I need a mini-tutorial on Spell Resistance and Magic Resistance

[Klorox]

1)What's the difference?
2)Do they stack?
3)Does either prevent beneficial spells?

[silverdragon72]

1)What's the difference?
2)Do they stack?
3)Does either prevent beneficial spells?

1) It's the same

2) Sometimes, e.g.:
- drow and sword -> yes
- sword and spells -> depends on spell
- spell and spell -> AFAIK no

3) no, but not sure about dispel magic on a party member

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[Crucis]

SIlverdragon, I think that there's actually a difference between Magic Resistance and Spell Resistance.

There are two different effect opcodes for the two. Magic Resistance's opcode calls it "Magic DAMAGE Resistance" and it's always listed in descriptions as x/-, similar to other elemental resistances (i.e. like Fire Res.) or weapon resistances (i.e. like Slashing or Piercing Res.). Magic (Damage) Resistance "merely" reduces the amount of damage taken in a magical damaging attack.

OTOH, Spell Resistance is always listed as SR x. And the purpose of SR is to give you a chance to ignore the spell's effects completely before worrying about damage. Think about the spell resistance that the Guardian Dragon has (or Drow have) that repels may lower level spells outright.

2)Do they stack?
3)Does either prevent beneficial spells?

2. SR and MR are different and won't stack with each other. Will SR's from different sources stack with each other? I don't really know for certain. Ditto for MR.

3. Also, don't know, but I hope not. It would suck if SR prevented a character from recieving a healing spell.

[silverdragon72]

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ok it's some years ago that I played IWD2 the last time, but I can't remember that there was any pure magic *damage* resistance, besides the different elemental resistances!

The very rare pure magic damage some weapons and spells do, has the big advantage, that almost nothing is immune to it!

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[Crucis]

Yeah, it's there. The actual effect is called "Magic Damage Resistance", but every time that an item has the effect, the description calls it Magic Resistance.



The rest of your comment brings up a gripe of mine in IWD2. There are plenty of items that have some sort of weapon or elemental resistance, but so little of it that it seems next to useless. PnP seems to give resistances in at least increments of 5 or 10, not 1 or 2. I mean, what good is 2/- Fire Resistance against a 10d6 fireball? Oooo, I take only 33 hp of fire damage (on average) instead of 35. I'm soooo impressed.

There's some later game mage cloak that gives 1/- Slashing, Piercing, Blunt resistance and costs something like ~36,000 gp. What's that going to protect you from? Pillow fights?


Whew. Rant over.

[silverdragon72]

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Don't remember any item that gives "Magic Damage Resistance" in IWD2, even if there is such an effect in D&D.

Maybe I can't remember cause the effect was that minor, that it was completly useless!

All good damage resístance effects in IWD2 I remember from spells or items are, based on one type of physical or elemental damage.


Edit: and I'm not even sure that this will help against any type of elemental magical damage!

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[Aerich]

My current party has a ring that gives 2/- Magic Damage Resistance. I'm wearing it for lack of anything better to wear (with that character) until I reach a shop that gives decent prices. It shows up as an anti-magic icon on the character portrait (the same icon that shows in the Ice Temple before you disable the anti-magic field), in contrast to spell resistance, which has no icon that I'm aware of.

[Crucis]

Aerich, from what I've seen during my item making over the past couple months is that MR and SR use the same portrait icon when needed.