Death spell vs dying regenerators
 

If you cast the Death spell on a Troll, Vampire, or Werewolf (but not Lich) who is currently at negative hits do they just die and stop regenerating?
If so, what is the fatigue cost?
(Zombie Troll here we go!)

Re: Death spell vs dying regenerators
 

I could see a ruling on each of these going either way.

The troll, I think, would still regenerate (since there's only one way to kill a troll permanently).

I'd be inclined to rule that a vampire or a werewolf could also regenerate from a death spell. And, even if I ruled that a death spell could kill them, I'd still allow the vampire a saving roll to revive, at the proper time.

Re: Death spell vs dying regenerators
 

* By the letter of the text for Death Spell, there is no FP loss to the caster: the ST "lost" depends on the target's hits. (I considered whether there was a rules hole that would let casting on a target with negative ST heal the caster, but the rule clearly refers only to the caster losing ST, not gaining it.)

* So, what happens next? The answers can be deduced from a strict reading of p. 83 of TFT:

* For Trolls: The text says "the only way to permanently kill a troll is to burn its body right after it dies." The clear assumption from that line is that a troll at negative hits but regenerating is DEAD, but is capable of returning to life. The Death Spell cast before that happens is pointless as casting it on a human corpse; there's nothing to kill so nothing happens. Even if it did work, the text clearly says fire is the ONLY way to kill it permanently.

* For Vampires and Werewolves, on the other hand, there is more ambiguity. The text talks about silver not regenerating and then goes to discuss cutting off their heads when "killed" presumably by silver. So that implies a negative but regenerating werewolf or vampire isn't killed until negative hits from silver are inflicted. Thus, one presumes a Death Spell *would* be effective, but cost the caster no ST. What does it do? A death spell does not inflict wounds, it just slays the target. There is no text indicating that only silver will slay a vampire; just that only silver won't heal. Thus, a vampire or werewolf is slain by the Death spell, and as there is no "wounds" to heal from this, it can't regenerate the damage and is therefore killed by the spell. A vampire, however, can recover from death on a 4-die saving throw if not decapitated; the werewolf cannot.

So, by the strict letter the Death Spell, there's no ST cost; by the rules on p. 83:
* A troll is totally unaffected. It's already dead.
* A vampire is slain instantly, but might come back next day at reduce stats if it make the 4/ST roll.
* A werewolf is destroyed for good.

GMs who are less canon inclined may have all sorts of more amusing things happen, though. For instance, what if the caster stops the troll regenerating due to death spell .... but then he starts to lose his own hits as the target regenerates, the spells linking them together until he casts a Remove Thrown Spell or is slain himself?

Re: Death spell vs dying regenerators
 

Agree on the troll... not sure about the vampire or werewolf; after all, it doesn't say Death Spell reduces you to a specific value like -1 hits, just that it kills you.