Stunned forever... can't always go by RAW

[sir_argo]

So last night in my group's session, one of our players was stunned by a bad guy. The text of the effect stated, "...and the creature is stunned until the end of this creature's next turn."

Well, the bad guy died before he got another turn. Since the bad guy never got another turn, the condition for the stun ending will never happen. We had a good laugh, but by RAW, our buddy should be perma-stunned. Needless to say, our DM went by RAI and said it ended on his next turn instead.

[Crgaston]

Hahahaha!
Nice :)

[hymer]

Since the bad guy never got another turn, the condition for the stun ending will never happen.

It is a nice piece of pedantry, and I heartily applaud the sentiment. But I don't think you went far enough. There's nothing preventing a dead character or monster from getting their turn. So with enough application of 'technically correct' (the best kind of correct) we can get back to sanity.
But wait, there's more! The rules don't actually specify what happens to a creature that gets killed in game terms! :smallbiggrin:

[Hyde]

It is a nice piece of pedantry, and I heartily applaud the sentiment. But I don't think you went far enough. There's nothing preventing a dead character or monster from getting their turn. So with enough application of 'technically correct' (the best kind of correct) we can get back to sanity.
But wait, there's more! The rules don't actually specify what happens to a creature that gets killed in game terms! :smallbiggrin:

I guess you'd really have to establish whether or not the corpse is the creature, and if so, does the corpse get a turn?
And if it does, is there any way to ever really leave initiative, as the DM would need to confirm every six seconds, that the corpse did nothing with its turn.

I would submit to the court that there are several spells which differentiate between remains and living bodies, but recognize that this may not be sufficient evidence, as there is no "dead" status condition, as has already been entered into record.

[RickAllison]

I don't think the corpse gets a turn, but the creature still does. That creature just happens to, you know, be having an out-of-body experience. If someone cast Revivify on it, the creature would still have the same initiative.

[History_buff]

Power Word Heal would have ended it.

So would lesser restoration.

[History_buff]

No, that only fixes blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned.

Huh. Odd, I mistook a house rule for raw. Mea culpa.

It ought to though.

[visitor]

Charm Person also doesn't end with the death of the caster: "it is charmed by you until the spell ends or until you or your companions do anything harmful to it.

So if a PC is charmed by a bad guy, and the party kills the bad guy, you're still charmed for an hour. And probably not happy your new buddy got dead.

[Chugger]

Didn't Shakespeare have a character say something like, "First thing we do, let's tickle mercilessly all the rule lawyers"? Ah no ... not tickle ... tar and feather?

[History_buff]

Didn't Shakespeare have a character say something like, "First thing we do, let's tickle mercilessly all the rule lawyers"? Ah no ... not tickle ... tar and feather?

What most people don’t realize is that quote is spoken by the villain in Henry VI as a plan to seize power.

With lawyers gone, no one knows their rights and the courts become corrupt. ;)

[8wGremlin]

Did the boss die, or were they reduced to 0hp and then fail their death saves?
Cus strictly speaking only a few monsters actually say they die at zero.
Rules can be sticklers like that.