"Damage Reduction" and DR: "Stacking" Question

[Felnar]

how i understood the RAW "order of operations", the decriptive text of an ability supersedes the information in a table. Correct?

The Barbarian's "Damage Reduction" ability is described as "Subtract 1 from the damage the barbarian takes each time he is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack." The DMG states "Armor made from adamantine grants its wearer damage reduction of 1/– if it’s light armor, 2/– if it’s medium armor, and 3/– if it’s heavy armor." So my thought is the 7th level barbarian in an adamantine breastplate has DR 2/- from the breatplate, then additionally, subtracts 1 damage if the damage is from a weapon or natural attack.
Am I incorrect? Is there a reason they should not both work?
- Felnar

 

[Len]

DR does not stack.

If a creature has damage reduction from more than one source, the two forms of damage reduction do not stack. Instead, the creature gets the benefit of the best damage reduction in a given situation.

 

[Felnar]

DR does not stack.

so if the barbarians ability was renamed "Shrug off Injury",
then would it stack?

 

[Infiniti2000]

so if the barbarians ability was renamed "Shrug off Injury", then would it stack?

You would also have to modify the description, specifically the part of "gains Damage Reduction."

 

[Felnar]

You would also have to modify the description, specifically the part of "gains Damage Reduction."

it doesnt say "gains Damage Reduction" in the 3.5 players handbook.
is says "gains the ability to shrug off some amount of injury from each blow or attack"

 

[Len]

It says "Damage Reduction" in my copy of the PHB!

Damage Reduction (Ex): At 7th level, a barbarian gains the ability to... etc.

 

[Hypersmurf]

It says "Damage Reduction" in my copy of the PHB!

Yes, but he's already proposed changing the name of the ability.

-Hyp.

 

[Ferret]

Because with a name like that (Damage reduction) you could get them mixed up.....

 

[Len]

Yes, but he's already proposed changing the name of the ability.

Ah, I see. Well, it still looks like DR. If you want DR to stack, just say that DR stacks. No need for word games.

 

[Felnar]

I just discovered that the barbarian ability is DR in the standard sense. The DMGs example of untyped Damage Reduction is the barbarians class feature(pg. 291). Oh well.
I hate when items dont stack with class abilities. Items should enhance, not replace.
thanks for the responses everyone.
- Felnar