Double Slice with different damage types

[SuperParkourio]

Double Slice says I combine the damage of both Strikes and only apply resistances and weaknesses once? How does this work if the two Strikes deal different damage types?

I could use a battleaxe in one hand and a club in the other. If the monster has resistance 5 to slashing and resistance 2 to bludgeoning, what happens? Do the different damage types mean I have to reduce one by 5 then the other by 2? Do I just not worry about which attack does which type, so I just apply the biggest resistance?

[Ruzza]

I imagine there would be some table variation on this one as the answer isn't exactly clearcut. However, here is how I view it.

Double Slice would essentially count as both damage types (in this case, slashing and bludgeoning), however I would definitely say that only the largest resistance applies, especially when you consider:

Player Core pg 408 wrote:

If you have more than one type of resistance that would apply to the same instance of damage, use only the highest applicable resistance value, as described in weakness.

[Bob Hope]

So if we imagine before resistances, you have 6 slashing and 5 bludgeoning damage. Those are combined into a single instance of damage, but each type will have the highest resistance applied. So in this case, the slashing is reduced by 5 (leaving 1) and the bludgeoning is reduced by 2 (leaving 3) and the creature takes 4 damage.

If that creature casts Mountain Resilience, they'll have 5 resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. For the bludgeoning resistance, we'll use this higher value instead of the 2. That means the same attack that did 6 slashing and 5 bludgeoning will only end up doing 1 point of damage.

This is a little strange, because it makes the warhammer a much better option when overcoming resistances (or a piercing weapon with a piercing shield boss). Doing 6+5 bludgeoning would mean only the 2 bludgeoning resistance is applied, and the creature would take 9 damage (or 6 damage if they had the Mountain Resilience).

There was a sample play session with some of the designers, and this is how they dealt with resistances to multiple damage types. It's also covered in the Resistance rule section where they talk about resistance to all damage.

The way I think about this mechanic is that your damage is put in different bins based on damage type, and each bin is drained according to the resistance. Then the bins are combined and applied.

Edit: Here's a better source.

[Squiggit]

Bob Hope wrote:

So if we imagine before resistances, you have 6 slashing and 5 bludgeoning damage. Those are combined into a single instance of damage, but each type will have the highest resistance applied.

Doesn't that contradict this line from the Resistance rules?

Quote:

If you have more than one type of resistance that would apply to the same instance of damage, use only the highest applicable resistance value, as described in weakness.

Double slice specifically combines the values for the purposes of damage resistance and weakness... so applying resistance separately contradicts that whole feature.

[shroudb]

The way I interpret that rule about using highest resistance on one instance is like this:

Let's say that a creature has somehow resistance to something like Silver and a different resistance vs Slashing.

If you attack with a silver longsword, you can't separate the damage. You can't say "this part is silver damage and this part is slashing damage". The damage is simultaneously both silver and slashing.

That's where that rule gets used. That's when you use highest between silver and slashing.

But if instead of a silver sword you had a flaming sword vs resist fire and slashing, then there are 2 different instances
You can easily discern that this, 1d6 is fire and this, 1d8, is slashing.

---

In the case of double slice though, you specifically combine the damage into 1 instance for resistances.

So instead of 1d6 slashing and 1d6 piercing, you get 2d6 slashing and piercing, the same way that it is for "silver and slashing"

[lordcirth]

I believe a Double Slice with slashing and piercing would be treated the same as a single strike with a slashing flaming weapon; you combine them into one attack, but they are still separate damage types.

[Nelzy]

I Agree with Lordcith take here, you just combine them into a single attack for damage purpose. and do the same thing you always would do.

[shroudb]

lordcirth wrote:

I believe a Double Slice with slashing and piercing would be treated the same as a single strike with a slashing flaming weapon; you combine them into one attack, but they are still separate damage types.

Nelzy wrote:

I Agree with Lordcith take here, you just combine them into a single attack for damage purpose. and do the same thing you always would do.

Double Slice:

Quote:

Combine the damage from both Strikes and apply resistances and weaknesses only once.

To me that reads that you do NOT do "the same thing". Since "the same thing" is NOT to combine the damage, but count each seperate damage instance seperately.

Or to put it elsewise, what you say as "combine them as a single attack for DAMAGE purposes", means that you do combine the damage, not that you seperate the damage into two different damage types/instances.

But, as always, it would be much appreciated if for once we got a clarification from Paizo of what a "damage instance" even is...