How Does Variable Resistance Work?

[Nebulous]

I don't think that, even as a free action, you can choose to use it as an Interrupt. I don't think using it that way would be necessarily broken, but I would characterize it as 'creative rules revision' rather than rude.

I've had this same question before and i tend to treat it as an interrupt, even if that's not quite by the book. And i would have thought "radiant" was elemental damage, never would have occured to me otherwise.

 

[Mesh Hong]

You know I never thought about being able to use variable resistance (free action) when a creature was hit by an elemental attack. Now that it has been pointed out it actually makes perfect sense, both from a game mechanic and usefulness point of view.

Excellent, my poor demons need all the help they can get!

 

[sfedi]

Free actions are BETTER than interrupts!

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Free actions are BETTER than interrupts!

Exactly. While in the past when the game first came out I argued they were not able as a general rule to interrupt other actions it has become clear as WotC has published clarifications and more material that a free action is indeed usable at absolutely ANY time that actions are allowed at all (IE not in the start or end of turn sequences) unless specifically forbidden. So this is RAW. They are indeed better than triggered interrupt type actions because of the lack of limits on how often they can be used.

In other words a demon with say 2/encounter variable resistance could be hit with an incoming fire damage attack and apply its resistance to that attack. Later in the same round (even the same turn) it could be hit with cold damage and choose to switch its resistance to cold and resist that attack as well (but it now loses the fire resistance).

Note also with variable resistance that it cannot be used to resist a damage type the monster is vulnerable to. This could be used strategically by players, especially with cold damage which is pretty easy to make monsters vulnerable to.

 

[Nebulous]

Note also with variable resistance that it cannot be used to resist a damage type the monster is vulnerable to. This could be used strategically by players, especially with cold damage which is pretty easy to make monsters vulnerable to.

Just curious, where is this stated?

 

[rayous]

variable resistance

A creature that has variable resistance can activate it a specified number of times per encounter as a free action. When the creature activates variable resistance, it chooses a damage type: acid, cold, fire, ightning, or thunder. (The creature can’t choose a damage type to which it is vulnerable.) Until the end of the encounter, the creature gains a specified amount of resistance to that damage type. This resistance replaces any resistance the creature already had against that damage type.

If a creature can activate variable resistance more than once per encounter, the creature can resist only one damage type at a time using variable resistance. See also resist.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Right. That is the MM2 wording. In MM1 the wording was slightly different and it was all under the glossary heading "Resist" (MM1 P282) but the rule is effectively the same. In any case its actually pretty clear how it works, you just have to know how free actions work, which is a bit unclear but has been pretty well clarified.

 

[Badapple]

Hey thanks guys. I had the same questions as the OP, just was too lazy to ever get around to typing up a post.

 

[Alex319]

Originally Posted by PHB p267
Free Action: Free actions take almost no time or effort. You can take as many free actions as you want during your or another combatant's turn.

Really? That would definitely have helped me last night. I took a hit that dropped me to 4 HP and gave me ongoing 5 damage, and I had Dwarven Armor on but didn't realize I could activate it before my turn. Fortunately we won the battle soon after that.

 

[keterys]

Yeah, Dwarven Armor is _really_ good.