DR now Ex, not Su

[Hand of Vecna]

While looking through Savage Species, I noticed something -- Damage Reduction seems to be an Extraordinary ability, not a Supernatural one.

Unless this is a typo, this means a critter will still have it's DR in an anti-magic field, but people attacking it with magical (but non non-magical) weapons will still have their DR up. Which is quite nasty (even though 3.5 is lowering the 'x' in the 'x/y' part of DR for most all critters).

Thoughts? Comments?

 

[bret]

Does the enhancement bonus from Adamantine count towards DR? As I recall, it didn't used to.

Otherwise, going to make for some very nasty encounters as creatures with DR start looking to get inside an Anit-Magic field.

 

[IceBear]

Ummmm, guys, aren't you forgetting that monsterous thread on this? Since DR will be keyed to special materials, not the number of pluses, in 3.5 it won't matter if the weapon is magical or not.

IceBear

 

[kreynolds]

As I recall, it didn't used to.

According to WotC, it still doesn't, but there isn't any official errata on it yet. The most obvious source of this change/clarification/whatever is from MMII.

 

[Shalewind]

Ummmm, guys, aren't you forgetting that monsterous thread on this? Since DR will be keyed to special materials, not the number of pluses, in 3.5 it won't matter if the weapon is magical or not.

Yup. That's probably one of the justifications for the change too.

I just think this is yet another example of the books from now until July being forward compatible, that's why it isn't in the errata yet.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Icebear, are you saying that no monster will ever have DR 5/+1?

Designer DR is cool, but I wanted to keep a few DR x/+1 monsters, unless someone explains to me how a non-magical weapon can injure a water elemental.

 

[Petrosian]

Ummmm, guys, aren't you forgetting that monsterous thread on this? Since DR will be keyed to special materials, not the number of pluses, in 3.5 it won't matter if the weapon is magical or not.

IceBear

Actually, from what i have read, the "plusses" DR will still exist. The change is that the material DRs will be off the plusses Dr list.

Is it your understanding that all PLUS related DRs will be removed and magic weapons will now have no role in beating DR? Can you cite a source?

 

[kreynolds]

Icebear, are you saying that no monster will ever have DR 5/+1?

AFAIK, DR such as this will indeed still be around. The new designer DR mostly just replaces the rediculous ungodly high/+ungodly high values and cleans up the special materials portion of some of the current creatures.

 

[LokiDR]

If the ability says that magic is needed to hit the creature effectively, then it must be a magical ability.

DR 15/silver is exceptional
DR 15/+1 is supernatural

I will have to read Savage Species next time I see a friend with it to see what kind of DR is being called SU and which is EX.

 

[Petrosian]

They needed to change the nature of DR from SU to EX for the reasons i stated back in the aforementioned thread... physical DRs such as "blunt" for skeletons do not need to go down in AM fields. once you decide DR is supposed to handle PHYSICAL things, it needs to become a physical thing.

Now, it may well be that SOME DRs are EX (skeleton blunt) and others are SU (werewolves silver or even barghest +1) which makes sense because DR is now expanded to handle both physical and mystical immunities. A skeleton is hard to affect with piercing because of its shape, while a werewolf is hard to hurt without silver because of its magical properties. An AMF should treat these differently.