Is hardness exactly the same as DR?

[Gansk]

From the Battle of All Alignments:

A lantern archon is taking on an animated table (hardness 5). The description of the archon's light rays say that they ignore DR. Does that mean they ignore hardness as well?

Also, in the PHB it states that objects take half damage from ranged attacks. Is that true for animated objects, even though it is not stated in the MM?

 

[Infiniti2000]

Hardness and DR are not the same. If they were, there wouldn't be two different mechanics. Therefore, the lantern's attacks do not automatically overcome the hardness and now comes the more difficult question. You have basically two choices as I see it:

1. "Certain weapons just can’t effectively deal damage to certain objects."

2. "Certain attacks are especially successful against some objects. In such cases, attacks deal double their normal damage and may ignore the object’s hardness."

Personally, I'd choose #1 because I don't think light is all the effective against objects. On the other hand, this is a form of coherent light, like a laser, and is supported by the DR argument, so you can go with #2 just as readily.

 

[Gansk]

Hardness and DR are not the same. If they were, there wouldn't be two different mechanics.

Doesn't hardness 5 and DR 5/- operate under the same mechanic? Isn't hardness just a term used for objects, but is really DR X/-?

 

[Crothian]

Doesn't hardness 5 and DR 5/- operate under the same mechanic? Isn't hardness just a term used for objects, but is really DR X/-?

they are very similar but not exactly the same.

 

[Infiniti2000]

No, they don't. Consider an adamantine weapon. It cuts right through hardness (for the most part), but not DR X/-.

 

[Gansk]

No, they don't. Consider an adamantine weapon. It cuts right through hardness (for the most part), but not DR X/-.

OK, substitute "-" with "adamantine". Same mechanic?

 

[Kodam]

Hi!

No they're not the same. Hardness applies to all damage except from a spell with the [sonic] descriptor or an adamantine weapon if the items Hardness is less than 20. DR only helps against physical damage but not against magic of any kind.

But both do effectively reduce the damage taken.

Kodam

 

[Ovinomancer]

The main difference between hardness and DR is that hardness applies against ALL incoming attacks whereas DR can be ignored by special materials. Think of adamantium as the exception to the rule with its ignore hardness less than 20.

Another difference is the effects of energy attacks. Magic(like spiritual weapon) and energy attacks ignore DR, but behave differently against an object with hardness. They may deal 1/2 damage, ignore hardness (or not), full damage, or something else. Depends on the object and the energy/spell in question.

So while the mechanics for the two are almost identical, they are not the same thing.

 

[Ferret]

I thought the main difference was that once you've rolled enough damage to effect DR it still took away from the damage, i.e a 23 damage rolled aginst DR 5/Golf Clubs would only deal 18 damage. But the same damage against Hardness bypassed it. I don't know where I got this from.....

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

But the same damage against Hardness bypassed it. I don't know where I got this from.....

Me neither. I've never read anything like that.