[RPG] creature that is resistant or immune to damage from a non-magical source other than bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing

damage-resistancedamage-typesdnd-5eimmunitiesmonsters

Reading this question: Is there a distinction between magical damage and nonmagical damage?

I was wondering if there is a monster that is resistant or immune to damage from a non-magical source other than the common bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. For example, this monster might resist fire damage only coming from a non-magical source, so using a torch would not be as effective as hurling a fire bolt at it.

Is there an example of such a creature?

Any damage resistance or immunity will do. If there is precedent or lore from an earlier edition that a creature has such a resistance/immunity, I would also welcome that information.

Best Answer

There don't appear to be any official examples of this

You can filter a search on D&D Beyond for types of resistances/immunities and while you can filter for many very specific combinations of resistances/immunities, "nonmagical [damage type that is not BPS]" is not among them. Examples of some of the very specific filter combinations:

  • Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks while in Dim Light or Darkness
  • Piercing and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Adamantine
  • Piercing and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Silvered
  • Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

The only options for resistances/immunities for other damage types appear to be a blanket resistance that covers all sources of that type of damage not just nonmagical sources.

For example the air elemental has

Damage Resistances Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

emphasis mine

This means that air elemental has resistance to lighting and thunder damage regardless of if the source is magical or not. Note also that the air elemental had a very low CR. The type of resistance/immunity would be a weaker form of the normal version and the we'd actually expect to see it more in lower CR creatures if at all, yet we don't.

While the D&D Beyond search is not necessarily perfect (those these filter options do appear to be all-inclusive in my shakedown) and it is impossible to prove a negative, this backs up my experience. I have seen many many monster stat blocks and I have never seen an example like you are looking for.

Thus I can state with reasonable confidence that there is no such monster present in official material.