
Arcus |
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Do abilities that allow you to ignore a certain amount of hardness reduce the hardness by that amount? Or do they only ignore the hardness if the amount you ignore is greater than the object you are damaging?
For example, the Stonelord's stone strike ability ignores 2 hardness per level. If I am level one and strike a wooden door (hardness 5) can I use the ability to reduce the hardness by 2? Or does the ability do nothing to a wooden door until I am level 3 and can ignore 6 hardness?

Melkiador |

It depends on how you read it. At the other end of the power spectrum, we have this other logical interpretation of the rule.
Stonestrike (Su): Once per day per paladin level, a stonelord can draw upon the power of the living rock. As a swift action, she treats her melee attacks until the beginning of her next turn (whether armed or unarmed) as magical and adamantine, including ignoring hardness up to twice her paladin level, with a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls, as well as on combat maneuver checks. This bonus also applies to her CMD if she or her target is touching the ground or a stone structure. This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter. This ability replaces smite evil.
Note that "including" doesn't mean "instead". So, if the Stonelord treats her melee attack as adamantine, that means she ignores hardness up to 20 "including" hardness up to twice her level.

Blindmage |

It depends on how you read it. At the other end of the power spectrum, we have this other logical interpretation of the rule.
Quote:Stonestrike (Su): Once per day per paladin level, a stonelord can draw upon the power of the living rock. As a swift action, she treats her melee attacks until the beginning of her next turn (whether armed or unarmed) as magical and adamantine, including ignoring hardness up to twice her paladin level, with a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls, as well as on combat maneuver checks. This bonus also applies to her CMD if she or her target is touching the ground or a stone structure. This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter. This ability replaces smite evil.Note that "including" doesn't mean "instead". So, if the Stonelord treats her melee attack as adamantine, that means she ignores hardness up to 20 "including" hardness up to twice her level.
Well, I guess that means past 10th lvl, you can really wreck things, as you'd be ingnoring hardness 40 or less at 20th, which would include most magic items, even with hardening and such I think.

Melkiador |

Well, I guess that means past 10th lvl, you can really wreck things, as you'd be ingnoring hardness 40 or less at 20th, which would include most magic items, even with hardening and such I think.
And that's assuming that "including" doesn't carry the implication that they stack. If you do assume stacking, that'd be ignoring hardness up to 60, at level 20.
For example, if an ability gave me +5 to damage, "including" +1 for every character level, would you assume that those bonuses stack?

Blindmage |

They shouldn't stack, adamantine ignores hardness 20 or less, and has no notations about the effect stacking, so it would fall under the same effect of different strengths thing, they'd overlap, which is pretty cool.
Pre 11th, it could still be handy, I can't see a reason yet, but I'm sure there is one. Unless it counts as adamantine solely for DR, not the material effects, which are replicated in increasing strength as the character levels.

Cevah |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |

It depends on how you read it. At the other end of the power spectrum, we have this other logical interpretation of the rule.
Quote:Stonestrike (Su): Once per day per paladin level, a stonelord can draw upon the power of the living rock. As a swift action, she treats her melee attacks until the beginning of her next turn (whether armed or unarmed) as magical and adamantine, including ignoring hardness up to twice her paladin level, with a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls, as well as on combat maneuver checks. This bonus also applies to her CMD if she or her target is touching the ground or a stone structure. This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter. This ability replaces smite evil.Note that "including" doesn't mean "instead". So, if the Stonelord treats her melee attack as adamantine, that means she ignores hardness up to 20 "including" hardness up to twice her level.
Nope. This is what it does:
It can bypass DR #/MagicIt can bypass DR #/Adamantine
and it can bypass DR <2*Level>/<any>.
Something with hardness 20 that is not Adamantine, like a +5 Sword*, is not bypassed until they reach 10th level.
/cevah
Weapon or Shield .. Hardness .. Hit Points
Light metal-hafted weapon .. 10 .. 10
Smashing an Object
Magic Armor, Shields, and Weapons: Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to the hardness of armor, a weapon, or a shield, and +10 to the item's hit points.
+5 Sword = 5*2(magic) + 10(Metal) = 20 hardness

Melkiador |

Nowhere in the text is DR mentioned, so it's not only treated as adamantine for DR. If you think the treated as adamantine is only for DR purposes, you are making that up. Are you also going to tell me that the the treated as magical only applies to DR and doesn't allow you a chance to damage ghosts?

Lab_Rat |
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Nope. This is what it does:
It can bypass DR #/Magic
It can bypass DR #/Adamantine
and it can bypass DR <2*Level>/<any>.Something with hardness 20 that is not Adamantine, like a +5 Sword*, is not bypassed until they reach 10th level.
/cevah
** spoiler omitted **
Not exactly. DR and Hardness are two completely seperate mechanisms. DR is for creatures, Hardness is for objects. The stone lord ability allows you to bypass DR /magic and /admanatine (creatures. NOT objects made of adamantine) as you said. However, it does not allow you to bypass DR/<any>.
It allows you to ignore Hardness equal or less than your level*2. So at lvl 10 you can ignore the hardness of adamantine objects or a steel +5 sword. At lvl 15 you can ignore the hardness of a +5 adamantine weapon. Very powerful ability for a sunderbot.

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Do abilities that allow you to ignore a certain amount of hardness reduce the hardness by that amount? Or do they only ignore the hardness if the amount you ignore is greater than the object you are damaging?
For example, the Stonelord's stone strike ability ignores 2 hardness per level. If I am level one and strike a wooden door (hardness 5) can I use the ability to reduce the hardness by 2? Or does the ability do nothing to a wooden door until I am level 3 and can ignore 6 hardness?
Depends how it's worded. Some abilities ignore hardess and others ignore hardness if it is less than a certain number. The First group ignores that amount of hardness, and is then subject to the rest (if any). The second group is all or nothing.
So an adamantine weapon ignores hardness 20 or less. So if the target is hardess 22 (like a +1 adamantine weapon would be), then the adamantine property has no effect.
I have played with people that consider the adamantine to just subtract 20 hardness, which I don't think is correct, but be warned to expect table variation with different GMs. A kind/generous GM will likely rule in favor of the players, rather than the actual rules, especially if the players are unusually stuck on a certain NPC with hardness.