What damage forms deal normal damage to elemental weirds?

Question

"Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, deal lethal damage to the creature" that possesses the extraordinary ability regeneration (Monster Manual 314). However, no attack forms are listed as dealing normal damage to elemental weirds (Monster Manual II 90–3). This likewise goes unmentioned by errata and the free Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 accessory update Play More (that changes the weirds' DR to DR 10/—, for instance).

It seems odd—although not out of the range of possibility—that, by implication, a fire weird, for example, is dealt normal damage by only acid, it being immune to fire due to its fire subtype.

I know that I'm desperately late to this party, but are the damage forms that elemental weirds suffer normal damage from something that a more skilled reader can tease from the creatures' descriptions? (I mean, maybe I just overlooked something. It happens.) Or were the elemental weirds' regeneration abilities addressed, even informally like on the long-lost Wizards of the Coast messageboards? Or is this just something for DMs to work out on their own?

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Note: Yes, I'm using an elemental weird in a campaign. Yes, the PCs may fight it. But don't worry! I'll be really careful—I've used 'em before, and I know how crazy they are. Also, just so folks don't think elemental weirds should instead have fast healing, the Monster Manual II in that text's Special Qualities section has the elemental weirds as examples of creatures that possess the special ability regeneration (16).

Answer 1

No, the regeneration does not have a weakness

I have researched the weirds listed in the MM2, Dragon mag, and Frostburn. They do not have any damage categorization exception for the regeneration entry. As such, I believe that there is no damage that prevents regenerating, and that it is intentional.

As a cross check against possible intent I also checked earlier versions (such as the original Temple of Elemental Evil).

Even the original versions in 1st edition have no elemental weakness. In fact, the water weird takes only half damage from fire attacks.

Answer 2

This is a bit like ancient history — you have to deduce from very little. In fact there is an article devoted to elemental weirds in Dragon Magazine #347, p.66–71, that does not cover this point.

But I would like to give it a try.

The regeneration description says:

Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, deal normal damage to the creature. The creature’s descriptive text contains these details. Monster Manual II, p. 16

If you look in the descriptive text section of the elemental weird there is no entry on regeneration. As

[a] monster’s statistics block supersedes the descriptive text. MM Errata

… this means: the fire weird has regeneration 10, but no attack form is explicitly listed to deal normal damage. As the regeneration entry only lists fire and acid as "typical" regeneration counters, it does not necessarily mean these attack forms are fire and acid by default. I would go with acid (excluding fire) if I had nothing else to work with. But there is the section on the fire subtype in the fire weird's entry:

A fire weird is immune to fire damage but takes double damage from cold unless a saving throw for half damage is allowed. In that case, the creature takes half damage on a success and double damage on a failure. MM II, p. 93

In this section, there is no mention that cold damage dealt to the creature is subdual damage. As the description of regeneration demands "certain attack forms" that "deal normal damage" mentioned in the "descriptive text" and the only attack form that is mentioned in the descriptive text that the fire weird is not immune but even vulnerable to is cold damage, I would deduce: the fire weird’s regeneration ability is countered by cold attacks. This would also make sense from the thematic point of view.