Does Damage Reduction Offset Damage From Vicious Weapons

[Olaf the Stout]

Simple question, a vicious weapon does 1d6 damage to the wielder on a successful hit. Does damage reduction, like the kind a high-level Barbarian gets, offset any of this damage?

Olaf the Stout

 

[Sound of Azure]

Hi Olaf,

I was going to say yes, but the answer seems unclear. It describes "disruptive energy", what ever that is (I would say force damage, but I think that's too strong). It would appear to be some kind of untyped magical damage.

My default answer would be to say that the barbarian's dr would be bypassed.

 

[Korak]

DR does not protect someone from the bonus damage of the vicious property. That damage is "disruptive energy"... read as untyped energy damage.

Damage reduction does not negate touch attacks, energy damage dealt along with an attack, or energy drains.

-emphasis added

 

[Nifft]

It says the damage is "disruptive energy", so I'm thinking it wouldn't be reduced by anything.

The Barbarian's defense against this is his d12 and his +4 Con.

Cheers, -- N

 

[ValhallaGH]

Sound of Azure has the right of it, it would seem. The extra damage is disruptive energy; what type of energy this is is questionable (I say negative energy but that's me) but I doubt that many would deny that it is magical in nature. Like all non-physical damage, it completely ignores damage reduction.

So a barbarian would have just as much trouble with a vicious weapon as any other character.

 

[Sound of Azure]

Sound of Azure has the right of it, it would seem. The extra damage is disruptive energy; what type of energy this is is questionable (I say negative energy but that's me) but I doubt that many would deny that it is magical in nature. Like all non-physical damage, it completely ignores damage reduction.

So a barbarian would have just as much trouble with a vicious weapon as any other character.

I thought about negative energy too, but that's just nasty if you have an undead person with a vicious weapon. An extra 2d6 damage, and you're "cured" for 1d6? I can imagine a lot of vampires and death knights with visious weapons if that's the case.

 

[Thurbane]

Vicious: When a vicious weapon strikes an opponent, it creates a flash of disruptive energy that resonates between the opponent and the wielder. This energy deals an extra 2d6 points of damage to the opponent and 1d6 points of damage to the wielder. Only melee weapons can be vicious.

Moderate necromancy; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, enervation; Price +1 bonus.

Well, I guess there are one of two takes on this ability:

1. The extra damage is treated as being of the same type as the weapon damage, the same as sneak attack works, in which case DR would apply.

2. The extra damage is energy (unspecified type, but I would be inclined to say negative energy since it is necromancy), in which case DR does NOT apply to the extra damage - but Death Ward possibly would.

 

[Vegepygmy]

Well, I guess there are one of two takes on this ability:

IMO, #2 is correct (and death ward would not help).

 

[Stalker0]

don't read any more into the description then what it says. The energy is not fire, not cold, and not negative energy, its "disruptive". That's all, so unless you have resistance to "disruptive energy" you just take the damage.

 

[Thurbane]

True, but untyped damage always bothers me. Whatever works for your game, though.