Weapon energy damage for swarms?

[azhrei_fje]

Simple question here...

A slashing weapon with energy damage (say shocking or fire) is used on a swarm which is immune to weapon damage: does a successful attack roll against the swarm's AC deal damage due to the energy component of the weapon?

Does your answer change for a bludgeoning or puncturing weapon? (I don't suppose it will, but it couldn't hurt to ask. :-)

I'm sort of torn by this. The swarm is immune to weapon damage so does that negate the energy damage? Wouldn't "immune to weapon damage" translate as "DR/non-weapon" in general terms? And if the DR prevents damage, isn't it expected that other effects of a weapon don't make it through either? Or is that only for poison and similar effects?

Thanks!

[Kolokotroni]

azhrei_fje wrote:

Simple question here...

A slashing weapon with energy damage (say shocking or fire) is used on a swarm which is immune to weapon damage: does a successful attack roll against the swarm's AC deal damage due to the energy component of the weapon?

Does your answer change for a bludgeoning or puncturing weapon? (I don't suppose it will, but it couldn't hurt to ask. :-)

I'm sort of torn by this. The swarm is immune to weapon damage so does that negate the energy damage? Wouldn't "immune to weapon damage" translate as "DR/non-weapon" in general terms? And if the DR prevents damage, isn't it expected that other effects of a weapon don't make it through either? Or is that only for poison and similar effects?

Thanks!

The energy damage from a flaming sword or what have you would still apply. It isnt weapon damage, it is energy damage. Just think of it this way, a torch still damages a swarm immune to weapon damage. Isnt it just a flaming stick? The stick cant hurt the swarm, but the fire still does.

[hogarth]

azhrei_fje wrote:

A slashing weapon with energy damage (say shocking or fire) is used on a swarm which is immune to weapon damage: does a successful attack roll against the swarm's AC deal damage due to the energy component of the weapon?

In 3.5, it specifically said "A weapon with a special ability such as flaming or frost deals its full energy damage with each hit, even if the weapon’s normal damage can’t affect the swarm."

That was removed in Pathfinder, but it sounds like it was an unintentional omission rather than an intentional change.

[azhrei_fje]

Okay great. Thanks. :)

[harmor]

hogarth wrote:

azhrei_fje wrote:

A slashing weapon with energy damage (say shocking or fire) is used on a swarm which is immune to weapon damage: does a successful attack roll against the swarm's AC deal damage due to the energy component of the weapon?

In 3.5, it specifically said "A weapon with a special ability such as flaming or frost deals its full energy damage with each hit, even if the weapon’s normal damage can’t affect the swarm."

That was removed in Pathfinder, but it sounds like it was an unintentional omission rather than an intentional change.

So was it unintentional and if so has this been errata'd?

[Klebert L. Hall]

My read is that torches and energy damage weapons no longer damage swarms immune to weapon damage.

A lot of Pathfinder critters are tougher than they used to be.
-Kle.