[3.5] Energy Immunity

[Choco]

Simply put, if you are immune to a certain type of energy, does that mean you are immune to all effects of a spell/effect of that energy type or just the damage?

[Tyndmyr]

Normally, just the damage.

If it's an effect that is triggered by the damage(Fell Drained spells, for example), then that effect does not go off.

[Gorbash]

Well, I can name one example where it's not just the damage. Stun Ray, which has [Electricity] descriptor and it doesn't affect creatures immune to electricity (it specifically says so). Whether it's an exception to the rule or the rule itself, I can't really say.

[Tyndmyr]

Specific trumps general, so if anything says it doesn't, then it doesn't.

However, immunity to damage from a spell doesn't automatically grant immunity to the rest of the spell. In some cases, the damage effect is a secondary result from some primary event. For example, something that moves you, causing you damage if you hit something(Gust of wind does something like this, IIRC...) immunity to damage won't stop you from being moved.

[deuxhero]

Shivering Touch?

[Choco]

Shivering Touch?

That type of stuff is basically what I had in mind. When the effects of a spell actually rely on the energy type (in this case, being cold). If something is immune to cold, would this really affect them?

Though in this specific case it is dexterity damage, which can literally count as damage, so if you rule like that they are immune anyway.

[Tyndmyr]

In that case, they are probably immune. If the effect happens only because of the damage type, and they have immunity to that damage type, they ignore it.

[Choco]

Ok thanks, I figured the same but this seems like something the DM would probably have to interpret. Was wondering if there was anything in the rules that specified energy immunity is ONLY damage, but I can't seem to find it and I think there are spells with an energy descriptor that don't do damage, so I was curious bout those.