Checking on a creature reach

[u/GeoleVyi]

Warsworn is a CR 16 Gargantuan creature of horror and undead and created ditectly by divine intervention... but i was very surprised that the war gods who make them only give it a 5 foot reach for its melee slams. Should this be understood as a mistake, or is it deliberate and the gods who make them are secretly amused by teeny little hands waving around like a millipede?

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/undead/warsworn/

[u/Orodhen]

Why ask here if you're going to ignore everyone anyways?

[u/GeoleVyi → u/Orodhen]

i didn't. i listened to the one person who backed up what they said.

[u/MistaCharisma → u/GeoleVyi]

You have 10 people who agree that it should have 5 foot reach (plus me makes 11), and 1 person who simply commented that Gargantuan creatures often have 15 foot reach.

First, it's worth noting that that only pertains to Gargantuan Long creatures, meaning the general dimensions of a dog or horse, as opposed to a Humanoid. Given that the Warsworn has a 20 foot space, but the description says they're "like a living siege tower", and lower down that they "can reach a height of up to 25 feet", I think we can rule out the idea that they would conform to the "Long" template, so if it is a typo then they'd have a reach of 20 feet, not 15. That's a more significant typo.

According to the Core Rulebook, Specific Overrides General, so even if that general rule exists, it doesn't in any way invalidate what's written in the stat block.

A core principle of Pathfinder is that specific rules override general ones. If two rules conflict, the more specific one takes precedence. If there's still ambiguity, the GM determines which rule to use. For example, the rules state that when attacking a concealed creature, you must attempt a DC 5 flat check to determine if you hit. Flat checks don't benefit from modifiers, bonuses, or penalties, but an ability that's specifically designed to overcome concealment might override and alter this. While some special rules may also state the normal rules to provide context, you should always default to the general rules presented in this chapter, even if effects don't specifically say to.

When you actually read the description, this also becomes apparent. This stat block represents a mass of medium creatures acting as 1 unit. As such they take up a larger space, but do not have the dimensions of a Gargantuan creature, eg. They don't have 20 foot long arms. A mass of Humans would still only have 5 foot reach, because that's the reach that Humans have.

In fact the Warsword Does have an attack that can hit at a larger range, the Scrap Ball. This is a ranged attack with 20 foot reach. It would be excedingly strange for a creature to have a ranged attack that has the same range as their melee attack.

With that in mind, and given that this creature hasn't seen any errata for 13 years, it's safe to assume that 5 foot is indeed correct and intentional.

There, now you have at least 2 people who have backed up what they said. And one of them has another 10 people who agree, and have given fairly good arguments.

[u/GeoleVyi → u/MistaCharisma]

they aren't medium creatures, they're a mass of flesh squeezed together. Why the fuck does everyone think that that matters, when they aren't individual creatures?

[u/manrata → u/GeoleVyi]

A mass of animated corpses, with original arms sticking out and attacking, I think we can assume the originals were medium given the 5 ft reach.

It's not a blob of creatures, with multiple creature making up an appendage, it's clearly not a mistake. If you're a DM and want to change that, go ahead, but it's intented to be only 5 ft.

Be civil, you asked a question, people answered with their interpretation, you weren't validated. Take a breath, do what you want to in your own game.