Re: Neogi and Umber Hulks - air breathing?

On Jul 8, 2006, at 10:32 AM, Joseph Elric Smith wrote:

> Just because I don't breath doesn't mean I can't absorb the toxins 
> from a gas attack, so lack of breath doesn't necessarily have to make 
> one immune to a gas attack.

Um. Actually, yes it does, because if you don't absorb things from the 
air around you, you don't breathe.

> So if the rule don't; specifically mention a creature can see do we 
> assume it can't? No, but we do have a specific reference to the fact 
> that they don't breath. So I would think we would assume they don't 
> breath till we find a rule that says they do.

Well, "seeing" is more of a thing that is taken for granted; if a 
creature cannot see (e.g. Grimlocks) it's mentioned because such a 
thing is noteworthy. Similarly, breathing (especially for a sentient 
creature that has many of the same social habits as humanoids) is also 
a thing taken for granted, and if such a creature did not need to 
breathe it would be mentioned much more prominently as a central, 
defining trait. Neogi not requiring breath is something that would be 
noteworthy, especially in a campaign based in a wildspace setting where 
breathing is such an important thing.
And no, I don't think we have a "specific" reference to the fact that 
they don't breathe. You have a throw-away reference, which isn't 
specific. A specific reference would explain that they don't breathe, 
and how this works physiologically, and what some of the other effects 
of it are. We wouldn't be having this discussion at all if it were so 
easy to accept.

> Once again what I the problem with it. IF the DM feels the need to 
> make them breath for some reason let the Dm Rule zero it.

Well, the problem with it is that it's not an official rule  :-p