Blade Barrier + Damage Reduction

[The Souljourner]

I have to agree with Tzarevitch. Blade Barrier is a spell, the particulars of what it looks like make no difference unless the text of the spell says they do. You do not get damage reduction against the effects of a spell, therefor you do not get damage reduction against the effects of Blade Barrier. Your DM was wrong, and in my opinion, made a very foolish ruling.

The only things that can prevent damage from a blade barrier are spell resistance and incorporeality. Otherwise, sorry, but you're taking the damage. It's an evocation spell that causes typeless damage, that's the way these things work.

-The Souljourner

 

[skunian]

definately what they all said. Blade Barrier is a spell that is subject to SR not DR.

 

[Caliban]

Since the spell description states that it does slashing damage, I would rule that the spell does do physical damage.

DR would apply, but the spell is one source of damage, not many individual sources.

SR would also apply, to simply cancel out the magic created the blades.

 

[The Souljourner]

Since the spell description states that it does slashing damage

There you go again, actually reading the text of the thing we're arguing about. You should know better than that!

Just so we're all clear on the spell here's the actual text from the SRD:

This spell creates a spinning disk of razor-sharp blades. These whirl and flash around a central point, creating an immobile, circular barrier. Any creature passing through the blade barrier takes 1d6 points of slashing damage per caster level (maximum 20d6). The plane of rotation of the blades can be horizontal, vertical, or slanted.

Creatures within the blade barrier when it is invoked take the damage as well. They can negate the damage with a successful Reflex saving throw, provided they can and do physically leave the area of the blades by the shortest possible route. Once the barrier is in place, anything entering or passing through the blades automatically takes damage.

A blade barrier serves as one-half cover (+4 AC) for anyone beyond it.

Uh.. yeah. What is up with that text? Slashing damage huh. Freaky.

I still don't necessarily equate slashing damage = applies to damage reduction, but I can't really find any rules to support either side, so I dunno.

From the SRD on the Barbarian's damage reduction (couldn't find a better definition): Starting at 11th level, the barbarian gains the extraordinary ability to shrug off some amount of injury from each blow or attack.

*shrug* That could be interpreted to mean only actual attacks with weapons are applicable. Is there somewhere that has a better definition of exactly when you get to use damage reduction?

-The Souljourner

 

[Voadam]

srd on dr

From the special abilities section of the srd

DAMAGE REDUCTION
Some magic creatures have the supernatural ability to instantly heal damage from weapons or to ignore blows altogether as though they were invulnerable.
The number in a creature's damage reduction is the amount of hit points the creature ignores from normal attacks.
Usually, a certain type of weapon-usually a magic weapon-can overcome this reduction. This information is separated from the damage reduction number by a slash. If a dash follows the slash then the damage reduction is effective against any attack that does not ignore damage reduction.
Any weapon more powerful than the type given after the slash also negates the ability. For purposes of damage reduction, the power rankings are listed on Table: Damage Reduction Rankings.
Whenever damage reduction completely negates the damage from an attack, it also negates most special effects that accompany the attack. 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.
Magical attacks and energy attacks (even mundane fire) ignore damage reduction.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Since the spell description states that it does slashing damage, I would rule that the spell does do physical damage.

DR would apply, but the spell is one source of damage, not many individual sources.

SR would also apply, to simply cancel out the magic created the blades.

So what happens when a creature with SR walks from outside the blade barrier and passes through it? SR does not normally apply to effects that are brought into actual, physical being.

I have to strongly disagree with Caliban on this one. I think folks are reading way too much into the description of the spell effect and favoring "fluff" over mechanics. Most of the rest of the evidence suggests this is an entirely magical effect (SR, evocation, Reflex save, etc.)


Wulf

 

[kreynolds]

Sage Response

From: Reynolds,Kelly
Posted At: Thursday, May 23, 2002 2:17 PM
Conversation: blade barrier
Subject: blade barrier

Does Blade Barrier bypass damage reduction since it's "slashing" damage? I would think so, since it's like, you know, a spell and all, but I wanted to be sure.

It's a spell, DR does not apply (but it also doesn't t work against foes immune to slashing damage).

Skip Williams
RPG R&D

 

[Caliban]

*shrug* Good enough for me. DR does not apply.