Sonic Damage Equalization

[Destil]

I’ve always been a bit annoyed at the concept that sonic damage is ‘superior’ to all other damage types because there’s nothing with any sonic resistance or immunity within the core rules (and a number of creatures that are vulnerable to sonic damage). These are some changes I’ve been working on to help keep this a bit more in-line with other elemental energies.

Dragons:
Green dragons are sonic using creatures. Their breath weapon is an ultrasonic blast of energy, and they are immune to sonic damage. Underwater a creature that fails it’s reflex saving throw against the dragon must make a fortitude save (same DC) or have their breath knocked out of them, loosing 1d12 rounds of breathable air (they’re treated as if they had been holding their breath 1d12 additional rounds).
Reasoning: Green dragons overlap black, since they both have acid breath weapons and immunity. Also since they spend much time under water and sound is carried better by water it struck me as a nice place to put a bit of an advantage for a dragon fighting in it’s domain (not that most need it).

Elementals:
All elementals of the (water) subtype take half damage from sonic attacks, or no damage if they are under water. Elementals of the (earth) subtype likewise usually take no damage from sonic attacks, and are immune to sonic attacks when completely surrounded by air.
Reasoning: Water and Air elementals are not solid creatures. While a blast of sonic energy could ‘splash’ them apart a bit, it shouldn’t have much of an effect on their internal anatomy. And in their element they wouldn’t be affected any more than the air or water around them.

Oozes:
All oozes take half damage from sonic attacks.
Reasoning: Again, lacking a hard physical structure these creatures would only be ‘splashed’ apart a bit, vibrations shouldn’t affect them too much.

Demons:
Change tanar’ri qualities such that their resistances are random, having three random energy resistances (including possibly sonic).
Reasoning: The infinite layers of the abyss are certain to have a number of layers with raging sonic storms or constant bone-shattering screams. This is just a little nod to the chaotic nature of demons (since I tend to alter most demons I use in game a bit anyway, and use the MM as ‘common’ examples of their powers).

More to come (some specific sonic monsters are also in order, I think).

 

[Hashmalum]

Sonic damage has one critical weakness: it cannot penetrate silence--a lowly 2nd level spell that anyone who fears spellcasters (and face it, spellcasters are going to be the ones doing most of the sonic damage) is going to want to use anyway. Of course, if silence gets neutered in the revised core rulebooks, this point is moot...

 

[Nifft]

Make Sonic damage turn into Subdual damage for non-rigid creatures.

-- Nifft

 

[Destil]

Silence is a good point, in fact one of the monsters I'm working on now is something of a silent killer (cousin to the invisible stalker). However it's not really practical enough when considering monsters in general.

Subdual damage doesn’t help at all, something subdued is just as dead, typically. It just means you need to walk over and coupe de grace it after the fight.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Slaad have sonic resistance.

Cheers

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

I realize the thread specifically mentioned the core rules, but if you check out "Manual of the Planes" you'll see the templates for Axiomatic (lawful outsiders) and Anarchic (chatotic outsdiers). They have sonic resistance.

Something to consider to have your bad guys ally with.

 

[Marshall]

Sonic damage has one critical weakness: it cannot penetrate silence--a lowly 2nd level spell that anyone who fears spellcasters (and face it, spellcasters are going to be the ones doing most of the sonic damage) is going to want to use anyway. Of course, if silence gets neutered in the revised core rulebooks, this point is moot...

Silence stops sound. Contrary to popular belief, Sonic Damage is not sound.

A Sonic Substituted Fireball will blow thru a Silence spell just as easily as a regular Fireball does. The same way a Screaming weapon works.

Nothing in the books indicates that Sonic damage makes any more noise than shocking does.

 

[Hashmalum]

Contrary to popular belief, Sonic Damage is not sound.

Nothing in the books indicates that Sonic damage makes any more than shocking does.

The books don't need to come right out and say that sonic damage is sound any more than the books need to tell people that acid damage is caused by corrosive substances. It is implied in the name. From merriam-webster.com:

Main Entry: son·ic
Pronunciation: 'sä-nik
Function: adjective
Date: 1923
1 : utilizing, produced by, or relating to sound waves <sonic altimeter>; broadly : of or involving sound <sonic pollution>
(The other listed meanings are not relevant here.)

The message board changed one of the characters in the pronunciation entry, but you should be able to get the point. The D&D rules describe a world that is fictitious, but even so it is subject to internal logic and consistency if not necessarily realism. Saying that sonic damage is not sound and therefore is not subject to silence because the books never explicitly say so is like saying that a continual flame spell can set things on fire because its entry doesn't explicitly say that it cannot. I would suggest that if Dungeons and Dragons was meant to be played with such insanely literal interpretations of the rules, it would be called Pedants and Paradoxes instead (and be a CCG).

If this argument isn't enough for you, I would suggest checking the very last line of the description of the shout spell, which deals sonic damage:

"The shout spell cannot penetrate the spell silence."

 

[Xarlen]

Trust me, we had a huge debate and even the Sage said that Sonic does not work in Silence. But you can take that with a grain of salt. ;p

I disagree regarding elementals. Sound is more powerful in water (Same reason for the Green Dragon). And, just because they have no bodies... It's MAGIC. Why would an Air Elemental take damage from Acid? They have no corporal body to be harmed by acid.

If you want to be stickler, why is Cold damage damaging to water elementals? The Cold is a natural property of water, and thus a water-elemental would simply be frozen (Held? Slowed?), but could simply dissolve the iced portions.

And why would Sonic effect Fire Elementals? They have no corporal bodies.

 

[Marshall]

The books don't need to come right out and say that sonic damage is sound any more than the books need to tell people that acid damage is caused by corrosive substances. It is implied in the name.

And Sound doesnt have the damaging characteristics that Sonic does. Just because WotC used a simple term like Sonic, instead of Harmonic or Concussive, doesnt mean that you need to go around applying broad generalities.

Saying that sonic damage is not sound and therefore is not subject to silence because the books never explicitly say so is like saying that a continual flame spell can set things on fire because its entry doesn't explicitly say that it cannot.

No one knows what Sonic is, Thats the problem. It was a bad idea to include it and we can only hope it vanishes in the revision.

If this argument isn't enough for you, I would suggest checking the very last line of the description of the shout spell, which deals sonic damage:

"The shout spell cannot penetrate the spell silence."

Note that the lower level Shatter spell ignores Silence and you find that this is a special case rule.