Falling Damage and Stoneskin

[Admiral Caine]

I wouldn't think it would, but I want to verify.
Stoneskin protects against weapon damage, including blunt weapons.
But it would not mitigate falling damage would it?

 

[krupintupple]

hmm.

the rules lawyer in me wants to claim that it wouldn't protect from a floor, since the text does say "...It ignores the first 10 points of damage each time it takes damage from a weapon..."; so, maybe it only 'activates' when someone is struck from a weapon? ie: the spell-matrix-whatever doesn't protect you from falling down the stairs, but does protect you from a beer-bottle that someone whangs at the back of your head in a bar fight?

otherwise, i'd say it'd protect from the floor. as long as it wasn't adamantine

 

[Vegepygmy]

My ruling would be that DR protects against falling (bludgeoning) damage, but I can't find any official word on the matter. Physically, falling is no different than being struck by a blunt weapon.

 

[prospero63]

my ruling would be that dr protects against falling (bludgeoning) damage, but i can't find any official word on the matter. Physically, falling is no different than being struck by a blunt weapon.

+1

 

[Ydars]

I don't agree that stone-skin would protect from falling damage.

Here is an example that I hope will illustrate what I mean; stoneskin produces a rigid and hard covering over the body that resists blunt trauma etc. So it acts rather like plate armour. You try falling down the stairs in plate armour; does it protect you from falling? NO, in fact you would take more damage as your soft tissues squish in between the inflexible layers of metal (or stone in the case of stone-skin).

This is because, when you fall, your body has the energy (from gravity) and anything inflexible stopping that momentum reflects the energy back into your tissues.

When you get hit by a weapon, the energy is reflected back into the weapon so you take no damage. The two situations are totally different.

 

[Shin Okada]

Here is an example that I hope will illustrate what I mean; stoneskin produces a rigid and hard covering over the body that resists blunt trauma etc. So it acts rather like plate armour.

I guess if it is DM's call if kinetic damage caused not by attack can be protected by DR.

But anyway, Stoneskin does not work like plate armor. If it works like plate armor, it should give Armor bonus instead of DR.

 

[Ydars]

I suspect stone skin gives DR rather than AC simply for gamist reasons; if the two existed in the real world then they would work identically if "stone-skin" does what it says on the tin.

 

[Drowbane]

I suspect stone skin gives DR rather than AC simply for gamist reasons; if the two existed in the real world then they would work identically if "stone-skin" does what it says on the tin.

I don't have a page number handy, but I'm 90% sure that Falling Damage is not reduced by DR. Why? Dunno.

Someone with the time: check the dmg?

 

[frankthedm]

I suspect stone skin gives DR rather than AC simply for gamist reasons; if the two existed in the real world then they would work identically if "stone-skin" does what it says on the tin.

[vodka]D&D seems somewhat schizophrenic in deciding what should and what shouldn't bybass AC, energy resist and / or DR. IMHO whether a crushing lump is made of rock or dinosaur shaped force, both should operate the same way. [/vodka]

 

[Vegepygmy]

stoneskin produces a rigid and hard covering over the body that resists blunt trauma etc. So it acts rather like plate armour.

Your conclusion is based upon your premise that stoneskin "produces a rigid and hard covering over the body," which as far as I can tell is a detail you've made up out of whole cloth. The spell description doesn't say it works like that; even in former editions of the game (I checked 3.0 and 2E) it didn't say it works like that.

So there's really no reason at all to think that stoneskin "acts rather like plate armor," and good reason not to think so (as Shin Okada has pointed out).