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Jack_Simth
2008-02-02, 08:28 PM
The Shadow has a very special form of strength damage:


Strength Damage (Su)
The touch of a shadow deals 1d6 points of Strength damage to a living foe. A creature reduced to Strength 0 by a shadow dies. This is a negative energy effect.

Create Spawn (Su)
Any humanoid reduced to Strength 0 by a shadow becomes a shadow under the control of its killer within 1d4 rounds.

Bearing in mind that damage translates between forms (and I as the DM read that as Strength damage, too) if, after taking a lot of strength damage from a Shadow, someone uses Alternate Form (or similar abilities) to become something that has a lower strength score than the amount of damage that's been applied (e.g., turning into a str 8 halfling after having taken 10 strength damage) does the "A creature reduced to Strength 0 by a shadow dies" clause apply?

Blackadder
2008-02-02, 09:13 PM
No, the reduction to 0 must come from a Shadow's attack. If you down-shift to a halfling your simply reduced to strength 0, and any shadow attack will finish you off since your already at strength zero.

You went to zero via another method, that's why it reads...

A creature reduced to Strength 0 by a shadow dies
Note that part, you go to zero FROM the shadow, not via any outside source.
So if you go to strength 2, then drop to strength zero via any other non-shadow related method, you don't die your helpless.

Jack_Simth
2008-02-02, 10:12 PM
Okay, good - that's what I went with at the table, too, after double-checking the wording; good to know there's others that agree.

Voyager_I
2008-02-02, 11:01 PM
What happens if the Shadow hits you while you're already at 0 Str? The logical answer is obvious, but this could be another of those "heal yourself with a bucket of water!" scenarios...

Jack_Simth
2008-02-03, 12:20 AM
What happens if the Shadow hits you while you're already at 0 Str? The logical answer is obvious, but this could be another of those "heal yourself with a bucket of water!" scenarios...
You know, strictly speaking, "logical" essentially means following the rules exactly as they're laid out - which IS the "heal yourself with a bucket of water" scenario. Perhaps it's "the intended answer is obvious" that you're after....

But then, language is fluid....