Damage Resistance

[Dano_13]

Hi there,

I think the Damage Resistance spell can be somewhat overpowered. A Sorcerer can slap down a number of points that completely cancels out that amount of damage, even if the attacker is using a critical armour penatration maneuver. And this spell is stackable with normal armour, AND any other armour type spells.

And while using Target manipulation, a Sorcerer can slap this down onto his entire party.

Thoughts?

 

[Old timer]

Not that powerful really. It only stops damage equal or less to the magnitude of the spell. If you do just one point more of damage, it all goes through to the sorcerer.

 

[jarulf]

A protection 2 dosen't make a Damage Resistance 4 spell into a Damage Resistance 6 spell. So, it's not stackable in that sense. They exist independently of each other and work differently.

 

[ThatGuy]

Not that powerful really. It only stops damage equal or less to the magnitude of the spell. If you do just one point more of damage, it all goes through to the sorcerer.

At a certain point this becomes "either I take no damage, or I loose a limb or die."

There was a character in a game that had 12 points of damage resistance cast upon himself. He was laying waste to those around him and suddenly a Troll with a sling criticled an attack. Maximize damage and ignore armor. Rolled a 6 for dam modifier. And took the guys arm off. David and Goliath style.

Except in this case, David was a huge troll and Goliath was an overconfident human played by an overconfident player.

 

[Dano_13]

I see your points - however it seems to me, that if I have a spell that I can slap onto a shepherd boy and put him up against a person with a million percent sword attack (but no damage bonus) and have the boy completely invulnerable to said attacks - that seems to me to be a pretty powerful spell.

 

[Old timer]

But in a world of magic use, said spell could be cancelled by dispel, counter magic, neutralise magic, so not that powerful at all.

 

[ThatGuy]

And I believe the critical hit CM "ignore Armor" ignores physical magical armor as well.

That million percent sword guy should be able to roll a critical...unless he's got REALLY bad dice.

 

[Dano_13]

Well I definitely agree that a CM should be able to bypass Damage Resistance. I guess I wasn't sure whether it counted as armour or not - especially since it's hard to imagine a mundane warrior going - "Ha - there is the weak point in your force field" - but then I guess balance would trump story plausibility in this case.

 

[ThatGuy]

I always think of there being weak points in a magical "force field" as plausible- I mean the thing does have to be fluid to move with the person and here should be creases in there somewhere (that's how it is with magic in real life...wait...well, whatever)...I just wish it weren't all or nothing.

Still, I don't want to add the extra layer of headache to figuring out some other mechanic, so, I think I'll roll with it as is...

 

[simonh]

Well I definitely agree that a CM should be able to bypass Damage Resistance. I guess I wasn't sure whether it counted as armour or not - especially since it's hard to imagine a mundane warrior going - "Ha - there is the weak point in your force field" - but then I guess balance would trump story plausibility in this case.

I don't think of protective magic like this as being a force field neceserily. Maybe it's more like an invisible magical suit of armour.

Simon Hibbs

 

[Deleriad]

I don't think of protective magic like this as being a force field neceserily. Maybe it's more like an invisible magical suit of armour.
Simon Hibbs

I would say it depends on the grimoire and sorcerer's runic affiliations. For example, a version of the spell from "The Book of Fire" is probably going to be some sort of heat haze. When a weapon hits it, sparks fly and it seems to skid off. One from the book of winds might be a gusting wind around the sorcerer that knocks blows off target. The book of luck might have a version where attacks seem strangely to miss.

I don't think there is one specific spell called Damage Resistance that works the same way across all grimoires rather that there are many spells which have broadly the same effects and can all be categorised under Damage Resistance. If someone manages to bypass this through a Combat Manoeuvre then the flavour can explain how.

Of course this is probably a matter of setting.

 

[Antalon]

On a related issue, I note that Knockbacks are still effective against Damage Resistence. That implies that certain combat manoeuvres will also be effective, those that don't rely on causing a injuryge. Bash Opponent is a development of Knockback, so could be used. Trip opponent is another. Perhaps Grip too.

This means that damage resistence is a lot less effective than feared and it also promotes the use of alternative tactics (using grappling for example): very Beowulf and Grendal

Antalon.

 

[ThatGuy]

And disarm, etc.

I'm sure, like alot of the other folks on these boards with system experience, that folks are familiar now with how it is possible to best an opponent without inflicting and damage.

A disarm and trip maneuver can end a fight with an unarmed Damage resistance 20 fighter sitting on his duff with a sword to his neck and a demand to yeild.

I have seen a lot of fights end in this way. At least as many as are ended with a gory skewering.