Do Adamantine Weapons Overcome DR / Cold Iron?

[Zeuticus]

Do adamantine weapons overcome DR/Cold Iron or DR/Silver like a +3 or +4 enhanced weapon would?

My literal reading of the rules makes it sound like you'd need a Cold Iron weapon to overcome DR/Cold Iron and that adamantine weapons would have their damage reduced by that type of DR. Common sense makes me think that adamantine weapons should overcome the weaker form of DR. Which is it?

[Ughbash]

No.

Adamantine will do nothing againt DR Cold Iron.

Adamantine will ignore HARDNESS when damaging objects if the hardness is less than 20, but has no effect on DR other then DR Adamantine.

[Kazumetsa Raijin]

Your literal reading of the rules would be correct.

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2kgj4?Over-coming-damage-reduction

[Lincoln Hills]

I think your question, Zeuticus, proceeds from the assumption that "cold iron" is a 'lower form' of DR than "adamantine". In fact no hierarchy of metals exists (well, unless you count that a weapon of mithral counts as "silver" but has no -1 damage penalty.)

[Nefreet]

Conceptually, each material works against DRs differently.

Adamantine is a hard material, and is needed to break through other hard materials, so it is really useful against constructs.

Cold Iron has antimagic properties, so it is really useful against magical beings like fey and some outsiders.

Silver has somewhat holy properties and is useful against undead and some evil outsiders, as well as lycanthropes for historical references.

Just if you're looking to explain it to players or something. The other comments above are more rules oriented.

[Zeuticus]

Thanks everyone.

It sounds like getting a +3 Adamantine weapon would be a goal for many melee builds.

You'd get through DR/Adamantine when you bought the initial masterwork item. (3,000+ GP, 18 Fame)
You'd also get through DR/Magic when you enhanced it to +1. (5,000+ GP, 18 Fame)
You'd also get through DR/Cold Iron and DR/Silver when you enhanced it to +3. (21,000+ GP, 36 Fame)
You'd also get through DR/Alignment when you enhanced it to +5 (53,000+ GP, 49 Fame)

[Lincoln Hills]

Yep: it's popular stuff. You can go that one better by making it an adamant morningstar or halberd, to help deal with critters that have DR against a particular weapon damage type.

[Nefreet]

A Magus can go even further. His arcane pool enhancement bonus stacks with any the weapon has already.

Bane weapons can also raise the enhancement bonus. A +1 Bane weapon counts as +3 when used against its chosen foe.