Does SR work against magic items?

[dead]

Now, I'm not talking about your Wand of Magic Missiles or something simple like that. I'm talking about magical effects that don't *exactly* replicate a spell.

For example, does SR negate (ie. require a caster level check to beat) the electrical damage of a +1 shock staff? And, if so, does it also negate the +1 effect?

Also, what about stranger items. Would SR negate a Sphere of Annihilation? Or the Iron Band of Bilarro?

Can some give me the official line on this?

Thankyou.

 

[Pax]

No.

Unless something SPECIFIES that it is subject to SR, or is a type of ability which is SPECIFICALLY subject to SR, then ... it is not subject to SR.

As for official - all I can say is, "how else could it work, and remain logical" ... ? SR is Spell Resistance, not Magic Resistance - and it doesn't even affect all spells!

 

[dcollins]

For example, does SR negate (ie. require a caster level check to beat) the electrical damage of a +1 shock staff? And, if so, does it also negate the +1 effect?

No. From the DMG under "Spell Resistance":

Only spells and spell-like abilities are subject to spell resistance. Extraordinary and supernatural abilities (including enhancement bonuses on magic weapons) are not. For example, the fear effect from a rod of lordly might is subject to spell resistance because it is a spell-like effect. The rod's combat bonuses (such as the +2 bonus from the rod's mace form) are not.

So it's totally explicit that the +1 bonus is unaffected by SR. The shock effect is minimally arguable, but it sure looks like it's a magical effect on the item, not cast in spell-like fashion on the melee target -- which by the SR rules makes it also not susceptible to SR.


...That having been said, there is a whole field of debate open as to "what abilities are spell-like and what abilities are supernatural" for magic items. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of DMs assume only explicit recreations of spells qualify for SR.

 

[dead]

So if a magic item's effect is clearly not a spell-like effect, then is it a supernatural effect? I don't think it can be an extraordinary effect.

 

[dcollins]

I agree that they can't be extraordinary. The rest is pretty much debatable (although I'd tend to agree with what you just said).

There's another place in the DMG (under "Magic Items: Saving Throws...") that says "Magic items produce spells or spell-like effects", hence the debate.