Many different types of damage show up in combat and environmental interactions in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition. Knowing how each of these types of damage affects a player’s character and how they can be counteracted is crucial to surviving some of the harsher and more intricate battles in the game.
So, what are the types of damage in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition? Thirteen damage types can occur in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. These types consist of ten forms of power-based or elemental damage and three forms of weapon-based damage, which are:
- Acid
- Bludgeoning
- Cold
- Fire
- Force
- Lightning
- Necrotic
- Poison
- Psychic
- Radiant
- Thunder
- Slashing
- Piercing
Damage (and resistance to or reduction of damage) in Dungeons and Dragons makes up a significant role in how combat plays out in the game. Read on to find out more about how damage types work in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.
Damage Types in Dungeons and Dragons
The following are the types of damage that are present in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition. Knowing how damage can potentially affect your character not just in the current turn but in the following turns can help you plan for more complicated, protracted battles.
- Acid: Acid is a corrosive damage type that can be found in creatures, dark magic, and certain chemicals. Acid damage inflicts two types of damage—an instant form of damage, and damage that occurs over type as it eats away (corrosive). Corrosive effects can be inflicted on both characters and objects, such as weapons or armor.
- Bludgeoning: Bludgeoning is a weapon-based smashing damage type that is used for environmental exploration as well as attacking with blunt weapons such as maces, clubs, or hammers. For example, a barbarian can use his club to bludgeon a locked chest or smash a goblin’s skull, depending on party necessity.
- Cold: Cold damage can cause a variety of afflictions such as Frostbite, Frost Burn, Freezing,
and Hypothermia. Frostbite can also lead to the loss of appendages, such as fingers, toes, noses, and ears. Cold usually does additional damage to fire-based enemies. - Fire: Fire damage both inflicts direct physical damage and can also inflict a Burning effect. This can cause damage in subsequent rounds of combat or character disfigurement (or both). Fire is often used as an environmental trap and can also be used by dragons. Fire usually does additional damage to ice-based enemies.
- Force: Force damage is a telekinetic damage type that is used to manipulate the position of enemies on the field. This is often used as a defensive spell to ward off enemies while the party retreats.
- Lightning: Lighting is a form of elemental damage that can lead to physical (electrical) damage, paralysis, heart damage, or damage to the nervous system.
- Necrotic: Necrotic is a death magic damage type that either drains the life force from the opponent or simply kills them. This is a form of cumulative damage that is accrued with each turn in combat, ultimately leading to the afflicted character’s demise.
- Poison: Beasts can inflict a poisoned status effect on a character by biting them, but poison is also used by rogues as an accessory to enhance combat. Poison can cause a variety of effects such as paralysis or may cause a player to take additional damage each round until an antidote is taken.
- Psychic: The rules to the psychic damage type are loose, which means it is easy for the DM
to use psychic damage in many ways depending on the scenarios presented by
the campaign.
- Radiant: Radiant is a holy damage type that is used by clerics and paladins to inflict blinding, burning, stunning, or charming effects. Holy damage usually deals additional damage to undead or unholy enemy types.
- Thunder: Thunder is a sound-based damage type that can either be used as a distraction in battle or to stun enemies. Thunder is more commonly used as a method of battlefield manipulation than a direct attack type, though it can deal concussive damage.
- Slashing: Slashing is a weapon-based damage type that is caused by blades such as swords and daggers. Along with a direct physical attack, slashing can also cause a bleeding effect that causes additional damage with each subsequent turn following the injury.
- Piercing: Piercing is a weapon-based damage type caused by sharp objects such as pikes, rapiers, or arrows. Piercing weapons are sometimes able to penetrate armor that bladed or blunt weapons cannot penetrate.
Sometimes an enemy’s damage types, resistances, and vulnerabilities are evident at the beginning of combat, and sometimes they must be discovered in the course of the campaign. Either way, knowing what kind of damage type your enemy is capable of can give you a leg up in defeating them later down the road.
Why Are There Different Types of Damage?
A player who is new to Dungeons and Dragons may question why there are so many different damage types in the game. Here are a few reasons why having many different types of damage benefits the game:
- Provides enemy (as well as player) strengths and weaknesses: The reduced damage stats that result from a player’s resistance to a particular damage type may be the difference between victory or defeat in a campaign, and elemental weaknesses of the enemy can be used against them if they’re known.
- Adds complexity to combat and the magic system: While the game would be much easier to learn if it had a more straightforward combat system, the many damage types in Dungeons and Dragons give nuance to the battle system that arguably makes the game more appealing and exciting to new players and veteran players alike.
- Enhances weapon and loot stats: Getting a sword from a treasure chest is cool but getting
a sword from a treasure chest that also deals additional poison or elemental damage is
even cooler. - To allow for environmental damage: Having different damage types used in traps or environments that can be used by the dungeon master (DM) helps to make the campaign interaction more exciting or challenging.
Overall, different damage types make the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons a fun game to dabble in, but a harder game to master. The fact that there are so many different damage types also encourages players to roll characters who can wield a wide array of damage types for maximum effectiveness in combat and environmental challenges.
Does Damage Type Matter?
Damage types matter because of a few other factors that are dependent on them:
- Damage reduction
- Damage resistance
- Damage vulnerability
If a player character or enemy is resistant to a specific damage type and is hit with that damage type, the amount of damage that they will take as a result is reduced. Damage resistance can be incremental up to the point of immunity. Several types of damage have lasting effects that will do damage throughout several rounds during combat.
Along with resistance to damage types, player characters and enemies can also suffer from vulnerabilities to damage types. This means that in combat, they’ll take additional damage on top of the base damage they’d take if they weren’t vulnerable.
Damage Types Add Spice to Combat and Dungeons
In Dungeons and Dragons, having many different damage types can give the game a somewhat steep learning curve. Still, the game also rewards that learning curve by providing an in-depth system for roleplaying and character development.
From picking up a sword that deals a rare damage type to figuring out an enemy’s damage vulnerabilities, damage types add quite a bit of excitement and strategy to the overall D&D experience.
Until next time,
May your game have advantage, my friends!
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