D&D (2024) How will the 2024 rules do with monster resistances to P/B/S

[FrogReaver]

If it's true. Which we don't know with any certainty.

We know they are removing magic weapons bypassing physical/piercing/slashing resistance. That’s why monks do force damage and moon druids do radiant now.

This means martials without such features will now face resistances they cannot overcome where they previously did not as long as they had any magic weapon.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

We know they are removing magic weapons bypassing physical/piercing/slashing resistance. That’s why monks do force damage and moon druids do radiant now.

This means martials without such features will now face resistances they cannot overcome where they previously did not as long as they had any magic weapon.

Do we know that for certain? I've not read the DMG and I'd be curious to see where it is, so feel free to quote.

What they specify in the PHB pg 28 (2024) is that IF you had Resist Necromancy and Resist All Damage, it only counts once. Damage is halved, not quartered.

I have no problem with magical weapons doing Force damage. To me, the easiest option would be that magical weapons do untyped damage

EDIT: I went and looked at the pregen characters from the D&D cartoon in the free adventure. Diana's staff is a +1 and does staff damage (bludgeoning). Bobby's club is the same way except it adds thundering, like 2014 5e does for Flame Tongue, for example. I'm leaning towards magical weapons count as a Magical Effect, which the 2024 glossary defines also as 'coming from a magic item'

 

[Oofta]

We know they are removing magic weapons bypassing physical/piercing/slashing resistance. That’s why monks do force damage and moon druids do radiant now.

This means martials without such features will now face resistances they cannot overcome where they previously did not as long as they had any magic weapon.

I think you're just reading tea leaves at this moment. We know they are changing some things and we may have different restrictions. They're not going to make monsters that are immune or even resistant to all attacks that martial characters could bring into play.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I think you're just reading tea leaves at this moment. We know they are changing some things and we may have different restrictions. They're not going to make monsters that are immune or even resistant to all attacks that martial characters could bring into play.

I agree that it's unlikely that they just took every monster that had resistance/immunity to non-magical weapons and just gave them blanket resist/immunity to weapons.

I think it's important to keep in mind that we're only seeing one small piece of the puzzle. AFAIK no one has seen the new MM, so there's limited information to work with. For all we know, gargoyles will have immunity to slashing and piercing weapons, but vulnerability to bludgeoning (which is a buff to any fighter with a bludgeoning weapons). Or monsters with resistance to P/B/S have had their HP halved (making it effectively just as tough for a 5.5 fighter without a magic weapon as a 5.0 fighter with a magic weapon). We can certainly speculate, but at this point we don't know what we don't know.

 

[Hussar]

Yes, this is not specific to the Monk though and more monsters are resistant or immune to Force than are resistant to magical bludgeoning, so this is actually a slight nerf.
.

That’s not correct. Virtually nothing is immune or resists force damage. There might be two or three creatures but that’s it.

There’s a fair few creatures that are resistant to magical bludgeoning, but to be fair it is pretty rare.

Overall it’s largely a wash.

 

[Charlaquin]

EDIT: I went and looked at the pregen characters from the D&D cartoon in the free adventure. Diana's staff is a +1 and does staff damage (bludgeoning). Bobby's club is the same way except it adds thundering, like 2014 5e does for Flame Tongue, for example. I'm leaning towards magical weapons count as a Magical Effect, which the 2024 glossary defines also as 'coming from a magic item'

Well, that pretty much confirms it in my mind. I strongly suspect we’re going to see resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing coupled with vulnerability to damage from magical weapons.

 

[Hussar]

Well, that pretty much confirms it in my mind. I strongly suspect we’re going to see resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing coupled with vulnerability to damage from magical weapons.

Oooh, that'd be a nice buff for martials. Double damage on a lot of creatures if you have a magic weapon.

 

[Charlaquin]

Oooh, that'd be a nice buff for martials. Double damage on a lot of creatures if you have a magic weapon.

Well it would be normal damage, unless the weapon did a damage type other than bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing, since the monsters would have both resistance and vulnerability to the damage. With the order of operations defined in the PHB, you would halve the damage first (rounding down) and then double the result. So, you might end up losing one point on an odd damage rolled, but otherwise you’d break even with your generic +X weapons. Your flametounge, on the other hand, would get around the B/P/S resistance and would still get doubled.

 

[ECMO3]

I doubt there will be many, if any, that are immune to all 3. Maybe a few that are resistant to all 3, but you're allowed to be weak against certain creatures.

I also hope there will be more that are vulnerable to different damage types as well.

If you are resistant to all 3 and it can't be bypassed with magic weapons, that is a HUGE nerf to martials.

 

[ECMO3]

Well, that pretty much confirms it in my mind. I strongly suspect we’re going to see resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing coupled with vulnerability to damage from magical weapons.

I really doubt that will be the case. That will mean there is basically no change from the 2014 paradigm except it is more to keep track of and a lot more math.