[DL] Re: Aztec Mummines [DEFINITE SPOILERS]

["John Goff" <johngoff@cavtel.net>]

> Wind damage is a form of damage, therefore this fits the definition of a
> "damage-causing attack".  Therefore,
> the creature is immune to this.  Oh, and that's two words.  :)
>

Loss of Wind due to mental strain (or an effect that causes such) is pretty
much the only way to cause it to suffer Wind while it retains its jade
stone. Unfortunately, for anyone seeking to defeat one in this fashion--few
come immediately to mind as readily available in the Weird West that can
affect a Fearless creature. The hexes Howl and Phantasm (assuming a bad
enough result) would do it, but not to a Fearless creature.

Still, that's the intent. If it strains the creature due to mental stress
rather than actual attacking it, it works.

> One would think that anything that would cause damage is effectively an
> "attack", whether intentional, accidentlal, environmental, random
> something-falls-on-your-head-from-a-great-height, or whatever.
>

Nope.

Mental strain that causes Wind is not considered an "attack" for this
purpose. Just like there are ways around the Blessed's Protection--push over
a bookshelf on the preacher.

The creature is worded that way so that direct physical or magical attempts
to damage it will fail. If the heroes find a way to cause it significant
mental stress (how, I don't know), they can affect it. It's the stress, not
the attack, that weakens the creature.

Now, they can't kill it this way (it's immune to all wounds), but they can
conceivably knock it down.

> <after some thought>
>
> I'm beginning to think that the way it should have been worded is that the
> thing is just plain unkillable unless you get it to cough up the stone,
> period.

That's pretty much the intent. However, as I said, the abomination may be
slowed down by a sufficiently clever posse long enough for them to escape.

> I can see perhaps that the creature can only be affected by attacks
> that do no damage (restraint, pushing it off a cliff; of course since the
> creature is being effectively
> "attacked" by the ground due to that sudden stop, this doesn't help a lot
> either).

You're right--pushing it off a cliff is pretty much the same as shooting it.
It's immune to all wounds.

> However, that to me is a
> given (most immunities don't say a darn thing about it providing immunity
> to being tied up or what not), so
> why the oddball wording with regards to _this particular creature_?

It's not immune to being tied up. Anyone tough enough to do so, is welcome
to try. ;-)

> Why is
> this one so different that
> it requires this particular wording for its Immunity?  Anybody?  Unless
you
> can find some sort of
> lucky-special-magic 'kill it by deteriorating its Traits' thing that
> actually would work on something that's
> dead already, which I'm not sure about.
>

Like I said, mental stress. The intent is that its body is pretty much
invulnerable, but its mind isn't.

John Goff