About magic and elemental resistance

Masterteo

How does it works?

For example : my level 24 monk has 92 of magic resistance (thanks to a few items and his natural resistance that increase of 3 points per level).

With 92 magic resistance for example my monk avoided to be hit by a Abi-Dazim, that is nice.

But so, what is the meaning of Magic Damage, that i have set to 50?

I have an idea, but i would like know if i am right :


Magic, cold, fire, etc etc resistance = the higher it is, less often magic, fire, cold, etc etc will deal damage to you. Meaning spells won't hit you, or if for example a enemy has a sword with cold damage bonus, the cold damage is reduced to zero.

Magic, cold, fire, etc etc Damage resistance = if one of this attack manage to hit you, this absorb part of it?

Example : If Magic Damage Resistance = 25, it means that 25% of the damage is absorbed and so my monk will suffer only 75% of it?

Yannir

"or if for example a enemy has a sword with cold damage bonus, the cold damage is reduced to zero."

I think you need cold resistance for this one. Depends on if the sword does cold dmg or magical cold dmg. Which the game doesnt tell you really.

I got my monk to go 105% MR before it capped, and didnt worry about a thing after that. Until I got Imprisoned by a demi-lich.

Lord_Tansheron

Magic Resistance X = X% chance to completely avoid a spell. This includes damage spells (any element), as well as spells that have other negative effects (Fear, Stun, Confusion, etc.). It does not affect beneficial spells.

Magic Damage Resistance X = Reduces magic damage by X% (i.e. things that say "magic damage" like Magic Missile, Horrid Wilting, etc.; but NOT spells that deal other kinds of damage e.g. Fireball, Ice Storm etc.)

Note that some spells ignore magic resistance (Dragon's Breath for example) but afaik they can still be stopped by elemental resistance (e.g. Fire Resistance against Dragon's Breath).

Masterteo

Yannir said:

"or if for example a enemy has a sword with cold damage bonus, the cold damage is reduced to zero."

I think you need cold resistance for this one. Depends on if the sword does cold dmg or magical cold dmg. Which the game doesnt tell you really.

I got my monk to go 105% MR before it capped, and didnt worry about a thing after that. Until I got Imprisoned by a demi-lich.

Eh, i know. Inprisonment is the worst spell of the game. It breaks romances and can't be saved. This means that it's a cheap way to bring you to game over. A simple imprisonment on your PC char, and you are done.

Also, freedom is a 9th level spell and there are not many scrolls of it around BG2 : this means that before Underdark if you get imprisoned you are done. Get used to have a character imprisoned for a lot of time.


What's the difference betwheen cold and magical cold damage?

Yannir

Okay, Im gonna switch the damage type from cold to fire since there are more examples of it. It works the same way on all elemental types anyway.

Magic fire is basically what comes out of spells or magic items like Fireball, Fire Storm or the Flame Tongue longsword, whereas natural fire may be a Firkraag's breath weapon or being hit by a fire elemental or giant. Not exactly sure about magic weapons, if the dmg is magical or not, might be different from weapon to weapon. Somebody want to clarify this?

Technically this dividing doesnt matter most of the time, fire resistance will block both types but magic resistance will only block the magical type. It's the same with magical damage resistance. Certain spells, as @Lord_Tansheron pointed out will bypass MR by producing natural fire, like Dragon's Breath, Comet or Implosion.

Masterteo

So Yannir are you saing that Fire, cold, magic , etc etc resistance is better than Fire, cold, magic , etc etc Damage resistance?

Or am i getting this wrong?

Yannir

You can't really bunch magic with the rest of them but otherwise I'd say with elements it's always a reduction, not a chance to evade all damage.

If you have 100% magic damage resistance, you are still vulnerable to stuns and other stuff that magic does. With plain MR, you are protected from those as well. This doesnt include stuns from other sources like Mind Flayer psionic attacks or a dragon's Wing Buffet.

On the previous comment, I was working under the assumption that the resi is 100%.

Masterteo

I understand. Thank you

lunar

Let's have an example. You have %92 magic resistance, %50 fire resistance, and %0 magic damage resistance.

You are hit by a hold person. You have %92 chance to be completely unaffected, it will say magic resistance and spell can't touch you at all. If it touches you, which is the remaining %8 chance of happening, you will be affected normally:get a saving throw or held for x rounds.

You are hit by a fireball. You have %92 chance to be completely unaffected, it will say magic resistance and spell can't touch you at all. On %8 chance you are hit by the fireball:you will get a save for half as usual, and your fire resistance will block half of the total damage done. Say if it normally does 30 damage you will take 15.

A red dragon breathes fire on you. It ignores magic resistance. You are automaticaly affected. You get a save for half damage and your fire resistance will cut the damage in half. Instead of 80, you take 40 damage.

You are hit by a horrid wilting. You have a %92 chance to completely avoid the spell as usual. On the %8 chance it hits you and you get a save for half, however you don't have any magic damage resistance so you take full damage.

You are hit by imprisonment=game over. No magic resistance, no saving throw.

Masterteo

Well Lunar this was very, very useful. Thank you

elminster

Yannir said:

Okay, Im gonna switch the damage type from cold to fire since there are more examples of it. It works the same way on all elemental types anyway.

Magic fire is basically what comes out of spells or magic items like Fireball, Fire Storm or the Flame Tongue longsword, whereas natural fire may be a Firkraag's breath weapon or being hit by a fire elemental or giant. Not exactly sure about magic weapons, if the dmg is magical or not, might be different from weapon to weapon. Somebody want to clarify this?

Technically this dividing doesnt matter most of the time, fire resistance will block both types but magic resistance will only block the magical type. It's the same with magical damage resistance. Certain spells, as @Lord_Tansheron pointed out will bypass MR by producing natural fire, like Dragon's Breath, Comet or Implosion.

Outside of mods all fire spells just do fire damage (not magic fire damage).

lunar

elminster said:

Yannir said:

Okay, Im gonna switch the damage type from cold to fire since there are more examples of it. It works the same way on all elemental types anyway.

Magic fire is basically what comes out of spells or magic items like Fireball, Fire Storm or the Flame Tongue longsword, whereas natural fire may be a Firkraag's breath weapon or being hit by a fire elemental or giant. Not exactly sure about magic weapons, if the dmg is magical or not, might be different from weapon to weapon. Somebody want to clarify this?

Technically this dividing doesnt matter most of the time, fire resistance will block both types but magic resistance will only block the magical type. It's the same with magical damage resistance. Certain spells, as @Lord_Tansheron pointed out will bypass MR by producing natural fire, like Dragon's Breath, Comet or Implosion.

Outside of mods all fire spells just do fire damage (not magic fire damage).

Aye, because any magic fire damage that kills a creature causes a crash=game does not know which animation to play. Thus, game designers never use the magic fire danage subtype. It is a leftover, unused feature from an ancient bg1 build, perhaps.

TJ_Hooker

elminster said:

Outside of mods all fire spells just do fire damage (not magic fire damage).

Same thing goes for (magical) cold damage.

http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/comment/287036/#Comment_287036

Yannir

Thank you for the clarification. I might have been remembering NWN Aurora Toolset, and got the dmg types from there.