Brilliant Energy vs Fire Resistance on Armor

[salemcse]

If armor has 10 fire resistance on it, does Brilliant Energy weapon negates that?

E.G. Armor: +3 Full Plate with 10 fire resistance
Weapon: +1 Brilliant Energy Flaming Dagger

Our rogue has made this dagger and he fought a fighter with that armor. When it came to the fire damage, one guy says that the fire resistance applies and that he didn't do any fire damage to him. We then read the description (for 20th time) and it says:

"Armor and shield bonuses to AC (including any enhancement bonuses to that armor) do not count against it because the weapon passes through armor."

That guys logic is that the "(including any enhancement bonuses to that armor)" applies ONLY to the Armor Bonus to AC and not on the whole armor. While me (for example) think that it clearly says "any enhancement bonuses to that armor" with addition that "the weapon passes through armor" and since the fire resistance is ON that armor, it should not apply vs his dagger.

Can someone please clarify this for us, because we need to agree on it before we can continue.

 

[Buugipopuu]

The fire resistance applies against attacks which otherwise ignore armour, Fireball, for instance. It's explicitly stated to be similar to a resist energy spell.

 

[salemcse]

But it says that the weapon passes trough armor, if armor resistance is on that armor and weapon is passing trough that same armor, how can armor stop fire damage.

For fireball i understand, because the armor is still "active" and any fire damage is absorbed because the armor is there. But in case of brilliant energy the armor is not there and all enchantments on it are not working like it says in the description.

Additionally, what would happen to heavy fortification in case of brilliant energy? Will the fortification apply or not?

 

[Buugipopuu]

Fire resistance is not an enhancement bonus, so Brilliant Energy has nothing to say about it. Fortification is not an enhancement bonus (even though it's priced as once), so Brilliant Energy has nothing to say about it.

 

[Deset Gled]

"Armor and shield bonuses to AC (including any enhancement bonuses to that armor) do not count against it because the weapon passes through armor."

That guys logic is that the "(including any enhancement bonuses to that armor)" applies ONLY to the Armor Bonus to AC and not on the whole armor. While me (for example) think that it clearly says "any enhancement bonuses to that armor" with addition that "the weapon passes through armor" and since the fire resistance is ON that armor, it should not apply vs his dagger.

Can someone please clarify this for us, because we need to agree on it before we can continue.

Clarifying what Buugipopu said, an enhancement bonus is the +1 to +5 bonus on the armor. When the rules text refers to an enhancement bonus, it is specifically referring to that bonus and only that bonus; it is not a general term for any enhancement to the weapon.

 

[salemcse]

ok i got it now. Tnx alot

 

[Empirate]

Armor enchanted with the fire resistance property confers its benefit to the wearer, not the armor itself. So whether or not the armor is effective against a specific attack (like a Hell Hound's bite, a Fireball detonating all too close, or a +1 Brilliant Energy Flaming Longsword's hit), the wearer always has fire resistance 10. Regardless of the source of any fire damage he takes, he may subtract 10.


A Hell Hound's bite only deals fire damage when it scores a hit. The armor might be enough to stop the bite (i.e. confer enough of an AC benefit to negate a possible hit), which would render the fire damage moot. But even if the Hell Hound succeeded on its attack roll, it would only score bite damage, not fire damage, because the fire damage would be negated by the armor's fire resistance enchantment.

A Fireball doesn't care whether you're wearing armor or not, and what kind of armor you may be wearing: it hits you. The enchanted armor's fire resistance property still protects you by negating the first 10 points of damage the Fireball deals you, though.

The Brilliant Energy Flaming Longsword is no different from these examples: regardless of the fact that the armor is powerless to stop the attack that delivers the fire damage, that fire damage is still subject to fire resistance.


Or, to put it differently: if you have fire resistance, no matter what source you're getting it from, you keep your cool even when the heat is on.