"Variable Resistance" v. Mutiple Damage Types

[jeffh]

Exactly. Pace Aegeri, this is not "extremely debatable". As he himself said, it's only an interrupt if it has to be in order to function. Variable resistance still does something, and it happens to be something fairly interesting IMO, if it's not an interrupt, so it isn't. The standard isn't that it's an interrupt if it's more powerful as one. Nearly anything would be more powerful as an interrupt than a reaction. It's that it's an interrupt if (and only if) it needs to be in order to work at all, barring cases where the ability specifically says something different.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Variable Resistance as a reaction (not an interrupt) means it works kind of like the Borg's shields in Star Trek -- the monster (Borg) takes damage once, but after that it resists the same type of damage.

Also, I think the case against Variable Resistance as a monster ability is being oversated. It's a pretty solid defensive power.

Not every PC that deals typed damage has a way to pierce resistance.

There are plenty of paladins who deal radiant damage, but aren't radiant specialists. There are plenty of wizards who drop a Scorching Burst now and then, but aren't fire specialists. Etc.

 

[Aegeri]

Not every PC that deals typed damage has a way to pierce resistance.

Sorcerer's immediately come to mind, they drop any creatures resistances (regardless of what they are) by 10. Radiant is irrelevant, you seem to have forgot that variable resistance doesn't interact with radiant anyway so it's rather curious you would bring it up. Fire specialists have powers and feats that actually penalize you for having resistance to it. Cold of course has frostcheese, which easily negates most demons resistance (except the very top of epic).

Other characters who aren't specialists just choose an energy type the demon isn't resistant to. Scorching burst one round, then acid, cold or whatever the next.

Effectively, specialists ignore the resistance in the first place and non-specialists just use another power. Hence variable resistance has very little point by epic without engineering an encounter to make use of it. When you engineer an encounter to make use of it, variable resistance can be devastating and hard t deal with. But you need to manufacture that.

Otherwise always replace it. Your demons will thank you for it, because honestly nothing terrifies a PC more than a Balor with Soul Stealer. 6d10+11 lightning damage with a +5 bonus to accuracy and damage when you second wind? Why thank you Mr. Dwarven Defender, I just did more damage to you than you got from your second wind and now you're firmly in trouble if my turn is coming up (or the Balor just dropped him unconscious and he's no longer marked. Then tore into the Wizard and dropped him - really changes a combat that. Variable resistance? Bleh).

 

[pemerton]

I think the intent of Variable Resistance, as described in the original MM glossary, was that the monster would choose the resistance in response to an attack, thus gaining resistance against that attack.

The new way of presenting Variable Resistance in the MM3/Essentials stat block makes it easier on the GM running the monster, but (I assume) is not meant to vitiate this original intention.

I agree with Aegeri that Variable Resistance is of pretty limited utility. It would be even worse if it didn't take effect as an interrupt.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Radiant is irrelevant, you seem to have forgot that variable resistance doesn't interact with radiant anyway

*re-reads Variable Resistance rules*

Well, crap! I've been doing it wrong.

*looks sheepish*