3.5e: Damage type house rules
SeaHen
elegant to handle. Comments?
All damage, whether lethal or nonlethal, is of exactly one type. There
are 13 types:
3 physical types -- slashing, bludgeoning, piercing.
4 pairs of opposing energy types -- acid/electrical, fire/cold, force/
sonic, positive/negative energy.
Biological damage (to which constructs and undead are immune).
Psychic damage (to which mindless creatures are immune).
In weapon damage types, all instances of "and" are replaced with "or".
For example, a morningstar deals either bludgeoning or piercing damage
(attacker's choice).
Damage due to a fall, water pressure or wind is bludgeoning damage.
Damage due to extreme heat is fire damage. Damage due to extreme cold
is cold damage. Damage due to overexertion (e.g. forced marching),
suffocation or drowning is biological damage. Damage caused by Inflict
spells is negative energy damage. Damage caused to undead by Cure
spells is positive energy damage. When cast by clerics who turn undead
or by druids, the non-fire damage from Flame Strike is positive energy
damage; when cast by clerics who rebuke undead, it is negative energy
damage.
If damage not covered above would be typeless RAW, its type is
determined using the following rules. These rules do NOT override
damage that already has a type RAW. If more than one rule would apply,
use the one listed first.
If a spell has a descriptor corresponding to an energy type, it deals
that kind of damage.
Illusion, enchantment and divination (?!) spells deal psychic damage.
Effects of the Plane of Positive Energy and supernatural abilities of
creatures native to that plane deal positive energy damage.
Effects of the Plane of Negative Energy and supernatural abilities of
creatures native to that plane deal negative energy damage.
Effects of the Elemental Plane of Fire and supernatural abilities of
creatures native to that plane deal fire damage.
[Good] spells and supernatural abilities of (good)-subtype creatures
deal positive energy damage.
[Evil] spells and supernatural abilities of (evil)-subtype creatures
deal negative energy damage.
Non-evocation spells which cannot affect constructs or undead (such as
Blight and Horrid Wilting) cause biological damage.
Divine spells cast by druids, rangers, good characters and characters
who can turn undead deal positive energy damage.
Divine spells cast by evil characters and characters who can rebuke
undead deal negative energy damage.
Arcane spells deal force damage.
Shawn
I like this, though I would question this:
> Illusion, enchantment and divination (?!) spells deal psychic damage.
If you are using psionics rules with 'psionics is different', this could
potentially mess things up because you have now just tied these three
schools of magic into psionics.
Jim Davies
>Here are some rules that should make damage types simpler and more
>elegant to handle. Comments?
First, I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve. Except for cases
where someone has DR or resistance to a specific type of damage, this
isn't relevant. How often do skeletons take falling damage?
>Arcane spells deal force damage.
Que?
--
Jim or Sarah Davies, but probably Jim
D&D and Star Fleet Battles stuff on http://www.axsm89.dsl.pipex.com
becaue pipex's technical support is crap and so http://www.aaargh.org doesn't work.
Gas Spore Paladin
> First, I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve. Except for cases
> where someone has DR or resistance to a specific type of damage, this
> isn't relevant. How often do skeletons take falling damage?
What about the ace scene in "Jason and the Argonauts"