Magic Weapons count as special materials automatically?

[Jimmy "Big Daddy" Ho-Chunk]

Hello I was in a PFS game recently where someone was toting a +3 sword and claimed that it functioned as cold iron and some other materials because it was +3, not because it was made of these materials.

Is that correct? And if so does someone have a reference for it?

Thanks!

[Torbyne]

Yes, that is correct. It should be in The core book. Every few points a weapon counts as something new, up to cold iron, silver, aligned and maybe adamantine? Epic is the only one barred that I can think of.

[KahnyaGnorc]

+3 overcomes Cold Iron and Silver
+4 overcomes Adamantine
+5 overcomes alignment

Quote:

Overcoming DR: Damage reduction may be overcome by special materials, magic weapons (any weapon with a +1 or higher enhancement bonus, not counting the enhancement from masterwork quality), certain types of weapons (such as slashing or bludgeoning), and weapons imbued with an alignment.

Ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an enhancement bonus of +1 or higher is treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Similarly, ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an alignment gains the alignment of that projectile weapon (in addition to any alignment it may already have).

Weapons with an enhancement bonus of +3 or greater can ignore some types of damage reduction, regardless of their actual material or alignment. The following table shows what type of enhancement bonus is needed to overcome some common types of damage reduction.

DR Type Weapon Enhancement Bonus Equivalent
cold iron/silver +3
adamantine* +4
alignment-based +5
* Note that this does not give the ability to ignore hardness, like an actual adamantine weapon does

from here (scroll down to the Damage Reduction section)

[Bob_Loblaw]

It's listed under Damage Reduction.

[Psisquared]

Only for DR. There is nothing said about overcoming regeneration.

[Ipslore the Red]

Do materials overcome regeneration? All the regeneration I can remember lists an energy type, not a material type. That or "when in contact with such-and-such."

[niconorsk]

Ipslore the Red wrote:

Do materials overcome regeneration? All the regeneration I can remember lists an energy type, not a material type. That or "when in contact with such-and-such."

An example of cold-iron overcoming regeneration.

Linnorm
And magic weapons won't cut it here as Psisquared said.

[The Beard]

Also keep in mind that a weapon counting as adamantine for purposes of DR won't do anything for the hardness of objects. You'll still have to get through that normally.

[MrCab]

Just for reference, I think this got added in the third or fourth printing of the core rules. Definitely there now though.

[Nefreet]

Torbyne wrote:

Every few points a weapon counts as something new, up to cold iron, silver, aligned and maybe adamantine? Epic is the only one barred that I can think of.

Epic can be overcome by a +6 weapon, but there are only a couple ways of achieving that in the game.

[KalEl el Vigilante]

Nefreet wrote:

Epic can be overcome by a +6 weapon, but there are only a couple ways of achieving that in the game.

Like a +4 or +5 Bane weapon against the enemy race?

[chaoseffect]

KalEl el Vigilante wrote:

Nefreet wrote:

Epic can be overcome by a +6 weapon, but there are only a couple ways of achieving that in the game.

Like a +4 or +5 Bane weapon against the enemy race?

Mythic DR is unique in that the +6 can be any mix of straight enhancement and special weapon properties. Like a +5 Flaming weapon would bypass it as would a +4 Keen Ghost Touch or a +1 Vorpal.

[Nefreet]

Epic DR requires the actual enhancement bonus to be +6 or higher, though (or damage dealt by a creature with Epic DR itself).

Epic ≠ Mythic

[Are]

Nefreet wrote:

Epic DR requires the actual enhancement bonus to be +6 or higher, though (or damage dealt by a creature with Epic DR itself).

Epic ≠ Mythic

Except the Mythic Adventures book changed the way DR/epic works:

PRD wrote:

DR/Epic: A type of damage reduction, DR/epic can be overcome only by a weapon with an enhancement bonus of +6 or greater. Weapons with special abilities also count as epic for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction if the total bonus value of all of their abilities (including the enhancement bonus) is +6 or greater.

[Aspasia de Malagant]

Are wrote:

Nefreet wrote:

Epic DR requires the actual enhancement bonus to be +6 or higher, though (or damage dealt by a creature with Epic DR itself).

Epic ≠ Mythic

Except the Mythic Adventures book changed the way DR/epic works:

PRD wrote:

DR/Epic: A type of damage reduction, DR/epic can be overcome only by a weapon with an enhancement bonus of +6 or greater. Weapons with special abilities also count as epic for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction if the total bonus value of all of their abilities (including the enhancement bonus) is +6 or greater.

I suspect this change was made because, epic DR was a legacy from 3.0/3.5 and the epic rules are not used in pathfinder. Works for me. :)

[Majuba]

MrCab wrote:

Just for reference, I think this got added in the third or fourth printing of the core rules. Definitely there now though.

It was in the first printing. Actually, it was on page 394 of the Beta printing as it is, and in a different form on page 153 of the Alpha document.

Are wrote:

Except the Mythic Adventures book changed the way DR/epic works:

Only if you use Mythic rules.

To the OP: This works for just about all (actual) enhancement bonuses, except greater magic weapon/fang, which has a specific exception for itself - it only works for DR/magic.

[Nefreet]

Are wrote:

Nefreet wrote:

Epic ≠ Mythic

Except the Mythic Adventures book changed the way DR/epic works

Oh.