Questions tagged [damage-types]

For questions pertaining to different types of damage in an RPG system, i.e. fire, lightning, psychic, cold, etc.

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When you receive a physical attack and Shield Block it, if it deals multiple types of damage, how is damage reduced?

Shield Block states that: Trigger While you have your shield raised, you would take damage from a physical attack. You snap your shield in place to ward off a blow. Your shield prevents you from ...
Payden K. Pringle's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
294 views

What are the balance considerations of changing thunder to poison damage in "elemental X" spells?

In preparation for a future campaign, I'm poking at building a homebrew cleric domain exclusive to Tiamat. One of my design goals for the build is to lean into Tiamat as the god of chromatic dragons, ...
MissMisinformation's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
149 views

Is the additional damage dealt by Elemental Bane dealt by Elemental Bane? [duplicate]

The first time each turn the affected target takes damage of the chosen type, the target takes an extra 2d6 damage of that type. Would this damage be considered to by made by the Elemental Bane spell ...
falsedot's user avatar
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1 answer
239 views

How does the Order of Scribes wizard's Awakened Spellbook feature work with spells that require you to choose a damage type?

There is a question that handles how the Order of Scribes wizard's Awakened Spellbook feature works with spells that have multiple damage types at the same time. However, those spells are rare. There ...
Nobody the Hobgoblin's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is this Order of Scribes wizard combo with the Elemental Bane and Faithful Hound spells a legal exploit?

So I'm playing an OOS wizard in a 3/4 shot game. I really like the replace damage type feature for the interesting flavour it can provide to battles, but when looking at the spell list, I stumbled ...
UUake Up's user avatar
  • 283
2 votes
0 answers
59 views

Does the magic damage on swords double for a nat 20 [duplicate]

my barbarian has a frost brand longsword that does the common 1d8 and 1d6 of cold damage. Me and my friends are new to d&d so we may be playing it be wrong but for the campaign I'm playing when ...
drplaga049's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is an "instance of damage"?

A comment to my answer here proposes that each part of damage with different types is a separate instance. It matters a lot for weaknesses and resistances: If a Brimorak deals 13 slashing, 4 evil and ...
SpearCarrier.no2's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
131 views

Can the UA Wild Talent feat change the damage type of the Chaos Bolt spell?

Inspired by this current question: Can the UA Wild Talent feat interact with the Chaos Bolt spell? – and Matthieu's comment on Groody's answer. It seems that RAW, you are replacing the number you roll ...
Alan's user avatar
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15 votes
3 answers
4k views

I'm worried about nerfing the Players too much by adding an immunity to Radiant Damage to a monster type

In my setting most of the Outer Planes have individually suffered apocalyptic catastrophes. The Abyss has been, for several decades before the players even see their first demon, beset by chronic ...
Xisnue's user avatar
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11 votes
2 answers
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Will a creature with damage immunity take damage from Phantasmal Force?

Phantasmal Force can create the illusion of a creature or phenomoenon, and will deal 1d6 psychic damage per round because of the victim believes that it is real. What will happen if you create the ...
Nobody the Hobgoblin's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
194 views

Can you assign the Parry maneuver to damage that Heavy Armor Master can't reduce?

Say for instance you get hit with a claw attack coming from a dragonflesh grafter, which has both poison and slashing damage. Heavy Armor Master is only able to reduce non-magical slashing, piercing, ...
Cyanic's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
3k views

Does Bigby's Hand do magical damage?

The Bigby's Hand spell, also called Arcane Hand, can do force damage by striking, and bludgeoning damage by crushing. Is that damage magical? I'm unsure. On one hand, if we assume that the spell ...
Guillaume F.'s user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
635 views

Which damage types are the most and least common?

(inspired by these questions) I have already asked which physical damage type is the most common, but how does it look when we consider all of them? I mean the damage directly dealt by monsters, and ...
András's user avatar
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29 votes
3 answers
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Why are there five chromatic dragons and not four?

The five chromatic dragon types are already in the original edition of D&D. In that same game, player characters had access to four primary kinds of damage: physical blows, fire, cold and ...
Nobody the Hobgoblin's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

Are undead immune to nonlethal damage?

Quite a few undead are immune to the unconscious condition: (Plague Zombie) Immunities death effects, disease, mental, paralyzed, poison, unconscious; The only thing I found linking nonlethal and ...
András's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
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Kensei Shot when the weapon has multiple damage types?

I was allowed the Storm Boomerang (Princes of the Apocalypse) on my Kensei Monk character and decided to make it my Kensei ranged weapon. But I am unsure if the Kensei Shot ability would add 1d4 for ...
Clarus_Nox's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
2k views

How to handle a psychic damage roll

I’m playing a D&D solo adventure called "To Hell and Back Again", I've just had to roll a d10 for psychic damage, due to a 'trait' called 'fear of bony things'. I entered a vehicle which ...
Dave Diamond's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
101 views

What happens when a character with the Immanence Destiny takes Dual-Type damage?

A character with the Immanence Epic Destiny has the following ability: Immanence Variable Resistance (21st level): After the first time you take damage of a particular type during an encounter, you ...
Richard Winters's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

What's the maximum number of damage types I can have in a single melee attack?

Inspired by these two questions. I am currently playing an Arcane Trickster that has a Flame Tongue Rapier and access to Booming Blade. So I have: Piercing Fire Thunder I am considering getting ...
Federico's user avatar
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14 votes
1 answer
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What damage type does the Disintegrate spell deal?

The description of the Disintegrate spell reads: You fire a green ray at your target. Make a spell attack. You deal 12d10 damage, and the target must attempt a basic Fortitude save. What type of ...
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12 votes
4 answers
6k views

Would wearing full plate armor cause slashing damage to be converted into bludgeoning damage?

Plate armor covers the whole body of the adventurer. A character in my game has resistance to bludgeoning damage but not slashing damage. He was arguing that since the armor covered his whole body, he ...
NemoAmet's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
798 views

Is the damage from the Undead warlock's Grave Touched feature considered weapon damage for the purposes of Great Weapon Fighting or similar features?

The Undead-patron warlock's Grave Touched feature (VRGtR, p. 30) says that when you hit a creature with an attack, you can replace the damage type with necrotic damage; it also adds 1 more damage die ...
Cyanic's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
156 views

Does taking nonlethal damage count as being damaged?

The protean scourge (Monster Manual III, 126) has the Split ability the beginning of which says: Split (Su): When damaged, a protean scourge splits into two identical versions of itself [...] Page ...
Chemus's user avatar
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-7 votes
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398 views

Why are slings damage type only listed as piercing? [closed]

Why are slings damage type only listed as piercing? Aren't slings standard ammunition rocks/stones roughly the size of a golf ball which are abundant and should do blugeonig damage? Why not have it ...
Jhyarelle Silver's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
1k views

Can I use Metamagic transmutation on Chaos Bolt?

Was wondering if it is possible to use metamagic to transmute the damage type of chaos bolt. Sorcerer Metamagic gives a number of options for modifying spells, Transmuted Spell reads: When you cast a ...
JFreeman's user avatar
  • 1,212
6 votes
2 answers
314 views

What damage type is empowered when Ice Storm is cast by an evoker?

The party Evoker has just reached 10th level and gained Empowered Evocation Beginning at 10th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier to one damage roll of any wizard evocation spell you cast. ...
Kirt's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can the use of the Crusher feat enable a Sling to force 5 feet of movement on a hit target?

Feat: Crusher (UA is identical to released content for the following quote.) Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack that deals bludgeoning damage, you can move it 5 feet to an ...
Payden K. Pringle's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
961 views

How does the Order of Scribes' Awakened Spellbook interact with Animate Objects?

The relevant part of awakened spellbook is: When you cast a wizard spell with a spell slot, you can temporarily replace its damage type with a type that appears in another spell in your spellbook, ...
The Zach Man's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does the second benefit of the Piercer feat allow rerolls of non-piercing damage?

The second benefit of the Piercer feat reads (TCoE, p. 80): Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack that deals piercing damage, you can reroll one of the attack's damage dice, and you ...
bonfire's user avatar
  • 732
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Which physical damage types are the most and least common?

(Inspired by this question) The only mechanical difference (beside price) between Hide and Scale mail is that once you can use the specialization, the one provides resistance against piercing, the ...
András's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
317 views

Is non-physical damage calculated separately from physical damage for a single attack?

One of the players in my game is playing a dragon instinct barbarian. The GM is calculating the elemental damage separately from the weapon damage for resistance purposes (i.e. an axe attack deals 8 ...
William M-B's user avatar
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15 votes
2 answers
15k views

Which damage types are the most and least resisted?

Inspired by this question: what are the most and least resisted damage types for Pathfinder 2e? What about weaknesses? (This question precedes the release of Bestiary 3, but it seems to me that ...
ESCE's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
1k views

How do damage types affect HP?

Played my first game of D&D5e last weekend, and the DM kept referring to different damage types (Necrotic, Slashing, Bludgeoning, etc.). Do these damage types affect HP differently, or do you just ...
MegEaterOfSheep's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
714 views

When a ranged attack deals multiple damage types, can I choose what damage type my Sharpshooter bonus gives?

I am a Blood Hunter (Critical Role class here) with the Sharpshooter and Crossbow Expert feats wielding two hand crossbows. My Crimson Rite allows me to deal an additional 1dx magical damage of some ...
Weasemunk's user avatar
  • 1,092
3 votes
1 answer
403 views

Would immunity to non magical fire damage protect me from an Azers fire damage?

I have immunity to non magical fire. Nothing in the Azers description indicates that its ever-present flames are magical. Am I therefore immune to its fire damage?
Vittorio Carano's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
2k views

Would swapping Sacred Flame to Toll the Dead for Evil NPCs affect balance?

The PHB makes it clear that radiant damage comes from the Positive Plane and is often associated with the Celestials of the Upper Planes, while necrotic damage comes from the Negative Plane and is ...
Kirt's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can a Zealot Barbarian apply Radiant rage damage?

Rage says: When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the ...
BlueMoon93's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
1k views

Does Strahd's unarmed strike deal full damage if used to grapple?

In the text of Strahd's Unarmed Strike, it says (emphasis mine): If the target is a creature, Strahd can grapple it [...] instead of dealing bludgeoning damage. This seems to be copy/pasted from the ...
Steven Jeffries's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
3k views

Is it worthwhile to deal lightning damage to a froghemoth?

The froghemoth (VGtM, p. 145) has the Shock Susceptibility trait: Shock Susceptibility. If the froghemoth takes lightning damage, it suffers several effects until the end of its next turn: its speed ...
Anagkai's user avatar
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12 votes
5 answers
7k views

Is it redundant that a vampire's Regeneration is stopped by damage from holy water, since holy water already does radiant damage to undead?

Vampires and vampire spawn have the Regeneration trait (MM 297-298), but: If the vampire takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn't function at the start of the vampire's next ...
Kirt's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
910 views

How do flaming weapons work?

I recently made a level 8 Storm Herald Barbarian (from XgtE) with the Desert aura. The level 6 feature allows me to set flammable objects that are not being carried or worn by anyone else on fire. So ...
TheDragonOfFlame's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
4k views

Will my necrotic-damage-heavy PC be too weak in Curse of Strahd?

I'm preparing a character for Curse of Strahd, which I have never played before. This character uses a lot of necrotic damage. I don't mind if this character is not the absolute best choice for this ...
Oak's user avatar
  • 644
4 votes
1 answer
230 views

Is there a concise description of what 'special' damage is?

This may be somewhat a worthless question as I've looked diligently without success. I don't believe the information is physically present but I thought I'd give it a shot. In my games things have ...
MichaelDorf's user avatar
  • 1,504
2 votes
1 answer
200 views

Can UA Lore Mastery's Spell Secrets feature change the damage type of a spell that does not deal damage immediately?

For UA Lore Mastery, Spell Secrets states the following: At 2nd level, when you cast a spell with a spell slot and the spell deals acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, radiant, or thunder ...
Codex's user avatar
  • 289
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can objects animated by the Animate Objects spell take psychic damage?

The Animate Objects spell description reads: An animated object is a construct with AC, hit points, attacks, Strength, and Dexterity determined by its size. Its Constitution is 10 and its ...
Joshua's user avatar
  • 2,553
4 votes
1 answer
471 views

What are the sources for (un)holy damage and DR for it?

This question has bought up some interesting discussion around (un)holy damage. So far, we appear to have established the following: There does not appear to be any link between (un)holy damage and (...
J. Mini's user avatar
  • 6,264
5 votes
1 answer
152 views

Does an attack from a chaotic-aligned character break regeneration/chaotic?

I am DMing an adventure where the players can fight an arbiter inevitable. The inevitable is listed as having regeneration 2/chaotic. The book says that the type after the slash is the damage type ...
SoItBegins's user avatar
5 votes
4 answers
7k views

Is there a way to bypass resistance/immunity to necrotic damage?

There are 19 creatures in the Monster Manual that are resistant to necrotic damage. By comparison, only 4 are resistant to radiant damage. This makes playing a Warlock or necromancer Wizard, or using ...
João Grando's user avatar
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11 votes
2 answers
3k views

Would there be any major balance implications for swapping the Soulknife rogue's daggers to deal fire damage as opposed to psychic?

I have a specific character concept in mind but for it to work I would need to change the UA Psionic Rogue's Psychic Daggers into Fire Daggers. I plan to ask my DM about it but before I do I want to ...
Himitsu_no_Yami's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
4k views

How does 'Mirage Arcane' interact with damage types, speed, and Concentration?

Reading over different questions about 'Mirage Arcane', I've come to what I believe is a fair understanding of what the spell can do, but I'm left with a few questions. So far, my understanding of the ...
ResidentLoreExpert's user avatar