[3.5] Looking For No SR Untyped Damage Spells

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

Looking to find some direct damage spells that are both SR: No, and inflict untyped damage.

For my purposes, direct damage means just that: not looking for spells that summon creatures or anything similar.

Also looking for spells that natively meet the above criteria, not modified by metamagic or other abilities.

I can't imagine there are too many spells...

So far I've only found Damning Darkness.

Cheers - T

[tyckspoon]

There's Rain of Stones; the Spell Compendium version (AFAIK the most recent/ruling printing) is SR No, no save, area attack, which means it gets around just about every kind of defense there is (no spell resistance, no Evasion, no blocking touch attacks or direct targeted spells.) It's also only first level, has a terrible damage capacity, and is a full-round action to cast, but there's not a lot competition when you absolutely *need* to be able to hurt something.


Let's see.. there might be a few projectile spells that didn't bother to specify a damage type even if it might have made sense. Hmm.. Melf's Unicorn Arrow?

[zfs]

8th level Druid spell Deadfall is a Conjuration (Creation) spell with SR: No that does 1d6/level (up to 20d6) of untyped damage from falling logs, branches, etc. I've heard people call it bludgeoning damage but that's not called out in the spell.

And actually, Bombardment is another 8th level Druid spell that's almost identical. It does 1d8/level instead of 1d6.

[Zaq]

Do SLAs help at all? Reversed Word of Nurturing deals untyped damage and can be made to ignore SR with a baked-in modification to the Truespeak DC. No feats or items or anything needed.

Let's do a ctrl-F through the SpC. Gonna ignore what's already been mentioned.

Anyway, looks like Anarchic Storm works but only on lawful targets. Likewise Axiomatic Storm for chaotic targets, Holy Storm for evil, and Unholy Storm for good.

Briar Web works on stuff moving through the area, but it's called out as "nonmagical piercing" damage. The spell Caltrops is similar but doesn't explicitly call out the damage as being nonmagical. Or piercing, for that matter.

Cometfall seems to work quite well.

Death Throes has the [force] keyword but deals typeless damage. Not fun to trigger, though.

Giant's Wrath calls out the damage as bludgeoning, but it's still magical.

Ice Flowers is half cold and half typeless.

Maelstrom is bludgeoning but still magical.

Malevolent Miasma is nonlethal but typeless.

Maw of Stone fits perfectly.

Murderous Mist fits perfectly as well.

Obedient Avalanche is part typless and part cold.

Positive Energy Aura damages undead.

Ray of Deanimation does the job against constructs.

Reciprocal Gyre is annoying to parse, but it does typeless damage.

Rust Ray deals damage to objects.

Scatterspray is situational but can work.

Sign of Sealing deals typeless damage if breached.

Spiritwall damages living creatures.

Splinterbolt is piercing but magical.

Stone Shatter only damages stone creatures, but damage them it does.

Sudden Stalagmite (a favorite spell of mine) does piercing but magical damage. And then slashing but magical damage. It is still magical because it doesn't say that it isn't, but DR explicitly applies. Though weirdly enough, the slashing damage is treated as piercing damage for the purposes of DR, mostly because that portion of the spell is not written well.

Thunderlance forces you to actually attack, but it deals typeless damage. Again despite having the [force] keyword.

Tsunami deals bludgeoning damage but doesn't say that it's nonmagical.

Tunnel Swallow is straight typeless.

Wall of Gears fits the bill.

Wall of Water damages [fire] critters.

Waterspout does what you want.

Wood Rot damages plants.

[Gemini476]

Orb of Force is a classic, although can be stopped by (fairly rare) high touch ACs.

Other not-as-useful spells include,
but are not limited to: (anarchic/axiomatic/holy/unholy) Storm, Melf's Unicorn Arrow, Bleakness, Death Throes, Explosive Pinecone, Force Missile, etc.

[JNAProductions]

Doesn't Orb Of Force do Force damage?

[Helluin]

Hellfire and Hellfire Storm

[Thurbane]

Doesn't Orb Of Force do Force damage?

Indeed it does, so not technically untyped (there are some defences against force damage).

[maruahm]

Not gonna answer your question because it's tough, but here's some lateral brainstorming.

'City' damage may as well be untyped, since AFAIK it has no real way to defend against it other than general damage resistance or immunity. So applying the metamagic feat City Magic to the orb line of spells gives you a no save, no SR damage tool.

The Dweomerkeeper class feature Supernatural Spell turns a spell into an Su. ability, which means SR doesn't apply. On the other hand, once your optimization exercise starts mentioning the Dweomerkeeper, you've gone too far. :smalltongue:

[JMS]

'City' damage may as well be untyped, since AFAIK it has no real way to defend against it other than general damage resistance or immunity. So applying the metamagic feat City Magic to the orb line of spells gives you a no save, no SR damage tool.


Not going to debate the other stuff, but Truenamers, which Zaq first mentioned, would like to debate City damage being untyped, and I’m sure there is another thing that gives resistance to any damage type.

[peacenlove]

A Shadowcaster can make his mysteries supernatural abilities via feat (Favored Mystery) and/or by being 13th level.
Mysteries that potentially deal untyped damage are
Killing Shadows (30' cone, Will 1/2, 1d8/level up to 10d8)
Umbral Touch (5d6 & slow on failed save, 1 touch per level)
Shadow Evocation & Shadow Evocation,Greater (To mimic an evocation that deals untyped damage)
Ephemeral Storm (on successful save, on failed they die, not a death or necromantic effect, no friendly targets affected so far better than Wail of the Banshee)

[maruahm]

Not going to debate the other stuff, but Truenamers, which Zaq first mentioned, would like to debate City damage being untyped, and I’m sure there is another thing that gives resistance to any damage type.

Despite the Truenamer being borked, I'm always astonished at what a font for weird discoveries its mechanics have been.

[martixy]

Not gonna answer your question because it's tough, but here's some lateral brainstorming.

'City' damage may as well be untyped, since AFAIK it has no real way to defend against it other than general damage resistance or immunity. So applying the metamagic feat City Magic to the orb line of spells gives you a no save, no SR damage tool.

The Dweomerkeeper class feature Supernatural Spell turns a spell into an Su. ability, which means SR doesn't apply. On the other hand, once your optimization exercise starts mentioning the Dweomerkeeper, you've gone too far. :smalltongue:

Who even came up with that class? (Not sure if I wanna shake his hands or curse them.)

Though admittedly, supernaturalling an orb of X is barely even worth considering compared to 4/day no xp/material components Wish.

[remetagross]

You can add Reverse Gravity to that, since falling damage is untyped, though that won't work on flying targets.

[Thurbane]

You can add Reverse Gravity to that, since falling damage is untyped, though that won't work on flying targets.

Wow, never noticed that RG is SR: No before. Nice.

[Hackulator]

Wow, never noticed that RG is SR: No before. Nice.

Well of course, you're not affecting the character, you're affecting the gravitons! :smallwink:

I'll be honest I don't understand why that spell you put in the OP is SR: No though.

[Zaq]

Despite the Truenamer being borked, I'm always astonished at what a font for weird discoveries its mechanics have been.

Every single time I do any significant reading through that chapter of Tome of Magic, I discover something new and stupid. To this day. And I’m working on a semi-major revision to my guide. There’s just so much that’s wrong there.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Doom Scarabs is Will partial, but it does meet your requirements - untyped damage that ignores SR.

[ezekielraiden]

Does anyone have similar information for PF as well? I have a character with access to both 3.5e and PF spells so it would be useful (and the only spell search I know of for PF does not let you filter by SR, AFAICT).