Int damage on undead

[mouser13]

Well reading though undead type and I don't see them having immune to int damage. Making some undead targets for ray of stupidity. IN-case of 0 int what really happens?

[NNescio]

Well reading though undead type and I don't see them having immune to int damage. Making some undead targets for ray of stupidity. IN-case of 0 int what really happens?

Ray of Stupidity has the [Mind-Affecting] tag. Undead are immune to mind-affecting effects. They are therefore immune to RoS.

Most ways of dealing INT damage also have the [Mind-Affecting] tag, or are poisons. Undead are immune to both. You have to use rarer sources of INT damage that undead are not immune to, like ravages and poxitoxins. If you somehow manage to find such a source and damage a non-mindless undead to INT 0, it suffers all the usual consequences as does a normal creature, that is, it "cannot think and is unconscious in a coma-like stupor, helpless."

Note that mindless undead are still immune to INT damage regardless. (Can't penalize a nonexistent score.)

[Thurbane]

Investiture of the Amnizu (FC2) should work.

Mindfrost is not mind-affecting, but does allow a Fort save for 1/2, so undead are immune.

Same with Parboil.

Similar with Memory Rot (which also specifies living creature as target).

So yeah, Investiture of the Amnizu is the only one that a quick search turns up.

Also Crystalline Memories (CM)

And as NNescio says, you can't damage non-ability scores, so mindless undead would be unaffected.

[ZamielVanWeber]

Note that undead are immune to mental stat damage.


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.

They are doubly immune to physical damage and normal immune to mental. If you hand waive this then int damage would function as normal. Mindless are immune and minded suffer the normal penalties.

[Thurbane]

Good pick up. Disregards the spells I listed above, then.

I was going to also suggest the Song of the Dead feat, which likewise (given that citation) would not work.

[Asmotherion]

Undead are imune to Mind-Affecting effects Poisons and Negative energy effects; Most Mental Stat Damaging effects belong to one or the other.

What does definitely wor is positoxins: They are specifically designed alchemical poisons (counts as poison for all spell effects but as alchemical for the purpose of affecting undead) mixed with holy water (at least that's what i seem to remember as the lore?) that affect Undead. Lichbane is pretty neat for mental stat damage.

Only corporeal undead can be affected by positoxins though (so no poisoning the wraith haunting your house) and they cannot lower a score below 1 (not sure about this part?).

[PraxisVetli]

Note that undead are immune to mental stat damage.



They are doubly immune to physical damage and normal immune to mental. If you hand waive this then int damage would function as normal. Mindless are immune and minded suffer the normal penalties.

Not sure if the SRD is wrong but the MM1 says '
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.
Implying mental stat damage will work.