Helpless

Conditions

A helpless creature is unable to effectively defend itself. It is at the complete mercy of any adjacent attacker — melee attackers can perform a coup de grâce to attempt an instant kill. Helpless is not always a standalone condition; it is also a consequence of unconscious, paralyzed, and pinned.

Effects

  • Effective Dexterity is treated as 0 (–5 penalty to AC). The creature loses its Dexterity bonus to AC entirely.
  • Melee attackers gain a +4 bonus on attack rolls against a helpless defender.
  • Adjacent melee attackers may attempt a coup de grâce as a full-round action:
    • The attack automatically hits and is automatically a critical hit.
    • The target must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or die.
    • Even on a successful save, the damage is still dealt.
  • Ranged attackers do not get the +4 bonus or coup de grâce option unless they are within 5 feet (treated as melee range).
Coup de grâce and creatures immune to critical hits. Creatures immune to critical hits (constructs, elementals, oozes, plants, undead, and creatures with the fortification armor property) cannot be killed by the coup de grâce death effect, but they still take the automatic critical hit damage.

Ending the Condition

Helpless is almost always the result of another condition — ending the source condition ends helplessness:

  • Unconscious — ends when the creature regains consciousness.
  • Paralyzed — ends when the paralysis effect expires or is removed.
  • Pinned — ends when the pin is broken (escape artist, CMB check to break grapple).
  • Bound or held creatures are helpless for as long as they remain restrained.

Related Conditions

  • Unconscious — unconscious creatures are always helpless.
  • Paralyzed — paralyzed creatures are helpless and cannot move or act.
  • Pinned — pinned creatures are helpless (within the grapple context).
  • Stunned — stunned creatures lose their DEX bonus to AC and can be coup de grâce'd similarly.

Common Sources

Being unconscious, paralyzed, or pinned; being physically bound (tied up, manacled); the hold person and hold monster spells; certain monster abilities that immobilize a target. Any creature reduced below 0 HP is unconscious and therefore helpless.