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Does damage from a touch attack ignore Damage Reduction
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<blockquote data-quote="Nifft" data-source="post: 3311849" data-attributes="member: 6562"><p><strong>Nifft's Full Personal Opinion On This Topic</strong>:</p><p></p><p>Why it's a topic at all: because the language around making a regular attack as a touch attack is convoluted.</p><p></p><p>Why is the language convoluted? It revolves around "resolved". Using the [Psionic] feat Deep Impact, you can resolve a melee attack as a touch attack. Why does the word "attack roll" not appear anywhere in this, if it's really only meant to modify your attack (and not damage)?</p><p></p><p>Well, it may be because treating an attack (not damage) as a touch attack has nothing to do with the attack roll. It modifies the opponent's effective armor class, not your attack <em>per se</em>. I don't know of a cleaner way to say this except "resolve the attack".</p><p></p><p>- - -</p><p></p><p>Convoluted language point #2: the passage uses the word "negates" three times, the last of which clearly cancels <u>one</u> of the previous two uses. Our debate here seems to hinge on whether we think the last use of "negates" is meant to negate the first or second use.</p><p></p><p>- - -</p><p></p><p>Additional Point: there actually are some critters who deal untyped melee damage using touch attacks (e.g. the wraith, whose attack is "Incorporeal Touch (1d4 plus 1d6 Con drain)"). I'd guess that these attacks shouldn't be reduced by DR, since (1) they are very rare; and (2) the incorporeal critters don't have access to a Strength bonus for extra damage, or to Power Attack for more extra damage, or to weapons which might penetrate DR.</p><p></p><p>- - -</p><p></p><p>Final point: I think the rule was originally put in so that special touch attacks like the one required for a Trip maneuver could not be "negated" by a foe with DR.</p><p></p><p>Cheers, -- N</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nifft, post: 3311849, member: 6562"] [b]Nifft's Full Personal Opinion On This Topic[/b]: Why it's a topic at all: because the language around making a regular attack as a touch attack is convoluted. Why is the language convoluted? It revolves around "resolved". Using the [Psionic] feat Deep Impact, you can resolve a melee attack as a touch attack. Why does the word "attack roll" not appear anywhere in this, if it's really only meant to modify your attack (and not damage)? Well, it may be because treating an attack (not damage) as a touch attack has nothing to do with the attack roll. It modifies the opponent's effective armor class, not your attack [i]per se[/i]. I don't know of a cleaner way to say this except "resolve the attack". - - - Convoluted language point #2: the passage uses the word "negates" three times, the last of which clearly cancels [u]one[/u] of the previous two uses. Our debate here seems to hinge on whether we think the last use of "negates" is meant to negate the first or second use. - - - Additional Point: there actually are some critters who deal untyped melee damage using touch attacks (e.g. the wraith, whose attack is "Incorporeal Touch (1d4 plus 1d6 Con drain)"). I'd guess that these attacks shouldn't be reduced by DR, since (1) they are very rare; and (2) the incorporeal critters don't have access to a Strength bonus for extra damage, or to Power Attack for more extra damage, or to weapons which might penetrate DR. - - - Final point: I think the rule was originally put in so that special touch attacks like the one required for a Trip maneuver could not be "negated" by a foe with DR. Cheers, -- N [/QUOTE]
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Does damage from a touch attack ignore Damage Reduction
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