Does DR protect against falling damage?

[Arravis]

Does DR protect against falling damage? I'm not sure if it does or does not, any word on this?

 

[dcollins]

Yes. Personal email from the Sage (Skip Williams), 1/16/2003:

In a message dated 1/14/03 5:21:53 PM, dcollins@superdan.net writes:

Something has just occured to me that seems rather ambiguous in the core
rules. I'm wondering if damage reduction is supposed to serve as protection
from non-magical, non-energy effects that have no attack roll, such as:
falling, landslides, tornados, crushing wall traps, or creature constrict
and swallow whole abilities (DMG ch. 3, MM Introduction).

Should DR help against these kinds of physical effects?

In a word, yes. (That's a departure form previous additions of the game, but
once reason DR replaces the old immunity to non-magical weapons special
defense is so that a long list of exceptions were no longer needed.)

 

[shilsen]

It's a sad commentary on my priorities that I was more horrified by the Sage's use of "addition" for "edition" than most of the rules errors he's made over time

 

[Silveras]

It's a sad commentary on my priorities that I was more horrified by the Sage's use of "addition" for "edition" than most of the rules errors he's made over time

Don't worry about it; that was my reaction, as well.

Edit: There's also "once" for "one".

 

[Aelf]

Sage reaction

Don't worry about it; that was my reaction, as well.

Fear not, the Sage's profound diplomacy skill will adjust your reaction to friendly in just a few minutes ...

Aelf,
friendly neighborhood bard

 

[Silveras]

Fear not, the Sage's profound diplomacy skill will adjust your reaction to friendly in just a few minutes ...

Aelf,
friendly neighborhood bard

So you're saying I should get the pitchforks and torches out of storage now ?

 

[Krelios]

Yes. Personal email from the Sage (Skip Williams), 1/16/2003:

The Sage is wrong, as he often is. He really should look at the rules first.

Damage Reduction
A creature with this special quality ignores damage from most weapons and natural attacks. Wounds heal immediately, or the weapon bounces off harmlessly (in either case, the opponent knows the attack was ineffective). The creature takes normal damage from energy attacks (even nonmagical ones), spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. A certain kind of weapon can sometimes damage the creature normally, as noted below.

Falling damage is not from a weapon or natural attack--the ground doesn't even have to make an attack roll to hit you. It's clear in the description that DR does NOT apply.

 

[Jack Simth]

The Sage is wrong, as he often is. He really should look at the rules first.
Falling damage is not from a weapon or natural attack--the ground doesn't even have to make an attack roll to hit you. It's clear in the description that DR does NOT apply.

Oh, there's some wiggle room, as it's not on the list of things to which DR does not apply, even though it's not on the list of things to which DR does apply. Both are included in the rule on DR.

 

[Gnome]

Logically speaking, I'd say yes, even if it isn't directly supported by the rules. Unless the creature has DR 15/ground or some such.

 

[Infiniti2000]

How about if you have a stoneskin spell in effect and fall onto an adamantine floor?