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Gorbash
2007-02-13, 01:26 PM
So let's say I'm a lvl 7 barbarian (DR 1/-) and I have an adamantium breastplate (DR 2/-), would that give me an effective DR 3/-? I tried to find the rule that clarifies that, but I couldn't. All I found was that different types of DR don't stack, but it said nothing about the same types. Is there a rulebook where it clarifies this?

Artanis
2007-02-13, 01:28 PM
Nope, they don't stack.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#damageReduction

Hyfigh
2007-02-13, 01:33 PM
DR only stacks if it specifically states that it stacks.

Ramza00
2007-02-13, 01:35 PM
They don't stack....but there are a few exceptions that do stack. They so specifically in the descriptions. Roll With It, Survivor, That feat from Complete Warrior that is similar to Roll With It, a Planar Touchstone in Sandstorm or Manual of the Planes if I recall, some of the earth grafts from Magic of Eberron if I recall, and a few more things.

Note they don't stack unless it specifically says so. It is similar to the fact wizards can't learn divine spells, unless they have a feature (such as advanced learning) that specifically says they can learn divine spells.

Gorbash
2007-02-13, 01:41 PM
It says: 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.

And every example that's written in any rulebook just says that if a creature has lets say 5/evil and 10/silver, it uses the 10/silver... It doesn't say if two same forms of DR stack or not.

Yuki Akuma
2007-02-13, 01:52 PM
It says: 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.

And every example that's written in any rulebook just says that if a creature has lets say 5/evil and 10/silver, it uses the 10/silver... It doesn't say if two same forms of DR stack or not.

They don't stack. If they did, why the hell would Roll With It say it stacks with barbarian damage reduction?!

Think, man. It's really quite simple. Damage reduction, even identical damage reduction, never stacks unless it says it does.

Gorbash
2007-02-13, 01:58 PM
I know they don't stack, it's logical, but on the last session I had a furious argument about that with my DM and the other players. They all said if it doesn't specifically say that they don't stack, they stack. So, I'm trying to find an example in any rulebook that would prove them wrong so I could shove it up their faces.

Lord Lorac Silvanos
2007-02-13, 02:06 PM
It does not get much clearer.


DAMAGE REDUCTION

...
If a dash follows the slash then the damage reduction is effective against any attack that does not ignore damage reduction.
...
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.

Gorbash
2007-02-13, 02:09 PM
My point exactly, but their counter-argument was that it says two forms of DR do not stack, indicating other type of it...

SpiderBrigade
2007-02-13, 02:11 PM
In that case it means "forms" as in "my barbarian DR" and "my breastplate DR," rather than "my DR silver" and "my other DR silver"

Gorbash
2007-02-13, 02:20 PM
Well I sent that question to WotC, hopefully they will answer it in their FAQ section soon, it's really getting on my nerves argueing over this with them...

Tokiko Mima
2007-02-13, 02:25 PM
Well, point out that if Damage reduction did stack it would result in absurdly resistant characters after just a few DR's stacked together. Ask if you think it's a good idea to have people immune to daggers and clubs walking around, or multitemplated NPC's with stacked DR's of 30 making melee attacks in general mostly useless?

Lord Lorac Silvanos
2007-02-13, 02:27 PM
My point exactly, but their counter-argument was that it says two forms of DR do not stack, indicating other type of it...

And where does it say that these "two forms" cannot be similar or even identical?

They have a poor case.

Requiring you to prove something that is already clearly stated in the rules is ridiculous.

Next time you should have your character spontaneously sprout wings and fly away. If they say you cannot do it just ask them to point you to the rules text that clearly states this and demand that they show examples of all birds for all the different races.
Then show them that you are fair and generous and say that it is enough if they provide examples of PHB races.

Gorbash
2007-02-13, 02:41 PM
That's the problem. It doesn't say anywhere that it applies to same DR...

That's even funnier, since my Tiefling has wings, actually. :D

Marius
2007-02-13, 02:50 PM
By RAW they don't stack, but it was made that way for balances issues. It's not really logical that the barbarian /- DR don't stack with another /- DR. But the whole concept of AC is not really logical anyway...

Gorbash
2007-02-13, 04:22 PM
Oh man, I soooo love being right. I showed them the Roll with it feat, and that shut their mouths. :D Thanks all of you for helping me clarify this!

Zincorium
2007-02-13, 05:37 PM
The whole DR doesn't stack thing has to just be accepted as-is, it really doesn't stand on it's own merits. For example, a werewolf in adamantine full plate. Ordinarily, that adamantine full plate is really nifty. But against non-silver weapons, it somehow doesn't do anything at all to prevent damage. You get hit with something that does over either 10 or 15 points of damage (depending on type of lycanthrope), and it makes no difference whether the werewolf was wearing adamantine plate or was buck naked, it's taking the same damage.

Just take it as a game balance thing.

Thomas
2007-02-13, 05:50 PM
Lycanthrope DR is 5 (afflicted) or 10 (natural), /silver.

Person_Man
2007-02-13, 07:24 PM
As everyone has noted, Damage Reduction doesn't stack. It overlaps.

The two exceptions are the Roll With It or Endure Blows feats. Either feat will provide you with damage reduction 2/-, which explicitly stack with damage reduction from other sources.


Roll With It is from Savage Species. I think is 3.0., I'm not sure, I don't own the book.

Endure Blows is from the Draconomicon, and requires that you have the dragon type (like a half-dragon or dragonwrought kobold).

Yuki Akuma
2007-02-13, 08:37 PM
The whole DR doesn't stack thing has to just be accepted as-is, it really doesn't stand on it's own merits. For example, a werewolf in adamantine full plate. Ordinarily, that adamantine full plate is really nifty. But against non-silver weapons, it somehow doesn't do anything at all to prevent damage. You get hit with something that does over either 10 or 15 points of damage (depending on type of lycanthrope), and it makes no difference whether the werewolf was wearing adamantine plate or was buck naked, it's taking the same damage.

Just take it as a game balance thing.

It is still very nice for a lycan to own, because everyone knows that as soon as you take the lycanthrope template a new weapons-quality silver mine is opened and every Tom, Richard and Harry owns at least seven doses of silversheen.

Zincorium
2007-02-13, 10:26 PM
It is still very nice for a lycan to own, because everyone knows that as soon as you take the lycanthrope template a new weapons-quality silver mine is opened and every Tom, Richard and Harry owns at least seven doses of silversheen.

Not saying it isn't a good idea, it just seems, to look at it from a non-game angle, that the adamantine should reduce the blow before it hits the werewolf's skin, and then the werewolf's DR/silver (I must have been thinking 3.0 for the numbers) would still apply fully to the remaining damage, meaning it would be subtracting 8 or 13 total. That it doesn't work that way is mostly to prevent abuse, and that's all I'm attempting to convey. That to make sense of it you need to take a step back and try to keep things balanced.

AtomicKitKat
2007-02-13, 10:42 PM
Generally, pretty much all classes with Feature granting DR X/- will say that they stack. The only weird one I can recall offhand is the Hidecarved Dragon, I think. That one grants DR X/- and says "stacks with any existing Damage Reduction(but does not specify a type)". In the example given, it shows that if you have DR X/Chaotic and Evil, for example, you will now have DR X+Y/Chaotic and Evil. I wonder whether it applies to only one of your DRs or all of them. Mineral Warrior Half-Dragon Dwarven Defender Hide-carved Dragon? :D That would probably wind up with DR X/Adamantine and DR Y/-. Both improved by the class.