Can a bat swarm do damage to a skeleton? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Can a bat swarm do damage to a skeleton? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lilt
07-08-06, 11:03 AM Skeletons have DR 5/Bludgeoning.
Any DR is enough to completely protect from a swarm attack.
Bites, as natural weapons, do deal Bludgeoning damage.
Does this carry over to the attacks of a bat swarm when it's not a natural weapon attack, thus allowing the bat swarm to harm the skeleton?
utilitarian
07-08-06, 11:17 AM Er, no, bites do piercing damage generally. Y'know, from the teeth piercing the flesh.

And if it says any DR is enough to prevent a swarm attack, then any DR is enough. It doesn't place restrictions on what damage type bypasses the DR.
Lilt
07-08-06, 12:06 PM Allow me to explain why I say that bites do bludgeoning damage: Bite natural weapons, in D&D, do Piercing, Slashing, and Bludgeoning damage. It's in the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#naturalWeapons). This can be explained by pointy teeth (canines) doing piercing damage, flat teeth dealing slashing damage (like a human's front teeth), and the jaw crushing for bludgeoning damage (particularly with molars).

I don't think that the 'any DR prevents the damage' line holds much weight. In complete arcane there's a warlock invocation that summons locusts which bypass damage reduction as magical weapons. If it is to be believed that swarms cannot bypass DR whatsoever then that would be pointless.
ShinAkuma2
07-08-06, 01:30 PM A Bat Swarm's damage is untyped, so any DR will protect against it.
Thorak
07-08-06, 02:11 PM Skeletons have DR 5/Bludgeoning.
Any DR is enough to completely protect from a swarm attack.
Bites, as natural weapons, do deal Bludgeoning damage.
Yes.
No.
Yes.

There is no special immunity to swarm attacks from DR. The only comment made is that if your DR is enough to reduce the damage to 0 every time, that would render you immune. A creature with DR 10/Holy, for instance, isn't going to be affected by a normal bat swarm, because they can't penetrate the DR. And because swarms don't make normal attacks, they can never crit, or use power attack, or any of those means any other creature could use to overcome DR, normally.
Does this carry over to the attacks of a bat swarm when it's not a natural weapon attack, thus allowing the bat swarm to harm the skeleton?
Swarm damage isn't bite damage. It also doesn't have a type; it isn't Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing. So skeleton DR would work against it, since the damage is not Bludgeoning. But if the bat swarm does 6 damage, the skeleton does take 1 point.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lilt 07-08-06, 11:03 AM	Skeletons have DR 5/Bludgeoning. Any DR is enough to completely protect from a swarm attack. Bites, as natural weapons, do deal Bludgeoning damage. Does this carry over to the attacks of a bat swarm when it's not a natural weapon attack, thus allowing the bat swarm to harm the skeleton?
utilitarian 07-08-06, 11:17 AM	Er, no, bites do piercing damage generally. Y'know, from the teeth piercing the flesh. And if it says any DR is enough to prevent a swarm attack, then any DR is enough. It doesn't place restrictions on what damage type bypasses the DR.
Lilt 07-08-06, 12:06 PM	Allow me to explain why I say that bites do bludgeoning damage: Bite natural weapons, in D&D, do Piercing, Slashing, and Bludgeoning damage. It's in the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#naturalWeapons). This can be explained by pointy teeth (canines) doing piercing damage, flat teeth dealing slashing damage (like a human's front teeth), and the jaw crushing for bludgeoning damage (particularly with molars). I don't think that the 'any DR prevents the damage' line holds much weight. In complete arcane there's a warlock invocation that summons locusts which bypass damage reduction as magical weapons. If it is to be believed that swarms cannot bypass DR whatsoever then that would be pointless.
ShinAkuma2 07-08-06, 01:30 PM	A Bat Swarm's damage is untyped, so any DR will protect against it.
Thorak 07-08-06, 02:11 PM	Skeletons have DR 5/Bludgeoning. Any DR is enough to completely protect from a swarm attack. Bites, as natural weapons, do deal Bludgeoning damage. Yes. No. Yes. There is no special immunity to swarm attacks from DR. The only comment made is that if your DR is enough to reduce the damage to 0 every time, that would render you immune. A creature with DR 10/Holy, for instance, isn't going to be affected by a normal bat swarm, because they can't penetrate the DR. And because swarms don't make normal attacks, they can never crit, or use power attack, or any of those means any other creature could use to overcome DR, normally. Does this carry over to the attacks of a bat swarm when it's not a natural weapon attack, thus allowing the bat swarm to harm the skeleton? Swarm damage isn't bite damage. It also doesn't have a type; it isn't Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing. So skeleton DR would work against it, since the damage is not Bludgeoning. But if the bat swarm does 6 damage, the skeleton does take 1 point.