Overcoming DR

[Wippit Guud]

Re: Re: Time to really screw with your heads...

You are evil.

I would say no, since no weapon can bypass the barbarians DR.

Therefor his punch counts as a + nil weapon....

This hurts my head....

I'll even steal the quote from above:

DMG pg 74
"A creature's natural weapons count as wepons of the type that can ignore it's own DR."

If he can ignore his own, he should be able to ignore other barbarians.

 

[CRGreathouse]

This topic has come up before (about a year ago, I believe) and the consensus was that high-level barbarians with unarmed strikes ignored all DR - it seemed by the rules to most posters, and it didn't have any real potential for abuse.

Now it does.

 

[Orco42]

Re: Re: Re: Time to really screw with your heads...

I'll even steal the quote from above:

DMG pg 74
"A creature's natural weapons count as wepons of the type that can ignore it's own DR."

If he can ignore his own, he should be able to ignore other barbarians.

Hurts head.... Make it stop...

Devil's Advocate:

What if there was a weapon created that could? Why can't they count as theoretical weapons, anyway?

You are evil to.

I guess if there was a weapon that could get through the DR then the barbarian could punch as one.

Do you really think that the barbarian could bybass any DR. Besides being (IMO) contrary to the DMG it seems too powerful.

 

[Crothian]

That's it, we all bombard the sage with the same question. He has to answer someone's and maybe with so many of the same question it'll get posted to Dragon.

 

[CRGreathouse]

It's in the mail...

That's it, we all bombard the sage with the same question. He has to answer someone's and maybe with so many of the same question it'll get posted to Dragon.

thesage@wizards.com
Damage Reduction

I have a question about damage reduction. If a 20th-level monk attacks a creature with DR 10/+1 with his unarmed strike, he ignores it, both because of his own DR and his ki strike. What if a high-level barbarian hits a creature with his unarmed strike? Does that ignore all DR, none, or some? Note that it does not occur on Table 3-13.

DMG pg 74
"A creature's natural weapons count as wepons of the type that can ignore it's own DR."

since there aren't any weapons that can pass a barbarians DR, they don't bypass any DR.

but

If he can ignore his own, he should be able to ignore other barbarians.

References
Monk: PH page 40
Barbarian: PH page 25, DMG page 74
DR: DMG pages 73-74, MM pages 9-10

Thank you for your time.

Charles Greathouse

 

[Orco42]

That's it, we all bombard the sage with the same question. He has to answer someone's and maybe with so many of the same question it'll get posted to Dragon.

Nice. I think I shall.

And thanks for the address Greathouse.

Edit- Done. Now it's you turn everyone.

 

[Wippit Guud]

Bypass any DR...

Time to make a Barbarian punching specialist and challenge the Tarrasque to a boxing match!

 

[kreynolds]

Nice. I think I shall.

And thanks for the address Greathouse.

Edit- Done. Now it's you turn everyone.

Forget dragon. I would rather not pay for their mistake or vague explination of a rule. :-(

 

[CRGreathouse]

Forget dragon. I would rather not pay for their mistake or vague explination of a rule. :-(

Hey, drop them a line anyway. I'm curious to see what they'll say - even if I won't use it as my own ruling.

Anyone want to place bets?

 

[Damror]

Umm.....

I might be wrong, but this seems pretty easy to me.

I've always understood the barbarian's DR to be among the worst, not the best types of DR, as some people here seem to think.

The barbarian's DR of 1/- means that if you hit him with a silver, mithral, or other special material he takes full damage (see table 3-13).

Only weapons that are not silver, mithral or other special material or of +1 or better enchantment are blocked by the barbarian's DR.

So, yes, a barbarian's DR will bypass another barbarians DR in cases where the first barbarian's DR is equal to or greater than his opponent's. however, a barbarian of 20th level cannot have his DR bypassed by a barbarian of 14th level, for example.

As for the question about the barbarian attacking the 10/+1 creature, he cannot, nor will he ever be able to overcome the DR on his own without a weapon. Barbarians never get DR of x/+1. it is always x/-.

That's what I think anyway.