Does template DR stack with base creature DR? (Or: the rakshasa lich)


Rules Questions


In contemplating a rakshasa lich* as bbeg, I realized that the rakshasa has DR 15/good and piercing, and the lich template adds DR 15/bludgeoning and magic. Do the two types of DR stack -- meaning that a good, magic morningstar is the only weapon able to bypass?

* a rakshasa is only CL 7, I realize, while a lich must be CL 11. I haven't decided yet whether to apply class levels to suit or just handwave for a home game, but that's not really the point.


They don't stack as such, but they both apply. So even if an attack overcomes one, it may still be affected by the other.

Effectively, that means what you said; a good-aligned magical weapon that's both bludgeoning and piercing is required to fully overcome the DR.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

As Are said, they combine, not 'stack'. Another way of looking at any DR is that separate = "and". So a Rakshasa has DR 15/Good and DR 15/Piercing. Lich would add 15/magic and 15/bludgeoning.

Not sure about those combining - multiple damage types or material types don't make much sense (and you won't find many (any?) examples of it.) That said... You should definitely cast stoneskin...


Any holy firearm and most holy firearm bullets would work. Not sure what else.


Holy, magical Bite attacks would work (Bite counts as all three, I believe)


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Holy morningstar (i think those are bludgeoning and piercing)


blahpers wrote:
Any holy firearm and most holy firearm bullets would work. Not sure what else.

BRING ON THE HOLY MORNINGSTARS


Yeah, "stack" was wrong term, as it implies DR 15 + 15 = 30. Rather, "the Venn diagram of what actually works gets very picky".

At any rate, it seems in this case he'd need impossible-to-beat DR, as the lich template would change his racial HD from d10 -> d8, and he'd use his 17 Cha instead of 22 Con for bonus hp.


Technically this lich has DR 15 / bludgeoning and magic and DR 15 / good and piercing. For convenience, you could write this as DR15/Bludgeoning, Piercing, Magic and Good, since it has to be all 4 to break through the 15.

If it were a werewolf human lich, you could express its DR as 10/Silver, Bludgeoning and Magic, and DR 15/Bl & Magic. That'd give you a quicker way to check against your weapon.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
Murph. wrote:
At any rate, it seems in this case he'd need impossible-to-beat DR, as the lich template would change his racial HD from d10 -> d8, and he'd use his 17 Cha instead of 22 Con for bonus hp.

Yow. It'd be 19 Cha from the lich template, but yeah, 3 hp/HD drop, or about 85 hp for a CR 12 creature.


Majuba wrote:
Murph. wrote:
At any rate, it seems in this case he'd need impossible-to-beat DR, as the lich template would change his racial HD from d10 -> d8, and he'd use his 17 Cha instead of 22 Con for bonus hp.
Yow. It'd be 19 Cha from the lich template, but yeah, 3 hp/HD drop, or about 85 hp for a CR 12 creature.

A Rakshasa needs 4 more levels of Sorcerer to qualify as a Lich, so presumably it would have the Elite Array of ability scores once it starts adding character levels. That'd bump the CHA to 21. That, and the 4 character levels allow for a +1 stat increase to 22. Becoming a lich bumps that to 24. So right there, you're at equal HP.

Plus, since every lich must have Craft Wondrous Item, it'd be ludicrous to not have at least a +2 Cha headband. So you pull ahead there as well.


Ok I'm building a creature for a high level group and reading this has helped just a little but for my creature it has 12 and the invincible and savage mythic simple template,

at this hd these templates each provide resistance 15 to all energy types and dr 10/epic, so would these stack to be resist 30 all energy types and dr 20/epic


Daniel Lipp wrote:

Ok I'm building a creature for a high level group and reading this has helped just a little but for my creature it has 12 and the invincible and savage mythic simple template,

at this hd these templates each provide resistance 15 to all energy types and dr 10/epic, so would these stack to be resist 30 all energy types and dr 20/epic

No. They don't combine in any way. The monster would simple have all energy resistances at 15 and DR 10/epic.

You only add two sources of damage reduction or energy resistance together if it specifically says to. In most cases, multiple resistances or damage reductions simply do not add together.


Ok thanks I was not sure because I had not found any rule that could have fully said otherwise, so I was debating.

I will remove the savage template because it does not provide as much benefit if those don't stack,

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