How does your DR work?

[Shadeydm]

Lets suppose PC X hits monster Y (which has DR10/holy) with an ax doing 8 points of damage. How do you typically describe this to your players?

 

[Lanefan]

Something like "While your blow seemed to get through its defenses and connect, the creature shrugs it off and keeps going. You have, however, attracted its attention..."

Later in the same combat, the above just gets shortened to "Bonk!" to save time.

Lanefan

 

[Stalker0]

I look at the players, make quotation marks with my fingers and say, "Damage Reduction"

 

[kensanata]

Sometimes it is really easy, eg. skeletons and arrows: "The arrows fly right through the ribcage of the creature and does no damage whatsoever." Sometimes it is harder, eg. devils and ordinary weapons: "Your sword glances off even though you feel it should have really bit into the devil."

 

[Arkhandus]

It's a mix. DR is described as varying from stuff like instantaneous regeneration (you wound it, but the flesh heals immediately) to sheer immunity (your weapon hits but fails to dig in or pierce the flesh, bouncing off harmlessly).

I figure it's all up to DM fiat and what seems most appropriate to the creature.

Something with DR X/adamantine? Obviously it's really frikkin' tough, so non-adamantine stuff just bounces off as surely as if you were trying to hack away at an adamantine wall with an ordinary steel blade.

Something with DR X/magic? Could be instant healing or sheer immunity, or something else. Maybe the stricken spot turns to vapor for a moment, until your weapon passes through, then resolidifies without any apparent harm done?

Something with DR X/silver? Probably instant healing; your steel-tipped arrow digs in, then pops out a second later, as the flesh rapidly knits itself and recovering muscle fibers push out the arrow.

Something with DR X/cold iron? Likewise instant healing, probably; your hammer strikes the cruel fey, but bones snap back into place and mend themselves in seconds, the flesh recovering its normal shape and vitality almost as quickly as the wound was dealt, the fey creature sneering at your unnatural, technologically-forged warhammer with only the briefest feeling of pain and inconvenience.

Something with DR X/alignment? Probably sheer immunity/repulsion; your spiked chain barely even touches the fiend's flesh, leaving no marks, only loosely wrapped around its arm, easily shaken off with a snap of the arm, and your buddy's mace just rebounds off the fiend's profane flesh as though it were a sturdy wall of adamantine, repelled from making any repugnant contact with the flesh of the damned.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Pretty much what Arkhandus said.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Yep, another one of those.

IOW, they're all different, according to their type (i.e., /xxx). And the being possessing it. And the weapons used. And so on.

 

[Darklone]

Pretty much what Arkhandus said.

Yupp.

 

[Doug McCrae]

The attack has no effect/does nothing/does no damage.

 

[Tiberius]

First instance per monster: "Your blow seems to do less damage than it otherwise would have."
Further instances: "Reduced."