D&D (2024) Force damage in one dnd

[fuindordm]

They should replace "Force" with "Ethereal" as a type of magic damage since traditionally such spells are rare and called out as affecting ghosts and creatures with an Ethereal presence.
Physical attacks are magical or not--this is a binary flag.
There is no advantage to unifiying the two.

 

[Yaarel]

They should replace "Force" with "Ethereal" as a type of magic damage since traditionally such spells are rare and called out as affecting ghosts and creatures with an Ethereal presence.
Physical attacks are magical or not--this is a binary flag.
There is no advantage to unifiying the two.

Yeah, that is helpful. Call the damage type "Ethereal".

There are reallife medieval traditions that define the "fifth element" "ether" as an immaterial "force" − what holds the planets in orbit.

But in a D&D context, to simply refer to the damage type as "Ethereal" makes everything clear.

Then conjurations and things made out of magical energy are "ether constructs", where ether is the fifth elemental plane.

Meanwhile, telekinesis and gravity are the manipulation of ether.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Impact damage is what bludgeoning damage is. I think everyone is right here in that force damage is destructive ethereal damage. I didn't like the 2024 move before, but I kind of do after this discussion. It defines what "magic" damage IS without just calling it "magic" damage. They ought to put a sidebar explaining it!

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Impact damage is what bludgeoning damage is. I think everyone is right here in that force damage is destructive ethereal damage. I didn't like the 2024 move before, but I kind of do after this discussion. It defines what "magic" damage IS without just calling it "magic" damage. They ought to put a sidebar explaining it!

Should Force be explained more than they do?

Force. Force is pure magical energy focused into a damaging form. Most effects that deal force damage are spells, including magic missile and spiritual weapon.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Should Force be explained more than they do?

Force. Force is pure magical energy focused into a damaging form. Most effects that deal force damage are spells, including magic missile and spiritual weapon.

I think it seems likely that it should be, based on this discussion alone. The explanation above does the basics of the job, but it's clear that people see the word "force" and imagine something different than what it is.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I like Force damage as the solution rather than putting in magical attacks trait on every monster. Also I like stronger monsters being able to ignore DR.

 

[Incenjucar]

Force damage as irresistible normal damage gets super weird because of vulnerabilities and secondary effects.

It's like if you explode on contact with regular fire but not super hot magical fire.

 

[Stalker0]

Should Force be explained more than they do?

Force. Force is pure magical energy focused into a damaging form. Most effects that deal force damage are spells, including magic missile and spiritual weapon.

the question though is, why isn't that BPS type damage? What if the difference between a bigby's punch doing force damage and my punch doing bludgeoning damage?

Energy damage make sense, we generally know what those look like (I know how extreme fire or cold can damage things, I know what electricity can do, etc). But what is force "doing" that makes it non-physical?

 

[Valetudo]

I wouldn't mi d changing force to ethereal. But the devs would never do that they think we to stupid handle big thinky?

 

[Valetudo]

Maybe gravity type? Are spirits afraid of gravity?