Gaining Resistances

[Yogibear41]

What are easy ways besides Magical Items to gain resistances to types of elemental damage (frost, fire, lighting, etc.)

Looking primarily for feats or 1-2 level dips I can take in a prestige class, spells work to but I would prefer more permanent resistances.

[ksbsnowowl]

Frostrager, improved cold endurance, improved heat endurance, inured to energy.

[Curmudgeon]

Dragoncraft armor (from Draconomicon) is a nonmagical construction process that gives the corresponding energy resistance (red dragon = fire, & c.) when bits of dragon egg shell are incorporated in the fabrication. It applies to the armor always, but only to the creature if they're completely covered. So Dragoncraft full plate with a visored helmet should do the job.

[Zaq]

Ironsoul Forgemaster is what you want.

[Biotroll]

Flame's Blessing stance from Tome of Battle.
Gives fire resistance (and even imunity later on) depending on how much ranks you have in Tumble. You can get it either by spending two feats (Martial Study for something from Desert Winds discipline and then Martial Stance) or you can take 1 level dip in Swordsage and grab some other goodies while doing so.

[Person_Man]

Soulmelds:

Spellward Shirt: Spell Resistance 5 + (4 * essentia invested)

Flame Cincture: Fire Resistance 10 + (5 * essentia invested). If the soulmeld is bound to your Waist Chakra (ECL 11-18, depending on how you do it) then after resisting damage with flame cincture, on your next turn you can release a blast that deals the same damage as a Swift Action ranged touch attack.

Planar Chasuble: Energy Resistance, with the type dependent on your alignment, 10 + (5 * essentia invested).

Necrocarnum Vestments: Cold Resistance 5, plus (3 * essentia invested) bonus hit points.

Dragon Mantle: Energy Resistance to Acid, Electricity, Fire, and Cold (3 * essentia), explicitly stacks with Energy Resistance from other sources.

Phoenix Belt: Endure hot weather, plus (5 * essentia invested) Fire Resistance.

Behir Gorget: +4 Bonus to Resist Trip and Bull Rush, plus (5 * essentia invested) Electricity Resistance.

Urskan Greaves: Balance on ice, plus Cold Resistance (5 * essentia invested).

Frost Helm: Endure cold weather, plus (5 * essentia invested) Cold Resistance.


You can take any soulmeld with the Shape Soulmeld Feat, or you can take 1 level of Incarnate or Totemist (depending on which soulmelds you want). Essentia capacity is based on your hit dice. It's scales between 1-4 points normally, though it can be pushed up to as high as 8 with the right class levels, Feat, and magic item. You can gain points of essentia via Incarnate or Totemist class levels, and through Feats or races.

Zaq already mentioned the excellent Ironsoul Forgemaster. The first level of the class grants you the Shield Bond ability, which grants universal energy resistance = 5 * essentia invested. (Though this is a class ability, and thus the max essentia capacity is 1-4 points based on your hit dice). The PrC also progresses 9/10 your soulmelds/essentia/chakra and grants slightly early access to Waist and Heart chakra slots, and it has an awesome capstone which grants a Save or Daze effect vs all living creatures when you hit them with a weapon that you craft. The down side of the class is that you don't open the Brow or Throat chakra slots, and lose out on +1 essentia capacity you would have gained with more Incarnate or Totemist levels.

[Story]

Planar Touchstone can also get you Resistance 5 to a single energy type (or DR2/- if you want that).

[only1doug]

Dragon scale Husk ACF from dragon magic swaps armour proficiency for a "homegrown" armour that escalates as you level and has built in energy resistance (all 5 types) based on character level (5 at L5-9, 10 at 10-14 etc)

[Kuulvheysoon]

Dragoncraft armor (from Draconomicon) is a nonmagical construction process that gives the corresponding energy resistance (red dragon = fire, & c.) when bits of dragon egg shell are incorporated in the fabrication. It applies to the armor always, but only to the creature if they're completely covered. So Dragoncraft full plate with a visored helmet should do the job.

Funny... my version of Draconomicon specifies that it's made of dragon hide, not bits of dragons eggs (page 117, right?).

Dragonhide mantles (capes) also grant energy resistance 5 to the specific dragon that they're made from (acid 5 for black/green/copper, etc...).

[Curmudgeon]

Funny... my version of Draconomicon specifies that it's made of dragon hide, not bits of dragons eggs (page 117, right?).
Yeah, sorry. My memory was playing tricks on me. I was thinking of Dragoncraft Eggshell Metal armor, not Dragoncraft (hide) armor. It's on page 54 of Dragon # 332, in the article "Cutting up the Dragon". Same end result (resistance 5 to the appropriate energy type for the dragon), but different parts of the dragon used in the construction. The advantage of Dragoncraft Eggshell Metal construction is that you can add it to a special metal with other useful properties — but again, basically only full plate to get the energy resistance to extend to the person wearing the armor.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Yeah, sorry. My memory was playing tricks on me. I was thinking of Dragoncraft Eggshell Metal armor, not Dragoncraft (hide) armor. It's on page 54 of Dragon # 332, in the article "Cutting up the Dragon". Same end result (resistance 5 to the appropriate energy type for the dragon), but different parts of the dragon used in the construction. The advantage of Dragoncraft Eggshell Metal construction is that you can add it to a special metal with other useful properties — but again, basically only full plate to get the energy resistance to extend to the person wearing the armor.

No worries. Even the best of us you make mistakes. :smallwink:

So (dragoncraft) Eggshell Mithral armour is pretty much equivalent to Dragonhide armour, then (except for the maximum allowable Dexterity bonus). Interesting.

[Sgt. Cookie]

Dread Blossom Swarm Symbiote Barbarian with Blazing and Frozen Beserker and Extra Rage X 2. ECL 2, Plant Immunites, Swarm Immunities and Regeneration 5/Fire and Cold. When Raging you become immune to Fire/Cold damage.