3e SRD:Damage Reduction

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Damage Reduction

Some magic creatures have the supernatural ability to instantly heal damage from weapons or to ignore blows altogether as though they were invulnerable.

The number in a creature’s damage reduction is the amount of hit points the creature ignores from normal attacks.

Usually, a certain type of weapon—usually a magic weapon—can overcome this reduction. This information is separated from the damage reduction number by a slash. If a dash follows the slash then the damage reduction is effective against any attack that does not ignore damage reduction.

Any weapon more powerful than the type given after the slash also negates the ability. For purposes of damage reduction, the power rankings are listed on Table: Damage Reduction Rankings.

Whenever damage reduction completely negates the damage from an attack, it also negates most special effects that accompany the attack. Damage reduction does not negate touch attacks, energy damage dealt along with an attack, or energy drains. Nor does it affect poisons or diseases delivered by inhalation, ingestion, or contact. Attacks that deal no damage because of the target’s damage reduction do not disrupt spells.

Magical attacks and energy attacks (even mundane fire) ignore damage reduction.

For purposes of harming other creatures with damage reduction, a creature’s natural weapons count as weapons of the type that can ignore its own innate damage reduction. The amount of damage reduction is irrelevant.

Table: Damage Reduction Rankings

Power	Rank	Weapon Type
Best	+5	enhancement bonus
2nd best	+4	enhancement bonus
3rd best	+3	enhancement bonus
4th best	+2	enhancement bonus
5th best	+1	enhancement bonus
Weakest	Silver, mithral, or other special material

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