[...] Until the start of your next turn, you have a +5 bonus to AC, including against the triggering attack, and you take no damage from magic missile.
Absorb Elements states:
You have resistance to the triggering damage type until the start of your next turn.
Does that include the triggering damage?
I would guess so, because a) it seems kind of pointless to not include it, and b) Absorb Elements also states:
The spell captures some of the incoming energy, lessening its effect on you and storing it for your next melee attack.
Yes. Absorb Elements provides resistance to the damage of the triggering attack.
I think part of the reasoning for the different wording could be that the Shield spell can turn a hit into a miss while Absorb Elements just changes the amount of damage taken - so they emphasize that Shield works against the triggering attack that hit since it could change that hit into a miss.
[...] Until the start of your next turn, you have a +5 bonus to AC, including against the triggering attack, and you take no damage from magic missile.
Absorb Elements states:
You have resistance to the triggering damage type until the start of your next turn.
Does that include the triggering damage?
Boths spell explicitely say the include the triggering attack or damage so they surly do!
Absorb Elements refers to the “triggering damage TYPE” , so one could read that as “resistance to any subsequent damage of the same type as inflicted by the triggering effect”, but I’m definitely in the “resistance to the triggering episode is included” camp.
Absorb Element can only be used when you take when you take acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage, giving you resistance to the triggering damage type until the start of your next turn. So if the damage is part of an attack that dealt another damage type as well, you don't gain resistance to it, only to the element type referred above.
So say for exemple being damaged by an Azer's Warhammer attack before using Absorb Element, you'd only resist the fire damage, not the bludgeoning one.
Absorb Elements refers to the “triggering damage TYPE” , so one could read that as “resistance to any subsequent damage of the same type as inflicted by the triggering effect”, but I’m definitely in the “resistance to the triggering episode is included” camp.
I think the key thing with absorb elements is that the reaction trigger is when you take damage, which usually means before you actually remove the hit-points. So I think of this and similar effects like this as being a four stage process (skipping steps that don't apply):
Damage taken
Reaction(s) to damage taken
Apply resistances, immunities etc.
Remove hit-points
It's never really spelled out formally this way but there are rules that seem to suggest this is the way to do it:
Resistance and then vulnerability are applied after all other modifiers to damage.
So we know that reactions happen "instantly" in response to some trigger, and we know that there is some step between "taking damage" and it actually being removed from your hit-points (otherwise resistances etc. wouldn't actually work), and we know that these occur last during that "in between" stage.
This is how I arrive at the four steps I use above because in my mind there are two basic steps (take damage then reduce hit-points), so reactions to taking damage and resistances being applied must happen somewhere between those two, and since resistances are applied last it makes most sense for the reaction to occur first because it could include a modifier.
Feels like a lot of work to arrive at the way I think we all know the spell (and similar) are supposed to work, but that's what happens when they go with "idiomatic" (natural language) rules rather than being more structured and formal with keywords, explicit lists of steps etc.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
So as I understand it, if the sorcerer sends a scorching ray at you the spell absorbs half the damage. If the enemy wizard then sends a fireball down pitch before your next turn you automatically take half damage with a save to only take a quarter of the fireball damage.
i wonder if there is a tactic around teaming up with a party member to cast a low level fireball at a group of mobs to trigger an absorb spell then hit them with a high level cone of cold or similar if you are low in initiative. I doubt a big bad would burn legendary resistances like that but might work for a crowd of caster mooks.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Shield states:
Absorb Elements states:
Does that include the triggering damage?
I would guess so, because a) it seems kind of pointless to not include it, and b) Absorb Elements also states:
And flavor text means what it means.
Yes. Absorb Elements provides resistance to the damage of the triggering attack.
I think part of the reasoning for the different wording could be that the Shield spell can turn a hit into a miss while Absorb Elements just changes the amount of damage taken - so they emphasize that Shield works against the triggering attack that hit since it could change that hit into a miss.
Boths spell explicitely say the include the triggering attack or damage so they surly do!
Absorb Elements refers to the “triggering damage TYPE” , so one could read that as “resistance to any subsequent damage of the same type as inflicted by the triggering effect”, but I’m definitely in the “resistance to the triggering episode is included” camp.
Absorb Element can only be used when you take when you take acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage, giving you resistance to the triggering damage type until the start of your next turn. So if the damage is part of an attack that dealt another damage type as well, you don't gain resistance to it, only to the element type referred above.
So say for exemple being damaged by an Azer's Warhammer attack before using Absorb Element, you'd only resist the fire damage, not the bludgeoning one.
I think the key thing with absorb elements is that the reaction trigger is when you take damage, which usually means before you actually remove the hit-points. So I think of this and similar effects like this as being a four stage process (skipping steps that don't apply):
It's never really spelled out formally this way but there are rules that seem to suggest this is the way to do it:
Actions in Combat (Reactions):
Damage and Healing (Hit Points):
Damage and Healing (Damage Resistance and Vulnerability):
So we know that reactions happen "instantly" in response to some trigger, and we know that there is some step between "taking damage" and it actually being removed from your hit-points (otherwise resistances etc. wouldn't actually work), and we know that these occur last during that "in between" stage.
This is how I arrive at the four steps I use above because in my mind there are two basic steps (take damage then reduce hit-points), so reactions to taking damage and resistances being applied must happen somewhere between those two, and since resistances are applied last it makes most sense for the reaction to occur first because it could include a modifier.
Feels like a lot of work to arrive at the way I think we all know the spell (and similar) are supposed to work, but that's what happens when they go with "idiomatic" (natural language) rules rather than being more structured and formal with keywords, explicit lists of steps etc.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Short answer: yes, it effects the triggering damage.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
So as I understand it, if the sorcerer sends a scorching ray at you the spell absorbs half the damage. If the enemy wizard then sends a fireball down pitch before your next turn you automatically take half damage with a save to only take a quarter of the fireball damage.
i wonder if there is a tactic around teaming up with a party member to cast a low level fireball at a group of mobs to trigger an absorb spell then hit them with a high level cone of cold or similar if you are low in initiative. I doubt a big bad would burn legendary resistances like that but might work for a crowd of caster mooks.