Precision Damage Immunity

[Talderas]

I'm looking for ways to be immune to all precision damage.

For example, immunity to critical hits does not grant immunity to all precision damage thanks to a little gem on Pg 302 of the DMG under the darkness section.


-Creatures blinded by darkness lose the ability to deal extra damage due to precision (for example, a ranger's favored enemy or a sneak attack).

Emphasis mine.

So since the DMG labels favored enemy as precision damage, I'm looking for ways that make you immune to the bonus from favored enemy, and other precision damage like sneak attack, at the same time.

[Segev]

Easiest answer: be undead.

[Talderas]

Easiest answer: be undead.

That doesn't work. A ranger's FE bonus still applies against undead because even though it's precision, it does not require a discernable anatomy unlike Sneak Attack, Skirmish, and Sudden Strike.

[Rebel7284]

Persist Blinding Beauty or whatever it's called? There is something in Book of Exalted Deeds that does a difficult to resist blind + gaze attack kill due to being too sexy.

[AmberVael]

I'm looking for ways to be immune to all precision damage.

For example, immunity to critical hits does not grant immunity to all precision damage thanks to a little gem on Pg 302 of the DMG under the darkness section.
It does, actually, according to the Rules Compendium. Page 42:

Precision damage applies only against living creatures that have discernible anatomies. Undead, constructs, deathless, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures are not subject to precision damage, and creatures that are not subject to critical hits are not subject to precision damage.
Thus, anything that is precision damage that is not specifically called out as an exception does not apply against creatures immune to critical hits.

[Skrobo]

While not exactly RAW, I am sure that most GMs would buff the Fortification enhancement to protect against all precision damage, not just critical and sneak attack.

Simply explain to them that the item was released when 80% of the precision damage classes / abilities didn't exist and it cost +5 for the 100% version.

[Piggy Knowles]

Concealment. According to the Rules Compendium, any concealment makes precision damage impossible:


To deal precision damage, the attacker must see (or otherwise sense) the target accurately enough to pick out a vital spot. Any degree of concealment foils the ability to deal precision damage.

(Emphasis mine.)

Darkness, no light, blur, obscuring mist, eversmoking bottles, smokesticks, etc. - these are all low level, easy to acquire things that will save your bacon when you're facing down an enemy with a lot of precision damage. Just hope they don't have blindsight. (Not blindsense, though - it's got to be blindsight, or else you still have concealment.)

[Segev]

True Strike: The rogue's best friend?

[DeltaEmil]

Wow, having the already pathetic favored enemy bonus damage being counted as precision damage is one more new stupid rule in D&D 3.x that should never have existed in the first place.

[TuggyNE]

Wow, having the already pathetic favored enemy bonus damage being counted as precision damage is one more new stupid rule in D&D 3.x that should never have existed in the first place.

I know FE was explicitly precision damage in 3.0, but I thought 3.5 had changed that. Lacking a physical copy of the DMG, I can't find Talderas' quote to be sure, but it doesn't show up anywhere on the SRD, so perhaps errata saved us?

[Lord Vukodlak]

I know FE was explicitly precision damage in 3.0, but I thought 3.5 had changed that. Lacking a physical copy of the DMG, I can't find Talderas' quote to be sure, but it doesn't show up anywhere on the SRD, so perhaps errata saved us?

They did, in 3.5 the bonus damage from a ranger's favored enemy is untyped. A ranger may be required to see the target to deal the favored enemy damage, but immunity to criticals doesn't affect the damage that line was removed.

[captain fubar]

there is a rouge acf that lets him roll half of his d6 pile against things normaly immune the precision damage if he can flank you so you need imunity to flanking too.

and thanks to grave strike vine strike and golem strike the immunity to precision damage needs to come from a sorce other than creature type.

I think favored enemy can only be overcome by changing your type to somthing else or not letting the ranger have any chance to hit you.

[Lord Vukodlak]

I think favored enemy can only be overcome by changing your type to somthing else or not letting the ranger have any chance to hit you.
In pathfinder there's a feat for half-elves,(and probably half-orcs) Where you count as neither human or elf for spell and effect purposes.

[Seffbasilisk]

Wear a smoking gauntlet. +1 enhancement, and gives you a miss chance. Miss chances negate precision damage, like Sneak Attack.

[Curmudgeon]

There are workarounds to the workarounds. Examples:

Telling Blow feat sets the only condition for dealing sneak attack or skirmish damage to be a confirmed critical hit (regardless of concealment, distance, or not having moved 10+ feet).
Spark of Life spell makes an Undead temporarily subject to critical hits, sneak attack, & c.
Humanoid Essence and Greater Humanoid Essence spells make a Construct temporarily subject to critical hits, sneak attack, & c.
Lightbringer Penetrating Strike ACF lets a Rogue deal (reduced) sneak attack damage to those who are normally immune (for whatever reason: Undead, 100% Fortification, Construct) when flanking them.
Death's Ruin ACF lets a Rogue deal (reduced) sneak attack damage to Undead.
Rogue special ability Crippling Strike adds STR damage to all sneak attacks. Savvy Rogue feat makes this apply even if the target is immune to sneak attacks.