Protection from Energy versus Elementals

[Gwiber]

Situation. Group versus Fire Elemental

Cleric casts Protection from Energy (Fire) ON self and other party member.

Elemental comes in. attacks/slams, hits.

The slam and regular melee attacks state a certain amount of damage plus a burn possibility of a failed save.

The melee/slam attack is not specifically stated to be of an energy form, even though the Fire Elemental itself is pure flame. The Burn is clearly stated as to what it is.

BY the rules how much of any of the melee/slam attack goes through the Protection from energy, if any?

On the spot, based purely on what I could see. it seemed to me the melee/slam would ignore the Protection from Energy, however as the elemental itself was pure fire this seemed a bit, odd.

I let the damage occur half and half half regular half fire, and we proceeded with the scene.

However it doesn't seem right.

Opinions or is there something I am missing?

[Dave Justus]

Attacks that don't deal fire damage aren't effected by Protection from Energy (fire) whether or not the creature making them are made of flame or not. A fire elemental's slam attack deals regular damage, and would be subject to DR but not Fire resistance.

[James Risner]

Dave Justus wrote:

fire elemental's slam attack deals regular damage, and would be subject to DR but not Fire resistance.

+1

[Lifat]

RAW as far as I know states that the slam attack is regular bludgeoning damage unless specifically stated otherwise. It would indeed circumvent the protection from element.
Feel free to houserule it, but be aware that doing so will severely nerf the elementals.

[Weirdo]

You handled it correctly.

A fire elemental is not incorporeal. Therefore it has some kind of mass. This mass puts a force of impact into slam attacks - physical damage, not fire damage.