Sneak Attacks and Armor Damage Reduction

Click on the Sneak Attacks link for details.

Minimum Damage After DR

DR in Iron Heroes (whatever the source) can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0. Whenever damage reduction from any source completely negates the damage from an attack, it also negates most special effects that accompany the attack, such as injury type poison, injury type disease. Any ability or effect that specifically relies on 'dealing damage' is also negated. Damage reduction does not negate touch attacks, energy damage dealt along with an attack, or energy drains. Nor does it affect poisons or diseases delivered by inhalation, ingestion, or contact.

Using d20 Monsters with DR in an Iron Heroes Game

Q: How does d20 DR convert to Iron Heroes DR?

The monster’s DR is the same in Iron Heroes as it was in d20. It still has DR 15/lawful, DR 5/cold iron, DR 5/slashing, or whatever other DR its d20 stat block might show. Iron Heroes PCs have to hit these creatures extra hard: it’s quite literally that simple.

Dms also need to use their judgment about what their group can handle. Mastering Iron Heroes and the Bestiary both have advice about this.

Q: What happens if a monster that already has DR wears armor that grants DR?

They get both sets of DR. Monsters with natural DR and armor are very hard to hurt in IH. They are a lot easier to hit than in D20 though (since they have no Defense bonus for their armor) which makes Attack Challenges and Power Attacking them much easier.

Q: How does DR from armor stack with other DRs?

Example: werewolf in fullplate. 5/silver and 1d8/magic. If they stack completely, do they combine in a simple, strong way (1d8+5/silver and magic), in a simple, weak way (1d8+5/silver or magic), or in a complex way (1d8 against silver non-magic weapons, 5 against magic non-silver weapons, 1d8+5 against non-silver non-magic weapons)?

The 'complex' way (1d8 against silver non-magic weapons, 5 against magic non-silver weapons, 1d8+5 against non-silver non-magic weapons).

Q: In general, is a monster with DR 15 too tough for Iron Heroes rules? Should monsters with DR that is a multiple of 5 be "toned down" for Iron Heroes rules, and if so, how much?

DR 15 certainly doesn’t make you immune to damage from an Iron Heroes party. A 3rd level Executioner with the City Rat trait can easily do 1d12+3+3d6 damage per attack when flanking (average 21), while a power attacking mighty build 3rd level Berserker probably does 3d6+12 (average 22.5).

Not that I am saying you should throw DR 15 encounters at a 3rd level party, but I wanted to illustrate how even they could dish out the pain!

In one of my playtest games, I used a Babau. They have DR 10/magic and a corrosive slime on their bodies that dissolves any weapon that touches them. The (7th level) PCs killed it, and its CR 9 and CR 6 companions, without losing any of their number.

What’s an appropriate DR to use in your game will vary according to how combat effective your PCs builds are, what level they are, whether they have magic at their disposal (via an arcanist), and the general tone and style of play you enjoy ... but the DR rules themselves are utterly unchanged between d20 and Iron Heroes.