If a character has immunity to Piercing damage and gets hit by a vampire does the rest of the vampire damage (necrotic/ hp lowering ) take effect? feels like if they can't pierce the skin they shouldn't be able to do the.. yucky life drainage part.
i accept this but gosh do i think it doesnt make sense and just seems comical like.. strahd unable to actually pierce the skin just gnawing away my hp with his yucky mouth.
i accept this but gosh do i think it doesnt make sense and just seems comical like.. strahd unable to actually pierce the skin just gnawing away my hp with his yucky mouth.
Thats fair, but its unlikely a PC will have any way to be immune to piercing damage (at least in the levels that you would be expected to fight someone like Strahd)
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Id also argue that there is more to an attack like that then just piercing the skin. It is a magical, or mundane, syphon if ones life. Just because something pierces the skin, doesn't mean it does damage. Think of a syringe or something. It could also be something that is caused just by proximity to the mouth. Something aerosolized or transferred via saliva.
As others have said, DM able to do whatever they want but I can certainly see a situation where a vampire attempts to pierce the skin, is unable to do so, and proceeds to use their magic to drain the blood from their opponent via some sort of forced osmosis through the skin and pores.
i accept this but gosh do i think it doesnt make sense and just seems comical like.. strahd unable to actually pierce the skin just gnawing away my hp with his yucky mouth.
Instead of biting and piercing the skin directly, he just turns his head sharply and slashes with the teeth :) ... obtains the same effect.
RAW, there is no need to pierce the skin. The piercing and necrotic damage are not dependent on each other or on the vampire actually interacting with the creatures blood.
You could think of it as the teeth providing the channel for the life draining ability rather than the actual extraction of blood. Though the vampire likely finds the blood more satisfying :)
Immunity to piercing damage doesn’t necessarily mean a creature has impenetrable skin. It can also mean piercing wounds just instantly heal. The point is not that a creature can’t be pierced; it’s just that the piercing can’t do damage.
Agreed. I picture non-magical swords piercing a werewolf and the wound closing as the sword is withdrawn from the wound. Hurting the werewolf and making ti angry, but not doing any damage.
This is common and typical - look at poisons. I think *every* poison in the monster manual is contact, not injury - certainly every one I've read poisons on hit, even if the target is immune to the weapon's damage, so no injury occurred. It's very rare for 5E to have effects actually trigger on injury - the only examples I can think are the injury poisons in the DMG, but I think I've seen one or two other cases.
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If a character has immunity to Piercing damage and gets hit by a vampire does the rest of the vampire damage (necrotic/ hp lowering ) take effect?
feels like if they can't pierce the skin they shouldn't be able to do the.. yucky life drainage part.
i accept this but gosh do i think it doesnt make sense and just seems comical like.. strahd unable to actually pierce the skin just gnawing away my hp with his yucky mouth.
Thats fair, but its unlikely a PC will have any way to be immune to piercing damage (at least in the levels that you would be expected to fight someone like Strahd)
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Id also argue that there is more to an attack like that then just piercing the skin. It is a magical, or mundane, syphon if ones life. Just because something pierces the skin, doesn't mean it does damage. Think of a syringe or something. It could also be something that is caused just by proximity to the mouth. Something aerosolized or transferred via saliva.
As others have said, DM able to do whatever they want but I can certainly see a situation where a vampire attempts to pierce the skin, is unable to do so, and proceeds to use their magic to drain the blood from their opponent via some sort of forced osmosis through the skin and pores.
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Instead of biting and piercing the skin directly, he just turns his head sharply and slashes with the teeth :) ... obtains the same effect.
RAW, there is no need to pierce the skin. The piercing and necrotic damage are not dependent on each other or on the vampire actually interacting with the creatures blood.
You could think of it as the teeth providing the channel for the life draining ability rather than the actual extraction of blood. Though the vampire likely finds the blood more satisfying :)
Immunity to piercing damage doesn’t necessarily mean a creature has impenetrable skin. It can also mean piercing wounds just instantly heal. The point is not that a creature can’t be pierced; it’s just that the piercing can’t do damage.
Agreed. I picture non-magical swords piercing a werewolf and the wound closing as the sword is withdrawn from the wound. Hurting the werewolf and making ti angry, but not doing any damage.
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This is common and typical - look at poisons. I think *every* poison in the monster manual is contact, not injury - certainly every one I've read poisons on hit, even if the target is immune to the weapon's damage, so no injury occurred. It's very rare for 5E to have effects actually trigger on injury - the only examples I can think are the injury poisons in the DMG, but I think I've seen one or two other cases.