Dumb Damage Reduction question

[Ayrk]

I should know the answer to this but...

An Enrinyes has Damage Reduction 5/good. So unless she is hit by a "good" weapon its damage is reduced by 5.

Does this get trumped by magic weapons? By this I mean does a magic weapon automatically ignore damage reduction even if it is not "good"?

The Monster Manual states sometimes this is true but does not say when that is?

I'm sure the answer is simple and obvious, but I haven't found it.

Thanks.

 

[Pinotage]

Yes, a 5/good weapon's DR can only be bypassed by the weapon type indicated, in this case a good aligned weapon. All other weapons' damage is reduced by 5 hp.

This does not get bypassed by magic weapons, only those that are good aligned. The section of Damage Reduction under Special Abilities in the SRD gives full details.

Pinotage

 

[the Jester]

An Enrinyes has Damage Reduction 5/good... Does this get trumped by magic weapons? By this I mean does a magic weapon automatically ignore damage reduction even if it is not "good"?

No. In 3.0 DR worked more like this; a magic weapon would overcome DR x/silver. In 3.5, you need silver to overcome DR x/silver- and you need a good weapon to overcome DR x/good. Magic won't do it.

 

[irdeggman]

Which is why 3.5 has DR X/magic for DR that requires magic weapons to overcome. Notspells, that is SR this is only magic weapons.

3.0 had a table of greater strength DR which went from material types (like silver) up to +5 enhancement bonuses. Anything of a higher level counted towards the DR. For instance a +1 enhancement bonus was greater than a material type (like silver) so it bypassed the DR.

Things are a lot different in 3.5 (and better IMO).

 

[Demoquin]

What about natural weapons? Like used by a monk or non monk? And how about animals? What if the person was of a good alignment but just carried a MW sword?

 

[calypso15]

What about natural weapons? Like used by a monk or non monk? And how about animals? What if the person was of a good alignment but just carried a MW sword?

No, a person of good alignment does not bypass DR x/good, unless they also have the good subtype (ie, angels, etc).

There are feats (Sanctify Martial Strike from BoED) that allow you to bypass DR x/good with natural and melee weapons.

Calypso

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

They aren't aligned. The only things that are aligned, for purposes of damage reduction, are those weapons which are specifically called out as such, either in the weapon's special abilities (like Anarchic or Holy), a spell (like Align Weapon), or a creature's special abilities (like the [Good] subtype).

 

[Staffan]

What about natural weapons? Like used by a monk or non monk?

The only ability a monk has to penetrate any sort of DR with his unarmed strikes is that conferred by the Ki Strike ability: they count as magic at 4th level, lawful at 10th level, and adamantine at 16th level. There might be ways for the monk to get the ability to penetrate other DR, but those are the only ones he can penetrate just by virtue of his monk levels.

The only other "innate" ways of penetrating DR are:
1. Any creature with DR X/magic can penetrate other /magic DR with its natural weapons only.
2. Any creature with DR X/epic can penetrate other /epic as well as /magic DR with natural weapons only.
3. A creature with an alignment subtype (I think these are restricted to outsiders, but I'm not sure) treats both natural and manufactured melee weapons as that alignment for penetrating DR (yes, this means that devils have a hard time hurting other devils, and similar situations).

 

[calypso15]

(yes, this means that devils have a hard time hurting other devils, and similar situations).

I've never understood this, or the fact that they're vulnerable against their biggest enemies. I mean, angels have DR/evil, and devils/demons have DR/good. Their DR doesn't work against the person it needs to most!

Calypso

 

[Hypersmurf]

I've never understood this, or the fact that they're vulnerable against their biggest enemies. I mean, angels have DR/evil, and devils/demons have DR/good. Their DR doesn't work against the person it needs to most!

They have protection against everything... except those things that are so antithetical to their nature that their protection is nullified by the oppositosity of the attack.

-Hyp.