# Sonic Damage?



## Datt (Apr 29, 2003)

Is there a weapon enchantment that does +1d6 Sonic damage on each hit?  I mean you have Shock for Electricity, Flaming for Fire, Frost for cold, etc.  But what about Sonic damamge?  I can't seem to find anything in the DMG or Arms and Equipment guide.  I know they have Thundering which deals +1d8 on a critical and deafens, but I want something that deals it on each hit.  Is there anything like that?


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## kreynolds (Apr 29, 2003)

Screaming, +1, Magic of Faerun.


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## Datt (Apr 29, 2003)

Thank you sir!  I don't have that book so I didn't look there.


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## kreynolds (Apr 29, 2003)

No problem.


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## Taloras (Apr 29, 2003)

Its probably not in the DMG, because most things dont have sonic resistance.  its a lot less common than the rest.


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## Murrdox (Apr 29, 2003)

That's one extremely loud weapon.


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## Datt (Apr 29, 2003)

Can someone give me the pre-reqs for Screaming?  I won't be able to game for a month, stupid prior comitments, and am having to do some things over e-mail and need to know who to ask to have this done.

Thanks!


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## Kae'Yoss (Apr 29, 2003)

Prereqs: The usual plus shout or sound burst.

You can easily house rule so that there's a normal and a burst version for every element



			
				Murrdox said:
			
		

> *That's one extremely loud weapon.  *




Yea, the main disadvantage is that you don't score sonic damage in a silenced area.

But I like that part of it: My cleric of solonor has a sonic bow, and with each hit, the arrow cries out like a hawk.

My bladesinger had screaming on the weapon, so the sword just joined in my bladesong.

A little flavor never hurts.


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## Sejs (Apr 29, 2003)

Dancing Screaming Unholy Spiked Chain?

why it's the moaning of tortured souls!


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## Maitre Du Donjon (Apr 30, 2003)

KaeYoss said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Yea, the main disadvantage is that you don't score sonic damage in a silenced area.
> 
> *




From Magic of Faerun:

"Screaming weapons do inflict this bonus damage within a _silence_ spell"

Maitre D


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## Hypersmurf (Apr 30, 2003)

> *"Screaming weapons do inflict this bonus damage within a silence spell"*




!?

It's not Sonic damage then, is it?

-Hyp.


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## Maitre Du Donjon (Apr 30, 2003)

Where has it been clarified that _silence_ blocks sonic damage? I remember vaguely some discussions about this, but I don't remember if it was officialized or not...

If _silence_ does block sonic damage, and a screaming weapon's bonus damage isnt blocked by _silence_, then, by logical deduction, the damage done by a screaming weapon isnt really sonic damage, or a special version of it... (the definition of "Screaming" states that it is sonic damage, tho).

Maitre D

Edit: bluhflblblbl. Its right there in the _silence_ description. nm. So Screaming weapons use a _special_ from of Sonic damage?


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## Hypersmurf (Apr 30, 2003)

> *Edit: bluhflblblbl. Its right there in the silence description. nm. So Screaming weapons use a special from of Sonic damage? *




Annoyingly, it's not in the SRD version of _Silence_.

But I find it annoying that Screaming bypasses that drawback of Sonic damage.  That's like saying "The weapon deals 1d6 Fire damage, but affects creatures immune to fire".

It's not really in the spirit of Fire damage any more, is it?

-Hyp.


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## Maitre Du Donjon (Apr 30, 2003)

Quite a conundrum.

Since the SRD is the most recent version, could we assume that it doesn't block sonic damage anymore? My PHB is a 1st edition, so it might have been corrected afterwards. I haven't checked the FAQ yet.

Hehe i searched altavista with +"sonic damage" +silence and i'm quite surprised to have gotten 8 pages of hits. I'm not inclined in going through these pages in the vague hopes of finding an answer...

maitre D


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## Hypersmurf (Apr 30, 2003)

> *Since the SRD is the most recent version...*




[shudder]

The PHB _always_ trumps the SRD.  We're playing D&D.

-Hyp.


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## Maitre Du Donjon (Apr 30, 2003)

So, unless specifically stated, _silence_ blocks sonic damage. Screaming weapons are an exception. Lets make it the exception that confirms the rule.

Maitre D


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## LokiDR (Apr 30, 2003)

Hypersmurf said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Annoyingly, it's not in the SRD version of Silence.
> 
> ...




No, it is like saying a flaming weapon deals fire damage underwater.  This makes sense if you have ever seen a magnesium flare.  Likewise, the vibration from the weapon is dampend out of hearing range, but are still damaging to those in very close proximity to it.

Or it might just be FR and therefore broken


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## Norfleet (Apr 30, 2003)

Silence and sound is always a strange one.

Sound, for instance, is caused by compression waves in the medium, such as air, or water. In short, sound is the effect of the MOTION of the medium.

So, what does "silence" do? Does it suppress any such motion, thus making it impossible for a character to breathe, since this also requires the air to move? Does it suppress the ability of characters to perceive this motion, meaning that the sound would be audible outside the affected area? What happens if a nuclear explosion occurs within a silenced area? Will the shockwave, propagate through the silenced area, inflicting the damage, but also creating a sound, or will the effect be like detonating a nuke in vacuum, where the energy simply remains as hard radiation and EMP?

It's easy enough to ignore this, dismissing it as "it's magic", until sonic damage comes up. The best option for consistency would be "sonic damage doesn't work either", eliminating the pseudo-science effects.

Silence is a very messy.


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## Hypersmurf (Apr 30, 2003)

> *The best option for consistency would be "sonic damage doesn't work either", eliminating the pseudo-science effects.*




Especially when you consider the line "This spell provides a defence against sonic attacks."

-Hyp.


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## Mali (Apr 30, 2003)

The way that it is written in MOF is that it is not so much a screaming wave of sound but rather a sub-sonic effect, rather like a vibro-blade effect (in star wars). Thus as it is not really the sound component that does the damage, but the high frequency vibrations that the weapon hits you with. Which would mean that it does not get affected by a silence spell.


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## Mali (Apr 30, 2003)

Whoops double post


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