Lycanthropes - As tough as it gets (a rant against 3.5 DR).

[Darklone]

I never liked the +X magic approach... possibly cause I never really liked +1 weapons

 

[Pants]

Natural lycanthropes do get hefty DR (15/silver). As such, as a DM, I would avoid throwing one at a party that was unprepared. Unless of course, they had some chance of damaging or neutralizing it, e.g. spells, acid, alchemist's fire, Power Attack with two-handed weapons, etc.

Naturals have DR 10/silver (a big, hefty number) and afflicted have DR 5/silver (easy to bypass).

 

[Liquidsabre]

10/silver, actually. A bit easier to defeat.

And that's for a natural werewolf, so mostly just claws and biting (1d4/1d6 dmg) there, without any other weapons or armor.

An inflicted werewolf has a DR 5/silver, though they'll likely be at least carrying a sword, axe, or something.

It IS a CR 3 creature afterall.

 

[Bauglir]

What I like about the 3.5 DR system is how the requirements for a +x weapon have been removed.

Where under 3.0 I might have chosen a +5 sword for DR penetration, I might now choose a +2 flaming holy sword, or perhaps +2 keen wounding.

Although making a weapon Holy is pretty much a no-brainer under 3.5 DR - It was already a good enhancement - now that it's pretty much needed to combat fiends it'd be a very common enchantment.

 

[Mercule]

Must be a lot of running in your games. I mean who carries silver on an everyday basis?and without you do squat. Sheesh, talk about a disincentive to be a warrior. With you system mages would rule the day. Or are all your monsters like the Pit Fiend where even spells are affected?

I never adjusted magic. I never had to. Very few people played mages. No one played a cleric (the second one ever played in my game was shortly after 3E was released). Fighter was, hands down, the class of choice. There was usually a mage of some stripe, but they were usually secondary to the warrior-types (not my doing as GM, it was a player thing).

There was an occasional strategic withdrawal, but not on a regular basis. The PCs often did a bit of recon and/or research before embarking on their adventures. I know it's a novel idea to actually think before attacking, but my players were cagey that way.

FWIW, I don't use an all or nothing DR anymore. I like 3.5 DR and that's what I use, with the exception that mithril acts as silver.

Let's turn it around, though. Are you saying your PCs never run? Wow, that must be a real disincentive to thinking. So, do your players ever break a sweat, or is it just a power trip for your group? Sheesh, hyperbole much?

 

[Mercule]

What I like about the 3.5 DR system is how the requirements for a +x weapon have been removed.

Agreed. Between that and softening the "need a high plus to sunder" rule, there is no longer a manditory upgrade to weapons. If you like your +2 bastard sword and it has history, you can keep it 'til 20th level without being totally screwed -- sure, you'll be at a slight disadvantage, but nothing catastrophic.

In other words, in an odd way, the new DR makes characters less defined by their equipment.

 

[Gothmog]

3.5 DR is essentially the house rule I've been using since 1985 or so (I've never had an "adamantine" category and mithril works as silver). In the intervening ~20 years, I've never once seen "golf bag syndrome". IME, it's a boogeyman constructed as a knee-jerk reaction by people scared of a little change. Oh, and prior to 3E, DR was absolute -- in my system, a +400 vorpal holy avenger would do no damage to a werewolf unless it was silver. If golf-bagging doesn't happen in conditions like that, it ain't an issue.

I think the 3.5 DR is great. As others have said, the standard 3.0 DR rules made anything besides "ahrrrr, more power" a pointless stance. 3.5 DR actually has some personality to it and makes the characters deal with monsters in a more dynamic way (rather than just scaling up existing tactics). I do not see any way in which 3.5 DR is not superior to any previous DR system in D&D.

I agree with you 100%. 3E DR was more than useless- a Magic Weapon or GMW spell would make it completely irrelevant, and any sense of mystery or tension about what might be a good tactic against a given critter was non-existant. I LOVE the 3.5 DR rules, characters actually have to research a little about their enemies instead of yanking out the highest plus whatzit and smacking away mindlessly. And I have never seen the "golf bag" of weapons approach since I've been playing 3.5- its a strawman arguement used by those who complain about their magic goodies not being able to hurt a werewolf, pit fiend, etc.

 

[Mapleaxe]

I like the 3.5 DR rules because it means that my players are actually scared of lycanthropes (except for the one that's playing a natural lycanthrope).

 

[Incenjucar]

For the two-weapon-weilders worried about DR, there's a lovely feat in the Draconomicon that pops off 5 points of DR from your opponent. Evens the odds between you and the two-handed-weapon wielder. Also, extremely fun being able to slap an infected werewolf in the face and actually hurt it without a weapon or silver gauntlet.

 

[Aristotle]

I really like 3.5 DR and definately prefer it over 3E. When it first came up in discussion I remember hearing the 'golfbag syndrome' argument and thinking it was a valid argument, but after a good bit of play I'm not finding my players' characters carrying much more weapons than they would have in 3E or any other game. Maybe I'm just lucky...

I do agree that lycanthrope DR should be Regeneration with a vulnerability to silver. That makes sense to me, but I'm fine with running it as is for now too. A werewolf makes for an interesting opponent against a party the DM feels is properly equiped, or a recurring villain for an underequiped party.

I mean who carries silver on an everyday basis?

Everyone does! It's money... and, if we're being logical, its a more common coin than the gold piece. How much fun is it when you are using a recurring werewolf villain stalking the party in the wilderness and one night, while the party is making camp, one of the players looks over at you and says "can I melt down my silver pieces and coat my weapon or make slugs for my sling".