What Damage Are Tarrasques Immune To? A Comprehensive Guide

The Tarrasque, a legendary behemoth of destruction in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, is renowned for its incredible resilience and terrifying power. Understanding what types of damage it can shrug off is crucial for any adventurer daring enough to face this monster. This article provides a detailed breakdown of the Tarrasque’s damage immunities, followed by a comprehensive set of FAQs to further illuminate this formidable creature.

Tarrasque Damage Immunities: The Definitive List

The Tarrasque boasts an impressive array of damage immunities, making it a truly challenging foe. Here’s a breakdown of the damage types it can simply ignore:

• Fire Damage: The Tarrasque is completely immune to any form of fire damage, whether it be from a spell, a dragon’s breath, or a blazing inferno.

• Poison Damage: Similarly, the Tarrasque is immune to any and all poisons. This means no venom, toxin, or poisonous gas can harm this gargantuan beast.

• Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing Damage from Nonmagical Attacks: This is a key immunity to remember. Normal weapons – those that are not enchanted or imbued with magic – are useless against the Tarrasque. Swords, axes, arrows, clubs; all simply bounce off or fail to penetrate its thick hide. This immunity forces adventurers to rely on magical weaponry and spells.

• Specific Conditions and Effects: Beyond simple damage types, the Tarrasque is immune to specific conditions and effects:

  • Incurable or Bleeding Wounds: Effects that inflict persistent or incurable wounds, like mummy rot, a wounding special ability on a weapon, or a clay golem’s cursed wound ability, are ineffective against a Tarrasque. These effects rely on the capacity to damage it permanently or cause persistent effects which the Tarrasque is specifically protected against.

• Spell Attacks and Line Effects: Certain versions of the Tarrasque have a specific immunity, functionally making it impervious to a large set of spells. These spells include any that require an attack roll to hit (such as some ranged spells), or those that are line spells, and include magic missile and even eldritch blast. These immunities, where relevant, make using standard damaging spells ineffective.

In summary, the Tarrasque’s impressive array of damage immunities emphasizes its status as a peak-level challenge. To even hope to damage the beast, adventurers must rely on magical attacks and carefully strategize, while understanding the limitation of its immunity to certain spell effects.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tarrasque Immunities

To further clarify the Tarrasque’s defenses and dispel common misconceptions, here are 15 frequently asked questions, providing an even deeper understanding of its damage and spell resistances.

1. Is the Tarrasque immune to fall damage?

No, the Tarrasque is not immune to fall damage. While it is immune to various types of attacks, fall damage is not categorized as an attack. Therefore, a Tarrasque plummeting from a great height will indeed take damage.

2. Are all nonmagical attacks ineffective against a Tarrasque?

Yes, the Tarrasque is immune to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from all nonmagical attacks. Only magical weapons and spells can effectively harm it with these damage types.

3. Does the Tarrasque have any saving throw proficiencies?

Yes, the Tarrasque has proficiency in Constitution and Wisdom saving throws. It lacks proficiency in Dexterity saves, making it potentially more vulnerable to spells or effects that target Dexterity.

4. Can I use the Polymorph spell on a Tarrasque?

No, you cannot use the Polymorph spell on a Tarrasque. Polymorph allows you to turn a creature into another creature with a CR (Challenge Rating) equal to or less than the target’s CR. The Tarrasque has a CR of 30, and player characters cannot reach levels (and thus CRs) beyond 20 making this an impossibility.

5. Can a Tarrasque be put to sleep?

While attempts can be made to put it to sleep, they are considered temporary and fleeting. The Tarrasque is intrinsically tied to the world, making permanent sleep effects impossible. It can only be kept “asleep” within the core of the world.

6. Can a Druid turn into a Tarrasque using Wild Shape?

No, a Druid cannot turn into a Tarrasque using Wild Shape. The maximum CR a druid can change into is tied to their class level. The Tarrasque’s CR far exceeds the maximum allowed by Wild Shape or even the higher-level spell Shapechange.

7. What spells are ineffective against a Tarrasque?

Certain versions of the Tarrasque have specific resistances to spells, making it resistant or immune to those requiring an attack roll, line effects, and magic missile, and other spells.

8. Is the Tarrasque’s immunity to nonmagical weapons unique?

While many high-level monsters have resistances or immunities to nonmagical damage, the Tarrasque’s complete immunity is particularly notable and emphasizes its formidable nature.

9. How can you reliably damage a Tarrasque?

To reliably damage a Tarrasque, you must use magical weapons and spells that inflict damage it is not immune to. This might mean utilizing spells that target its saving throws and dealing damage types other than fire, poison, or physical non-magical damage.

10. Are there any conditions that can bypass the Tarrasque’s immunities?

No conditions or effects that bypass the Tarrasque’s immunities are known, beyond those that allow damage types it is not explicitly immune to or exploiting saving throw failures.

11. Does the Tarrasque’s carapace grant any immunities?

In some previous editions, the Tarrasque’s carapace offered further immunities. In most editions, its carapace is part of the explanation of why its defenses are so high but does not directly grant any extra immunities.

12. Does the Tarrasque have any weaknesses?

The Tarrasque is incredibly difficult to beat, but it does have the disadvantage of having a movement speed of 40 feet. Thus, if you can keep your distance using ranged magic, bows, or other methods, it can prove very difficult for the Tarrasque to close.

13. Does the Tarrasque need to breathe?

Yes, the Tarrasque needs to breathe. However, it can survive for a significant period (1 minute) without air, demonstrating incredible endurance.

14. How can you defeat a Tarrasque?

While exceedingly difficult, defeating a Tarrasque is possible, mainly through overwhelming firepower or strategic tactics. As the article points out, if you fly above it and shoot it with arrows you can deal consistent damage over time, and it can’t retaliate against the attack, though hitting it reliably is very difficult.

15. Is the Tarrasque considered immortal?

For all intents and purposes, the Tarrasque is considered practically immortal. It is incredibly difficult to truly “kill” it. The best one can hope for is to put it back to sleep within the earth’s core, though it will likely awaken once again.

Conclusion

The Tarrasque’s vast array of damage immunities makes it one of the most formidable opponents in D&D. Understanding these immunities, and knowing how they interact with various spells, weapons, and effects, is essential for any adventurer hoping to face this monstrous creature and live to tell the tale. By mastering this knowledge, adventurers stand a slightly better chance at surviving an encounter with this legendary beast.