Sonic damage/resistance and game balance

[Moon-Lancer]

All energy attacks bypass damage reduction. The thing about sonic and acid is that they're particularly good against inanimate objects, as your quote demonstrates.

I'm sorry, a typo i meant hardness. does all energy attacks bypass hardness? is this stated anyplace?

 

[Nifft]

I'm sorry, a typo i meant hardness. does all energy attacks bypass hardness? is this stated anyplace?

I can't find it. All Psionic powers that cause Sonic damage specifically call out that they bypass hardness, but I guess it's not a general rule -- shout has no such language, for example.

Actually, looking for an old post on the topic I see Nifft suggested nonleathal back in 2003...

Wow, that's a long time ago! I was terse...

Cheers, -- N

 

[frankthedm]

I'm sorry, a typo i meant hardness. does all energy attacks bypass hardness? is this stated anyplace?

Hardness appies to them. The text in the earlier printings of the 3.5 PHB seems to indicate acid aatckes ignored hardness.

Hardness applies to all types of damage unless specifically
stated otherwise by the effect. (Page 165 in the Player’s
Handbook is sometimes misinterpreted to suggest that hardness
doesn’t apply to acid and sonic damage; in fact, the phrase
“apply [damage] normally after a successful hit” simply means
that the damage isn’t halved or quartered, as other energy
damage is.)

Energy Attacks
Acid and sonic attacks deal damage to most objects just as they do to creatures; roll damage and apply it normally after a successful hit. Electricity and fire attacks deal half damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the hardness. Cold attacks deal one-quarter damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 4 before applying the hardness.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

thanks.