Vampires and DR [Archive] - Wizards Community

Vampires and DR [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lady_Dragon
07-06-07, 03:17 AM DR confuses me in the first place, but now I'm especially confused.

I ran an encounter against a Vampire who was several levels higher than that of the party, but they dispatched him in about 3 rounds (don't look at me like that. They're power gamers, they can take it). Granted they made good use of spells such as magic circle, consecrate, heal, magic weapon, and a maximized searing light.
Still, it seemed WAY too fast of a combat ("God, vampires are weak," I thought). I re-read the entry on their DR and it says DR 10/magic and silver. So, does that mean that a weapon would be have to be BOTH magic and silver to overcome it and if it had only one of those properties it wouldn't affect the DR? And thus (almost) any spell would not overcome the DR either?

:confused:
Marcus Majarra
07-06-07, 03:52 AM DR only applies to weapon damage (which excludes all spell damage), but you're correct in stating that any weapon has to be both magic and silver to overcome the vampire's DR.

And before claiming that vampires are weak, you need to consider the full extent of their abilities. Often overlooked, the vampire's ability to summon 1d4+1 bat swarms every day is a godsend for the tactical vampire, who is both immune to the swarm damage and the distraction effect. The swarms can overwhelm any opposing spellcasters while remaining immune to weapon damage (bat swarms are swarms of diminutive creatures), and allowing for the vampire to cherry-pick them through grappling and natural slams. The vampire will make short work of enemy spellcasters in swarm spaces this way, delivering two negative levels every round, and possibly dealing 1d4 points of Con damage every round as well (through energy drain and blood drain respectively). As an additional precaution, the vampire might very well dominate low-Will fighter types into assisting it (in possibly keeping other spellcasters busy). Vampires shouldn't be afraid to use hit-and-run tactics in order to benefit from their fast healing, and both its abilities to spider climb and turn into gaseous form help it in doing so.
Lady_Dragon
07-06-07, 05:01 AM And before claiming that vampires are weak, you need to consider the full extent of their abilities. Often overlooked, the vampire's ability to summon 1d4+1 bat swarms every day is a godsend for the tactical vampire, who is both immune to the swarm damage and the distraction effect.

Well, I thought they were until I realized I had misread the DR thing. As for the swarm, I had the party encounter a vampire before, though he wasn't much higher in level than them that time. I did have him call a swarm, but by the time they got there, he was already dead. But once again it was as a result of my mistake with the DR (looking back). He did try to use gaseous form to fly away, but didn't make it...cause yeah...I also mistakenly thought magic weapon cast on a sword would negate the miss chance as well as the DR. oops. Now I know. :doh:
Leilond
07-06-07, 06:07 AM Well, I thought they were until I realized I had misread the DR thing. As for the swarm, I had the party encounter a vampire before, though he wasn't much higher in level than them that time. I did have him call a swarm, but by the time they got there, he was already dead. But once again it was as a result of my mistake with the DR (looking back). He did try to use gaseous form to fly away, but didn't make it...cause yeah...I also mistakenly thought magic weapon cast on a sword would negate the miss chance as well as the DR. oops. Now I know. :doh:

A magic weapon spell only render the weapon magical. If doesn't render the weapon silver, so it doesn't overcome the DR too
Yes, I agree, you did a mistake, but it happens all the time to all the DMs ;) eccept me :P
Myzery78
07-07-07, 06:19 PM Slightly bigger slip up there, a vampire in Gaseous Form cant be killed by more damage. Any damage that would reduce him to 0 instead forces him into gaseous form, the fact that hes at 0 to begin with doesnt change that, and any future hits would simply reduce him to 0 and put him in gaseous form, which he is already in. There are only two ways to kill a vampire, stake him and dismember him in his coffin or subject him to some sort of effect that destroys him by some means other than damage.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lady_Dragon 07-06-07, 03:17 AM	DR confuses me in the first place, but now I'm especially confused. I ran an encounter against a Vampire who was several levels higher than that of the party, but they dispatched him in about 3 rounds (don't look at me like that. They're power gamers, they can take it). Granted they made good use of spells such as magic circle, consecrate, heal, magic weapon, and a maximized searing light. Still, it seemed WAY too fast of a combat ("God, vampires are weak," I thought). I re-read the entry on their DR and it says DR 10/magic and silver. So, does that mean that a weapon would be have to be BOTH magic and silver to overcome it and if it had only one of those properties it wouldn't affect the DR? And thus (almost) any spell would not overcome the DR either? :confused:
Marcus Majarra 07-06-07, 03:52 AM	DR only applies to weapon damage (which excludes all spell damage), but you're correct in stating that any weapon has to be both magic and silver to overcome the vampire's DR. And before claiming that vampires are weak, you need to consider the full extent of their abilities. Often overlooked, the vampire's ability to summon 1d4+1 bat swarms every day is a godsend for the tactical vampire, who is both immune to the swarm damage and the distraction effect. The swarms can overwhelm any opposing spellcasters while remaining immune to weapon damage (bat swarms are swarms of diminutive creatures), and allowing for the vampire to cherry-pick them through grappling and natural slams. The vampire will make short work of enemy spellcasters in swarm spaces this way, delivering two negative levels every round, and possibly dealing 1d4 points of Con damage every round as well (through energy drain and blood drain respectively). As an additional precaution, the vampire might very well dominate low-Will fighter types into assisting it (in possibly keeping other spellcasters busy). Vampires shouldn't be afraid to use hit-and-run tactics in order to benefit from their fast healing, and both its abilities to spider climb and turn into gaseous form help it in doing so.
Lady_Dragon 07-06-07, 05:01 AM	And before claiming that vampires are weak, you need to consider the full extent of their abilities. Often overlooked, the vampire's ability to summon 1d4+1 bat swarms every day is a godsend for the tactical vampire, who is both immune to the swarm damage and the distraction effect. Well, I thought they were until I realized I had misread the DR thing. As for the swarm, I had the party encounter a vampire before, though he wasn't much higher in level than them that time. I did have him call a swarm, but by the time they got there, he was already dead. But once again it was as a result of my mistake with the DR (looking back). He did try to use gaseous form to fly away, but didn't make it...cause yeah...I also mistakenly thought magic weapon cast on a sword would negate the miss chance as well as the DR. oops. Now I know. :doh:
Leilond 07-06-07, 06:07 AM	Well, I thought they were until I realized I had misread the DR thing. As for the swarm, I had the party encounter a vampire before, though he wasn't much higher in level than them that time. I did have him call a swarm, but by the time they got there, he was already dead. But once again it was as a result of my mistake with the DR (looking back). He did try to use gaseous form to fly away, but didn't make it...cause yeah...I also mistakenly thought magic weapon cast on a sword would negate the miss chance as well as the DR. oops. Now I know. :doh: A magic weapon spell only render the weapon magical. If doesn't render the weapon silver, so it doesn't overcome the DR too Yes, I agree, you did a mistake, but it happens all the time to all the DMs ;) eccept me :P
Myzery78 07-07-07, 06:19 PM	Slightly bigger slip up there, a vampire in Gaseous Form cant be killed by more damage. Any damage that would reduce him to 0 instead forces him into gaseous form, the fact that hes at 0 to begin with doesnt change that, and any future hits would simply reduce him to 0 and put him in gaseous form, which he is already in. There are only two ways to kill a vampire, stake him and dismember him in his coffin or subject him to some sort of effect that destroys him by some means other than damage.