How exactly does variable resistance work?

[Lord Zardoz]

I have ended up using a few monsters that have resitance values like "Resist 5 variable (1/encounter)" Clearly I can just select a damage type to resist. However, I have not found any info on the following details.

1) Is the resistance triggered as an interrupt, or as a minor / move standard?
2) Does it persist for the duration of the encounter?
3) Which rule book has those particular details?

END COMMUNICATION

 

[DracoSuave]

end communiation

acknowledge

begin response

quote source: Monster manual

variable resistance: As a free action, the monster chooses a type of damage from the following list: Acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. The monster gains the specified amount of resistance to the chosen damage type for the rest of the encounter, and this replaces any resistance the monster already had against that damage type. This is an encounter power unless otherwise noted. If a monster can use this ability more than once per encounter, it can resist only one type of damage from this ability at any one time. A monster can’t use this ability to resist a damage type to which it has vulnerability.

end of line

 

[Prism]

Also, variable resistance is usually triggered by the creature taking damage of a certain type. In general you resolve such an action like an immediate reaction so that in this case the resistance only occurs after the damage has been done, but lasts for the rest of the encounter. There is an argument however to say that variable resistance occurs as an immediate interrupt and therefore reduces the effect of the initial attack (thats how we play it). Rules Compendium P197

 

[DracoSuave]

It functions as neither. It's a free action, which means that as soon as the demon knows he's getting attacked by fire, bam, he can have it up.

Variable is not a triggered action.

 

[keterys]

Unfortunately, there's very little rules clarity around free action timing, so it's generally up to the DM what they want to do with older creatures. That said, it is worth note that the most recent version of variable resistance (as seen in everything after MM3) is clearly a triggered action, which might imply that all creatures that have it should treat it as a triggered action, which also means that it should always occur _after_ the damage that triggers it, letting you damage such a creature once, then shift to another damage type. Which isn't all that bad for a chaotic/demonic type feel, if a bit more dubious in a "wandering through the elemental chaos basking in the flames" respect.

Not that it really ever worked that well for that.

Personally, I vote to trade out variable resistance for another ability (see Demonomicon) in every instance where I'm given the option.

Triggered Actions
Variable Resistance Encounter
Trigger: The scavenger takes acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage.
Effect (Free Action): The scavenger gains resist 5 to the triggering damage type until the end of the encounter.

 

[bganon]

The question is: does the demon know he's getting attacked by fire after the wizard launches the fireball but before it strikes? My interpretation is no, nobody can act in the middle of somebody else's action unless such a thing is specifically triggered.

The rules aren't quite explicit on this, but they do say that triggered actions are assumed to work like reactions unless the power would be otherwise useless.

EDIT: actually the new Monster Vault-style variable resistance is triggered (MM1 wasn't), so it's pretty clear that it resolves like a reaction. The Rules Compendium is explicit about this; there shouldn't be any ambiguity.

 

[mneme]

bganon: sure, but reactions can happen in the middle of a power. The distinction is that a reaction cannot change the thing it's reacting to.

Consider:

Immediate Reaction:
Trigger: when you are hit by a melee attack
Result: teleport 5 squares

vs

Immediate Interrupt:
Trigger: when you are hit by a melee attack
Result: teleport 5 squares

In the first case, you still take the damage from the attack (the hit still happened, so results from it happen), but you aren't a legal target for followup attacks, even from the same power.

In the second case, you don't even take damage from the attack -- an Immediate Interrupt causes its trigger to re-evaluate as if the Interrupt happened first, so the hit doesn't happen, nor does damage.

 

[aco175]

I always treated it like an immediate interupt. It does take some power away from a character that focuses on one damage type, but it has never been an issue in any of the games i'm in.

 

[DracoSuave]

The question is: does the demon know he's getting attacked by fire after the wizard launches the fireball but before it strikes? My interpretation is no, nobody can act in the middle of somebody else's action unless such a thing is specifically triggered.

The rules aren't quite explicit on this, but they do say that triggered actions are assumed to work like reactions unless the power would be otherwise useless.

EDIT: actually the new Monster Vault-style variable resistance is triggered (MM1 wasn't), so it's pretty clear that it resolves like a reaction. The Rules Compendium is explicit about this; there shouldn't be any ambiguity.

Yes. You are always aware of the effects of powers that target you, and such knowledge is required in order for things like interrupts to work at all.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

Thanks for the response. I had been looking for this in the wrong books.

END COMMUNICATION