Question about Vicious Weapon Flag

[VorpalButterknife]

Hi all, this is my first post, so be gentle... I didn't know whether I should post this under Equipment or Rules, but either way, here goes:


If a vampire is wielding a vicious weapon (DMG pg 226), does the 1d6 damage inflicted upon it by the weapon on a successful hit cause damage regardless, or does it follow the usual rules for damage reduction?

My gut feeling is that the 'flash of disruptive energy' that causes both the +2d6 damage to the foe and the 1d6 damage to the wielder is just treated as magic for purposes of overcoming DR, so that puny 1d6 would get soaked up by the vamp's DR 10/silver and magic, and it would therefore not take any damage. Can someone confirm or deny this hypothesis?


Thanks in advance!

 

[wayne62682]

I thought magical damage is not subject to DR, so it would affect the Vampire regardless (similar to how if you have a Flaming weapon, the fire damage will ignore DR).

 

[Hypersmurf]

The quote you're looking for is "Damage reduction does not negate touch attacks, energy damage dealt along with an attack, or energy drains."

The Vicious quality provides "energy damage dealt along with an attack", to both the wielder and the target; this damage is not negated.

-Hyp.

 

[Gerion of Mercadia]

The damage here is treated as "energy" damage - with the "Force" descriptor, like magic missile. DR is not applicable, but "energy resistance" would be.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The damage here is treated as "energy" damage - with the "Force" descriptor, like magic missile. DR is not applicable, but "energy resistance" would be.

Where do you get the Force descriptor from?

(And while I've seen Energy Resistance for Fire, Acid, Cold, Electricity, and Sonic energy, I haven't seen one for disruptive energy...)

-Hyp.

 

[Gerion of Mercadia]

Same rules as wall of force - magic missile ect.

Force effects hit ethereal objects among other things. I am not sure if it a listed descriptor like the 5 energy types you mentioned or one of the alignment elements - but it should be.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Same rules as wall of force - magic missile ect.

Force effects hit ethereal objects among other things. I am not sure if it a listed descriptor like the 5 energy types you mentioned or one of the alignment elements - but it should be.

I know what the Force descriptor is. I mean "Where do you get that the Vicious quality inflicts damage that has the Force descriptor"?

-Hyp.

 

[Gerion of Mercadia]

For it to be "energy damage dealt along with an attack" it has to have a defined descriptor that tells you what kind of damage it is.

From weapons - you have three damage descriptors; Slashing, Bludgeoning and Piercing

From "Energy" you actually have 8 - Cold, Sonic, Fire, Acid, Electricity, Negative, Positive, and Force.

There is a special category of damage from epic spells; backlash.

If the damage type was not a "named energy" then DR has to apply normally, and that is not the case here precicely because of the quote you are specifying. If there isn't some kind of a name on the damage, DR applies. The only one left for you to potentially apply is Force.

Now, there is no spell in the core I am aware of that gives you "energy resistance" vs force effects, that doesn't mean you couldn't design one however.

 

[Hypersmurf]

For it to be "energy damage dealt along with an attack" it has to have a defined descriptor that tells you what kind of damage it is.

Why?

If we know it's energy damage, why can't it be energy which has no descriptor?

A Warlock's Eldritch Blast "uses baleful magical energy to deal damage", and it has no descriptor.

The only one left for you to potentially apply is Force.

You're saying "Because it doesn't give a descriptor, it can't be Fire or Cold etc; therefore it must be Force"?

If lacking a descriptor means it can't be Fire, doesn't lacking a descriptor mean it can't be Force for exactly the same reason?

-Hyp.

 

[BASHMAN]

The whole point of a viscious weapon is that NOTHING blocks that damage. For example:

Cthulu emerges from his slumber, and decides to begin the slaughter of all life on earth by using a viscious bastard sword. Cthulu has DR 50000/- and DR 500000/Epic, and DR 500000/every energy type, including positive, negative, sonic, and for some reason, force.

He hits zippy the squirrel with the viscious weapon to test it out, then takes 1d6 UNTYPED damage that none of his DRs was effective against. Angry he was injured by a mere +2 enhancement value weapon, Cthulu moves on to an easier world to evasculate...

Note that the damage from that item is SPECIFICALLY untyped, meaning that they intended for there to be absolutely no way to countermand the damage.

Of course, there is nothing to prevent that damage from being healed after the fact. and since vampires have some fast healing type ability, there is no real reason to complain if they take damage from a viscious weapon. (they should have taken some other +1 property if they were afraid of taking 1d6 dmg)