D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5e] Damage Reduction

[Shard O'Glase]

Actually as i cited above, they now say that 10 dr is the mean with plenty of 5 and 15 around. For 10 to be the mean, then there will need to be roughly as many 5s as 15s.

if the typical dr is 10, the town guards may well see that as invulnerability.

Well I don't know in a world like that I'd suspect all guards have the big weapon of doom siting arund in the guard room. It would be like the swat team weapons, a were creature go get the 2-handed swords. And personally I put all guards at having at least a 12str. So in my game world 10 would be tough to penetrate but far from impossible for the town guard. Campaigns very and all that. But I'd exepct about 1/3 of the hits to do damage without crits.

 

[ruleslawyer]

Read the text he you quoted.

He did not claim that dr had anything to do with "balancing" against weaker threats. Matter of fact, his exact words were that they would "pose no threat."

He is simply pointing out that Dr may not be designed as a serious balance issue against even CR battles against heroes at all. DR sets the beastie apart from those things "normal folk" might be able to handle and moves them squarely into the realm of "we need some mythic hero guy NOW!"

Think of it this was... in practically every werewolf legend known, he is beaten by someone finding a silver weapon. Does the new designer-dr where apparently silver weapons will be more rare than magic weapons and the most likely way to beat the werewolf is with magic missile while the tanks keep it at bay make that legend SPRING TO LIFE IN YOUR GAMES?

Petrosian: I did read the text he quoted; please don't be so patronizing.

My point merely was that making monsters invulnerable to attacks by creatures far below their CR in strength is irrelevant to balancing monster design. Thus, if DR wasn't designed at least in part to blunt the effectiveness of fighter-types, then it's merely flavor text. That assertion doesn't sit right with me. To my mind, DR is there at least partly in order to limit fighters (and monks, moreso) somewhat by requiring them to invest in weapons with high enhancement bonuses. I'm not endorsing the DR system, just pointing out where Victim's post came across as a bald assertion.

BTW, I do have something of a problem with the fact that magical attacks, regardless of their nature, work to overcome DR willy-nilly; for most creatures, I think that a pairing of DR and SR works nicely. The werewolf thing is a bit odd. Perhaps just giving them regeneration would be a better way to go.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I'm pretty sure WotC isn't going to release monsters with DR 10/silver at CR 3. At that level only a DR of 5/something is appropriate, IMO.

 

[Victim]

Well I don't know in a world like that I'd suspect all guards have the big weapon of doom siting arund in the guard room. It would be like the swat team weapons, a were creature go get the 2-handed swords. And personally I put all guards at having at least a 12str. So in my game world 10 would be tough to penetrate but far from impossible for the town guard. Campaigns very and all that. But I'd exepct about 1/3 of the hits to do damage without crits.

Why not have SWAT team weapons made of relatively cheap special materials instead? Instead of going to get the 2 handers, go get the silver weapons against the werewolf.

Having to use magical weapons that give bonuses to attack and damage doesn't penalize fighters. Getting magic bonuses from GMW or enchanted weapons isn't a penalty. How does encouraging characters to get bonuses penalize characters? Except in the cases of Monks (without Druids), very low level characters, and Bebiliths (and a few other freaky monsters with really high DR), DR isn't that important. So either the DR system is designed to hurt monks (DR is significant mechanical drawback of monks), or it is designed +3 weapons.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Why not have SWAT team weapons made of relatively cheap special materials instead? Instead of going to get the 2 handers, go get the silver weapons against the werewolf.

Having to use magical weapons that give bonuses to attack and damage doesn't penalize fighters. Getting magic bonuses from GMW or enchanted weapons isn't a penalty. How does encouraging characters to get bonuses penalize characters? Except in the cases of Monks (without Druids), very low level characters, and Bebiliths (and a few other freaky monsters with really high DR), DR isn't that important. So either the DR system is designed to hurt monks (DR is significant mechanical drawback of monks), or it is designed +3 weapons.

Well apparently their going to be rare and expensive.

Designing the world form the ground up with this DR, every town would have at least one weapon of silver one of cold iron, and they'd all be blessed. Now if for some reason these weapons come in at 1000's of GP then well unless its a big town their entire net worth would be tied into a single weapon.

 

[Petrosian]

Why not have SWAT team weapons made of relatively cheap special materials instead?

Because it is so hard ti find these things... unlike magic weapons which are cluttering up the countryside like kudzu.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

The special materials might be cheaper, and who knows, maybe every magic weapon will be made of "Valyrian Steel".

 

[Sauce74]

Cost

Any one have any idea how much a silvered weapon is suppposed to cost?

cold iron cost?

The PHB lists a silver arrow as 1 gp

I think it lists a dagger as being 10 gp but I am not sure about that one. I seem to remember an errata out there

this is a long thread so I am sure this questions has been answered before but I rather not have to read 5 pages of posts to find out

thanks

 

[Samhain California]

Re: Cost

Any one have any idea how much a silvered weapon is suppposed to cost?

cold iron cost?

The PHB lists a silver arrow as 1 gp

I think it lists a dagger as being 10 gp but I am not sure about that one. I seem to remember an errata out there

this is a long thread so I am sure this questions has been answered before but I rather not have to read 5 pages of posts to find out

thanks

silver is in MoF (along with copper gold and some other neat metals)

armor is +2000 and weaons are +1000

 

[Metallian]

I like the new DR because I always thought it was rather dull that magic trumped everything else. It made "flavorful" vulnerabilities rather pointless...special material (or aligned, or whatever) weapons are generally less common than magic weapons anyway.

Since they are lowering the amount of damage reduction as well, monsters that are "unbeatable" without a DR-beating weapon will be less common anyway. Beating DR should now be an advantage instead of a requirement in most cases.

The Metallian