Universal Abilities

The following are abilities commonly referenced within this system and as such are listed here to reduce repeated writings, but also keep consistency in the workings of these abilities.

All-Around Vision (Ex)
The creature’s body is covered with so many eyes or other type of sensory organ that they can no longer be flanked.

Amphibious(Ex)
Creatures with the amphibious ability are capable of breathing both air and water. Commonly granted to some creatures of the aquatic type.

Blindsense (Ex)
Creatures with blindsense are capable of noticing things they would normally be unable to see. A creature with blindsense, unless otherwise specified, can automatically pinpoint the location of a creature within range of its blindsense ability, provided it still has line of effect to it. If the creature would otherwise be unable to see the creature they still suffer the penalties for attacking or being attacked by a creature invisible to them (such as treating them as having total concealment). A creature with blindsense is able to move normally even if blinded.

Blindsight (Ex)
Blindsight is similar to blindsense, but is not only able to locate invisible creatures, but treats them as if they were visible to the creature with blindsight. Unless otherwise specified blindsight ignores most kinds of concealment, and otherwise can see as well as a creature using their normal senses, within the listed range of their blindsight.

Blood Drain (Ex)
Blood Drain allows a creature to consume or otherwise drain the blood of their victim as part of an attack. Blood drain designates a natural weapon or some other source the creature uses to perform the blood drain (ie. Blood Drain(Bite)). When using the designated natural weapon the creature does an additional damage equal to the damage die of the natural weapon used; and gains a number of temporary hit points equal to this additional damage; these temporary hit points may stack with themselves but expire at the creature’s next turn. Some effects may further increase the damage caused by blood drain. In addition a creature targeted by blood drain is subject to a fortitude save attack (1d20 + ½ the draining creature’s hit dice + Constitution modifier); with a successful save attack dealing an additional 1d4 points of constitution damage and granting additional temporary hit points equal to twice the constitution damage inflicted. Enhancement bonuses to the natural weapon used in the blood drain may apply to the fortitude save attack of this ability.

Format: Blood Drain(Bite)

Burrow (Ex)
Creatures with a burrow speed can tunnel through dirt (but not rock unless otherwise specified). Creatures cannot charge or run while burrowing, and otherwise do not leave behind tunnels other creatures can use.

Darkvision
A creature with darkvision can see in normal, low-light, and darkness; some forms of magical darkness may specify they obscure vision even to those with darkvision. Darkvision specifies a distance a creature can see in which they treat as if it were normal light. Creature’s sight in darkness is devoid of color, and colors may be difficult to discern or muted in low-light conditions.

Damage Aura (Ex)
The creature possesses a damaging aura. Creatures that start their turn within the area of the aura take the listed damage. Auras are measured using a creature as the source, extending out the listed distance from the creature.

Damage Reduction
Some classes and creatures have the ability to ignore a portion to all of the damage they receive from a physical attack. The numerical part of damage reduction (DR) is the amount of damage the creature ignores from physical attack, usually an attack performed by a weapon or natural weapon dealing piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning damage; some damage may be untyped but still qualify as physical specified by the ability dealing the damage. Sometimes damage reduction represents instant healing. Sometimes it represents the creature’s tough hide or body. In either case, other characters can see that conventional attacks won’t work.

Usually, a certain type of weapon can overcome this reduction. This information is separated from the damage reduction number by a slash. For example, DR 5/magic means that a creature takes 5 less points of damage from all weapons that are not magic. If a dash follows the slash, then the damage reduction is effective against any attack that does not ignore damage reduction.

Whenever damage reduction completely negates the damage from an attack, it also negates most special effects that accompany the attack, such as a monk’s stunning fist, and injury-based poison. Damage Reduction does not negate touch attacks, energy damage dealt along with an attack, or energy drains. Nor does it affect poisons or diseases delivered by inhalation, ingestion, or contact. Effects such as bleed are only negated if the triggering attack was required to apply, abilities that unconditionally apply bleed are unaffected; in addition damage reduction only affects damage from an attack and not ongoing damage.

Attacks that deal no damage because of the target’s damage reduction do not disrupt spells. Spells, spell-like abilities, and attacks that deal elemental damage (even non-magical fire) ignore damage reduction. Spells that deal physical damage are still subject to damage reduction but count as magical for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

If a creature has damage reduction from more than one source, the two forms of damage reduction do not stack unless otherwise specified. Instead, the creature gets the benefit of the best damage reduction in a given situation.

Elemental Resistance
A creature with resistance to elemental damage has the ability (usually extraordinary) to ignore some damage of a certain type per attack, but it does not have total immunity.

Each resistance ability is defined by what elemental type it resists and a number to indicate power of resistance. The numerical value of the resistance (such as Resist 1 Fire) indicates the bonus to AC and Saves the creature has against spells with the associated elemental affinity. For each point of resistance the creature reduces incoming damage of the elemental type by 5 points (as such Resist 3 Fire would reduce incoming fire damage by 15 points); it does not matter whether the damage has a mundane or magical source.

When resistance completely negates the damage from an attack, the attack does not disrupt a spell. This resistance does not stack with the resistance that a spell might provide and the greater of resistance values is used unless specified otherwise.

Engulf (Ex)
Some creatures have the ability to engulf creatures in their path as part of a standard action. Unless otherwise specified the creature cannot make any other attacks in a round in which it uses the engulf ability. When using engulf the creature simply moves over its opponents, affecting as many as it can cover given its size; this is usually any squares the creature occupies that are also occupied by targets of their size or smaller.

The creature using the engulf makes a reflex save attack against the creatures targeted. The targeted creatures may make an attack of opportunity against the engulfing creature, but if they do so they do not receive a reflex save against this attack. A failed save attack pushes the targets back or aside (target’s choice) as the creature moves forward, while a successful save attack engulfs the target.

Once engulfed the creature is treated as if it was swallowed as per the swallow whole universal ability, granting them the pinned condition. In addition to the usual effects of swallow whole the creature is in danger of suffocating, as well as may be subject to other effects (such as a paralysis effect or similar). A creature cutting their way out of an engulfing creature needs to only deal damage equaling ⅓ the creature’s hit points rather than ½ to cut their way out, but leaves no hole in the creature as it closes up moments after they escape.

Fast Healing
The fast healing ability allows the creature to regain hit points each round automatically. Unless otherwise specified, fast healing is treated like natural healing, and thus cannot restore hit points caused by starvation, thirst or suffocation, nor does it allow a creature to regrow or reattach lost body parts. A creature with fast healing receives the noted amount of healing at the start of their turn each round. Fast healing is normally an extraordinary ability, but if granted through spells or other such effects may instead be magical in nature depending on the source that granted it.

Fortification (Ex)
A creature with fortification has a 25-75% chance to treat a critical hit or precision damage as a normal hit, similar to the armor special ability of the same name.

Frightful Presence (Su)
A creature with this ability becomes unsettling to their foes. When making an attack or using a combat maneuver, hostile creatures within the area of this ability (30 feet unless otherwise specified) that can see the creature are subject to a will save attack (1d20+½ HD + Cha mod usually). This only affects hostile creatures with less Hit Dice than the creature with this ability. A successful save attack causes affected creatures to become shaken for 1 minute; if you succeed by two degrees or more against the target they are instead panicked for 2d4 rounds and then shaken for 1 minute thereafter. Frightful presence is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Glide
A creature with a glide speed allows them to fall without taking damage as long as the creature continues to glide. When gliding the creature slowly descends at a rate of 5 feet per round. In addition the creature may move up to their glide speed as part of a single movement. The creature may take a run action when gliding but doing so increases the rate that the creature descends to 15 feet per round. Glide checks require Fly checks, similar to flying. If a gliding creature does not move at least half their glide speed each round they must make the usual fly checks to remain gliding, or a fly check to hover; each of these fly checks have their DCs reduced by 5. If the creature is attacked while gliding they must still make a DC 10 fly check to avoid losing an additional 10 feet of altitude.

If a creature possesses a fly speed they may always choose to glide instead of fly at a glide speed of half their fly speed.

Greater Darkvision (Su)
Similar to Darkvision, except creatures with this ability can see in darkness of any kind, including magical forms of darkness that otherwise would blind creatures with darkvision.

Heavy Carapace (Ex)
A creature doubles its existing natural armor when it gains this ability; this does not include enhancement bonuses to natural armor. The creature gains no dexterity bonus to AC similar to a creature wearing heavy armor. Crossbow and Firearm keyword weapons treat the creature’s natural armor as armor for the purpose of bypassing it.

Immunity
Creatures with an immunity take no damage or are otherwise not affected by the listed source(s); which can range from elemental types, damage types, or even conditions. When a creature has an elemental immunity it generally means they only have immunity to the damage of that type of spell, but not immunity from spells with that affinity; a creature with light immunity would ignore light damage, but wouldn't become immune to a light affinity cure spell.

Incorporeal
A creature who has become incorporeal has no physical body and as such is immune to all non-magical attacks. Magic weapons, spells, or supernatural effects deal half damage to an incorporeal creature. Other incorporeal creatures and effects deal full damage to an incorporeal creature.

An incorporeal creature cannot directly attack corporeal creatures using weapons or natural weapons, but may still affect them with touch attacks to deliver effects. Unlike attacks against incorporeal creatures, a incorporeal creature’s magic and effects from touch attacks deal full damage.

Unless otherwise specified an incorporeal creature cannot interact, and automatically passes through all corporeal objects.

Lifesense (Su)
A creature with lifesense is capable of seeing creatures as if they had blindsense, but only against living creatures.

Lifesight (Su)
A creature with lifesight is capable of seeing creatures as if they had blindsight, but only against living creatures.

Light Blindness (Ex)
Creatures with light blindness is blinded for 1 round when exposed to bright light (such as sunlight); and then dazzled each round thereafter as long as they remain within the area of bright light.

Low-Light Vision (Ex)
Creatures with low-light vision can see twice as far as normal creatures, doubling the area of bright light and dim light provided by light sources (such as a torch would shine 60 feet of light  and dim light rather than the usual 30).

Pounce (Ex)
Creatures with the pounce ability gain the ability to make a full attack action at the end of a charge, rather than being limited to a single attack. Each attack gains the usual bonus to attack rolls for occuring at the end of a charge.

Quadruped
Quadruped creatures multiply their carrying capacity by a number indicated by the number next to the ability (usually 2 or 3). Some creatures may have quadruped traits despite not having 4 or more legs, and others may have a different bonus to carrying capacity.

Format: Quadruped(3)

Regeneration (Ex)
Creatures with regeneration work similarly to creatures with fast healing, except regeneration allows creatures to restore and reattach lost limbs within 1d6 horse after they are lost; severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally. Unless otherwise specified the creature cannot die while their regeneration is still functioning; though may still fall unconscious if their hit points are below 0. Regeneration usually specified a form of damage such as fire that will temporarily disable the regeneration for 1 round. During this round the creature does not heal any damage and can die normally, and thus creatures already below the threshold to die will automatically die if their regeneration ceases. A creature with regeneration cannot go negative beyond double their maximum hit points in negative HP (unless this value would somehow be above the death threshold for the creature). Creatures that have their constitution scores reduced to 0 die as normal even with regeneration.

Scent (Ex)
Creatures with the scent ability allow them to use their heightened sense of smell to detect other creatures. Unless otherwise specified creatures can detect other creatures within 30 feet by just their sense of smell. If upwind this range increases is doubled, while if downwind this range is halved. In wind tiers above 2 these ranges increase by an additional 5 feet if upwind, or reduced by 5 feet (minimum 5 feet) if downwind for each tier above 2. Overpowering scents, such as a skunk’s musk, can be detected at triple normal range.

Scent does not allow a creature to determine the exact source unless the creature is within 5 feet of the source. In addition, a creature with scent receives a +10 bonus to track creatures while the trail is fresh, reducing by 2 for each hour the trail remains (minimum 0).

Swallow Whole (Ex)
When attempting to pin a target, a creature with the swallow whole ability may instead choose to swallow the target. If successful, the creature swallows its target; if the creature has a bite attack the swallowed creature takes damage equal to the bite’s damage dice. Unless otherwise noted, the target can be up to one size category smaller than the swallowing creature. The swallowed target takes damage each round, of an amount and type of damage determined by the individual creature’s statistics. When swallowed the target gains the pinned condition, while the creature that swallowed the target loses the grappled condition. The swallowing creature must still maintain the grappled may only do so once per round per creature swallowed as a reaction; success allowing the swallowing creature to maintain the grapple or pin condition on the target and dealing damage as noted of the swallow whole ability. The swallowing creature may not choose to do any other actions related to a grapple to a creature they have swallowed whole such as dealing damage not from the swallow whole, constrict, or tie up. If the swallowing creature fails to maintain the grapple once, the target loses the pinned condition and is instead grappled; the target remains within the creature still, but the swallowing creature cannot re-establish the pin while the creature remains inside them and may only further maintain the grapple.

When the target has escaped the pin, but is still grappled inside of the swallowing creature, the target may attempt to escape the grapple. If it succeeds the target escapes to an adjacent square of the creature that swallowed them. Additionally the target may attempt to cut its way out with a slashing weapon. The target must deal damage to the creature that swallowed it equaling to at least half its maximum hit points before it may cut its way out; the AC against these attacks is the creature’s flat-footed AC, but does not gain any Armor or Shield bonuses to its AC. This damage is tracked separately from the current HP of the creature, and does not allow a target to automatically escape once a creature is reduced to half hit points. Once a target has cut its way out it leaves a hole in the creature that swallowed it; immediately ending the grapple and allowing the target to move out of the creature’s square. This hole remains until the creature is brought back to maximum hit points or has restored hit points equaling half its maximum hit points.

Unless otherwise specified a creature may only have one creature one size smaller than themselves swallowed at one time, for each size category smaller than the swallowing creature multiply this value by 4; For example a large creature may have one medium or 4 small creatures, or 12 Tiny creatures. The creature must spend a separate reaction each round to maintain the grapple or pin for each creature swallowed.

Tremorsense (Ex)
A creature with tremorsense gains the ability to see through vibrations through surfaces. This ability works as blindsight but only as long as the other creature or object they are detecting is in contact with the ground, or the same body of water as they are.

Undersized Weapons (Ex)
The creature uses manufactured weapons as if it were one size category Smaller than the creature’s actual size. In addition unarmed strikes and natural weapons made with limbs capable of holding weapons (usually hands) are made as a creature one size category smaller. Undersized weapons have the “short” or “long” tag, to indicate reach. Short indicates the creature’s body does not grant them the reach of their size, and instead have the reach of a creature a size category smaller (for both weapons, unarmed strikes, and natural weapons); while long indicates the creature wields smaller weapons, but has the reach of a creature of their size.

Unnatural Aura (Su)
An aspect of the creature is unnatural or unsettling causing animals to become wary of approaching. Creatures with animal intelligence (a score of 2 or lower) are subject to a will save attack when entering this aura. Unless otherwise specified this save attack is made at (1d20 + ½ Hit Dice + Charisma modifier). A successful save attack causes the affected creature to become shaken and become unable to approach the target creature for 1d4+1 rounds. A failed save attack leaves the creature unaffected and cannot affect them again for 24 hours.

Water Breathing (Ex)
Creatures with this ability can breathe underwater indefinitely, and can freely use spells while submerged.

Vulnerability
A creature who is weak (or vulnerable) against another element usually takes 50% additional damage from an element they are weak to, and receive a -4 penalty against saving throws against spells with the associated affinity.