|
I am playing a quarterstaff fighter in a core campaign. What options do I have to bypass DR? I created the character after reading the line: "However, you can build a double weapon with each head made of a different special material." thinking I could make one head of the quarterstaff mithril and the other cold iron (or adamantine). However, reading other posts here, sounds like it is not legal to make a quarterstaff out of anything but wood. Any suggestions for how I have this character damage monsters that have DR silver/cold iron/adamantine/slashing/piercing/etc (other than carry around a second weapon)?
I hate to spend all my hard-earned gp enhancing a quarterstaff that ultimately, won't hurt many monsters.
Thanks!
Regional Venture-Coordinator, Baltic
|
Oil of Bless Weapon is very nice. Most monsters you'll run into will have DR/Good or DR/magic, and this will take care of both of those.
You will need something to slash zombies with, and something cold iron for unseelie, so get a cold iron sickle as a backup weapon.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Oil of Bless Weapon is very nice. Most monsters you'll run into will have DR/Good or DR/magic, and this will take care of both of those.
...if they are evil.
Suggestions:
DR/good: oil of bless weapon as mentioned above.
DR/magic: Get a few vials of oil of magic weapon until you get around to enchanting your weapon. Consider getting a couple scrolls of it too and asking a spellcaster buddy to use them on your weapon if need be. (scrolls are cheaper than oils).
DR/silver: Silversheen works. It is 250 gp for 1 hour.
DR/cold iron: Sorry, you need a second weapon.
DR/slashing or piercing: Again, you need another weapon.
DR/— or hardness: Power Attack.
I created the character after reading the line: "However, you can build a double weapon with each head made of a different special material." thinking I could make one head of the quarterstaff mithril and the other cold iron (or adamantine). However, reading other posts here, sounds like it is not legal to make a quarterstaff out of anything but wood.
Goodness. I've not seen those arguments, and I admit I'm at a loss as to why I couldn't bash someone's brains out with a six foot length of rebar.
It was not only acceptable, but traditional, to "shoe" quarterstaves with metal both to make them more effective in combat and more durable as walking-sticks.
[Snæbjørn] knew that the judge felt hostile to him and expected a harsh sentence, but he came to court nonetheless. He had a good iron-shod staff with him. [...] Snæbjørn [...] swings his staff above his head, and means to strike the judge down cold, but the judge throws himself aside and down onto the bailiff's lap. The staff struck the bailiff in the head, so that he dropped down dead. Then a cry went up to grab Snæbjørn because he had killed the bailiff, but Snæbjørn took to his hells at once and fled.
Oil of versatile weapon will allow you to penetrate: DR/bludgeoning, cold iron, piercing, silver, or slashing.
|
Goodness. I've not seen those arguments, and I admit I'm at a loss as to why I couldn't bash someone's brains out with a six foot length of rebar.It was not only acceptable, but traditional, to "shoe" quarterstaves with metal both to make them more effective in combat and more durable as walking-sticks.
In the core rule book a quarterstaff is a 5 foot piece of wood. No mention is made of metal. A club on the other hand ".. a shaped piece of wood, sometimes with a few nails or studs embedded in it."
could be made cold iron, silver etc based on the studs or nails - I would think.
or perhaps you could use a spear and just call it your staff
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
|
Neat concept! My take on this would be to use the options mentioned above if needed, but not worry about it too much.
Before level 6, if you face DR, you're typically going to encounter DR 5, and maybe, very rarely, DR 10. And given that you're a fighter, two handing your quarter staff I presume, DR 5 is a hiccup rather than a speed bump. At level 4 power attack almost negates it entirely. And in the higher levels, power attack and fighter damage bonuses (weapon training, specialization) will counteract DR when it raises it's nasty head.
So nab the various oils and backup weapons if you'd like, but don't worry too much.
|
|
There is an adamantine quarterstaff in a chronicle sheet, but I'm not sure if that is very helpful.
Good luck out there.
|
|
Neat concept! My take on this would be to use the options mentioned above if needed, but not worry about it too much.
Before level 6, if you face DR, you're typically going to encounter DR 5, and maybe, very rarely, DR 10. And given that you're a fighter, two handing your quarter staff I presume, DR 5 is a hiccup rather than a speed bump. At level 4 power attack almost negates it entirely. And in the higher levels, power attack and fighter damage bonuses (weapon training, specialization) will counteract DR when it raises it's nasty head.
So nab the various oils and backup weapons if you'd like, but don't worry too much.
Walter's right. Once you have weapon specialization (level 4) and weapon training (level 5), you'll actually do more damage with your specialized weapon tagainst DR 5 than you will by trading to another one you don't have the bonuses in. (I calculated this out on my two weapon fighter with a light weapon and no Power Attack. If you can two hand the weapon and have Power Attack, you'll be fine.)
But I am still a big fan of Bless Weapon, if for no other reason than the auto-confirm on critical threats.
|
|
I suspect that hardness and incoporeal will be the killing things more than DR at the lower levels (except gargoyles) - you rarely have more than DR 5 below 6th level, but hardness 10 is not uncommon there.
Bless Weapon helps on incorporeal cretures though -
the lack of ghost salt is going to hurt quite a lot.
the lack of adamantine durable arrows or weapon blanches is going to hurt, but a little less
And hopefully you don't meet the things that are incorporeal and DR 5/-
|
|
I can count those incorporeal encounters where the enemy actually has enough hp for ghost salt to be needed with just by rising my fingers up. And I ain't using thumbs. Of those, 3 or 4 are actually challenging and not just endurance tests. And at least 2 of those exist only in the high 7-11 tier(greater shadows + a nighthag = disgusting, 6 animate dreams? absolutely disgusting!).
Invisible enemies, now those truly need the correct tools.
|
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
|
I don't know... ran into a 200+ HP incorporeal creature the other day. Without ghost salt ammunition, we'd have been in trouble. It was at 10-11, granted.
Just re-read the scenario in question. You're correct. It has 202 HP in the 10-11 subtier.
|
|
I don't know... ran into a 200+ HP incorporeal creature the other day. Without ghost salt ammunition, we'd have been in trouble. It was at 10-11, granted.** spoiler omitted **
The creature's tactics also didn't seem to be to all out murder us, or things could have been worse much quicker. I'm likely running the scenario Friday, so I'm looking forward to reading more about how that encounter is supposed to be handled. To be honest, though, it was the encounter before that that nearly killed two of us, and it had nothing to do with incorporeal creatures.
