In previous editions, outsiders were only really killable in their own plane.
Is this still the case? And additionally: Are there exceptions (pf1/pf2) or does this ability encompass all (true, thus not "native") outsiders?
pathfinder-2eplanes
In previous editions, outsiders were only really killable in their own plane.
Is this still the case? And additionally: Are there exceptions (pf1/pf2) or does this ability encompass all (true, thus not "native") outsiders?
Best Answer
Pathfinder-1e
Summoned creatures are not killed when they drop to zero hit points, regardless of what plane they are on.
Called creatures die when they are killed, regardless of what plane they are on.
Pathfinder-2e
Creatures with the summoned trait are not killed when they drop to zero hit points, regardless of what plane they are on.
Calling doesn't exist, but the Gate spell does, and it does not add the summoned trait to the subject of the Gate spell, so they have no special protection from being killed.
In Pathfinder-1e (as well as Dungeons and Dragons 3.5), summons are not killed when they drop to zero hit points. It does not matter whether they are on their own plane or not.
Summoning:
Calling is different. In Pathfinder-1e, under Conjuration you find this entry for the calling subschool,
Outsiders are not afforded protection with other modes of travel besides summoning, whether by spells like Gate or Planar Ally, or by a magic portal, as these are Conjuration (Calling).
However, if they were to use a spell like Astral Projection to travel,
Note: the italics portion is unique to Pathfinder-1e. 3.5 did not have this negative effect.
In the Fiendish Codex Volumes 1 and 2 for Dungeons and Dragons 3.5, there is mention of demons and devils not actually dying, but the consequences are severe enough, they are effectively dead.
In the Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss, pp 9
And in the Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells, pp 18
In Pathfinder-2e, type/subtype is now a trait. Nothing in the entries for demons or devils, similar to previous editions, mentions anything about an immunity to being killed on another plane. Also, Summoning is not present in the Magical Schools, but Conjuration is,
CONJURATION
SUMMONED (TRAIT)
In Pathfinder-1e (and DnD3.5e), summoned creatures could not be killed, but called creatures could (regardless of whether they are on their home plane).
In Pathfinder-2e, all conjured creatures gain the summoned trait, and thus cannot be killed.
In Pathfinder-1e there isn't any immunity solely based on being an outsider (save the lore in the Fiendish codexes).
However, the Gate spell still exists, and it does not mention anything about conjuration or summoning, so I assume the same would apply in Pathfinder-2e; if a creature travels through a gate to another plane, they have no protection from being killed.
While the question is in regards to Pathfinder, I should note, in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, this has changed. Demons and devils can only be killed in their home plane.