Damgic Reduction/Magic

[Hytheter]

Ok so Vampires (amongst other things) have a damage reduction that is bypassed by Silver and Magic. Silver speaks for itself, but I'm confused about some of the magic aspects.
When does an enchancement bonus count as magical? Would a weapon empowered by the Magic Weapon or Magic Fang spell count as a magic attack? The name would suggest so, but the description is unclear.
Also Bless Weapon; the description states that it overcomes the damage reduction of evil creatures but it doesn't really explain it well. Does it bypass any damage reduction? Or only magic?

Thanks in advance

[Keld Denar]

The weapon has to have at least a +1 enhancement bonus due to being magically enchanted. A simple +1 enhancement bonus (say...from being Masterwork or Adamantine) won't work.

Magic Weapon will make a weapon temporarily into a +1 weapon, so it would work.

Bless Weapon has language that makes it work. "The weapon is treated as having a +1 enhancement bonus for the purpose of bypassing the damage reduction". So it doesn't actually get a +1 to hit and damage (which a +1 weapon grants), but it would bypass DR as if it DID. It also give the weapon the Good alignment, which allows it to bypass DR/Good, but that is separate from the effect quoted.

In short: Magic Weapon will overcome DR/Magic. Bless Weapon will overcome DR/Magic, DR/Good, or DR/Magic and Good. If you cast Magic Weapon on a silver sword, it would overcome DR/Silver and Magic. If you cast Bless Weapon on a silver sword, it could overcome DR/Silver and Magic and Good, which I've never seen.

Bless weapon won't overcome ANY DR possessed by evil creatures, only those listed in the spell.

[Verditude]

All enhancement bonuses to weapons All magical enhancement bonuses to weapons count as magic for damage reduction purposes, whether inherent in the item (a permanently +1 sword) or temporary (a mundane sword with magic weapon cast on it).

Bless Weapon makes the weapon overcome DR X/good, DR X/magic, or DR X/magic and good.

[Hytheter]

Alright cool
So that's basically any enhancement bonus other than the bonus from Masterwork weapons isn't it? Or are there other ways to get a non-magical enhancement bonus?

One other thing also relating to vampires: can a ranger track a vampire while in gaseous form? If not, what about a creature with Track and Scent?

[Sylthia]

To argue the ambiguous, I recall in 2nd ed there were monsters that needed +2, +4 etc weapon to be damaged, in the rules where does it state that magical enhancements to attack/damage count as "magic" for the purposes of DR?

I don't think you're interpretation is wrong, I just think the rules are ambiguous here.

[tyckspoon]

To argue the ambiguous, I recall in 2nd ed there were monsters that needed +2, +4 etc weapon to be damaged, in the rules where does it state that magical enhancements to attack/damage count as "magic" for the purposes of DR?

I don't think you're interpretation is wrong, I just think the rules are ambiguous here.

In the definition of Damage Reduction (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#damageReduction)-


Some monsters are vulnerable to magic weapons. Any weapon with at least a +1 magical enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls overcomes the damage reduction of these monsters. Such creatures’ natural weapons (but not their attacks with weapons) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Not much ambiguity there. Has to be an enhancement bonus, magical, or something that says it works like one for purposes of DR.

[KillingAScarab]

One other thing also relating to vampires: can a ranger track a vampire while in gaseous form? If not, what about a creature with Track and Scent?Using the survival skill with the track feat for most creatures requires finding physical evidence, such as foot prints and trampled undergrowth. A gaseous form wouldn't do any of that. As for scent... I suppose it is possible, but wouldn't the gaseous form have to smell the same as the vampire? Hmm...


To argue the ambiguous, I recall in 2nd ed there were monsters that needed +2, +4 etc weapon to be damaged, in the rules where does it state that magical enhancements to attack/damage count as "magic" for the purposes of DR?

I don't think you're interpretation is wrong, I just think the rules are ambiguous here.3.5 got rid of the thresholds for what magic weapons (or equivalent natural attacks from creatures with DR) could overcome magic damage reduction. They did still exist in 3e, though. You can read about it in the Special Abilities document of the 3.0 SRD (http://opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html).

[Ashtagon]

To argue the ambiguous, I recall in 2nd ed there were monsters that needed +2, +4 etc weapon to be damaged, in the rules where does it state that magical enhancements to attack/damage count as "magic" for the purposes of DR?

I don't think you're interpretation is wrong, I just think the rules are ambiguous here.

That was in 3.0e too. 3.5e flattened it all out to just "magic".

[Crake]

Using the survival skill with the track feat for most creatures requires finding physical evidence, such as foot prints and trampled undergrowth. A gaseous form wouldn't do any of that. As for scent... I suppose it is possible, but wouldn't the gaseous form have to smell the same as the vampire? Hmm...

there's some epic applications of survival for tracking creatures through the air, but I think the increase in DC was something like +120. But yeah, unlikely to be tracking creatures through the air as a non-epic character.

[Andezzar]

That was in 3.0e too. 3.5e flattened it all out to just "magic".3.5 on the other hand makes special materials like cold iron or alchemical silver still relevant after you get access to magic weapons. in 3.0 a +1 weapon overcame any DR that is overcome by a special material.