Resistances (Origins)

A Resistance is a character's ability to withstand or reduce the effects of an opponent's attack. There is a type of resistance for each type of damage in the game: Mental, Physical, Spell, and Elemental. The last is further divided into five types: Fire, Cold, Electric, Nature, and Spirit. Each point of resistance reduces the damage received from the corresponding type of attack by 1%. In some cases a target offsets some of the effects of an attack if it passes a check for that type of attack. Some abilities, skills, and items give bonuses or penalties to resistances.
== Resistance types ==
=== Elemental resistance ===
Elemental damage is subject to resistances, which certain enemies possess innately and characters gain through spells, talents, skills, or items. If a character has 10% resistance to fire, all the fire damage they take is reduced by 10%. Conversely, characters can become vulnerable to the elements, in which case they suffer increased elemental damage. The minimum possible elemental resistance is (attainable with hexes).
Some creatures are completely immune to a certain type of damage. When one of those creatures is attacked by that type of damage the label “Immune!” may appear over their heads, colored using the same scheme as damage text. This label is only displayed when the damage of that type exceeds a certain threshold —if you would have only inflicted a couple of points of fire damage anyway, the game doesn’t announce the resistance, in order to concentrate on communicating more vital information.
=== Spell resistance ===
Spell resistance is the chance to completely resist a hostile spell. Friendly fire spell effects are applied normally. Spell resistance only works against spells that can be casted by controllable characters (e.g. although Aura of Weakness and Miasma are technically the same spell/talent, only the latter may be resisted).
=== Physical resistance ===
For physical effects like being knocked to the ground or rooted in place, the game compares one of the attacker’s relevant attribute modifiers —strength for most talents and magic for most spells, although rogue-specific talents usually use cunning— to the defender’s physical resistance score. If the physical resistance score is higher, the status effect does not apply, or, in some cases, it's replaced by a less severe effect. Physical resistance is half of the total of the character’s strength, dexterity, and constitution modifiers.
=== Mental resistance ===
For mental effects like being put to sleep or stunned, the game compares one of the attacker’s relevant attribute modifiers —cunning for most talents and magic for most spells— to the defender’s mental resistance score. If the mental resistance score is higher, the status effect does not apply, or, in some cases, it's replaced by a less severe effect. Mental resistance is half of the total of the character’s willpower, magic, and cunning modifiers.
=== Summary table ===
The table below lists each type of resistance, the types of attack it counters, the formula used to calculate it, the maximum possible score, and some examples of the attacks it counters.
Type 	Type of attack countered 	Formula	Maximum score 	Examples
Mental 	Bard songs and mind-control spells.	(Willpower+Magic+Cunning-30)/2 
rounded up	
100 (150 in Awakening)	Captivating Song, Blood Control, Horror.
Physical 	Direct attacks on the body. 	(Strength+Dexterity+Constitution-30)/2 
rounded up	
100 (150 in Awakening)	Knockdown, Earthquake, Paralyze.
Spell 	Hostile magical spell attacks. 	 	100% 	Aura of Weakness, Miasma.
Elemental	
Attacks based on one of the five elements.	 	75% (85% in Awakening)	Fireball, Cone of Cold.
== Resistance checks ==
The following table includes a list of Talents and Spells and the relevant resistance check.
Tree 	Threat 	Type 	Resistance
Arcane 	Repulsion Field 	Spell 	Physical
Battlemage 	Hand of Winter 	Spell 	Physical
Blood Mage 	Blood Wound 	Spell 	Physical
Creation 	Glyph of Paralysis 	Spell 	Physical
Creation 	Glyph of Repulsion 	Spell 	Physical
Creation 	Grease 	Spell 	Physical
Entropy 	Mass Paralysis 	Spell 	Physical
Entropy 	Miasma 	Spell 	Physical
Entropy 	Paralyze 	Spell 	Physical
Entropy 	Weakness 	Spell 	Physical
Keeper 	Nature's Vengeance 	Spell 	Physical
Keeper 	Thornblades 	Spell 	Physical
Primal 	Blizzard 	Spell 	Physical
Primal 	Cone of Cold 	Spell 	Physical
Primal 	Earthquake 	Spell 	Physical
Primal 	Fireball 	Spell 	Physical
Primal 	Petrify 	Spell 	Physical
Archery 	Pinning Shot 	Talent	Physical
Champion 	War Cry upgraded with Superiority	Talent	Physical
Dog 	Charge 	Talent	Physical
Dual Weapon 	Cripple 	Talent	Physical
Dual Weapon 	Riposte 	Talent	Physical
Dual Weapon 	Punisher 	Talent	Physical
Duelist 	Upset Balance 	Talent	Physical
Guardian 	Aura of the Stalwart Defender 	Talent	Physical
Ranger 	Slam (Summoned Bear) 	Talent	Physical
Rogue 	Below the Belt 	Talent	Physical
Shale 	Earthen Grasp 	Talent	Physical
Shale 	Hurl Rock 	Talent	Physical
Shale 	Quake 	Talent	Physical
Shale 	Regenerating Burst 	Talent	Physical
Shale 	Rock Barrage 	Talent	Physical
Shapeshifter 	Slam (Bear Shape) 	Talent	Physical
Templar 	Holy Smite 	Talent	Physical (non-spellcasting targets)
Two-Handed 	Mighty Blow 	Talent	Physical
Two-Handed 	Pommel Strike 	Talent	Physical
Two-Handed 	Sunder Armor 	Talent	Physical
Two-Handed 	Sunder Arms 	Talent	Physical
Two-Handed 	Two-Handed Sweep 	Talent	Physical
Two-Handed 	Sweeping Strike 	Talent	Physical
Power of Blood 	Blood Fury 	Talent	Physical
Weapon and Shield	Overpower 	Talent	Physical
Weapon and Shield	Shield Bash 	Talent	Physical
Weapon and Shield	Shield Pummel 	Talent	Physical
Blood Mage 	Blood Control 	Spell 	Mental
Entropy 	Horror 	Spell 	Mental
Entropy 	Sleep 	Spell 	Mental
Entropy 	Waking Nightmare 	Spell 	Mental
Bard 	Distraction 	Talent	Mental
Bard 	Captivating Song 	Talent	Mental
Reaver 	Frightening Appearance 	Talent	Mental
Templar 	Holy Smite 	Talent	Mental (spellcasting targets)
Dog 	Growl 	Talent	Mental
Dog 	Dread Howl 	Talent	Mental
Ranger 	Howl (Summoned Wolf) 	Talent	Mental
Shale 	Bellow 	Talent	Mental
== Enemy resistances/weaknesses reference sheet ==
=== General types ===
Type 		 	 	 	 	Base
Demon 		0%	0%	 	0%	0%
Darkspawn 		0%	 	0%	0%	0%
High Dragon and Flemeth		0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
Undead 		 	 	0%	0%	0%
=== Bosses and subtypes ===
Type 	 	 	 	 	 	Base
Abomination 	0%	0%	 	0%	 	0%
Arcane Horror	0%	 	 	0%	0%	
Archdemon 	 	 	 	 	 	0%
Broodmother 	0%	0%	 	0%	0%	
Genlock 	0%	0%	0%	 	0%	
Hurlock 	0%	 	0%	 	0%	
Ogre 	0%	 	0%	 	0%	
Revenant 	0%	 	 	0%	0%	
Steel Golem 	0%	 	 	0%	 	
Stone golem 	 	 	 	0%	0%	
Wild Sylvan 	 	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
=== Shapeshifter forms ===
Type	 	 	 	 	 	Base
Bear 
(monster and Shapeshifter form)	0%	0%	 	0%	0%	0%
Flying Swarm 
(Shapeshifter form)	 	0%	0%	0%	0%	
Spider 
(monster and Shapeshifter form)	 	0%	 	0%	0%	0%
=== Enemy resistances and immunities analysis ===
*An obvious conclusion one can draw from this reference sheet and the immunity list is and are most rarely resisted types of elemental damage, with no enemies immune to them. Consider also the stamina draining effect from damage and the fact the most damaging spells and spell combinations in the game are -based (Mana Drain, Entropic Death, Virulent Walking Bomb, Blood Control). 
* is (a) most commonly resisted, (b) an unparalleled number of creatures are immune to it, and (c) not a single enemy in the game has a damage weakness.The Archdemon at the end of Origins is a notable exception to the general rule. While it does not have a "weakness" to damage as such, its resistances to all other forms of elemental damage are much higher (60% to and 75% to the others) than its resistance, which is only 25%. However this does not in itself justify altering character build strategies, as there are other ways to inflict damage that can be used for this one major fight. 
* damage is quite frequently resisted, but this is offset by the fact both Darkspawn and Undead type enemies have weaknesses to . 
* damage is also commonly resisted, but since -based spells also have the ability to Freeze and Slow targets, this is less of a problem (see Cone of Cold for more information). 
*It is also noteworthy that spell resistance is extremely rare, and even when present, its value is quite low, so certain spells/spell combinations (Paralysis Explosion, for example) are almost guaranteed to work under any conditions.
*On Casual difficulty, spell resistance is reduced by 10% (to a minimum of 0%) and on Nightmare it is increased by 5%. Additionally, on Hard and Nightmare difficulties all enemies gain 5% elemental resistance.
=== Global and specific resistances ===
Global resistances apply to their subtypes; however, bosses do not inherit resistances. An example is a genlock inheriting darkspawn global resistances, yet neither Archdemon nor Broodmother inherit darkspawn global resistances. The Archdemon does not inherit High Dragon resistances either.
== Items providing spell resistance ==
Other
* Greagoir's Shield: 
* Fade Shield: 
* Arcane Shield and Fade Shield: 
* Dwarven Resistance: 
* Spell Shield: 
* Dweomer weapon runes: 
== Notes ==
* Dwarves have in-game an extra 10% spell resistance, because they have developed a natural resistance to magic due to living close to lyrium.
* Note that some abilities (e.g. Dirty Fighting) are absent from the above list and are not subject to a physical resistance check. They are subject to immunities (i.e. stun, knockdown, etc.) however. This can be misleading because even if a creature/player is immune to a given effect, "Resisted" will still appear above the character when an immunity protects that player from a physical effect such as stun and knockdown.
Category:Dragon Age: Origins gameplay
Category:Game mechanics