Ways to Maximize Damage Reduction

[Cybaster]

My gaming group, one night, was tossing around the idea of a Enter the Dragon-like Oriental Setting campaign/adventure and how a setting focusing on Kung-Fu (and yes, this means Monk levels) would be like. Now, one of the group members was a big fan of Chinese Martial Arts movies, and started tossing ideas around for enemies and bosses from there; then I got the idea that the Final Boss needs to have 'mad chigong skills that gives him massive Damage Reduction', and he was laughing because one of the movies he was a fan of (Jet Li's Once Upon A Time in China II) had exactly that kind of boss character, an anti-European cult leader that stood there letting his henchmen beat him up with various weapons...while he stood there and shrugged everything off (except Musket fire, which he cheated on with a metal plate) without a scratch.

Then after the discussion, I got to thinking: how can one maximize Damage Reduction in 3.5? Well, without blatant cheating like creating massive Epic equipment in Neverwinter Nights? So I want your ideas (and no, they're not limited to Monk levels, despite the premise of this post :P) on how you get your characters' DR optimized in any way at all. Preferably Human and base-SRD race PCs doing it, villain or not, of course.

Thanks. :)

[Seffbasilisk]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e

Scroll down. Mineral warrior. +3 Nat Armor, DR 8/Adamantine, etc for +1 LA. Sounds like what you need.

Edit: Perhaps investing in the feat 'Greater Resiliency' from Complete Warrior to improve the damage reduction.

[Cybaster]

Okay, I asked for that mishap. My bad. -.-;;;

I was actually thinking on PCs maximizing their DR, and mainly Human/SRD base race villain characters (as an Enter the Dragon-like adventure would mostly be featuring other opponents similar to PCs), so I'd like ideas related to that. Sorry, sorry.

Still, though, that Mineral Warrior *does* look nasty with 8/Adamantine, Seff. Thanks for your input. :)

[Person_Man]

Roll With It feat from Savage Species gives you damage reduction 2/-. It explicitly stacks with DR from other sources, and it can explicitly be taken multiple times. Draconomicon has a similar feat called Endure Blows.

So assuming your DM allows 3.0 rules into 3.5, a Human can start with DR 4/-, and gain an additional 2/- every 3 levels. As a DM I'd be fine with it, since DR doesn't apply to energy attacks, spells, spell like abilities, supernatural abilities, psionics, and certain special weapons and maneuvers that automatically bypass all DR.

[Sir Jason]

Is Draconomicon 3.0? Or did you mean Savage Species?

[Person_Man]

Is Draconomicon 3.0? Or did you mean Savage Species?

Savage Species is 3.0.

Draconomicon was published after the release of 3.5, but for some reason its still considered 3.0 rules. I have no idea why. I've included both in 3.5 games without problem.

[Indon]

So assuming your DM allows 3.0 rules into 3.5, a Human can start with DR 4/-, and gain an additional 2/- every 3 levels.

Barbarians accumulate what, 1/- at level 11 and an additional 1/- every 3 levels afterwards?

[Closet_Skeleton]

So assuming your DM allows 3.0 rules into 3.5, a Human can start with DR 4/-, and gain an additional 2/- every 3 levels.

No he can't.

Prerequisites: Constitution 20, Toughness

Since Toughness isn't a fighter bonus feat, even a race with +2 con can't get this at level 1. Unless you can find a LA 0 template that grants +2 con.

Endure Blows is identical to Roll With It apart from requring 1 less constitution and dragon type.

Mineral warrior isn't worth it since only DR x/- stacks. Though there is Thick Skinned; a Savage Species feat that gives +2 to any existing DR and only needs existing DR as a prerequisite. If you get DR 1/- from a class like Barbarian, Dwarven Defender or (god forbid you actually bothering) Sohei, then your DM might let you take Thick Skined to improve it, circumventing that annoying 20 con and waste of a feat toughness but the text has it effecting DR x/special circumstance without outright saying it doesn't work on x/-.

Dwarf Barbarian or Dwarven Defender is the best core way to get loads of DR through taking Roll with it. Dwarf Fighter/Dwarven Defender won't suffer so much from wasting a feat on toughness and still be able to have some offensive feats. If you're doing a human only campaign you can remove the racial restriction on dwarven defender, but the lack of +2 con slows down getting Roll With It.

Alteranitively you could see if your DM would let you get an Iron Body spell made permanant. That would be easier for the BBEG. Or useTome of Battle maneuvers.

[jjpickar]

What about the green star adept from the Complete Arcane? It get DR if I recall rightly.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

From the SRD...

Biofeedback is a 1st level Power you can manifest for DR 2/-. With more levels, you can boost this up pretty high. One build I had ended up around DR 8/-. Go PsiWar/Slayer as a Half-Giant, and you'll have the massive frame also depicted. You can also do Expansion to increase yourself a size category (from Medium to Large, wielding Huge weapons). Later on, you'll be able to increase that to two size categories.

Cleric: Righteous Might gives DR/Evil. Up to 9, actually.

Adamantine Armor gives DR/- based on size of armor.

[bugsysservant]

I actually posted an almost identical thread a while back, and the conclusion was that really high DR is impractical, and by level twenty you're lucky to get over twenty. You can read the thread here