Resist Weapons = DR?

[pukunui]

Hi all,

A lot of people have been wondering what's happened with DR in 4e. Looks like the various kinds of DR have been rolled together into the more generic "resist weapons". Here is my evidence:

IRONSKIN BELT [LEVEL 5]
This belt is suitable for a character of any class.
Body Slot: Waist
Power (Encounter): Minor action. Gain resist weapons 5 until the end of your next turn.

I can live with that. My players will certainly be happy. No more having to have a slashing weapon, a bludgeoning weapon, and a piercing weapon in order to be properly equipped to deal with a mixed group of undead. Instead they'll just have to make sure their cleric has the Turn Undead power and that they have enough "non-weapon" offensive power ...

 

[Sammael]

Rolling DR into the generic "resistance" category makes sense. However, it's certainly possible that skeletons will have "resist slashing and piercing weapons 5." It's so damn tradition for skeletons to be vulnerable to bludgeoning weapons only that I would have a problem if they took it out of the game.

 

[Incenjucar]

Tradition or no, it never made much sense except for "light blades" vs. skeletons.

An axe or a pick are still going to demolish bone.

 

[pukunui]

It's possible. I believe the two bodaks featured in the MM sneak peak just have "resist weapons". In fact, I think the tougher of the two has "resist weapons 10" but they are more powerful types of undead than a skeleton, so we'll have to wait and see.

The thing is, do we even know if slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning are still part of the game?

 

[Incenjucar]

It's a granularity I'm willing to let go.

The weapon features are much more interesting ways to differentiate them.

 

[A'koss]

Rolling DR into the generic "resistance" category makes sense. However, it's certainly possible that skeletons will have "resist slashing and piercing weapons 5." It's so damn tradition for skeletons to be vulnerable to bludgeoning weapons only that I would have a problem if they took it out of the game.

Of all 4 skeletons revealed so far, none have any kind of weapon resist. These are the common resistances/vulnerabilities they have:

Immune disease, poison
Resist 10 necrotic
Vulnerable 5 radiant

 

[pukunui]

Of all 4 skeletons revealed so far, none have any kind of weapon resist. These are the common resistances/vulnerabilities they have:

Immune disease, poison
Resist 10 necrotic
Vulnerable 5 radiant

There we go. I don't really mind seeing it go. Skeletons are just bones ... most of them are probably fairly old and brittle bones too. If you're facing a skeleton with nothing but a rapier, I suppose you could always just say you bludgeon it with the hilt and be done with it.

EDIT: The chillborn (which I believe is a kind of zombie?) has "resist weapons 10". It also has a weakness called "massive damage", though.

 

[Sammael]

Oh well. Another thing to house-rule back in, if I ever actually decide to run 4E. Because I like to keep continuity between my campaigns.