What are the most ubiquitous monsters and the most energy immunity?

[Lost in books]

I have been compiling a list of monster type for a ranger list to see what is the most likely types to be found. And I am also looking to find what are the most common energy immunities of monsters to try to build a better weapon.

So far Choosing arcanist as the first favored enemy seems the standard. I think the next one should be undead, but I don't think they are affected by favored enemy attack as they are immune to crits and precision damage. Unless I am mistaking? What should be next? outsiders?

The second part of the equation is the energy immunity that's most prevalent in D&D. I think is fire then electricity. Besides Sonic I think Cold is the least used so I am thinking of making a cold and acid weapon.

Are my assumptions correct? I remember seeing a table somewhere about creatures types in D&D but can't find it and haven't seen one for elemental protections.

[herrhauptmann]

Your impressions of monster energy immunity sounds about right to me.

A simpler way?
Buy greater energy assault crystals from MiC. Now you can swap them out as you fight different enemies. It's a lot safer than buying a frost weapon and finding out the campaign is about an enemy on the tundra.

I think you can use favored enemy against constructs and undead. Your FE bonuses don't count as 'precision' like a rogues sneak attack, do they? Looking at the srd, it's an untyped bonus. Using a bane weapon might be a little different though...

Don't forget that feat that lets you sense the presence/location of your favored enemies.

I don't believe you can just take 'favored enemy outsiders.' I think you have to subdivide it somehow. Just like you can't take 'FE: humanoid.'

[TuggyNE]

So far Choosing arcanist as the first favored enemy seems the standard. I think the next one should be undead, but I don't think they are affected by favored enemy attack as they are immune to crits and precision damage. Unless I am mistaking?

You are, fortunately, mistaken: in 3.0 ranger FE bonus damage was precision, but in 3.5 it is not and nothing is immune to it. (The pointlessness of having bonus damage selectable for certain types that could never actually trigger was apparent even to WotC.)


The second part of the equation is the energy immunity that's most prevalent in D&D. I think is fire then electricity. Besides Sonic I think Cold is the least used so I am thinking of making a cold and acid weapon.

There are a fair number of [cold] subtype monsters, so I believe (for that and other reasons) rarity goes sonic > acid > electricity > cold > fire. However, I've never seen an exhaustive breakdown of resistances and immunities, and even if there was, some monsters are more common than others in ways that are difficult or impossible to predict.


Are my assumptions correct? I remember seeing a table somewhere about creatures types in D&D but can't find it and haven't seen one for elemental protections.

The SRD has a list under the Ranger class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/ranger.htm#favoredEnemy). (I believe the Bane weapon special uses the same one.)


Using a bane weapon might be a little different though...

No. Bane weapons do +2d6 untyped (as well as having an enhancement bonus +2 greater than normal); the net is +2 attack and +2d6+2 damage.