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cupkeyk
2007-10-10, 08:40 AM
Would a scout/ranger who has swift hunter and selected arcanist as his favored enemy as per the that splat book(CMage or PH2 I forget) deal precision based damage to an arcanist who cast a spell that makes him immune to precision based damage eg. blink (miss chance) or heart of fire/earth/water/air (changes his type to elemental) or gaseous form?

Would he deal precision based damage to a lich wizard, who is an arcanist but is also undead?

Person_Man
2007-10-10, 09:15 AM
Swift Hunter states "In addition, your skirmish extra damage applies against any creature you have selected as a favored enemy, even if it is normally immune to extra damage from critical hits or skirmish attacks."

If your Favored Enemy is "normally immune" to extra damage from critical hits or skirmish attacks, you can still apply the extra damage. Undead, plants, constructs, whatever, as long as they are "normally immune."

But an arcane caster who uses a spell to become immune to precision damage isn't normally immune. Therefore, by RAW, he would not take damage from your Skirmish, even if you have arcanist as a Favored Enemy.

Having said that, if I were your DM I'd allow it as a house rule.

Renegade Paladin
2007-10-10, 09:43 AM
A creature under the effect of a spell granting immunity to precision damage is in fact "normally immune" because that's the spell's normal effect. A blink effect normally makes it's recipient immune to precision damage.

cupkeyk
2007-10-10, 10:39 AM
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.
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.

From the damage type excerpt of Rules compendium.

I asked this question because it seems that a gaseous wizard (that is not subject to critical hits) falls under the first quoted paragraph while a blinking wizard with miss chance falls under the second. Swift Hunter modifies the first paragraph, not the second. The Normally, I stipulated, referred to the entry regarding the Skirmish ability and not the creature type's description. But then I realized that the object of It is normally is creature; not the skirmish effect.