Silly Houserule (Ioun Stone + Vorpal Sword = Profit?)

[Domriso]

This is a somewhat silly houserule which is unlikely to really come up, but I thought it up today and figured I'd share it to see how others would rule.

If a character has both a Clear Spindle (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/ioun-stones/clear-spindle-ioun-stone) Ioun Stone and an Iridescent Spindle (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/ioun-stones/iridescent-spindle-ioun-stone) Ioun Stone equipped at the same time, and then is decapitated, say by a Vorpal Sword (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons/magic-weapon-special-abilities/vorpal), the character does not die. They are decapitated, yes, but they are sustained by the magic of the two Ioun Stones, becoming a disembodied head.

To be fair, this in no way imparts any way to move or speech as simply a head, but they technically do not need their body to survive anymore. Hell, throw in a Nacreous Gray Sphere (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/ioun-stones/nacreous-gray-sphere-ioun-stone) and a Pearly White Spindle (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/ioun-stones/pearly-white-spindle-ioun-stone) Ioun Stone and you've got the recipe for a nearly immortal, immovable head spending its existence in the corner of some cave.

Could be a fun random encounter, a sorcerer left only as a head, gone mad from being stuck in a cave for years, waiting for someone to find them. It gets even more fun if they have Silent Spell and Still Spell, since otherwise there aren't many (if any) spells they could cast.

[Scootaloo]

This is a somewhat silly houserule which is unlikely to really come up, but I thought it up today and figured I'd share it to see how others would rule.

If a character has both a Clear Spindle (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/ioun-stones/clear-spindle-ioun-stone) Ioun Stone and an Iridescent Spindle (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/ioun-stones/iridescent-spindle-ioun-stone) Ioun Stone equipped at the same time, and then is decapitated, say by a Vorpal Sword (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons/magic-weapon-special-abilities/vorpal), the character does not die. They are decapitated, yes, but they are sustained by the magic of the two Ioun Stones, becoming a disembodied head.

To be fair, this in no way imparts any way to move or speech as simply a head, but they technically do not need their body to survive anymore. Hell, throw in a Nacreous Gray Sphere (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/ioun-stones/nacreous-gray-sphere-ioun-stone) and a Pearly White Spindle (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/ioun-stones/pearly-white-spindle-ioun-stone) Ioun Stone and you've got the recipe for a nearly immortal, immovable head spending its existence in the corner of some cave.

Could be a fun random encounter, a sorcerer left only as a head, gone mad from being stuck in a cave for years, waiting for someone to find them. It gets even more fun if they have Silent Spell and Still Spell, since otherwise there aren't many (if any) spells they could cast.

Unless there's some way of circulating blood through the head, doesn't work - holding your greath doen'thelp - you've got no lungs to hold your breath IN. same with the water / food thing, you've got no stomach. And without circulation to bring water, nutrients, and oxygen to your brain and carry away waste products, like carbon dioxide and assorted acids, your brain withers and dies.

to say nothing of the rest of your head.

[Invader]

I second Scootaloo,

There's more to staying alive aside from food and oxygen.

[Domriso]

Unless there's some way of circulating blood through the head, doesn't work - holding your greath doen'thelp - you've got no lungs to hold your breath IN. same with the water / food thing, you've got no stomach. And without circulation to bring water, nutrients, and oxygen to your brain and carry away waste products, like carbon dioxide and assorted acids, your brain withers and dies.

Depends on how the items work. If the stones keep the cells properly supplied directly without an intervening medium, I see no reason that the stones couldn't keep the head alive without the flow of blood. The items would be carrying the normal biological processes on through magical means, not normally biological ones. If they simply keep the body in a state of homeostasis, then yeah, this would not work, as there is no longer the blood to serve as a medium of homeostasis.

Still, my point stands: it's a silly house rule that is unlikely to come up, but the bizarre side effects of magic items is something I find hilarious to think of.

[Pinkie Pyro]

Depends on how the items work. If the stones keep the cells properly supplied directly without an intervening medium, I see no reason that the stones couldn't keep the head alive without the flow of blood. The items would be carrying the normal biological processes on through magical means, not normally biological ones. If they simply keep the body in a state of homeostasis, then yeah, this would not work, as there is no longer the blood to serve as a medium of homeostasis.

Still, my point stands: it's a silly house rule that is unlikely to come up, but the bizarre side effects of magic items is something I find hilarious to think of.

You're absolutely right here, and honestly, the only way this can be abused is either cheating an execution by decapitation, or if you start throwing alot of orcs with vorpal longswords at them, so I'd be all for it.

[Drelua]

Depends on how the items work. If the stones keep the cells properly supplied directly without an intervening medium, I see no reason that the stones couldn't keep the head alive without the flow of blood. The items would be carrying the normal biological processes on through magical means, not normally biological ones. If they simply keep the body in a state of homeostasis, then yeah, this would not work, as there is no longer the blood to serve as a medium of homeostasis.

Still, my point stands: it's a silly house rule that is unlikely to come up, but the bizarre side effects of magic items is something I find hilarious to think of.

I'm not so sure about this, it kind of leads to other things that could be a kinda broken. If you don't need blood, are you immune to bleed damage? You don't even need your body, so how can you take damage from it being stabbed? If you don't need your body then I guess you won't mind that guy with the sword slicing your stomach opened so your guts land at your feet!

I don't know about you, but I'd say that's worth a bit more than 22,000 gold.

[Captnq]

Actually...that works.

You don't need food, water, or air. Circulation isn't needed. It's magic, after all. Magic is keeping you alive. The regeneration and agelessness would work as well.

Now, when mold starts to grow on you, you're toast. After all, mold and fungus fall under disease. Nothing stopping you from rotting away.

[Captnq]

I'm not so sure about this, it kind of leads to other things that could be a kinda broken. If you don't need blood, are you immune to bleed damage? You don't even need your body, so how can you take damage from it being stabbed? If you don't need your body then I guess you won't mind that guy with the sword slicing your stomach opened so your guts land at your feet!

I don't know about you, but I'd say that's worth a bit more than 22,000 gold.

Uh... You don't have a body anymore? All your HPs are in your head. Technically you don't bleed when you take HP damage. You don't bleed until you are at HP: Zero.

Now, an immortal severed head technically is helpless, so you could just coup de grace the head, But it would have full hit points, if you tried killing it the old fashioned way. Technically. If you set a hundred hit point head on fire, it would burn at 1d6 HP of fire damage a round. That would take a long time to die, I imagine.

Now, If I took a spiked helmet, gave it the WSA flying, then made it a Illithid weapon graft, then my severed head could fly around, and no longer be subject to coup de grace.

[Crake]

Uh... You don't have a body anymore? All your HPs are in your head. Technically you don't bleed when you take HP damage. You don't bleed until you are at HP: Zero.

Now, an immortal severed head technically is helpless, so you could just coup de grace the head, But it would have full hit points, if you tried killing it the old fashioned way. Technically. If you set a hundred hit point head on fire, it would burn at 1d6 HP of fire damage a round. That would take a long time to die, I imagine.

Now, If I took a spiked helmet, gave it the WSA flying, then made it a Illithid weapon graft, then my severed head could fly around, and no longer be subject to coup de grace.

i think he meant attacks that make you bleed, like infernal wound and the like

[Phyxion]

You're absolutely right here, and honestly, the only way this can be abused is either cheating an execution by decapitation, or if you start throwing alot of orcs with vorpal longswords at them, so I'd be all for it.
Cheating an execution like this seems like it would make for a pretty good story/adventure hook, in fact.

[Big Fau]

Unless there's some way of circulating blood through the head, doesn't work - holding your greath doen'thelp - you've got no lungs to hold your breath IN. same with the water / food thing, you've got no stomach. And without circulation to bring water, nutrients, and oxygen to your brain and carry away waste products, like carbon dioxide and assorted acids, your brain withers and dies.

to say nothing of the rest of your head.

The only part of that the Ioun stones don't solve (at least from a certain interpretation about how the stones nourish you) is the part about bodily wastes. Blood flow supplies oxygen to the brain, while nutrients are provided in the form of energy (once the digestion process is finished).

[Domriso]

I'm not so sure about this, it kind of leads to other things that could be a kinda broken. If you don't need blood, are you immune to bleed damage? You don't even need your body, so how can you take damage from it being stabbed? If you don't need your body then I guess you won't mind that guy with the sword slicing your stomach opened so your guts land at your feet!

I don't know about you, but I'd say that's worth a bit more than 22,000 gold.

I wouldn't say you wouldn't need your body. Life as a disembodied, stationary head which can't speak sounds like a pretty terrible existence. But, it would still be an existence, and certainly could be entertaining for an alternative side-quest to come back to life or help a fellow adventurer.

I could see a few ways to make the head more useful, but I'm more just amused by the image of someone with these two Ioun Stones getting crit'd and losing their head, expecting to start making a new character, when I turn to them and go, "Alright, you open your eyes and you are surrounded by blood-speckled foliage. What do you do?"

[Drelua]

Yeah, I guess that could make for an interesting scenario, I just think if the head can live without the body, then logically your body can probably live without any given part of it. If you don't need your circulatory system or any internal organs, how does hit point damage work? What happens if a Rogue sneak attacks you in the kidneys? You need those to process fluids, but if you don't need to drink anything, how can the damage from that stab kill you? Sure, you've now gone from not needing to drink anything to not being able to drink anything, but that's a lot better than dying. Considering how few ways there are to lose a body part, you're basically pricing indestructibility in most situations at 22k.