Multiple Damage Reductions

[Dorax Windsmith]

I have a question about how Damage Reduction is recognized in Layo.  Say you have two items that give damage Reduction:

1) Robes that give DR +4/10 soak
2) Belt that gives DR 5/- slashing

Then you cast Greater Stoneskin which gives DR 20/+5 but is used up at the rate of 10 points per caster level (up to 20).

How is the reduction calculated?  Soak first?  What if you had more than one item that gave soak but the second was +5/5 soak, would both items be applied?

What about a character that had Epic Damage Reduction 3/-?

Basically, what is the order of DR being applied and is there a limit to how many items/feats/spells get applied?

[Aerimor]

Damage reduction - NWNWiki, the Neverwinter Nights Wiki - your guide to the game of NWN

[s0ulz]

You confuse damage resistance and damage reduction. They perform the same function, but in completely different manners.

For damage mitigation you have damage immunity, damage resistance and damage reduction. Immunity is percentile based and cannot be bypassed, resistance is fixed amount and cannot be bypassed and finally reduction is fixed number with enhancement threshold that allows it to be overcome (exception is feat based reduction that can be /-).

The three mitigation methods overlap and are applied in the abovementioned order. All three methods also stack with oneanother and within it's class the highest is applied. There are exceptions such as feat based reduction stacking with item reduction, but the rule is that within the categories of x/- and x/+y reduction, only the highest applies.

[jadewillow]

What about the related question. How useful is DR in Layo? How high does it need to be? For example, are +5 weapons/claws common in Layo?

[Stephen_Zuckerman]

Coming just from a player perspective - and not one who's ever really made it high up in the levels - ALL kinds of DR are useful.

However... Remember that any creature with DR, can bypass DR of that quality (the /+x part of the stat) with their natural weapons. Also, a lot of high-CR bad guys have high bonus weaponry, to let them hit more often without adding additional actual levels to the bad guy.

And the concept of bypassing DR is also a factor.

So... To answer your question directly, yes, on the top end.

[miltonyorkcastle]

The nwnwiki explains it, but it's here too: [LORE]Damage Reduction[/LORE] and [LORE]Damage Resistance[/LORE]

[jrizz]

What about the related question. How useful is DR in Layo? How high does it need to be? For example, are +5 weapons/claws common in Layo?

After about 25th level the stuff you face that is level appropriate will for the most part bypass the +5.

[s0ulz]

What about the related question. How useful is DR in Layo? How high does it need to be? For example, are +5 weapons/claws common in Layo?

Considering that Fenrir is built around damage mitigation, I can tell you that it is a very good thing to build around, but like with anything else, only if y ou get over a threshold. As I mentioned before, immunity and resistance cannot be overcome, so those come as a priority. Prefer items with the highest threshold of immunity/resistance as these help the most.

Reduction from items is generally useless because of the relative availability of Stoneskin. Fenrir barely made past the point where Stoneskin was useless to him, so most other characters will benefit from the spell much more than Damage Reduction. Usually though considering the character level you get specific reduction values, opposing foes already overcome it, hence why it is generally useless.

Building for mitigation is a huge commitment and unless you go for it all the way (full Barbarian or Dwarven Defender) you should only stack immunity and resistance and beg for Stoneskin. That'll get you enough mitigation for a reasonable cost.