This is a rather confusing topic for me, so I'd like to sort things out now: the Armor Master Fighter Archetype gains Damage Reduction as a class feature. At level 19, it gets 12 DR/- if wearing heavy armor, which stacks with the adamantine bonus, but not with bonuses from other sources. The Stalwart Feat, however, stacks with Damage Reduction from class features, but not from any other source. I'm assuming that includes adamantine, so that brings me to a quandary; if you're a level 19 Armor Master with adamantine heavy armor and you activate the Stalwart Feat (we're assuming you can get the max DR 5/-), what is your DR? Is it 17, providing the bonus as a class feature along with Stalwart, though Stalwart cancels the adamantine bonus? Is it 15, providing the class feature bonus as well as the adamantine bonus, but it does not allow the Stalwart bonus (and in such a case, would that mean it is not, in fact, a class feature bonus, but rather a much larger armor bonus)? Or would it actually be 20, including all of the bonuses?
This brings me to another point: the Stalwart Defender. It also gets DR as a class feature, and it also stacks with adamantine "but not from any other source." Is this similar to Armor Class, in that, if you took 19 levels in Armor Master and 10 levels in Stalwart Defender, only the highest DR from a class feature would apply (in this case, Armor Master)? What about using Stalwart in this case? And if you took the Increased Damage Reduction Defensive Power?
One last question: Damage Reduction types. When you see something like, say, DR 1/Silver, that means that only Silver weapons can bypass that Damage Reduction, yes? In that case, can nothing bypass DR X/-? I'm confused about that.
One last question: Damage Reduction types. When you see something like, say, DR 1/Silver, that means that only Silver weapons can bypass that Damage Reduction, yes?
Mostly correct. It does require a silver weapon, but a mithral weapon or any +3 weapon can also overcome DR/Silver. A +4 weapon can overcome DR/Adamantine, while a +5 weapon overcomes alignment-based damage reduction.
In that case, can nothing bypass DR X/-? I'm confused about that.
Also mostly correct. There are some things, like a paladins smite attack, that automatically bypass damage reduction. And energy damage of any type, such as fire and cold, also automatically bypass damage reduction.
One last question: Damage Reduction types. When you see something like, say, DR 1/Silver, that means that only Silver weapons can bypass that Damage Reduction, yes? In that case, can nothing bypass DR X/-? I'm confused about that.Correct. Also correct about DR/-.
Do note that there are some things, like a paladins smite attack, that automatically bypass damage reduction. And energy damage of any type, such as fire and cold, also automatically bypass damage reduction.
Lot o' rules to remember... So, any insight into the bulk of the original post? Can you answer those questions?
Lot o' rules to remember... So, any insight into the bulk of the original post? Can you answer those questions?
Not 100% sure. As Stalwart doesn't stack with the damage reduction from the adamantine armor, at the very least you wouldn't get both of them at once.
In either case you get the damage reduction from the Armor Master archetype. Then you would add in the damage reduction from adamantine heavy armor (DR 3/-) or the damage reduction granted by Stalwart (up to DR 5/-). So you would have DR 15/- normally, but boosted to DR 17/- if you use Stalwart (assuming you get the full bonus).
At least that is how I believe it works.
Lot o' rules to remember... So, any insight into the bulk of the original post? Can you answer those questions?Not 100% sure. As Stalwart doesn't stack with the damage reduction from the adamantine armor, at the very least you wouldn't get both of them at once.
In either case you get the damage reduction from the Armor Master archetype. Then you would add in the damage reduction from adamantine heavy armor (DR 3/-) or the damage reduction granted by Stalwart (up to DR 5/-). So you would have DR 15/- normally, but boosted to DR 17/- if you use Stalwart (assuming you get the full bonus).
At least that is how I believe it works.
Makes sense. So Armor Master with Improved Stalwart's pretty sweet, huh? Up to DR 22/-, if you're correct.
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Agreed with Jeraa. You can get the DR from Armour Master + Adamantine or from Armour Master + Stalwart, but not all three.
You can never combine bonuses that don't stack with each other - instead take the biggest set of total bonuses that do stack.
Stalwart Defender works similarly. You can have Stalwart Defender DR + Adamantine DR, or Armour Master DR + Adamantine DR, whichever is greater, but not all three. If you have Stalwart, you can also choose Armour Master + Stalwart DR, but if you try to add a third type you'll end up with something that can't stack. (Note: I think the text in Stalwart Defender about not stacking with any other source overrides the text in Stalwart about stacking with class features, so that Stalwart Defender + Stalwart doesn't work, but I'm not sure.)
Increased Damage Reduction Defensive Power improves your DR from Stalwart Defender, so you get to include that power any time you are using your Stalwart Defender DR, but not if you are using your Armour Master DR.
Agreed with Jeraa. You can get the DR from Armour Master + Adamantine or from Armour Master + Stalwart, but not all three.
You can never combine bonuses that don't stack with each other - instead take the biggest set of total bonuses that do stack.
Stalwart Defender works similarly. You can have Stalwart Defender DR + Adamantine DR, or Armour Master DR + Adamantine DR, whichever is greater, but not all three. If you have Stalwart, you can also choose Armour Master + Stalwart DR, but if you try to add a third type you'll end up with something that can't stack. (Note: I think the text in Stalwart Defender about not stacking with any other source overrides the text in Stalwart about stacking with class features, so that Stalwart Defender + Stalwart doesn't work, but I'm not sure.)
Increased Damage Reduction Defensive Power improves your DR from Stalwart Defender, so you get to include that power any time you are using your Stalwart Defender DR, but not if you are using your Armour Master DR.
Wow. An archetype for a core class does a better job than a prestige class based around defending. Never mind, man, I ain't goin' with Stalwart Defender.
If you thought you liked stalwart defender, check out a dwarven stone lord paladin.