Quick DR Question

[glitterbaby]

If DR is gained from multiple sources, how would it stack? I understand the numbers will never increase but what about the types of damage that will overcome the DR? I don't know if there is a rule for this and I'm just forgetting or if it's more open to interpretation.

Let's take, for instance, a Greenbound Nymph (let's not worry about practicality). The Nymph has DR 10/Cold Iron and the Greenbound template adds DR 10/Magic and Slashing. Would the Nymph's DR only be overcome by a magical slashing cold iron weapon then?

Thanks in advance for your time!

[j_spencer93]

i could also see it being taken as both of the previous weakness still exist instead of them combine to create a more specific weakness. What is the actual ruling on this???

[Karnith]

Per the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#damageReduction):

If a creature has damage reduction from more than one source, the two forms of damage reduction do not stack. Instead, the creature gets the benefit of the best damage reduction in a given situation.
So in your example, a weapon would indeed need to be a magic, slashing, cold iron weapon to bypass the Greendbound Nymph's damage reduction. A cold iron weapon that isn't magic and slashing would run up against the DR/magic and slashing, while a magic and slashing weapon that isn't made of cold iron would run up against the DR/cold iron.

[j_spencer93]

I like how its stated they don't stack and then you give an example of them stacking...However I don't really see a way for it to work without either combing like DR with same reduction amounts or keeping them separate but bypassing one means you bypass them all. However, the first way can obviously be seen as stacking but idk.

[glitterbaby]

I don't know the actual ruling on it which is why I'm asking but I can't see why it would ever combine to have both overcome the DR. If I were to try making an example out of it I'd liken it to have two pieces of plating, one making up for the weaknesses of the other. I could be completely wrong, of course, as I don't know the actual rule but that's just kinda what makes sense to me.

[glitterbaby]

Per the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#damageReduction):

So in your example, a weapon would indeed need to be a magic, slashing, cold iron weapon to bypass the Greendbound Nymph's damage reduction. A cold iron weapon that isn't magic and slashing would run up against the DR/magic and slashing, while a magic and slashing weapon that isn't made of cold iron would run up against the DR/cold iron.

Ahh thank you, this helps a lot.

[j_spencer93]

I don't really think the rules cover this two well. However, you could combine through different monster manuals or campaign books and find one that has a templates creature and see how they handled Dr.

Actually reading it I am almost positive that i misread what he meant by his example. I think.

[Karnith]

I like how its stated they don't stack and then you give an example of them stacking...However I don't really see a way for it to work without either combing like DR with same reduction amounts or keeping them separate but bypassing one means you bypass them all. However, the first way can obviously be seen as stacking but idk.
When the rules say that they don't stack, it's because the effects overlap rather than work additively. Think of it this way - a Half-Fiend Greater Barghest gets DR 10/magic as a Greater Barghest, and DR 5/magic from being a Half-Fiend with less than 12 HD. The DR doesn't stack (i.e. it doesn't work so that DR 5/magic + DR 10/magic = DR 15/magic), it simply gets the better of the two.

Let's consider a different example - a Half-Fiend Barbarian 7. It has DR 5/magic and DR 1/-. If they stacked, the creature would reduce damage by 6 against nonmagic weapons (DR 5/magic + DR 1/-). But they don't stack, they overlap. So against enemies without magic weapons, the DR 5/magic will take precedence. When an opponent strikes it with a magic weapon, the DR 1/- applies.

[j_spencer93]

Ya i miss read what you said originally.