend from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane. None of these effects extend from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane.
Ethereal creatures move in any direction (including up or down) at will. They do not need to walk on the ground, and material objects don’t block them (though they can’t see while their eyes are within solid material).
Ghosts have a power called manifestation that allows them to appear on the Material Plane as incorporeal creatures. Still, they are on the Ethereal Plane, and another ethereal creature can interact normally with a manifesting ghost.
Ethereal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as air.
Ethereal creatures do not fall or take falling damage.
These extraordinary abilities allow the target of an area attack to leap or twist out of the way. Rogues and monks have evasion and improved evasion as class features, but certain other creatures have these abilities, too.
If subjected to an attack that allows a Reflex save for half damage, a character with evasion takes no damage on a successful save.
As with a Reflex save for any creature, a character must have room to move in order to evade. A bound character or one squeezing through an area (a Medium size creature crawling through a 2½-foot-wide shaft, for example) cannot use evasion. As with a Reflex save for any creature, evasion is a reflexive ability. The character need not know that the attack is coming to use evasion.
Rogues and monks cannot use evasion in medium or heavy armor. Some creatures with the evasion ability as an innate quality do not have this limitation.
Improved evasion is like evasion, except that even on a failed saving throw the character takes only half damage.
A creature with fast healing has the extraordinary ability to regain hit points at an exceptional rate. Except for what is noted here, fast healing is like natural healing.
At the beginning of each of the creature’s turns, it heals a certain number of hit points (defined in its description).
Unlike regeneration, fast healing does not allow a creature to regrow or reattach lost body parts.
A creature that has taken both nonlethal and lethal damage heals the nonlethal damage first.
Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation.
Fast healing does not increase the number of hit points regained when a creature polymorphs.
A young adult green dragon charges the adventurers. The fighter feels a twinge of fear but grits his teeth and ignores it. The rogue doesn’t stand up as well to the charge. She holds her ground, but fear takes the edge off her skill. The cohort who had recently joined them, however, drops her sword and flees recklessly, her screams fading in the distance.
Spells, magic items, and certain monsters can affect characters with fear. In most cases, the character makes a Will saving throw to resist this effect, and a failed roll means that the character is shaken, frightened, or panicked.
Shaken: Characters who are shaken take a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
Frightened: Characters who are frightened are shaken, and in addition they flee from the source of their fear as quickly as they can. They can choose the path of their flight. Other than that stipulation, once they are out of sight (or hearing) of the source of their fear, they can act as they want. However, if the duration of their fear continues, characters can be forced to flee once more if the source of their fear presents itself again. Characters unable to flee can fight (though they are still shaken).
Panicked: Characters who are panicked are shaken, and they run away from the source of their fear as quickly as they can. Other than running away from the source, their path is random. They flee from all other dangers that confront them rather than facing those dangers. Panicked characters cower if they are prevented from fleeing.
Becoming Even More Fearful: Fear effects are cumulative. A shaken character who is made shaken again becomes frightened, and a shaken character who is made frightened becomes panicked instead. A frightened character who is made shaken or frightened becomes panicked instead.
A creature with fire immunity, such as a fire giant, never takes fire damage. It has vulnerability to cold, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from cold, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.
Some creatures have the supernatural or spell-like ability to take the form of a cloud of vapor or gas.
Creatures in gaseous form can’t run but can fly. A gaseous creature can move about and do the things that a cloud of gas can conceivably do, such as flow through the crack under a door. It can’t, however, pass through solid matter.
Gaseous creatures can’t attack physically or cast spells with verbal, somatic, material, or focus components. They lose their supernatural abilities (except for the supernatural ability to assume gaseous form, of course).
Creatures in gaseous form have damage reduction 10/magic. Spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities affect them normally. Creatures in gaseous form lose all benefit of material armor (including natural armor), though size, Dexterity, deflection bonuses, and armor bonuses from force armor (for example, from the mage armor spell) still apply.
Gaseous creatures do not need to breathe and are immune to attacks involving breathing (troglodyte stench, poison gas, and the like).
Gaseous creatures can’t enter water or other liquid. They are not ethereal or incorporeal. They are affected by winds or other forms of moving air to the extent that the wind pushes them in the direction the wind is moving. However, even the strongest wind can’t disperse or damage a creature in gaseous form.
Discerning a creature in gaseous form from natural mist requires a DC 15 Spot check. Creatures in gaseous form attempting to hide in an area with mist, smoke, or other gas gain a +20 bonus to Hide checks.
The medusa looks around, throwing dangerous glances everywhere, and focusing its eyes on specific victims. The rogue closes her eyes and tries to aim her arrows by ear. The cleric averts his eyes but tries to watch the creature with peripheral vision so he knows where to project his searing light spell. The fighter trusts fate and looks the thing in the eye as he swings his mighty axe. Magic washes through him, and he shrugs it off. Jozan, however, accidentally catches the thing’s eye, and he’s not strong enough to resist. His body hardens and turns to stone.
While the medusa’s gaze is well known, gaze attacks can also charm, curse, or even kill. Gaze attacks not produced by a spell are supernatural.
Each character within range of a gaze attack must attempt a saving throw (which can be a Fortitude or Will save) each round at the beginning of his turn.
An opponent can avert his eyes from the creature’s face, looking at the creature’s body, watching its shadow, or tracking the creature in a reflective surface. Each round, the opponent has a 50% chance of not having to make a saving throw. The creature with the gaze attack gains concealment relative to the opponent.
An opponent can shut his eyes, turn his back on the creature, or wear a blindfold. In these cases, the opponent does not need to make a saving throw. The creature with the gaze attack gains total concealment relative to the opponent.
A creature with a gaze attack can actively attempt to use its gaze as an attack action. The creature simply chooses a target within range, and that opponent must attempt a saving throw. If the target has chosen to defend against the gaze as discussed above, the opponent gets a chance to avoid the saving throw (either 50% chance for averting eyes or 100% chance for shutting eyes). It is possible for an opponent to save against a creature’s gaze twice during the same round, once before its own action and once during the creature’s action.
Looking at the creature’s image (such as in a mirror or as part of an illusion) does not subject the viewer to a gaze attack.
A creature is immune to its own gaze attack.
If visibility is limited (by dim lighting, a fog, or the like) so that it results in concealment, there is a percentage chance equal to the normal miss chance for that degree of concealment that a character won’t need to make a saving throw in a given round. This chance is not cumulative with the chance for averting your eyes, but is rolled separately.
Invisible creatures cannot use gaze attacks.
Characters using darkvision in complete darkness are affected by a gaze attack normally.
Unless specified otherwise, a creature with a gaze attack can control its gaze attack and “turn it off ” when so desired.
The rogue spots a translucent face poking forth from a wall, but it’s gone by the time she alerts her companions. The party starts to back out of the ruined throne room they’re exploring, when suddenly several ghostly figures fly out of the walls toward them. The fighter raises his magic shield to fend off a spectre’s attack, but the incorporeal hand passes through the shield and through his magic plate armor. It touches his heart, which suddenly grows cold.
Spectres, wraiths, and a few other creatures lack physical bodies. Such creatures are insubstantial and can’t be touched by nonmagical matter or energy. Likewise, they cannot manipulate objects or exert physical force on objects. However, incorporeal beings have a tangible presence that sometimes seems like a physical attack (such as the touch of a spectre) against a corporeal creature. Incorporeal creatures are present on the same plane as the characters, and characters have some chance to affect them.
Incorporeal creatures can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, by magic weapons, or by spells, spell-like effects, or supernatural effects. They are immune to all nonmagical attack forms. They are not burned by normal fires, affected by natural cold, or harmed by mundane acids.
Even when struck by magic or magic weapons, an incorporeal creature has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source—except for a force effect, such as magic missile, or damage dealt by a ghost touch weapon.
Incorporeal creatures are immune to critical hits, extra damage from being favored enemies, and from sneak attacks. They move in any direction (including up or down) at will. They do not need to walk on the ground. They can pass through solid objects at will, although they cannot see when their eyes are within solid matter. Incorporeal creatures hiding inside solid objects get a +2 circumstance bonus on Listen checks, because solid objects carry sound well. Pinpointing an opponent from inside a solid object uses the same rules as pinpointing invisible opponents (see Invisibility).
Incorporeal creatures are inaudible unless they decide to make noise.
The physical attacks of incorporeal creatures ignore material armor, even magic armor, unless it is made of force (such as mage armor or bracers of armor) or has the ghost touch property.
Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air.
Incorporeal creatures cannot fall or take falling damage.
Corporeal creatures cannot trip or grapple incorporeal creatures.
Incorporeal creatures have no weight and do not set off traps that are triggered by weight.
Incorporeal creatures do not leave footprints, have no scent, and make no noise unless they manifest, and even then they only make noise intentionally.
An invisible quasit is spying on the adventurers when the rogue gets a strange feeling. “There’s something here,” she whispers, and signals for silence as she tries to locate it by ear.
The ability to move about unseen is wonderful, but it’s not foolproof. While they can’t be seen, invisible creatures can be heard, smelled, or felt.
Invisibility makes a creature undetectable by vision, including darkvision.
Invisibility does not, by itself, make a creature immune to critical hits, but it does make the creature immune to extra damage from being a ranger’s favored enemy and from sneak attacks.
A creature can generally notice the presence of an active invisible creature within 30 feet with a DC 20 Spot check. The observer gains a hunch that “something’s there” but can’t see it or target it accurately with an attack. A creature who is holding still is very hard to notice (DC 30). An inanimate object, an unliving creature holding still, or a completely immobile creature is even harder to spot (DC 40). It’s practically impossible (+20 DC) to pinpoint an invisible creature’s location with a Spot check, and even if a character succeeds on such a check, the invisible creature still benefits from total concealment (50% miss chance).
A creature can use hearing to find an invisible creature. A character can make a Listen check for this purpose as a free action each round. A Listen check result at least equal to the invisible creature’s Move Silently check result reveals its presence. (A creature with no ranks in Move Silently makes a Move Silently check as a Dexterity check to which an armor check penalty applies.) A successful check lets a character hear an invisible creature “over there somewhere.” It’s practically impossible to pinpoint the location of an invisible creature. A Listen check that beats the DC by 20 pinpoints the invisible creature’s location.
| Invisible Creature Is… | DC |
|---|---|
| In combat or speaking | 0 |
| Moving at half speed | Move Silently check result |
| Moving at full speed | Move Silently check result – 4 |
| Running or charging | Move Silently check result – 20 |
| Some distance away | +1 per 10 feet |
| Behind an obstacle (door) | +5 |
| Behind an obstacle (stone wall) | +15 |
A creature can grope about to find an invisible creature. A character can make a touch attack with his hands or a weapon into two adjacent 5-foot squares using a standard action. If an invisible target is in the designated area, there is a 50% miss chance on the touch attack. If successful, the groping character deals no damage but has successfully pinpointed the invisible creature’s current location. (If the invisible creature moves, its location, obviously, is once again unknown.)
If an invisible creature strikes a character, the character struck still knows the location of the creature that struck him (until, of course, the invisible creature moves). The only exception is if the invisible creature has a reach greater than 5 feet. In this case, the struck character knows the general location of the creature but has not pinpointed the exact location.
If a character tries to attack an invisible creature whose location he has pinpointed, he attacks normally, but the invisible creature still benefits from full concealment (and thus a 50% miss chance). At your option, a particularly large and slow creature might get a smaller miss chance. If a wizard projects a disintegrate ray into the center of an invisible Huge black pudding, you could reduce or ignore the miss chance; it’s pretty hard to miss something that big.
If a character tries to attack an invisible creature whose location he has not pinpointed, have the player choose the space where the character will direct the attack. If the invisible creature is there, conduct the attack normally. If the enemy’s not there, roll the miss chance as if it were there, don’t let the player see the result, and tell him that the character has missed. That way the player doesn’t know whether the attack missed because the enemy’s not there or because you successfully rolled the miss chance.
If an invisible character picks up a visible object, the object remains visible. One could coat an invisible object with flour to at least keep track of its position (until the flour fell off or blew away). An invisible creature can pick up a small visible item and hide it on his person (tucked in a pocket or behind a cloak) and render it effectively invisible.
Invisible creatures leave tracks. They can be tracked normally. Footprints in sand, mud, or other soft surfaces can give enemies clues to an invisible creature’s location.
An invisible creature in the water displaces water, revealing its location. The invisible creature, however, is still hard to see and benefits from concealment.
A creature with the scent ability can detect an invisible creature as it would a visible one.
A creature with the Blind-Fight feat has a better chance to hit an invisible creature. Roll the miss chance twice, and he misses only if both rolls indicate a miss. (Alternatively, make one 25% miss chance roll rather than two 50% miss chance rolls.)
A creature with blindsight can attack (and otherwise interact with) creatures regardless of invisibility.
An invisible burning torch still gives off light, as does an invisible object with a light spell (or similar spell) cast upon it.
Ethereal creatures are invisible. Since ethereal creatures are not materially present, Spot checks, Listen checks, scent, Blind-Fight, and blindsight don’t help locate them. Incorporeal creatures are often invisible. Scent, Blind-Fight, and blindsight don’t help creatures find or attack invisible, incorporeal creatures, but Spot checks and possibly Listen checks can help.
Invisible creatures cannot use gaze attacks.
Invisibility does not thwart detect spells.
Since some creatures can detect or even see invisible creatures, it is helpful to be able to hide even when invisible.
A character who loses a level instantly loses one Hit Die. The character’s base attack bonus, base saving throw bonuses, and special class abilities are now reduced to the new, lower level. A 2nd-level rogue, for example, normally has the evasion ability, but when she is drained to 1st level, she loses that ability. Likewise, the character loses any ability score gain, skill ranks, and any feat associated with the level (if applicable). If the exact ability score or skill ranks increased from a level now lost is unknown (or the player has forgotten), lose 1 point from the highest ability score or ranks from the highest-ranked skills. If a familiar or companion creature (such as a paladin’s mount) has abilities tied to a character who has lost a level, the creature’s abilities are adjusted to fit the character’s new level.
The victim’s experience point total is immediately set to the midpoint of the previous level. For example, a character drained from 2nd to 1st level would drop to 500 experience points.
Characters with low-light vision have eyes that are so sensitive to light that they can see twice as far as normal in dim light. Thus, if a group of adventurers passes down a dark passage with a torch illuminating a 20-foot radius, an elf with low-light vision can see everything within 40 feet of the torch. Low-light vision is color vision. A spellcaster with low-light vision can read a scroll as long as even the tiniest candle flame is next to her as a source of light.
Characters with low-light vision can see outdoors on a moonlit night as well as they can during the day.
A cleric brandishes his unholy symbol at the fighter, gestures with it, and speaks unintelligible words. Suddenly the fighter feels his body freeze up, and he can’t will his limbs to obey. He stands rigid and helpless. He hears a fight raging around him and sees whatever passes in front of his eyes, but he can’t turn to see how his friends are faring. The sound of his own breath and the beating of his heart fill his ears. Then he hears someone behind him, and all he can do is hope it’s a friend.
Some monsters and spells have the supernatural or spell-like ability to paralyze their victims, immobilizing them through magical means. (Paralysis from toxins is discussed in the Poison section below.)
A paralyzed character cannot move, speak, or take any physical action. He is rooted to the spot, frozen and helpless. Not even friends can move his limbs. He may take purely mental actions, such as casting a spell with no components.
A winged creature flying in the air at the time that it becomes paralyzed cannot flap its wings and falls. A swimmer can’t swim and may drown.
When a character takes damage from an attack with a poisoned weapon, touches an item smeared with contact poison, consumes poisoned food or drink, or is otherwise poisoned, he must make a Fortitude saving throw. If he fails, he takes the poison’s initial damage (usually ability damage). Even if he succeeds, he typically faces more damage 1 minute later, which he can also avoid with a successful Fortitude saving throw.
One dose of poison smeared on a weapon or some other object affects just a single target. A poisoned weapon or object retains its venom until the weapon scores a hit or the object is touched (unless the poison is wiped off before a target comes in contact with it). Any poison smeared on an object or exposed to the elements in any way—if the vial containing it is left unstoppered, for instance—remains potent until it is touched or used.
Although supernatural and spell-like poisons are possible, poisonous effects are almost always extraordinary.
Poisons can be divided into four basic types according to the method by which their effect is delivered, as follows.
Contact: Merely touching this type of poison necessitates a saving throw. It can be actively delivered via a weapon or a touch attack. Even if a creature has sufficient damage reduction to avoid taking any damage from the attack, the poison can still affect it. A chest or other object can be smeared with contact poison as part of a trap.
Ingested: Ingested poisons are virtually impossible to utilize in a combat situation. A poisoner could administer a potion to an unconscious creature or attempt to dupe someone into drinking or eating something poisoned. Assassins and other characters tend to use ingested poisons outside of combat.
Inhaled: Inhaled poisons are usually contained in fragile vials or eggshells. They can be thrown as a ranged attack with a range increment of 10 feet. When it strikes a hard surface (or is struck hard), the container releases its poison. One dose spreads to fill the volume of a 10-foot cube. Each creature within the area must make a saving throw. (Holding one’s breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons; they affect the nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body.)
Injury: This poison must be delivered through a wound. If a creature has sufficient damage reduction to avoid taking any damage from the attack, the poison does not affect it. Traps that cause damage from weapons, needles, and the like sometimes contain injury poisons.
The characteristics of poisons are summarized on the Poisons table. Terms on the table are defined below.
Type: The poison’s method of delivery (contact, ingested, inhaled, or by injury) and the Fortitude save DC to avoid the poison’s damage.
Initial Damage: The damage the character takes immediately upon failing his saving throw against this poison. Ability damage is temporary unless marked with an asterisk (*), in which case the loss is a permanent drain. Paralysis lasts for 2d6 minutes.
Secondary Damage: The amount of damage the character takes 1 minute after exposure as a result of the poisoning, if he fails a second saving throw. Unconsciousness lasts for 1d3 hours. Ability damage marked with an asterisk is permanent drain instead of temporary damage.
Price: The cost of one dose (one vial) of the poison. It is not possible to use or apply poison in any quantity smaller than one dose. The purchase and possession of poison is always illegal, and even in big cities it can be obtained only from specialized, less than reputable sources.
| Poison | Type | Initial Damage | Secondary Damage | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrion crawler brain juice | Contact DC 13 | Paralysis | 0 | 200 gp |
| Nitharit | Contact DC 13 | 0 | 3d6 Con | 650 gp |
| Sassone leaf residue | Contact DC 16 | 2d12 hp | 1d6 Con | 300 gp |
| Malyss root paste | Contact DC 16 | 1 Dex | 2d4 Dex | 500 gp |
| Terinav root | Contact DC 16 | 1d6 Dex | 2d6 Dex | 750 gp |
| Black lotus extract | Contact DC 20 | 3d6 Con | 3d6 Con | 4,500 gp |
| Dragon bile | Contact DC 26 | 3d6 Str | 0 | 1,500 gp |
| Striped toadstool | Ingested DC 11 | 1 Wis | 2d6 Wis + 1d4 Int | 180 gp |
| Arsenic | Ingested DC 13 | 1 Con | 1d8 Con | 120 gp |
| Id moss | Ingested DC 14 | 1d4 Int | 2d6 Int | 125 gp |
| Oil of taggit | Ingested DC 15 | 0 | Unconsciousness | 90 gp |
| Lich dust | Ingested DC 17 | 2d6 Str | 1d6 Str | 250 gp |
| Dark reaver powder | Ingested DC 18 | 2d6 Con | 1d6 Con + 1d6 Str | 300 gp |
| Ungol dust | Inhaled DC 15 | 1 Cha | 1d6 Cha + 1 Cha1 | 1,000 gp |
| Insanity mist | Inhaled DC 15 | 1d4 Wis | 2d6 Wis | 1,500 gp |
| Burnt othur fumes | Inhaled DC 18 | 1 Con1 | 3d6 Con | 2,100 gp |
| Black adder venom | Injury DC 11 | 1d6 Con | 1d6 Con | 120 gp |
| Small centipede poison | Injury DC 11 | 1d2 Dex | 1d2 Dex | 90 gp |
| Bloodroot | Injury DC 12 | 0 | 1d4 Con + 1d3 Wis | 100 gp |
| Drow poison | Injury DC 13 | Unconsciousness | Unconsciousness for 2d4 hours | 75 gp |
| Greenblood oil | Injury DC 13 | 1 Con | 1d2 Con | 100 gp |
| Blue whinnis | Injury DC 14 | 1 Con | Unconsciousness | 120 gp |
| Medium spider venom | Injury DC 14 | 1d4 Str | 1d4 Str | 150 gp |
| Shadow essence | Injury DC 17 | 1 Str* | 2d6 Str | 250 gp |
| Wyvern poison | Injury DC 17 | 2d6 Con | 2d6 Con | 3,000 gp |
| Large scorpion venom | Injury DC 18 | 1d6 Str | 1d6 Str | 200 gp |
| Giant wasp poison | Injury DC 18 | 1d6 Dex | 1d6 Dex | 210 gp |
| Deathblade | Injury DC 20 | 1d6 Con | 2d6 Con | 1,800 gp |
| Purple worm poison | Injury DC 24 | 1d6 Str | 2d6 Str | 700 gp |
| ||||
A character has a 5% chance of exposing himself to a poison whenever he applies it to a weapon or otherwise readies it for use. Additionally, a character who rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll with a poisoned weapon must make a DC 15 Reflex save or accidentally poison himself with the weapon.
Wyverns, medusas, and other creatures with natural poison attacks are immune to their own poison. Nonliving creatures (constructs and undead) and creatures without metabolisms (such as elementals) are always immune to poison. Oozes, plants, and certain kinds of outsiders (such as tanar’ri) are also immune to poison, although conceivably special poisons could be concocted specifically to harm them.
The rogue thought that the captain of the guard was acting a little strangely, but she put it down to stress. When she turned away, however, she heard a strange squishing sound behind her. She spun around to see that the man had turned into a 10-foot-tall blueskinned monster, complete with a greatsword—an ogre mage.
Magic can cause creatures and characters to change their shapes—sometimes against their will, but usually to gain an advantage. Polymorphed creatures retain their own minds but have new physical forms.
The polymorph spell defines the general polymorph effect.
Unless stated otherwise, creatures can polymorph into forms of the same type or into an aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin form. Most spells and abilities that grant the ability to polymorph place a cap on the Hit Dice of the form taken.
Polymorphed creatures gain the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution of their new forms, as well as size, extraordinary special attacks, movement capabilities (to a maximum of 120 feet for flying and 60 for nonflying movement), natural armor bonus, natural weapons, racial skill bonuses, and other gross physical qualities such as appearance and number of limbs. They retain their original class and level, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, hit points, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and alignment.
Creatures who polymorph keep their worn or held equipment if the new form is capable of wearing or holding it. Otherwise, it melds with the new form and ceases to function for the duration of the polymorph.
Telepathy, mental combat and psychic powers—psionics is a catchall word that describes special mental abilities possessed by various creatures. These are spell-like abilities that a creature generates from the power of its mind alone—no other outside magical force or ritual is needed. The most well known of the psionic creatures is the dreaded mind flayer, which blasts its prey’s mind and then devours the brain of the prey while it lies stunned. Each psionic creature’s description in the Monster Manual contains details on its psionic abilities.
Psionic attacks almost always allow Will saving throws to resist them. However, not all psionic attacks are mental attacks. Some psionic abilities allow the psionic creature to reshape its own body, heal its wounds, or teleport great distances. Some psionic creatures can see into the future, the past, and the present (in far-off locales) as well as read the minds of others.
A thin, green beam leaps from one of the beholder’s eyes and streaks across the chamber at the wizard. She twists to avoid it (as she would move to avoid an arrow or a sword), but the beam flies true and connects. Green energy encompasses her in a flash, trying to disintegrate her. Her face contorts as she struggles to resist the spell. In an instant, the green energy is gone, and Mialee is safe. The beholder then projects a second eye beam at her.
All ray attacks, whether from a ray of enfeeblement spell or a beholder’s eye ray, require the attacker to make a successful ranged touch attack against the target. Rays have varying ranges, which are simple maximums. A ray’s attack roll never takes a range penalty. Even if a ray hits, it usually allows the target to make a saving throw (Fortitude or Will). Rays never allow a Reflex saving throw, but if a character’s Dexterity bonus to AC is high, it might be hard to hit her with the ray in the first place.
Creatures with this extraordinary ability recover from wounds quickly and can even regrow or reattach severed body parts.
Damage dealt to the creature is treated as nonlethal damage, and the creature automatically cures itself of nonlethal damage at a fixed rate (for example, 5 points per round for a troll).
Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, deal damage to the creature normally; that sort of damage doesn’t convert to nonlethal damage and so doesn’t go away. The creature’s description includes the details.
Creatures with regeneration can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts. Severed parts die if they are not reattached.
Regeneration does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation.
Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage (for example, implosion and most poisons) ignore regeneration.
An attack that can cause instant death, such as a coup de grace, massive damage, or an assassin’s death attack, only threatens the creature with death if it is delivered by weapons that deal it lethal damage.
A creature with resistance to energy has the ability (usually extraordinary) to ignore some damage of a certain type (such as cold, electricity, or fire) each round, but it does not have total immunity.
Each resistance ability is defined by what energy type it resists and how many points of damage are resisted. For example, a janni has resistance to fire 10. A janni can ignore the first 10 points of fire damage it takes each attack. It doesn’t matter whether the damage has a mundane or magical source.
When resistance completely negates the damage from an energy attack, the attack does not disrupt a spell.
This resistance does not stack with the resistance that a spell, such as resist elements, might provide.
This extraordinary ability lets a creature detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
A creature with the scent ability can detect opponents by sense of smell, generally within 30 feet. If the opponent is upwind, the range is 60 feet. If it is downwind, the range is 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at three times these ranges.
The creature detects another creature’s presence but not its specific location. Noting the direction of the scent is a move action. If it moves within 5 feet of the scent’s source, the creature can pinpoint that source.
A creature with the Track feat and the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom check (or a Survival check, if it has ranks in that skill) to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10. The DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry’s odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Track feat. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.
Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights.
Water, particularly running water, ruins a trail for air-breathing creatures. Water-breathing creatures such as sharks, however, have the scent ability and can use it in the water easily.
False, powerful odors can easily mask other scents. The presence of such an odor completely spoils the ability to properly detect or identify creatures, and the base Survival DC to track becomes 20 rather than 10.
Spell resistance is the extraordinary ability to avoid being affected by spells. (Some spells also grant spell resistance.)
To affect a creature that has spell resistance, a spellcaster must make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) at least equal to the creature’s spell resistance. (The defender’s spell resistance is like an Armor Class against magical attacks.) If the caster fails the check, the spell doesn’t affect the creature. The possessor does not have to do anything special to use spell resistance. The creature need not even be aware of the threat for its spell resistance to operate.
Only spells and spell-like abilities are subject to spell resistance. Extraordinary and supernatural abilities (including enhancement bonuses on magic weapons) are not. For example, the fear effect from a rod of lordly might is subject to spell resistance because it is a spell-like effect. The rod’s combat bonuses (such as the +2 bonus from the rod’s mace form) are not. A creature can have some abilities that are subject to spell resistance and some that are not. For example, an androsphinx’s divine spells are subject to spell resistance, but its roar is not. (The roar is a supernatural ability.) A cleric’s spells are subject to spell resistance, but his use of positive or negative energy is not. Even some spells ignore spell resistance; see When Spell Resistance Applies, below.
A creature can voluntarily lower its spell resistance. Doing so is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Once a creature lowers its resistance, it remains down until the creature’s next turn. At the beginning of the creature’s next turn, the creature’s spell resistance automatically returns unless the creature intentionally keeps it down (also a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity).
A creature’s spell resistance never interferes with its own spells, items, or abilities.
A creature with spell resistance cannot impart this power to others by touching them or standing in their midst. Only the rarest of creatures and a few magic items have the ability to bestow spell resistance upon another.
Spell resistance does not stack. It overlaps. If a cleric wearing +1 chainmail that grants him spell resistance 15 casts holy aura, which grants spell resistance 25 against evil spells and spells cast by evil creatures, he has spell resistance 25 against the aforementioned spells and spell resistance 15 against other spells and spell-like abilities.
Each spell description includes an entry that indicates whether spell resistance applies to the spell. In general, whether spell resistance applies depends on what the spell does:
Targeted Spells: Spell resistance applies if the spell is targeted at the creature. Some individually targeted spells, such as magic missile when cast by a 3rd-level caster, can be directed at several creatures simultaneously. In such cases, a creature’s spell resistance applies only to the portion of the spell actually targeted at that creature. If several different resistant creatures are subjected to such a spell, each checks its spell resistance separately.
Area Spells: Spell resistance applies if the resistant creature is within the spell’s area. It protects the resistant creature without affecting the spell itself.
Effect Spells: Most effect spells summon or create something and are not subject to spell resistance. For instance, summon monster I summons a monster that can attack a creature with spell resistance normally. Sometimes, however, spell resistance applies to effect spells, usually to those that act upon a creature more or less directly, such as web.
Spell resistance can protect a creature from a spell that’s already been cast. Check spell resistance when the creature is first affected by the spell. For example, if an ogre mage flies within 10 feet of a wall of fire, the caster must make a caster level check against the ogre mage’s spell resistance of 18. If the caster fails, the wall does not damage the ogre mage.
Check spell resistance only once for any particular casting of a spell or use of a spell-like ability. If spell resistance fails the first time, it fails each time the creature encounters that same casting of the spell. Likewise, if the spell resistance succeeds the first time, it always succeeds. For example, a succubus encounters a cleric’s blade barrier spell. If the cleric makes a successful roll to overcome the spell resistance of the succubus, the creature takes damage from the spell. If the succubus survives and enters that particular blade barrier a second time, the creature will be damaged again. No second roll is needed. If the creature has voluntarily lowered its spell resistance and is then subjected to a spell, the creature still has a single chance to resist that spell later, when its spell resistance is up.
Spell resistance has no effect unless the energy created or released by the spell actually goes to work on the resistant creature’s mind or body. If the spell acts on anything else (the air, the ground, the room’s light), and the creature is affected as a consequence, no roll is required. Creatures can be harmed by a spell without being directly affected. For example, a daylight spell harms a dark elf because drow have light blindness. Daylight, however, usually is cast on the area containing the drow, making it bright, not on the drow itself, so the effect is indirect. Spell resistance would only apply if someone tried to cast daylight on an object the drow was holding.
Spell resistance does not apply if an effect fools the creature’s senses or reveals something about the creature, such as minor image or detect thoughts does.
Magic actually has to be working for spell resistance to apply. Spells that have instantaneous durations but lasting results aren’t subject to spell resistance unless the resistant creature is exposed to the spell the instant it is cast. For example, a creature with spell resistance can’t undo a wall of stone that has already been cast.
When in doubt about whether a spell’s effect is direct or indirect, consider the spell’s school:
Abjuration: The target creature must be harmed, changed, or restricted in some manner for spell resistance to apply. Perception changes, such as nondetection, aren’t subject to spell resistance. Abjurations that block or negate attacks are not subject to an attacker’s spell resistance—it is the protected creature that is affected by the spell (becoming immune or resistant to the attack).
Conjuration: These spells are usually not subject to spell resistance unless the spell conjures some form of energy, such as acid arrow or power word stun. Spells that summon creatures or produce effects that function like creatures are not subject to spell resistance.
Divination: These spells do not affect creatures directly and are not subject to spell resistance, even though what they reveal about a creature might be very damaging.
Enchantment: Since enchantment spells affect creatures’ minds, they are typically subject to spell resistance.
Evocation: If an evocation spell deals damage to the creature, it has a direct effect. If the spell damages something else, it has an indirect effect. For example, a lightning bolt cast at a resistant creature is subject to spell resistance (which would protect only the creature but would not affect the spell itself ). If the lightning bolt is cast at a chamber’s ceiling, bringing down a rain of debris, it is not subject to spell resistance.
Illusion: These spells are almost never subject to spell resistance. Illusions that entail a direct attack, such as phantasmal killer or shadow evocation, are exceptions.
Necromancy: Most of these spells alter the target creature’s life force and are subject to spell resistance. Unusual necromancy spells, such as spectral hand, don’t affect other creatures directly and are not subject to spell resistance.
Transmutation: These spells are subject to spell resistance if they transform the target creature. Transmutation spells are not subject to spell resistance if they are targeted on a point in space instead of on a creature. Transmute rock to mud and entangle change a creature’s surroundings, not the creature itself, and are not subject to spell resistance. Some transmutations make objects harmful (or more harmful), such as magic stone. Even these spells are not generally subject to spell resistance because they affect the objects, not the creatures against which the objects are used. Spell resistance works against magic stone only if the creature with spell resistance is holding the stones when the cleric casts magic stone on them.
Spell resistance prevents a spell or a spell-like ability from affecting or harming the resistant creature, but it never removes a magical effect from another creature or negates a spell’s effect on another creature. Spell resistance prevents a spell from disrupting another spell.
Against an ongoing spell that has already been cast, a failed check against spell resistance allows the resistant creature to ignore any effect the spell might have. The magic continues to affect others normally.
A creature with tremorsense automatically senses the location of anything that is in contact with the ground and within range (such as 60 feet for the thoqqua).
If no straight path exists through the ground from the creature to those that it’s sensing, then the range defines the maximum distance of the shortest indirect path. It must itself be in contact with the ground, and the creatures must be moving.
As long as the other creatures are taking physical actions, including casting spells with somatic components, they’re considered moving; they don’t have to move from place to place for a creature with tremorsense to detect them.
By virtue of superior strength of will or just plain unholy power, some creatures (usually undead) are less easily affected by clerics or paladins (see Turn or Rebuke Undead).
Turn resistance is an extraordinary ability.
When resolving a turn, rebuke, command, or bolster attempt, added the appropriate bonus to the creature’s Hit Dice total. For example, a shadow has +2 turn resistance and 3 HD. Attempts to turn, rebuke, command, or bolster it treat the shadow as though it has 5 HD, though it is a 3 HD creature for any other purpose.