Magical Damages

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How can we save from damages of the following types:
1. Negative Energy
2. Divine
3. Magical
Protection against elemental damages like fire etc. is quite clear as we get lot of spells and protection items. However, how can those protections stack. Bonuses from 10/- fire resistance from a helm and 20/- fire resistance from armor don't stack and my max. damage absorption remains 20/- only. My questions are:
1. If I wear a armor of 20/- fire resistance and use spell energy buffer (40/- resistance to all elemental damage), will the total bonuses stack to 60/- against fire?
2. If I choose the epic energy resistance (fire 10/-) feat + wear armor providing 20/- fire resistance, will the bonuses stack to 30/-?

 

Bonuses to elemental damage resistance don't stack. The highest one applies (no matter if one comes from armor and the other from spell). Although I am not sure about the epic resistance, I assume is treated in the same way.

You can save versus some negative energy effects (based on fortitude, generally) but others have no save (for example, you cannot save vs the effects of the priest spell Harm). I think same holds for divine damage (it's a will save, though) But again, depends on the spell used (I think you can save against damage from Hammer of the Gods, but is possible there are spells with no saves).

 

Hmm... So essentially elemental protection rings are almost useless for most spellcasters.
And it is better to have feats chosen to compliment your gear. So if you are wearing ring of elemental resistance, it is better to choose feats like lightning reflexes. Instead, if your chosen feats are resistance to energy, better wear a ring that improves saving throws.

 

Well, I would not say that elemental protection rings are useless. Even with a mage, I typically rely on such a ring for usual protection, and use spells like energy buffer just for big battles.

As about feats: I would think that stuff like resistance to energy is pretty useless. What, you need to spend like five feats to get 50% resistance to a single type of damage? Not so good. Feats like lightning reflexes might be more useful, depending on the build (especially if you have the rogue evasion feat, which lets you shrug off all damage on a succesfull save).

IMHO, for a spell caster better feats are those who increase the spell-casting power; like spell focus and spell penetration (and of course, maximize spell).

 

HotU has magical items that provide some specific protections from divine and negative damage. Spell resistance is your best bet against magical damage.

 

If you're a pure spellcaster, you have no time to spend for elemental resistance rings or epic resistance feats. Find yourself the best Rings of Clear Thought to increase your spells per day and DC of all your spells. If you're a wizard that is

There are plenty of feats that augment, as khaavern said, spellcasting prowess. You cant run out of them. Spell&greater spell focus on evocation, necromancy and perhaps illusion and Enchantment. The two spell penetration feats. Maximised spell is also a must at about lvl9 or more.
That's why i like wizards more than sorcerers, they have 4 feats more by lvl20 and a far wider selection of options than simple bombardment after another.

 

Huh? I remember that in HotU the greater amulets of health provide some protection to negative energy effects (like level drain) but not to stuff like horrid wilting (you can use Shadow Shield for that). I don't remember any item providing protection for divine damage, though (not that you have great need of that).

I would still wear a ring of power (with 15/- resistance to all forms of elemental damage) plus some other nifty bonuses, rather than a Ring of Clear Thought. Especially in the epic levels, since if I remember correctly, you cannot get more than +12 to your intelligence, and you need only one ring for that (assuming you also wear the headband of intelect). Also, the tough enemies you face there have typically such high modifiers, that there is small chance of a failed save.

 

The amulet of health is pretty useful when being attacked by monsters that do poison, disease, or ability score drain. Protection from Evil is useful for avoiding mind affecting spells. The sash of shimmering is good for a bit of spell resistance, as is the ring of magic defence (which unfortunately does not appear to stack with the sash).

 

The crown of thorns protects against divine, negative, positive and sonic (10/-). There is also a shield that I think gives some of those protections, though I can't recall what it is called or its stats. I think you get it after killing the gatekeeper in the puzzlers' lair.

The crystal of undeath protects against negative energy (20/-, I think).

The ring of power doesn't protect against acid, but there is a different ring that does protect agaisnt all four elemental types of damage ("Ring of Elemental Resistance"?)

 

There is a clerical spell called Negative Energy Protection which makes you immune to negative energy, including Harm. There is a mage spell called Shadow Shield which makes you immune to Negative Energy and Horrid Wilting as well as Death Magic.

There isn't a spell to protect you from positive (or holy) energy, though there are a few items in the OC and HOTU that do, I think.

There really isn't any spell to grant you immunity or resistance to magical energy, only something like Spell Mantle, which would protect you from Magic Missile, e.g., so long as the Mantle stays up.