Is there a way to bypass Cold Iron with natural weapons?


Rules Questions


I'm looking for a way for my animal companion (a dog) to bypass DR/Cold Iron. Greater Magic Fang doesn't allow it, Eldritch Claws applies only to silver and Amulet of Mighty Fists +3 costs 45k gp. So, aside from spending 45k on one natural attack (or 22.5k if I get someone to craft it), is there a way to obtain Cold Iron attacks?


Black Wolf wrote:
I'm looking for a way for my animal companion (a dog) to bypass DR/Cold Iron. Greater Magic Fang doesn't allow it, Eldritch Claws applies only to silver and Amulet of Mighty Fists +3 costs 45k gp. So, aside from spending 45k on one natural attack (or 22.5k if I get someone to craft it), is there a way to obtain Cold Iron attacks?

Not by the rules. If you dog only has one attack, you can try to convince your GM to allow a modified amulet. The standard amulet is priced with the assumption that it is going on something with multiple attacks. It is reasonable to ask for an amulet that only modifies one attack and costs 18k (the cost of a +3 weapon).


2 people marked this as a favorite.

1. Dog dentistry to replace teeth with cold iron teeth.

2. Set dog on fire, fire bypasses dr


P.s. Don't really be mean to your dog like that.

Versatile weapon works. From the apg

Dark Archive

Black Wolf wrote:
I'm looking for a way for my animal companion (a dog) to bypass DR/Cold Iron. Greater Magic Fang doesn't allow it, Eldritch Claws applies only to silver and Amulet of Mighty Fists +3 costs 45k gp. So, aside from spending 45k on one natural attack (or 22.5k if I get someone to craft it), is there a way to obtain Cold Iron attacks?

Maybe your GM would allow you to research such a spell?


Doubt it. He's not a very flexible DM, especially when something needs to be changed in order to be beneficial to the PCs. Versatile Weapon will have to do, didn't know about that spell.

Skrahen, your post made me really laugh out loud. :D


Two additional options; there exists Silversheen, so I assume there is also an alchemical item to temporarily bestow Cold Iron property.

Further, if your animal companion gains DR/Cold Iron, I suspect Bestiary rules allow him to penetrate that same DR. That was how it worked in 3.5, at least, because it otherwise led to things like Water Elementals being unable to kill each other (at least with any kind of haste).


Cold iron weapon blanch and a toothbrush?

Sovereign Court

Energy attacks bypass DR. Get the dog a energy type amulet of Mighty Fangs and you'll get a d6 of whatever damage you want. Add in some Power Attack to help try and bypass the DR value. Sometimes with DR it's just easier to go for big damage if you can't bypass it. Too bad it's not a wolf or you could TRIP!

--Vrock you like a Hurricane


BigNorseWolf wrote:
Cold iron weapon blanch and a toothbrush?

Blanch is for one attack... And the nature of it make it kinda impossible (I'd need to hold the dog over open flame in order for blanch to attach itself to teeth). :D

Quote:
Further, if your animal companion gains DR/Cold Iron, I suspect Bestiary rules allow him to penetrate that same DR.

Good point. Is there a way to gain DR/cold iron?


Toadkiller Dog wrote:
Good point. Is there a way to gain DR/cold iron?

Perhaps some ritual to make it a Fey Hound? However, that strikes me as a bit weird - would fey be able to bypass each other's damage reduction? Cold Iron is a bane for them, after all.

Another thing I remember is a monk feat from the FR setting (Initiate of the Sun Soul - choose Selune as a patron), but unless your dog is awakened and gains monk levels, I doubt it would work here :) . However, an enterprising mage could probably make some sort of augmentation - whether body paint, dentures, or something else that improves your dog's bite.


The Nature Warden out of the APG can make their animal companions natural weapons able to bypass silver or cold iron, but it's at a high level.


Black Wolf wrote:
I'm looking for a way for my animal companion (a dog) to bypass DR/Cold Iron.

Not at all a good option, but eight levels of the Nature Warden prestige class will get you the Ironpaw ability.

There was a weapon in 3.5 (I think) called the mouthpick. It's a thing you wield in your mouth, and attach a weapon to. So that Beh.... er, 'the big flying heads with too many eyes' could actually use those fancy weapons they keep in their hoard. Your dog needs a cold iron mouthpick greataxe!


Grick wrote:
Black Wolf wrote:
I'm looking for a way for my animal companion (a dog) to bypass DR/Cold Iron.

Not at all a good option, but eight levels of the Nature Warden prestige class will get you the Ironpaw ability.

There was a weapon in 3.5 (I think) called the mouthpick. It's a thing you wield in your mouth, and attach a weapon to. So that Beh.... er, 'the big flying heads with too many eyes' could actually use those fancy weapons they keep in their hoard. Your dog needs a cold iron mouthpick greataxe!

this or have him wear cold iron spiked barding and charge alot

The Exchange

Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

the french film brotherhood of the wolf comes to mind...

barring that, i'd go for cold iron spiked barding, with martial weapon proficiency and light armor proficiencty.

Versatile weapon from APG wouldn't work on natural weapons since it functions like greater magic weapon not greater magic fang. But it would work on barding spikes. so a mwk barding spike w/ versatile weapon would gain a minute/level bonus to hit/damage and bypass a little DR. not just cold iron. ::shrug::

there's a summoning feat to get your Natures Ally summons to bypass DR/cold iron.


Toadkiller Dog wrote:
BigNorseWolf wrote:
Cold iron weapon blanch and a toothbrush?

Blanch is for one attack... And the nature of it make it kinda impossible (I'd need to hold the dog over open flame in order for blanch to attach itself to teeth). :D

Quote:
Further, if your animal companion gains DR/Cold Iron, I suspect Bestiary rules allow him to penetrate that same DR.
Good point. Is there a way to gain DR/cold iron?

Cold iron weapon blanch, a toothbrush, and a potion of fire breathing?

Liberty's Edge

Teach and feat-equip your companion so that it can do things other than attack.


Seraphimpunk wrote:

Versatile weapon from APG wouldn't work on natural weapons since it functions like greater magic weapon not greater magic fang. But it would work on barding spikes. so a mwk barding spike w/ versatile weapon would gain a minute/level bonus to hit/damage and bypass a little DR. not just cold iron. ::shrug::

It specifically states that it works on natural attacks and that it enables them to bypass one of the following: bludgeoning, cold iron, piercing, silver, or slashing. Why wouldn't it work?

Quote:


Teach and feat-equip your companion so that it can do things other than attack.

That's all fine and dandy, but I specifically asked if there's a way to pass Cold Iron DR.


Black Wolf wrote:


It specifically states that it works on natural attacks and that it enables them to bypass one of the following: bludgeoning, cold iron, piercing, silver, or slashing. Why wouldn't it work?

He likely didn't read the text all the way to the end. It works, just as you thought it did.


Yup. V W works.
It is possible that a crown of ash might work though as well.

Edit: not a bad deal either @ 29,900(14950) plus you get some extras


BigNorseWolf wrote:
Toadkiller Dog wrote:
BigNorseWolf wrote:
Cold iron weapon blanch and a toothbrush?

Blanch is for one attack... And the nature of it make it kinda impossible (I'd need to hold the dog over open flame in order for blanch to attach itself to teeth). :D

Quote:
Further, if your animal companion gains DR/Cold Iron, I suspect Bestiary rules allow him to penetrate that same DR.
Good point. Is there a way to gain DR/cold iron?
Cold iron weapon blanch, a toothbrush, and a potion of fire breathing?

A pretty elaborate plan for one attack. :P


Crown of ash from kingmaker blood for blood

One of the several things it does for nonfae is DR5/cold iron

The Exchange

Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

sorry, missed the last line of versatile weapon. was just going on the extension of greater magic weapon , which doesn't work on natural weapons.

versatile weapon for the win then. no training , no feats, no special barding. just dog bite that can ignore cold iron or silver, or claws that ignore bludgeoning, etc. fun stuff.


Troubleshooter wrote:
Further, if your animal companion gains DR/Cold Iron, I suspect Bestiary rules allow him to penetrate that same DR.

It doesn't look like it, actually.

Damage Reduction: "Some monsters are vulnerable to magic weapons... Such creatures' natural weapons (but not their attacks with weapons) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction."
and
"A creature with an alignment subtype (chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) can overcome this type of damage reduction with its natural weapons and weapons it wields as if the weapons or natural weapons had an alignment (or alignments) that matched the subtype(s) of the creature."


Pathfinder Adventure, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
Grick wrote:
Troubleshooter wrote:
Further, if your animal companion gains DR/Cold Iron, I suspect Bestiary rules allow him to penetrate that same DR.

It doesn't look like it, actually.

Damage Reduction: "Some monsters are vulnerable to magic weapons... Such creatures' natural weapons (but not their attacks with weapons) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction."
and
"A creature with an alignment subtype (chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) can overcome this type of damage reduction with its natural weapons and weapons it wields as if the weapons or natural weapons had an alignment (or alignments) that matched the subtype(s) of the creature."

Wow, for some reason I thought that applied to all types of DR, not just magic. Is that a change from the 3.5 rules or something?


I was thinking about this the other day too and i'm sure there was a table that showed how increasingly higher levels of hit dice allowed a creatures natural attacks to count as +1, +2 etc. but i have no idea where i read it or even if it was in 3.5.

Can anybody help me out and show me where or even point out that im talking rubbish.

I guess this would help an animal companion with high enough hit dice to bypassDR/cold iron etcwhen it hits +1 or +3...

Dark Archive

Matrixryu wrote:
Grick wrote:
Troubleshooter wrote:
Further, if your animal companion gains DR/Cold Iron, I suspect Bestiary rules allow him to penetrate that same DR.

It doesn't look like it, actually.

Damage Reduction: "Some monsters are vulnerable to magic weapons... Such creatures' natural weapons (but not their attacks with weapons) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction."
and
"A creature with an alignment subtype (chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) can overcome this type of damage reduction with its natural weapons and weapons it wields as if the weapons or natural weapons had an alignment (or alignments) that matched the subtype(s) of the creature."

Wow, for some reason I thought that applied to all types of DR, not just magic. Is that a change from the 3.5 rules or something?

3.0 actually. my group confuses that all the time

The Exchange

Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

kind of makes sense. most fey have DR/cold iron. but their natural attacks don't overcome cold iron. its just their kryptonite. a werewolf has DR/silver, but it burns them to the touch. their attacks don't overcome DR/silver... Its just Magic and Alignment that carry over in reverse.

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