Orcs missing Ferosity reaction in Plaguestone

The defining feature of orcs that you cannot keep them down is missing. This makes the last half of the adventure easier...

Bestiary 343
Ferosity reaction
"Trigger: The Monster is reduced to 0 HP. Effect: The monster avoids being knocked out and remains at 1 HP, but its wounded value increases by 1. When it is wounded 3, it can no longer use this ability."

Some of the orcs are unique to this adventure ('The Sculptor', 'Lord Nar', 'Gray Tusk', they also should have same trigger of the Bestiary orcs. This adventure uses Alchemist, and Brute versions.

I suspect the FG Bestiary needs checked even though it is not out in case these got pulled from there for this module.

Since it is not listed no idea if the keyword has automation to track orc (not) dying cycle.

Note that the half-orc ancestry feat below in SRD/CRB has the same name, but limited to daily rather than using it until you die. So make sure you use the orc rather than half-orc version.

CRB 59
"Frequency once per day
Trigger You would be reduced to 0 Hit Points but not immediately killed.
Fierceness in battle runs through your blood, and you refuse to fall from your injuries. You avoid being knocked out and remain at 1 Hit Point, and your wounded condition increases by 1."

Got it, thanks for reporting. I will look into this very shortly this morning.

https://2e.aonprd.com/MonsterAbilities.aspx?ID=16

What is not clear to me is if they drop prone, then healed themselves with 1HP. Just having them take extra hits for virtual HP seems off, they should have to get back up and get back into the fight.

I think they did KO but will not stay KO, wording is 'avoids' which is future tense rather than 'avoided' which is past tense.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yarnevk

https://2e.aonprd.com/MonsterAbilities.aspx?ID=16

What is not clear to me is if they drop prone, then healed themselves with 1HP. Just having them take extra hits for virtual HP seems off, they should have to get back up and get back into the fight.

I think they did KO but will not stay KO, wording is 'avoids' which is future tense rather than 'avoided' which is past tense.

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Avoids is also third person present tense*. To me this is clear.

Instead of dropping to 0, falling prone, being unconscious, etc. they drop to 1 hp and increase their wounded condition.

Also, this is not limited to until they die, it doesn't prevent them dying, since if they have wounded 3 and would drop to 0 they would become dying 4 and be dead.

I don't like the way this is written, Orc PCs could take the feat that makes them expire at dying 5, they should be able to use this if they have wounded 3, but the way it's written they can't. I'd have to house rule that as nonsense.

I'm not sure if you're aware, but orcs in First edition Pathfinder also had ferocity. In that edition if you fell below zero hit points you were unconscious, until you fell to minus your Con score, then you were permanently dead. Orcs did not fall unconscious when they had negative hit points, but did die at minus their con just like everyone else. This is the Pathfinder 2 version of that, they continue to fight as if they were not dropped.


* First person, I avoid; Second person you avoid; third person the monster avoids (also he avoids, she avoids).

Well I do not use grammarly so I will take your word for it on the words.

But them not dropping is incredibly boring.

Just give them more HP and the fight is exactly the same other than GM narrative 'the orc almost went down but kept on going'. Way more narratively interesting if the orc actually goes down, then pops back up. But I supposed that would just lead to metagamer hitting them when they are down due to action economy they are dead anyways. So I guess I see how it is...