Cheapest way to protect undead from mental ability damage?

[ayvango]

the Sheltered Vitality spell requires living target to protect which is definitely not the case for an undead. But undead still need protection from mental stat damage. What is the cheapest way to protect against such damage or at least regain lost ability scores? Be it item or spell.

[The Glyphstone]

Cast Spark of Life on the undead, then Sheltered Vitality?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

It depends on how that ability damage is being dealt. Most effects that cause mental ability damage are either mind-affecting or a poison, neither of which will affect undead. See if you can protect them from the type of effect that deals the ability damage, rather than the ability damage itself.

[ayvango]

It depends on how that ability damage is being dealt.
With the Dark Speech. Fortunately undead qualified for the feat because it is not immune to ability damage. Unfortunately it is harder for him to negate aforementioned damage.

[BlackOnyx]

Soul Ward (Complete Champion, Cleric 2) protects against 5 points of ability damage for a chosen mental ability. Multiple castings have a "synergistic effect" that boosts that to 8 or 10.

The target is only listed as "creature," so it ought to work for undead.

[frogglesmash]

Binding Naberius greatly mitigates the problem.

[Zanos]

No need. Undead inherit mental ability damage immunity from Con: --

A creature with no Constitution has no body or no metabolism. It is immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect works on objects or is harmless. The creature is also immune to ability damage, ability drain, and energy drain, and automatically fails Constitution checks.

[ayvango]

No need. Undead inherit mental ability damage immunity from Con: --
Sad news :( I had misused Ray of Stupidity. Sorry for poor mindless zombies. And undead could not use Dark Speech therefore.

[The Viscount]

No need. Undead inherit mental ability damage immunity from Con: --

The fact that undead have their traits printed separately under type, and these traits specifically only grant immunity to physical ability damage must mean that this is a different case for undead. I hate being the guy to say "specific trumps general" but it's the only explanation that makes sense.

Undead are still immune to ray of stupidity because it is a mind affecting effect.

An undead could protect itself (depending on how much essentia invested) by use of the Strongheart Vest, though they would need the Undead Meldshaper feat.

[ayvango]

I hate being the guy to say "specific trumps general" but it's the only explanation that makes sense.

And where is specifically said that undead are not immune to mental ability damage? Healing and resurrection are specifically marked as exceptions in the undead type.

[Zanos]

The fact that undead have their traits printed separately under type, and these traits specifically only grant immunity to physical ability damage must mean that this is a different case for undead. I hate being the guy to say "specific trumps general" but it's the only explanation that makes sense.

Specific trumping general only is true in the case of a contradiction. Undead being immune to ability damage and mental ability damage isn't a contradiction.

[Necroticplague]

The fact that undead have their traits printed separately under type, and these traits specifically only grant immunity to physical ability damage must mean that this is a different case for undead. I hate being the guy to say "specific trumps general" but it's the only explanation that makes sense.

Specific Trumps General would only be the case if the rules for undead specifically said that they were vulnerable to damage to their mental attributes. They don't, they just have a redundant layer of defense against a specific type of ability damage. The rules for their immunity don't contradict, they're redundant.

[Doctor Awkward]

For whatever it's worth, Undead traits (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#undeadType) specifically call out undead only being immune to ability damage to physical ability scores:


Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.

As opposed to constructs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#constructType), which also lack a constitution score, and are specifically called out in their creature type as having a blanket immunity to ability damage:


Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain.

I guess it depends on whether you interpret the clause in Dark Speech of "immune to ability damage" as "immune to any ability damage" or "immune to all ability damage".

[frogglesmash]

Based on the language used I think it's likely that the writers intended for undead to be vulnerable to ability damage to mental ability scores, and simply forgot that not having a con score provided blanket immunity to ability damage. I also think that it's not unlikely that a DM might rule it that way, so OP's question is not entirely irrelevant.