Question. What is Damage Reduction?

[bensei]

Say we've got a creature with DR 5/cold iron. Now let's say we've got a Halfling Rogue who uses a regular (i.e.- NOT cold iron) dagger (1d3 damage, no str bonus). He's flanking said creature with DR so gets to add his sneak attack damage. ...
Even though his "normal" damage did not do enough to bypass the creatures DR, what happens to the sneak attack damage?

We had the same problem last session. The PHB and DMG are not completetly clear on this. Basically they say that if an attack is accompanied by an effect which required a wound to be there (e.g. poison, crippling strike) the attack needs to do damage (i.e. dmg>DR) for the effect to come. Sneak attack is not listed under the examples, but it is not explicitly stated that is does count.

IMHO it should count, since sneak attack means that the blow itself hits a particular vital spot, and it is not an additional effect which comes with or after a normal blow.

Apart from that, if it did not count, dexterous rogues were completely useless in higher level combat.

 

[Darklone]

Apart from that, if it did not count, dexterous rogues were completely useless in higher level combat.

Considering how many other things spoil sneak attack, I'm surprised that it still makes a difference.

 

[WonkaMania]

Yup.

-Hyp.

Cool, thanks Hyp.


~Wonka