No such thing as Immunity?

[Nettlekid]

In reading books and watching TV, I keep seeing characters who have remarkably cool powers, and I think "Ooh, I'd love to use that power in a D&D game!" Then I realize that the power in question in very frequently useless in any mid-to-high level campaign, because anyone who's anyone has picked up the appropriate immunity. Poison? Fear? Just too ineffective. However, WotC loves to throw these guys a bone from time to time. This is where Specific Trumps General really shines. "So you're immune to normal applications of my power? I have a special thing that breaks your immunity. And I doubt you have any doubly specific thing that counters my specific thing. Because why would you, when you're already 'immune?'"

With that said...let's find those specific things! I'll keep updating this original post with what people find if it comes up.

Immunity to/Broken by

Fear-Dread Witch
Mind-Affecting (by virtue of Mind Blank or similar)-None yet
Mind-Affecting (mindless)-None yet
Critical Hits-Greater Truedeath Crystal (Undead), Greater Demolition Crystal (Constructs)
Sneak Attack-Rogue Penetrating Strike ACF, half damage. Rogue Death's Ruin ACF, half damage, undead only (strictly worse than Penetrating Strike?) Grave Strike, Golem Strike, and Vine Strike allow SA on Undead, Constructs, and Plants. Greater Truedeath Crystal (Undead), Greater Demolition Crystal (Constructs). For Skirmish, Swift Hunter allows Ranger's FE to target otherwise immune creatures with SA. Deathstrike Bracers beats type-based immunity 3/day.
Petrification-None yet
Polymorphing-None yet
Paralysis-None yet
Stunning-None yet
Daze-None yet
Poison-Positoxins against Undead, Devilseye and Basilisk Breath against Outsiders, and I think Ravages against all Evil?
Disease-None yet
Fire-Searing Spell, Sanctified One's Holy Fire (technically not fire anymore)
Cold-Piercing Cold (doesn't beat Cold Subtype, though Waves of Cold can)
Electric-None yet
Acid-None yet
Sonic-None yet
Ability Damage/Drain-None yet
Death Effects-None yet
Flanking/All-Around Vision-Darkstalker

And any more I didn't think of just now.

[TroubleBrewing]

There's a couple of spells that pierce Immunity to Critical Hits. Gravestrike and Oozestrike, I think.

[DarkSonic1337]

Those only allow sneak attacks.

However the greater truedeath crystal and greater demolition crystal let you land crits on undead and constructs respectively.

[Seffbasilisk]

Most things are worked around instead of outright ridden over. Like a Dragon might be immune to Paralysis, but enough Dex damage and it's effectively paralyzed.

Immunity to Critical hits can be specifically bypassed. I believe there's specific feats/weapons for Constructs, Undead, and Plants.


Hellfire gets around the fire immunity, but that might be another 'work-around' type thing.

[Canine]

Both of these work with Pathfinder psionics, but the Dread did not exist in 3.5 as far as I know.

Mind Blank: Aside from normally dispelling Mind Blank, psionics offer Shatter Mind Blank and Metafaculty. Shatter Mind Blank and the dispels are a bit "work around", but Metafaculty doesn't require you to be within line of sight or line of effect of the Mind Blanked target.

Fear: Also psionic, a 3rd level Dread can defeat fear immunity.

[AWiz_Abroad]

Searing Spell feat also helps get around fire immunity

[kardar233]

Strictly speaking, the Sanctified One of Kord's Holy Fire ability doesn't actually get through Fire immunity, it gets around it by making your fire spell [Good] "raw divine damage" which, while beating Fire Immunity, won't, for example, deal lethal damage to a troll.

[Story]

You're missing Death's Ruin and Deathstrike Bracers among others.

But bypassing type-based crit/Sa immunities is so common that I'd expect every high level intelligent undead/construct to be walking about with Fortification armor or Heart of X up.

[Suddo]

List of Stuff. (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1068066) This is an awesome tool for building things in 3.5.

Sorry I read this as "gain immunity"

[HaikenEdge]

Mind Blank: Aside from normally dispelling Mind Blank, psionics offer Shatter Mind Blank and Metafaculty. Shatter Mind Blank and the dispels are a bit "work around", but Metafaculty doesn't require you to be within line of sight or line of effect of the Mind Blanked target.

This doesn't break things like the Slayer's Cerebral Immunity or the Occult Slayer's Blank Thoughts, though, and Metafaculty only defeats the part of mind blank that defends against detection, not the part that provides immunity to mind-affecting.

[Nettlekid]

Updated the original post with suggestions thus far.

[No brains]

I think there are some drow related things and possibly some stuff in Vile Darkness that allows the control of mindless vermin...

[Venger]

I believe silver pyromancer will allow you to burn people immune to fire damage.

[Harrow]

I don't remember the name, but Frostburn had an equivalent metamagic to Searing Spell for [Cold] spells. You don't see it as much because it has an added clause that allows [Cold] subtype creatures to retain immunity.

I don't know if it quite counts as immunity, but creatures with all-around sight can't be flanked. Unless, that is, you have the Darkstalker feat from Lords of Madness.

[Venger]

I don't remember the name, but Frostburn had an equivalent metamagic to Searing Spell for [Cold] spells. You don't see it as much because it has an added clause that allows [Cold] subtype creatures to retain immunity.

I don't know if it quite counts as immunity, but creatures with all-around sight can't be flanked. Unless, that is, you have the Darkstalker feat from Lords of Madness.

That feat is called "piercing cold" and it does still see some use with uttercold assault necromancers.

immunity to flanking would count.

[Nettlekid]

I don't remember the name, but Frostburn had an equivalent metamagic to Searing Spell for [Cold] spells. You don't see it as much because it has an added clause that allows [Cold] subtype creatures to retain immunity.

I don't know if it quite counts as immunity, but creatures with all-around sight can't be flanked. Unless, that is, you have the Darkstalker feat from Lords of Madness.

Do check to see if the thing you're suggesting has already been added, such as for Piercing Cold.

But thanks for Flanking immunity, I hadn't thought of that, nor did I think of Darkstalker as a means to break through it.

[Venger]

Any creature with the earth glide ability is immune to mindsight.

[Chronos]

How do you figure that?

[Venger]

How do you figure that?

It requires LoE, which being in a wall blocks.

Perhaps I should say they are immune while actually earth gliding and not through having the ability alone.

[Ketiara]

Consecrate spell metamagic feat from BoE will give your spells a good descriptor that allows your spells to deal half dmg as raw energy not effected by energy immunity or resistance

[Zweisteine]

Shatter Mind Blank should take care of most acquired immunities, but not natural ones.

If you want to fake it, Control Body lets it look like you're mind-controlling undead/constructs, etc.

[Curmudgeon]

Regarding sneak attack:

There are two Penetrating Strike ACFs. The original is Lighbringer Penetrating Strike (Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, page 208). The "update" is Penetrating Strike (Dungeonscape, page 13). The new, terser ACF has a problem: it gives bonus damage against a flanked enemy, but does not say that bonus damage is sneak attack. As a consequence, sneak-dependent things (Craven, ambush feats, & c.) may or may not work depending on how the individual DM decides. The original Lighbringer Penetrating Strike does deal sneak attack damage.

As compared to even Lightbringer Penetrating Strike, Death's Ruin (Complete Champion, page 51) is superior when fighting Undead: it doesn't require flanking. Penetrating Strike works against sneak-immune foes other than Undead, but flanking is always necessary.


Regarding critical hits:

This is a niche solution, but the combination of Lightbringer Penetrating Strike and Telling Blow feat (Player's Handbook II, page 83) will let the Rogue overcome immunity to critical hits. That is, Lighbringer Penetrating Strike will let the Rogue deal sneak attack damage to foes normally immune. If the reason the foe is immune to sneak attack is because they're immune to critical hits, then the combination with Telling Blow (any critical hit triggers sneak attack damage) means that the foe must be subject to extra damage on critical hits.