Is there a difference between Slowed 1 and Stunned 1

conditionspathfinder-2e

Slowed 1 and Stunned 1 both reduce a Creature's Actions by 1 on their next turn; what's more, they don't even stack per the line in Stunned saying that it overwrites Slow. What difference, besides some creatures possibly being immune to one but not the other (which is less common than in Pathfinder 1e), is there between being affected by them?

Best Answer

Stunned prevents all action while it is active

even if it's only Stunned 1.

Stunned specifies

You can't act while stunned.

Notably, this is it's second sentence (after what some would consider "fluff" based on Paizo's writing style) so should be taken as literally as makes sense. That is to say, you cannot make any Action while the Stunned condition persists (most often ending part-way through your turn). The largest implication for this is that you cannot make Reactions while Stunned, which you could if you were slowed. You also cannot perform Free Actions that trigger before your Stunned condition is reduced (I'm looking at you, Effortless Concentration).

There are four types of actions: single actions, activities, reactions, and free actions.

  • Since I forgot to mention "for 1 round" regarding Slowed (like I was initially thinking), I'll add that it's possible to be Slowed 1 for longer than one round
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