Damage Resistance when it applies and does it stack? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Damage Resistance when it applies and does it stack? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
LiamDeclan
11-28-05, 12:47 AM Okay just planning out a character that gets several types of DR all of them are different.
At 15th level this character would have DR of 10/good, DR of 4/cold iron and DR of 15/+1 weapons.

Now if he is attacked do I apply the best DR for the situation? Like if I know the weapon being used against me isn't magical I would want the DR 15/+1 but if I knew the weapon was magic I would want the 10/good? Or is it automatically figured in without me knowing.
The weapon would need to get past all of my types of DR?

If I am up against a Psionic Archer type that is using the Psionic Shot feat with non-magic arrows, would I want the 15/+1 DR? I have seen this archer with a Greatbow do over 10hps on a shot while charging it up with the feat. Now another question about this Psionic Shot thing, this is extra damage right? Would the arrow itself have to overcome the DR or would the psionic boosting of it also count towards the DR? I was thinking things like sneak attack didn't stack with the damage to bypass as well. Maybe I am wrong?
LiamDeclan
11-28-05, 12:59 AM Another question on that is if I have DR of 2/cold iron and DR of 5/iron and I come across a Chaotic Warmage's Ring of Blades that are silver do both DR's apply for 7/- against the spell?
Nom
11-28-05, 01:14 AM You use the best DR that is not bypassed (by a given attack).

If you happen to have two of the same type of DR, the same rule applies. The lesser value has no effect.
LiamDeclan
11-28-05, 01:18 AM So if an enemy does 18 points of damage and bypassed the 10/good is there 8 points left that needs to bypass the 15/+1 or does the 18 points only have to bypass the 15/+1 now?
Zathyr
11-28-05, 01:55 AM The damage reductions overlap in general. By that, I mean you take your best damage reduction against any particular attack - anything left over is the damage you take.

With the above examples, you have DR 15/+1, 10/good, 4/cold iron, and you are hit with an attack that would do 18 points of damage before DR. There are basically four possible results.
If the attack is:
non-magic, use your DR 15/+1, take 3 damage
magic, but non-good, use your DR 10/good, take 8 damage
magic and good, but not cold iron, use the DR 4/cold iron, take 14 damage
magic, good, and cold iron, take the full 18 points
Tyler Do'Urden
11-28-05, 03:24 AM Only one type of DR applies against any given attack. That type of DR applies separately against each attack that doesn't bypass it.

"Bypassing," in this case, means not reducing the damage of an attack because it was made with the correct weapon.

Okay just planning out a character that gets several types of DR all of them are different.
At 15th level this character would have DR of 10/good, DR of 4/cold iron and DR of 15/+1 weapons.

Now if he is attacked do I apply the best DR for the situation?Yes.

You've got 15/magic, 10/good, and 4/cold iron. The first one would apply against any weapon that was not magic. If you got hit by a masterwork longsword for 20 damage, you'd only take 5. The second one would apply to any weapon that was magic but not good-aligned. If you were hit by a +1 longsword for 20 damage, you would take 10. The third would apply to any good-aligned magic weapon that was not made of cold iron. If you were hit by a +1 holy longsword for 10 damage, you would take 6.A +1 holy cold iron longsword would bypass all three and deal damage normally.
A nonmagical cold iron longsword upon which someone had cast align weapon (good), would not bypass the 15/magic.

Would the arrow itself have to overcome the DR or would the psionic boosting of it also count towards the DR?Bonus damage is added to the attack before DR applies. This goes for Psionic Weapon, Power Attack, Weapon Specialization, enhancement bonuses, sneak attack damage, etc.
A psychic warrior with a greatsword, Power Attack, and Psionic Weapon, uses all three and hits you once for 30 damage. It's not a magic weapon, so you only take 15. It's just that simple.
Dionon
11-28-05, 03:31 AM Just putting this up here from d20srd.org for referance.

Damage Reduction

A creature with this special quality ignores damage from most weapons and natural attacks. Wounds heal immediately, or the weapon bounces off harmlessly (in either case, the opponent knows the attack was ineffective). The creature takes normal damage from energy attacks (even nonmagical ones), spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. A certain kind of weapon can sometimes damage the creature normally, as noted below.

The entry indicates the amount of damage ignored (usually 5 to 15 points) and the type of weapon that negates the ability.

Some monsters are vulnerable to piercing, bludgeoning, or slashing damage.

Some monsters are vulnerable to certain materials, such as alchemical silver, adamantine, or cold iron. Attacks from weapons that are not made of the correct material have their damage reduced, even if the weapon has an enhancement bonus.

Some monsters are vulnerable to magic weapons. Any weapon with at least a +1 magical enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls overcomes the damage reduction of these monsters. Such creatures’ natural weapons (but not their attacks with weapons) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

A few very powerful monsters are vulnerable only to epic weapons; that is, magic weapons with at least a +6 enhancement bonus. Such creatures’ natural weapons are also treated as epic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Some monsters are vulnerable to chaotic-, evil-, good-, or lawful-aligned weapons. When a cleric casts align weapon, affected weapons might gain one or more of these properties, and certain magic weapons have these properties as well. A creature with an alignment subtype (chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) can overcome this type of damage reduction with its natural weapons and weapons it wields as if the weapons or natural weapons had an alignment (or alignments) that match the subtype(s) of the creature.

When a damage reduction entry has a dash (-) after the slash, no weapon negates the damage reduction.

A few creatures are harmed by more than one kind of weapon. A weapon of either type overcomes this damage reduction.

A few other creatures require combinations of different types of attacks to overcome their damage reduction. A weapon must be both types to overcome this damage reduction. A weapon that is only one type is still subject to damage reduction.

Ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an enhancement bonus of +1 or higher is treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Similarly, ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an alignment gains the alignment of that projectile weapon (in addition to any alignment it may already have).

Whenever damage reduction completely negates the damage from an attack, it also negates most special effects that accompany the attack, such as injury type poison, a monk’s stunning, and injury type disease. Damage reduction does not negate touch attacks, energy damage dealt along with an attack, or energy drains. Nor does it affect poisons or diseases delivered by inhalation, ingestion, or contact.

Attacks that deal no damage because of the target’s damage reduction do not disrupt spells.

If a creature has damage reduction from more than one source, the two forms of damage reduction do not stack. Instead, the creature gets the benefit of the best damage reduction in a given situation.
Zathyr
11-28-05, 03:35 AM Bonus damage is added to the attack before DR applies. This goes for Psionic Weapon, Power Attack, Weapon Specialization, enhancement bonuses, sneak attack damage, flaming, frost, shock, etc.
A psychic warrior with a greatsword, Power Attack, and Psionic Weapon, uses all three and hits you once for 30 damage. It's not a magic weapon, so you only take 15. It's just that simple.

Just to avoid confusion (or possibly add to it) energy damage (flaming, frost, shock) is subject to energy immunity and resistance, but not damage resistance. I think in 3.0 the Barbarian's DR/- was a special exception to that, but that's no longer the case in 3.5.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
LiamDeclan 11-28-05, 12:47 AM	Okay just planning out a character that gets several types of DR all of them are different. At 15th level this character would have DR of 10/good, DR of 4/cold iron and DR of 15/+1 weapons. Now if he is attacked do I apply the best DR for the situation? Like if I know the weapon being used against me isn't magical I would want the DR 15/+1 but if I knew the weapon was magic I would want the 10/good? Or is it automatically figured in without me knowing. The weapon would need to get past all of my types of DR? If I am up against a Psionic Archer type that is using the Psionic Shot feat with non-magic arrows, would I want the 15/+1 DR? I have seen this archer with a Greatbow do over 10hps on a shot while charging it up with the feat. Now another question about this Psionic Shot thing, this is extra damage right? Would the arrow itself have to overcome the DR or would the psionic boosting of it also count towards the DR? I was thinking things like sneak attack didn't stack with the damage to bypass as well. Maybe I am wrong?
LiamDeclan 11-28-05, 12:59 AM	Another question on that is if I have DR of 2/cold iron and DR of 5/iron and I come across a Chaotic Warmage's Ring of Blades that are silver do both DR's apply for 7/- against the spell?
Nom 11-28-05, 01:14 AM	You use the best DR that is not bypassed (by a given attack). If you happen to have two of the same type of DR, the same rule applies. The lesser value has no effect.
LiamDeclan 11-28-05, 01:18 AM	So if an enemy does 18 points of damage and bypassed the 10/good is there 8 points left that needs to bypass the 15/+1 or does the 18 points only have to bypass the 15/+1 now?
Zathyr 11-28-05, 01:55 AM	The damage reductions overlap in general. By that, I mean you take your best damage reduction against any particular attack - anything left over is the damage you take. With the above examples, you have DR 15/+1, 10/good, 4/cold iron, and you are hit with an attack that would do 18 points of damage before DR. There are basically four possible results. If the attack is: non-magic, use your DR 15/+1, take 3 damage magic, but non-good, use your DR 10/good, take 8 damage magic and good, but not cold iron, use the DR 4/cold iron, take 14 damage magic, good, and cold iron, take the full 18 points
Tyler Do'Urden 11-28-05, 03:24 AM	Only one type of DR applies against any given attack. That type of DR applies separately against each attack that doesn't bypass it. "Bypassing," in this case, means not reducing the damage of an attack because it was made with the correct weapon. Okay just planning out a character that gets several types of DR all of them are different. At 15th level this character would have DR of 10/good, DR of 4/cold iron and DR of 15/+1 weapons. Now if he is attacked do I apply the best DR for the situation?Yes. You've got 15/magic, 10/good, and 4/cold iron. The first one would apply against any weapon that was not magic. If you got hit by a masterwork longsword for 20 damage, you'd only take 5. The second one would apply to any weapon that was magic but not good-aligned. If you were hit by a +1 longsword for 20 damage, you would take 10. The third would apply to any good-aligned magic weapon that was not made of cold iron. If you were hit by a +1 holy longsword for 10 damage, you would take 6.A +1 holy cold iron longsword would bypass all three and deal damage normally. A nonmagical cold iron longsword upon which someone had cast align weapon (good), would not bypass the 15/magic. Would the arrow itself have to overcome the DR or would the psionic boosting of it also count towards the DR?Bonus damage is added to the attack before DR applies. This goes for Psionic Weapon, Power Attack, Weapon Specialization, enhancement bonuses, sneak attack damage, etc. A psychic warrior with a greatsword, Power Attack, and Psionic Weapon, uses all three and hits you once for 30 damage. It's not a magic weapon, so you only take 15. It's just that simple.
Dionon 11-28-05, 03:31 AM	Just putting this up here from d20srd.org for referance. Damage Reduction A creature with this special quality ignores damage from most weapons and natural attacks. Wounds heal immediately, or the weapon bounces off harmlessly (in either case, the opponent knows the attack was ineffective). The creature takes normal damage from energy attacks (even nonmagical ones), spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. A certain kind of weapon can sometimes damage the creature normally, as noted below. The entry indicates the amount of damage ignored (usually 5 to 15 points) and the type of weapon that negates the ability. Some monsters are vulnerable to piercing, bludgeoning, or slashing damage. Some monsters are vulnerable to certain materials, such as alchemical silver, adamantine, or cold iron. Attacks from weapons that are not made of the correct material have their damage reduced, even if the weapon has an enhancement bonus. Some monsters are vulnerable to magic weapons. Any weapon with at least a +1 magical enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls overcomes the damage reduction of these monsters. Such creatures’ natural weapons (but not their attacks with weapons) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. A few very powerful monsters are vulnerable only to epic weapons; that is, magic weapons with at least a +6 enhancement bonus. Such creatures’ natural weapons are also treated as epic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Some monsters are vulnerable to chaotic-, evil-, good-, or lawful-aligned weapons. When a cleric casts align weapon, affected weapons might gain one or more of these properties, and certain magic weapons have these properties as well. A creature with an alignment subtype (chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) can overcome this type of damage reduction with its natural weapons and weapons it wields as if the weapons or natural weapons had an alignment (or alignments) that match the subtype(s) of the creature. When a damage reduction entry has a dash (-) after the slash, no weapon negates the damage reduction. A few creatures are harmed by more than one kind of weapon. A weapon of either type overcomes this damage reduction. A few other creatures require combinations of different types of attacks to overcome their damage reduction. A weapon must be both types to overcome this damage reduction. A weapon that is only one type is still subject to damage reduction. Ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an enhancement bonus of +1 or higher is treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Similarly, ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an alignment gains the alignment of that projectile weapon (in addition to any alignment it may already have). Whenever damage reduction completely negates the damage from an attack, it also negates most special effects that accompany the attack, such as injury type poison, a monk’s stunning, and injury type disease. Damage reduction does not negate touch attacks, energy damage dealt along with an attack, or energy drains. Nor does it affect poisons or diseases delivered by inhalation, ingestion, or contact. Attacks that deal no damage because of the target’s damage reduction do not disrupt spells. If a creature has damage reduction from more than one source, the two forms of damage reduction do not stack. Instead, the creature gets the benefit of the best damage reduction in a given situation.
Zathyr 11-28-05, 03:35 AM	Bonus damage is added to the attack before DR applies. This goes for Psionic Weapon, Power Attack, Weapon Specialization, enhancement bonuses, sneak attack damage, flaming, frost, shock, etc. A psychic warrior with a greatsword, Power Attack, and Psionic Weapon, uses all three and hits you once for 30 damage. It's not a magic weapon, so you only take 15. It's just that simple. Just to avoid confusion (or possibly add to it) energy damage (flaming, frost, shock) is subject to energy immunity and resistance, but not damage resistance. I think in 3.0 the Barbarian's DR/- was a special exception to that, but that's no longer the case in 3.5.