Anti-magic field math

[Pipquin Goldtufts]

Please help with some upcoming math I foresee.

Fairly soon the characters will be engaging a monster that has the ability to conjure up an anti-magic field and has damage reduction 10/cold iron and magic. The field emanates around the monster with a 10’ radius.

Let’s assume the 12th level fighter (16 Strength and 18 Dexterity) shoots it with his magical longbow and his normal enhanced rolls are (+12 BAB; +4 DEX; +2 Enchantment bonus to longbow):

+18/+13/+8 range (110 feet): +2 Flaming Composite Longbow +3 STR Bonus (1d8+5+1d6 fire/x3)

The fighter fires from a distance of 70 feet and is augmented by a Belt of Dexterity +2, am I correct in assuming as the arrow passes through the antimagic field the attack roll is not changed because of the 70 feet distance, but the damage of the arrow would be 1d8+3 and would only do damage if an 8 was rolled (8+3=11), damage reduction (10/cold iron and magic) reduces the damage to 1.

Or?

Does the anti-magic field also alter the magic that enchanted the arrow and suppress it and the attack roll is changed (+12 BAB; +3 DEX; +1 masterwork bonus to longbow) for adjusted rolls of:

+16/+11/+6 range (110 feet): Masterwork Longbow +3 STR Bonus (1d8+3/x3)

[Avianfoo]

I'd rule only the damage is reduced i.e. the attack roll is not changed. Can't find anything to back up my claim though. To make this even more complex, if the fighter archer had a 14 STR normally and a +2 STR enhancement I would say that all the damage from the +3 STR bow would still go through. why? Because he already has put the force behind the shot.

[Chemlak]

I agree with Avianfoo that the attack roll will be unaffected, since while the game mechanics treat attack and damage as occurring consecutively but with zero time between them, we all know that arrows don't travel instantaneously from bow to target.

The damage side is a little more tricky - while the rules say that the enhancement bonus from a magic bow adds to the damage arrows shot from the bow do, and that magical and aligned bows fire arrows that can overcome appropriate DR, the arrows are not explicitly called out as becoming magical. In other words, while a normal arrow shot from a +2 bow overcomes DR x/Magic, the arrow itself is NOT magical (it is not a +2 arrow for the duration of its flight). Interestingly, since the energy effects (flaming, frost and so forth) are not called out in the Ranged Weapons and Ammunition section of the rules, nor do the special abilities themselves say that the benefits are transferred to ammunition, by strict RAW a +2 flaming composite longbow (+3 Str) will never do fire damage to targets hit by the arrows. I do not believe this oversight is intended. Thus, the argument can be made (ignoring the flaming issue, which I think we all agree will not affect a target in an AMF) that the target is being hit by a non-magical arrow, regardless of the presence of the AMF, and as such the full enhanced (non-flaming) damage should work. However, I do not believe this to be intended. I would rule that the base (1d8+3) non-magical damage is what should apply.