Magical Weapons and Monsters

[Obahai]

I don't have my other books handy and I need some help with this.

Back in the AD&D days if you didn't have a magical weapon of a +X, you couldn't deal damage to a monster, or if you did hit it would be insignificant at best.

Any suggestions how to really incorporate this old concept?

[Arbane]

For which game? D&D 3rd has 'DR X/magic', which fills pretty much the same role, just make X an arbitrarily large number.

[Xefas]

For which game? D&D 3rd has 'DR X/magic', which fills pretty much the same role, just make X an arbitrarily large number.

Actually, IIRC, 3rd was even closer. It had DR "X/+Y", like "5/+1" or "10/+5", where the second number was the enhancement bonus required to overcome damage reduction.

3.5 replaced it all with "DR X/Magic", possibly to encourage the use of other magical weapon properties (Flaming, Keen, etc).

[Jerthanis]

I don't have my other books handy and I need some help with this.

Back in the AD&D days if you didn't have a magical weapon of a +X, you couldn't deal damage to a monster, or if you did hit it would be insignificant at best.

Any suggestions how to really incorporate this old concept?

Well, the concept wasn't terribly popular in my experience. If you had a fighter with a magic sword and a fighter without a magic sword in the same party, one would contribute and the other absolutely could not. Meanwhile, magic-users weren't penalized in the slightest, since most magic damage effects ignored this property.

The 3rd / 3.5 version was less 'you have to be this tall to ride this monster ride', but was pretty painful on the higher ends of 10 and 15 point reductions, particularly on non-power-attacking fighters like rogues or bow-users and in 3.5 it was hard to get a weapon through the "Good and Cold Iron" or "Chaotic and Silver" resistances.

If you want to have a "DR Infinity / +X" monster, I'd say the best way is to incorporate that ability into the story. The +X they need is one higher than their best weapon and so they have to hunt down a legendary blade while being persued by a powerful monster they can't effectively harm. Then when they get the new weapon, have the situation be reversed where the monster is fleeing and the whole party has to use teamwork to get the fighter into position to finally fell the beast. Works best if the monster has high enough SR or some other magical resistance that the party's magic users can't just carry the battle themselves.

In 4e, one option you might have is to give the monster very few HP, but make all powers inflict any relevant status effects (stunned, knocked prone, immobilized, whatever), but it doesn't take damage except from the one guy with the magic weapon they retrieved. It's important to not give the beast much HP because 4e's HP system is designed to soak blows from the entire party. If one person has to do 100% of the damage, the fight will last 500% as long at least.

[Obahai]

AD&D is a part of 2nd Ed and I don't remember damage reduction in 2nd ed. What I do remember is attacking a devil and not being able to damage it b/c I didn't have a magical weapon

[Obahai]

Well, the concept wasn't terribly popular in my experience. If you had a fighter with a magic sword and a fighter without a magic sword in the same party, one would contribute and the other absolutely could not. Meanwhile, magic-users weren't penalized in the slightest, since most magic damage effects ignored this property.

The 3rd / 3.5 version was less 'you have to be this tall to ride this monster ride', but was pretty painful on the higher ends of 10 and 15 point reductions, particularly on non-power-attacking fighters like rogues or bow-users and in 3.5 it was hard to get a weapon through the "Good and Cold Iron" or "Chaotic and Silver" resistances.

If you want to have a "DR Infinity / +X" monster, I'd say the best way is to incorporate that ability into the story. The +X they need is one higher than their best weapon and so they have to hunt down a legendary blade while being persued by a powerful monster they can't effectively harm. Then when they get the new weapon, have the situation be reversed where the monster is fleeing and the whole party has to use teamwork to get the fighter into position to finally fell the beast. Works best if the monster has high enough SR or some other magical resistance that the party's magic users can't just carry the battle themselves.

In 4e, one option you might have is to give the monster very few HP, but make all powers inflict any relevant status effects (stunned, knocked prone, immobilized, whatever), but it doesn't take damage except from the one guy with the magic weapon they retrieved. It's important to not give the beast much HP because 4e's HP system is designed to soak blows from the entire party. If one person has to do 100% of the damage, the fight will last 500% as long at least.




I remember my dm actually accounted for the casters as well, but I don't remember the mechanics behind that. Myth weavers is a forum based D&D game and I'm trying to avoid combat, to make it easier on everyone involved

But you're right, AD&D was tough for fighters without magical weapon loot to help. I didn't have that issue with 3/3.5 and dr. I loved to rock the monk or a fighter with a double weapon to get around the more common dr

[Prime32]

But you're right, AD&D was tough for fighters without magical weapon loot to help. I didn't have that issue with 3/3.5 and dr. I loved to rock the monk or a fighter with a double weapon to get around the more common drNow try fighting an incorporeal creature or a swarm without magic. :smallannoyed:

[Beelzebub1111]

Now try fighting an incorporeal creature or a swarm without magic. :smallannoyed:

Never leave home without a ghost touch dagger and a torch. Or elixirs of fire breathing.