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Message: <blockquote data-quote="tetrasodium" data-source="post: 8272099" data-attributes="member: 93670">Look at it this way.   It starts from level 5 up but is more magnified as it goes so I'll use level 11 PCs<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">+1 Rapier wielding  rogue makes one attack for 1d8+1+5(dex)+6d6(sneak).  That averages to 31.5.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Things get complicated by a possible offhand attack but ignore that for now as it really complicates the explaining needlessly.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GWM +1 greatsword wielding fighter makes  three attacks each dealing 2d6+1+5+10.  That averages to 23 each attack for a possible 69.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sorcerer uses their one 6th level slot to cast the 6th level spell <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/harm" target="_blank">harm</a> for 14d6. This averages  to 49.</li> </ul>Each of those is treated identical by a percentage based resistance but not by hit rates.  <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the fighter misses one attack & hits on the others average damage drops to  46.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the rogue misses on that one attack... average damage drops to zero.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the sorcerer is resisted after using their one first level spell slot average damage drops to zero.</li> </ul>Obviously at this point the 3 attack fighter has the odds in their favor big time at this point since they deal the most damage at both ertain hitrates & very low miss rates but get treated the same for percentage based resistances.  There are two situations where flat damage value resistance is better for one or the other <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the hit rate is very low things change a lot.  Lets say roll a 15 or better is needed before mods are added. This works out mathematically to about a 25% hit chance for each attack.  <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the sorcerer is going to be  rather out of the running   due to spell slot consumption.  Ignore them for now they come back in the next group</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The fighter gets 3 chances to hit for an average of 23 each.  Since the results of one die roll have no impact on the next this can be zero one two or three successful attacks. each successful attack  deals an average of 23.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The rogue makes one attack to the fighter's three & has the same hit chance  but  if they get lucky they get to deal an average of 46 damage.</li> </ul></li> </ul>The high damage dealer is hurt with a greater loss of damage  but the fighter with three attacks has three times as many chances to hit While that low hit chance is a problem, there are a lot of factors that complicate it & sometimes it's just a bad matchup  deliberately intended to be tough for a PC.  This next one is where it becomes super obvious Say the monster is one of the 4 pages of necrotic immune monsters <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-type=0&filter-search=&filter-cr-min=&filter-cr-max=&filter-armor-class-min=&filter-armor-class-max=&filter-average-hp-min=&filter-average-hp-max=&filter-is-legendary=&filter-is-mythic=&filter-has-lair=&filter-damage-immunity=26" target="_blank">here</a>.  Given that there are only <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-type=0&filter-search=&filter-cr-min=&filter-cr-max=&filter-armor-class-min=&filter-armor-class-max=&filter-average-hp-min=&filter-average-hp-max=&filter-is-legendary=&filter-is-mythic=&filter-has-lair=&filter-damage-immunity=19" target="_blank">nine slash immune monsters</a> (all oozes too) lets show how a flat damage reduction of 5 10 & 15 to their respective damage types affect each PC, assume high hit rates<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Start by looking at the 3.5 monster manual page 300 recommendation for adding DR & spell resistance at various monster CRs.  cr3-5 recommends a 5 point reduction.    CR6-13 recommends 10  point reduction.  CR 14-20 recommends 15 point reduction.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">DR2/Resist5.  Fighter still hits three times but 23 drops to 19 for a possible total of 57.  Rogue hits once 26.5.  Sorcerer hits once for 45</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">DR/resist10.  Fighter still hits 3x & is starting to feel the pain the other two felt whenever they roll really bad & lose  the entire chance of damage.  He hits 3x for 13 each for a total of 39.  Rogue hits once & drops 10  off it to 21.5 damage.  Sorcerer hits once for 39  This reduction is also the sweet spot for this group level.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">DR/Resist 15.  Fighter is feeling the pain big time each attack only dals 8 damage for a possible 24.  Rogue deals 16.5.  Sorcerer deals 34 & for the first time consuming a spell slot outdamages the fighter consuming nothing.</li> </ul>If the fighter has an option between a +3 greatsword & a +0 greatsword with a lesser pr no bonus that deals +1d6 fire damage the choice becomes subjective with flat reductions in the mix as  the +3 will help hit more often & the average damage of a d6 is 3.5 making  the damage almost the same in percentage based reductions only.  With  any of that 5/10/15 point dr/resist though it becomes complicated because that +3 add to the part where  damage reduction is hitting slashing while the 1d6 is only reduced if the target has resistance to fire & even then it's reduced by a flat value.  That reliability can be seen as a strength worth choosing it over the one with a greater flat bonus</blockquote>

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