"Variable Resistance" v. Mutiple Damage Types

[Xyrlove Woodsoul]

Variable Resistance
Action: free
Trigger: the creature takes p, q, r, or s damage.
Effect: The creature gains resist x to the triggering damage type until the end of the encounter or until it uses variable resistance again.

If the creature is hit by an attack that does both, p and q damage, then does it resist both p and q? I'm thinking, no. Rather, either, p or q (not both). If it does though, how does this power work exactly?

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

My interpretation is pretty much the same as yours - though I don't quite get your final question.

Basically, the creature is hit with an attack doing fire and acid damage, both of which are possible triggers for its variable resistance. It uses whichever (lets say fire) as the trigger, which then gives it resistance to fire damage.

Wouldn't help for that particular attack, though, unless it also had the other resistance from something else.

 

[Xyrlove Woodsoul]

Thanks. The second part of my question only had to do with if the power resisted both damage types at once.

 

[MarkB]

One thing I recall having had heated discussions about is whether a creature can use this free-action power to protect against an attack as it happens. I.e., can the monster see a fireball streaking towards him, and activate the power to gain fire resistance before it deals damage?

I think the answer is no, because it can't actually interrupt the trigger, but it's not entirely clear.

 

[DracoSuave]

One thing I recall having had heated discussions about is whether a creature can use this free-action power to protect against an attack as it happens. I.e., can the monster see a fireball streaking towards him, and activate the power to gain fire resistance before it deals damage?

I think the answer is no, because it can't actually interrupt the trigger, but it's not entirely clear.

The answer is yes, a free action can be used at any time, including in the middle of other actions. There are entire powers that absolutely -require- that free actions work that way.

An example would be a power that allows your ally to attack as a free action, then has an effect based on the results of that attack. If the free action could not occur in the middle of the power's resolution, the attack could never happen, and the effect breaks down because it has no free action attack to base its own resolution on.

As for variable resistance, it only becomes one damage type at a time. Therefore, it does not count as both damage types and cannot resist the damage by itself.

 

[Aegeri]

The best solution for variable resistance - which is pointless half the time anyway as PCs that invest in energy types usually ignore resistance anyway - is to remove it using the powers from Demonomicon. In fact if Demonomicon did anything right it's ensuring daemons can get rid of the almost entirely useless variable resistance.

The answer is yes, a free action can be used at any time, including in the middle of other actions.

This is actually not correct at all. Free actions count as immediate reactions unless expressly required to be something else to function. So for example there are indeed free action powers that need to interrupt a power to work, but if Variable Resistance is one of these is extremely debatable. By RAW variable resistance triggers after the attack resolves because it resolves as an immediate reaction and so cannot prevent the damage (it is also in response to being damaged - not attacked by a power with the keyword involved).

You can check page 197 of the Rules Compendium for the rules on what kind of timing powers that aren't immediate or opportunity actions resolve.

 

[Aulirophile]

Blah, Aegeri beat me to it. Yeah, Free Actions have finally been somewhat clarified.

 

[Aegeri]

Blah, Aegeri beat me to it. Yeah, Free Actions have finally been somewhat clarified.

It's still complete pudding though. Your DM could interpret that for variable resistance to function it needs to resolve as an immediate interrupt (instead of the default immediate reaction free actions are assumed to take). There isn't any actual indication on how it is supposed to work sadly. I personally feel variable resistance should state that it applies before the damage in the power.

So it is written like this:

Trigger: The demon takes acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage.
Effect (Free Action): The demon gains resist 5 to the triggering damage type before the damage is applied. The resistance lasts until the end of the encounter or until it uses variable resistance again.

This would make it 100% clear the intent is that the resistance applies to the incoming damage (therefore reducing it). It would also make it so it wasn't plainly rubbish.

Of course once again, I heavily emphasize ignoring the whole issue and replacing it. If your big demons like Mariliths and Balors are not packing major heat to make them genuinely terrifying like soul stealer, you don't know what you're missing out on. It takes major engineering to make variable resistance worth anything, especially by epic.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I still vote for a distinction beteen free reaction and free interrupt.

 

[MarkB]

Once variable resistance has been activated, it lasts for the rest of the encounter unless changed, so it doesn't need to take effect against the triggering attack in order to be beneficial.

That being the case, since it's triggered by the monster taking damage, and since triggered free actions default to being reactions, the resistance wouldn't kick in until after the monster's taken the damage that triggered it.