7
\$\begingroup\$

Let's say that Lazarus the Lazy is an eighth level wizard. He is too lazy to wash his dishes, so he simply uses them once and throws them out every day. Each night before bed, he summons an Unseen Servant. "Make me a spoon!" he commands. (Wisdom was his dump stat.)

The Unseen Servant "can't perform any task that requires a skill check with a DC higher than 10 or that requires a check using a skill that can't be used untrained." But Craft is usable untrained, and "wooden spoon" is listed as an example of a DC 5 check, so this should be within its capabilities.

What should the roll be? Can the servant take 10?

For bonus credit, can this answer be extended to other skills the servant can use?

Improve this question
\$\endgroup\$
3
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ By What should the roll be? do you mean what are the ability scores of the effect created by the unseen servant or something else? (I don't want to write A d20, for instance.) Also, in your research have you found something that indicated the effect could not take 10 on a skill check? (That is, is this weirder than, like, a dog taking 10 on a skill check?) \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    May 9, 2016 at 20:36
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ Since the Servant is an effect, and not a creature, I'd say it is a little more unusual than a dog taking ten. The crux of the problem is what it means to have no stats, I suppose. \$\endgroup\$
    – J Kimball
    May 10, 2016 at 15:16
  • \$\begingroup\$ For reasons I don't pretend to understand, Pathfinder eliminates the 3.5 concept of nonabilities, the presence of which would've made this question far easier to answer. \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    May 10, 2016 at 15:28

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
2
\$\begingroup\$

After some research I can't find anything that either prohibits the US from taking 10, or that indicates it has any bonuses on skill rolls. The only exception is it's "effective Strength score of 2", so it would have -4 on rolls for Strength skills (which really shouldn't affect anything given its other limitations).

So, the roll for all skills would be 1d20+0, except for Strength skills which are 1d20-4.

And yes, the US can take 10 (with the usual requirements of that).

Improve this answer
\$\endgroup\$
2
\$\begingroup\$

Unfortunately for Lazarus the Lazy, he's either going to need to make those spoons himself or go out and buy them. While useful for carrying things around, his beloved friend the Unseen Servant is, unfortunately, mindless.

Mindless: No Intelligence score, and immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).

With no Intelligence score, it can be safely argued that Lazarus's Servant is incapable of using the Craft (Spoons) skill, since it is Int based.

Improve this answer
\$\endgroup\$
4
  • \$\begingroup\$ A mindless creature can still follow orders, though. (Yet it might be up to the GM to regulate the complexity of those orders.) \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    May 9, 2016 at 23:24
  • \$\begingroup\$ But even a mindless creature must have some kind of baseline to follow any orders. You can verbally order a mindless thing to pick up something and not have to first demonstrate what pick up means and without first pointing at the something, right? \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    May 10, 2016 at 0:15
  • 2
    \$\begingroup\$ Huh. So an unseen servant can be commanded successfully to mend a broken wooden spoon (that is, commanded to use its abysmal Craft skill to repair an object), but it can't be commanded to make a wooden spoon (that is, commanded to use its abysmal Craft skill for something not directly mentioned in the spell)? \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    May 10, 2016 at 0:35
  • \$\begingroup\$ Let us continue this discussion in chat. \$\endgroup\$
    – Weaveworker89
    May 10, 2016 at 0:46

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .