D&D 3E/3.5 Monks nerfed in 3.5?

[Henry]

Unless adamantite penetrates everything the monk is still screwed. He was screwed in 3e anyways without the some magic anyhow, he's just as screwed now.

I believe that this is only PART of the chart we are seeing, this being revealed in one of the most recent Dragon Mag's. The point being made is that monks will receive more powerful damage resistance overcoming abilities as their levels increase. According to Ed Stark, there will be spells to simulate aligned weapons, magic weapons, etc. - But no spells to simulate special materials. So, in this sense, the Monk will be getting something that the other classes do not get, short of actually buying the weapons in question.

It's worth seeing the system itself before writing it off entirely. Once it's available to all, and it still stinks, then it's clearly not for everybody.

 

[Ranger REG]

Hmm. I have a question, if you have a magic adamantine sword +5 and you strike a fiend that have DR 20/magic, do I ignore DR because my sword happens to be made of adamantine, or do I apply DR because my sword happens to be magically enchanted?

Which takes precedent? The material composition of the weapon or the enchantment?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hmm. I have a question, if you have a magic adamantine sword +5 and you strike a fiend that have DR 20/magic, do I ignore DR because my sword happens to be made of adamantine, or do I apply DR because my sword happens to be magically enchanted?

Huh? DR 20/magic means you subtract 20 from the damage you deal, unless your weapon is magic.

Since your sword is magic, it bypasses the DR.

-Hyp.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Hmm. I have a question, if you have a magic adamantine sword +5 and you strike a fiend that have DR 20/magic, do I ignore DR because my sword happens to be made of adamantine, or do I apply DR because my sword happens to be magically enchanted?

Which takes precedent? The material composition of the weapon or the enchantment?

I would say that the enchanment would just bypass the DR...since that's what I've taken the system to mean. So any magic item could penetrate something with DR/magic. And from what I remember, I think the enchantment does take precedent over the material.

 

[Grog]

Remember, DR levels are being decreased as well. So an inability to penetrate a given creature's DR is, while inconvenient, no longer entirely crippling.

But monks do so little damage that if they can't bypass DR, they're pretty much screwed.

 

[frankthedm]

But monks do so little damage that if they can't bypass DR, they're pretty much screwed.

You really should be willing to carry SOME sort of weapon. i don't think you wand to be putting your hands on some of those gooey acid dripping creatures after all.

And while it might be costly feat wise to take it power attack is a nice feat to have at later levels.

 

[Hypersmurf]

You really should be willing to carry SOME sort of weapon.

And there's always Bracers of Striking with Elemental qualities, since Energy damage bypasses DR...

-Hyp.

 

[Staffan]

Hmm. I have a question, if you have a magic adamantine sword +5 and you strike a fiend that have DR 20/magic, do I ignore DR because my sword happens to be made of adamantine, or do I apply DR because my sword happens to be magically enchanted?

Which takes precedent? The material composition of the weapon or the enchantment?

DR X/Quality means "Unless the thing you're hitting with has Quality, reduce damage by X." The adamantine sword +5 would have the qualities "Slashing", "Adamantine" and "Magic", so it would ignore DR 20/Magic. There are also provisions for and/or-qualities (e.g. to hurt creature A you need a weapon that's magic or adamantine, but to hurt creature B your weapon must be holy and silver), but that's neither here nor there.

On a side note, DR 20 is considered really high in 3.5e. The revised pit fiend only has DR 15. I would guess that the Tarrasque might have DR 20/something, but no other monsters in the MM.

 

[Gizzard]

Frankly, though, just getting the 'magic' Ki Strike at 4th instead of 10th (!!!) looks like a huge improvement to me.

Yes! If I can start hitting DR monsters at 4th level (around the same time everyone else is getting their +1 Sword) then I'm feeling good.

Even if "magic" doesn't end up being the most common DR type (and by a large margin hopefully!), I'll still be able to live with that. It will mean I will have to pull out my Silver Kama sometimes, but the Fighter will also have to reach into Heward's Handy Haversack and get his Silver Bastard Sword. He's just as screwed as the Monk is in this situation.

I'm really looking forward to the 3.5E Monk.

 

[Ranger REG]

On a side note, DR 20 is considered really high in 3.5e. The revised pit fiend only has DR 15. I would guess that the Tarrasque might have DR 20/something, but no other monsters in the MM.

Sorry, I was just throwing a number to pose a hypothetical problem. So if the weapon with many qualities has the one quality that the creature's DR has a weakness to, then it can ignore DR value.

For example, a creature with DR 10/adamantine would resist an enchanted sword +5, but is helpless against an adamantine sword.