On stoned/petriefied creatures...

[Elvensilver]

I really like the idea of certain iconic creatures petriefying adventurers or poor commoners with their gaze, and I also really like the flesh to stone- stone to flesh spells. Apart from beeing usefull, they can make for interesting stories (waking up after spending decades as a stature in a basilisk's lair... )

And the mechanics are also rather interesting! Let's be honest, I kind of don't understand all the implications.

Stone to Flesh, (in Pathfinder) turns the target creature into a

mindless, inert statue (...) The creature is not dead, but does not seem to be alive either when viewed with spells such as deathwatch.

- So, where's the creature's soul?
If the target is not dead, it probably did not pass on to the afterlife. If the statue is mindless, it shouldn't be imprisoned there either- or maybe it is in a stasis? Or tethered to the statue like on a silver chord while astral projecting?
What do you think?

- Furthermore, it says "the creature". Does the statue still count as a creature for the purpose of spells?
That would be very helpful for the purpose of the next spell...

Flesh to Stone:

This spell restores a petrified creature to its normal state, restoring life and goods. The creature must make a DC 15 Fortitude save to survive the process.

- Assuming a party of adventurers decides to restore petriefied creatures back to normal life, what can they do to make sure the victims survive the process?

The way I read flesh to stone, the statue is not actually a creature anymore, until the effect is reversed. If the statue is a creature, there are any number of ways to help it survive the transformation: Resistance, the witch's Fortune-hex, Touch of Good from the cleric's Good domain, ...
But if the statue is just that- a statue, not a creature- what can you do?
A cloak of resistance might still help- place it on the target's shoulders, cast Stone to Flesh. The moment the targeted statue is a person again, they should get the bonus to saving throws for their fortitude save.
Other options I found were auras- such as the Protective Aura of the Agathion subdomain (does not stack with a cloak, sadly). The problem here is if the statue counts as an ally. Maybe the cleric can designate the statue as an ally?
The easiest option I found was to simply await the saving thow's result and cast Breath of life in case the creature died. If you have a level 11 Wizard, you probably have a level 9 Cleric, too.

So, what are your thoughts on the subject?

[Vaern]

The creature's soul is still in the statue until turned back or destroyed. I'd treat it as just having 0 int, unconscious and helpless and (presumably) having no awareness of the passage of time for the duration of its petrification.
It says that the creature doesn't appear to be alive for the purpose of spells such as deathwatch that can see life force, but it still looks like it's a living creature based on the text and could still presumably gain bonuses for equipment or spells that increase saving throws for the purpose of making that fortitude save.

[Hiro Quester]

Good question. Can a Bear’s Endurance increase the constitution (and so fort save) of a petrified creature before casting stone to flesh?

Is a petrified creature a legit target for that spell? It has a saving throw of “Will negates (harmless)” so can it be cast on something with no ability to make a will save?

edit : Target is “creature touched” A petrified creature is technically a creature. But their being petrified negates most of their creaturely abilities.

[Psyren]

Yes, you can buff a petrified creature. The hard part is recognizing that it's a creature in the first place, but once you do it is eligible for various other spells. Relevant rule:

Petrified: A petrified character has been turned to stone and is considered unconscious. If a petrified character cracks or breaks, but the broken pieces are joined with the body as he returns to flesh, he is unharmed. If the character’s petrified body is incomplete when it returns to flesh, the body is likewise incomplete and there is some amount of permanent hit point loss and/or debilitation.

Petrification renders a creature unconscious, but they are still a creature (not an object). This is reinforced in the rule by referring to the stone as "the character's petrified body" rather than "the object" or similar. Your body is a part of your character (a very important part) but it is not the entirety of your character, so having a body made of stone does not make you stop being a creature.

[Zanos]

You should use break enchantment instead of stone to flesh to reverse petrification, since it does not require a fortitude save to survive. You need a caster level check but it doesn't kill the person if you fail it.

[lowfyr]

Eberron had some fun stuff with stone to flesh. A Prison that turned dangerous prisoners to stone, because killing them was not an option for example.