How to overcome DR in a world w/out magic weapons?

[Baron Opal]

For more impressive minions, you can have special preparations like encrusting the blade in salt. For example, undead things are vulnerable to salt and can't cross a salt line. Encrusting the blade cuts through the DR as long as it lasts, say three hits.

For major things, they have vulnerabilities like washing the blade in sea foam or widow's tears. Find a master calligrapher to paint the demon's true name on your sword with a special lacquer distilled from dryad's blood, freely given.

 

[ValhallaGH]

I'm designing a new, low magic-high action campaign homebrew, but I don't want the players to have to rely on magic weapons or weapons made of special materials to overcome the DR of some foes. Is there an alternate method for resolving this?

Hit your enemies really, really hard. Or with a mountain.

No, seriously, this comes up a lot in my games. Power Attack and Sneak Attack are the best options. Tons of damage, enough to lay low anything.
Add in the option of attack and defense challenges to increase damage and even untrained folks can put a hurting on a highly resistant abomination.

The other option is environmental attacks, such a dropping a house on them, severing the support chains for a massive chandelier, rolling a giant stone disk over the enemies and bull rushing them into lava pits.

Good luck.

 

[Nifft]

Wait wait wait. Perhaps I'm missing something obvious.

Are the PCs still allowed to be spellcasters? If so, there are a lot of spells which take care of this particular problem, from magic weapon and magic stone and bless weapon (all 1st level spells) to greater magic weapon and weapon of the deity (or whatever it's called) to all the various create-a-weapon spells (ice axe and flame dagger spring to mind).

If the PCs still have these spell options, you don't need to do anything about DR magic. Just make sure someone is playing a cleric.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Quartz]

How about making DR per attack, not per hit? Or per round.

 

[robberbaron]

Don't see anything wrong with some gribblies being hard to damage.
Leave the DRs as they are but make sure they are legendary for being difficult to damage.

As already said, there are plenty of ways to get around DR without magic weapons.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Yes, there'll be spellcasters aplenty. I do use Action Points, so that option is there, as well! Thanks, everyone!

 

[Raven Crowking]

I use a weapon skills system. You can fight using various ways of dividing the discretionary points given by your skill rank, one of which puts it all into damage.

RC