Does anyone know a few monster, beasts or creatures that have an ability that allows them to bypass one or more resistances?
I know I can create non-player characters for my adventures with abilities similar to players to achieve this goal but I was hoping there were some natural options as well.
Ignoring resistance is not a common mechanic in D&D and the only example I know if of the top of my head is the Elemental Adept feat.
In general the way to bypass damage resistance is to do a different type of damage. Damage resistance only applies to specific types of damage and give no benefit against other damage types.
If I may ask, why are you looking to bypass damage resistance? If we know what the problem you are trying to solve is we might be able to come up with other/better solutions.
I am looking for a unique way to get past Barbarian Resistances without constantly exploiting it via Psychic damage. If I can find Monsters that naturally can ignore say poison resistance or something then it gives me more options.
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
Many options for disabling the Barbarian so they don't attack and take no damage.
There's also something to be said for treating this as a question of DM style rather than a technical question in the rules forum. We are more focused on the "how" than on the "why" and that is why I think the best answer may have already been given.
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
Many options for disabling the Barbarian so they don't attack and take no damage.
There's also something to be said for treating this as a question of DM style rather than a technical question in the rules forum. We are more focused on the "how" than on the "why" and that is why I think the best answer may have already been given.
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
Many options for disabling the Barbarian so they don't attack and take no damage.
Yeah, I also recommend this over specifically creating something to invalidate player agency.
Smart creatures will figure out the damage resistance in an attack or two (Doesn't have to be its own). Depending on its nature it may double down on attacks or avoid entirely.
An organization (or just a smart boss with a few minions) might spy and/or try different strategies to figure out weaknesses.
I don't recommend looking for ways to disable Rage based on metagame. Monsters don't know that it ends early if the Barbarian didn’t attack or taken damage since its last turn.
I don't recommend looking for ways to disable Rage based on metagame. Monsters don't know that it ends early if the Barbarian didn’t attack or taken damage since its last turn.
Most Monsters are not intelligent, but there are those that could just flee (flying, climbing or whatever) and a few some that are actually inteligent (if not much) and try a different aproach (grapple is useless in this edition, but there are strange creatures with disabling abilities)... OP could look for different creatures to throw a curveball once in a while (not invalidating player agency or choice.. but making them think on their feet)
Another choice is what you said first: Just pile on a ton of beasts/monsters on the lonely barbarian... eventually you will outdamage him. This happened in a recent game... but it was mostly a bad party decisions in combat, that let the bear totem barbarian become trapped with 8 baddies against him while the rest kept shooting from afar... we won, but the barbarian went uncouncious and barely made his death saves (he did his job of being a tank... but there could have been other choices to divide the damage or control the monsters we didnt do).
The barbarian in one of my campaign is half-orc, so dropping it to 0 HP is even harder as it remains at 1 HP thanks to Relentless Endurance or Relentless Rage ☺
Using a Monk’s Stunning Strike ability to shut down Rage is not bypassing the ability. Or Hold Person. Or outside of movement range.
As long as the intent is not “persecuting” the character, rather a valid tactic an intelligent enemy would use.
Good point. Rather than throwing monsters that outright ignore the barbarian's abilities, think about how regular, intelligent monsters will try to bypass it using their utilities.
Does anyone know a few monster, beasts or creatures that have an ability that allows them to bypass one or more resistances?
I know I can create non-player characters for my adventures with abilities similar to players to achieve this goal but I was hoping there were some natural options as well.
Ignoring resistance is not a common mechanic in D&D and the only example I know if of the top of my head is the Elemental Adept feat.
In general the way to bypass damage resistance is to do a different type of damage. Damage resistance only applies to specific types of damage and give no benefit against other damage types.
If I may ask, why are you looking to bypass damage resistance? If we know what the problem you are trying to solve is we might be able to come up with other/better solutions.
I am looking for a unique way to get past Barbarian Resistances without constantly exploiting it via Psychic damage. If I can find Monsters that naturally can ignore say poison resistance or something then it gives me more options.
The Bear Totem Spirit feature is hard to counter for most monsters unless the DM homebrew or houserule. They're meant to be tough like that!
Ok, Custom creates coming up.
Many options for disabling the Barbarian so they don't attack and take no damage.
I'd heavily warn against searching for ways to bypass player character abilities. It completely invalidates the player's choice.
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Using a Monk’s Stunning Strike ability to shut down Rage is not bypassing the ability. Or Hold Person. Or outside of movement range.
As long as the intent is not “persecuting” the character, rather a valid tactic an intelligent enemy would use.
There's also something to be said for treating this as a question of DM style rather than a technical question in the rules forum. We are more focused on the "how" than on the "why" and that is why I think the best answer may have already been given.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Also, if a character only take half damage from attacks, a way to increase damage it may takes is to attack it even more.
Yeah, I also recommend this over specifically creating something to invalidate player agency.
Smart creatures will figure out the damage resistance in an attack or two (Doesn't have to be its own). Depending on its nature it may double down on attacks or avoid entirely.
An organization (or just a smart boss with a few minions) might spy and/or try different strategies to figure out weaknesses.
I don't recommend looking for ways to disable Rage based on metagame. Monsters don't know that it ends early if the Barbarian didn’t attack or taken damage since its last turn.
Most Monsters are not intelligent, but there are those that could just flee (flying, climbing or whatever) and a few some that are actually inteligent (if not much) and try a different aproach (grapple is useless in this edition, but there are strange creatures with disabling abilities)... OP could look for different creatures to throw a curveball once in a while (not invalidating player agency or choice.. but making them think on their feet)
Another choice is what you said first: Just pile on a ton of beasts/monsters on the lonely barbarian... eventually you will outdamage him. This happened in a recent game... but it was mostly a bad party decisions in combat, that let the bear totem barbarian become trapped with 8 baddies against him while the rest kept shooting from afar... we won, but the barbarian went uncouncious and barely made his death saves (he did his job of being a tank... but there could have been other choices to divide the damage or control the monsters we didnt do).
The barbarian in one of my campaign is half-orc, so dropping it to 0 HP is even harder as it remains at 1 HP thanks to Relentless Endurance or Relentless Rage ☺
Good point. Rather than throwing monsters that outright ignore the barbarian's abilities, think about how regular, intelligent monsters will try to bypass it using their utilities.
[REDACTED]
Another that i know is the Dark Gift: Touch of Death letting you ignore resistance to necrotic damage.