Undead Immunities.

[Dr_Hazard89]

Undead immunities are not protecting vs psionics and also some negative energy damages such as traps.

[Lorkas]

Undead aren't immune to negative energy. It's only the spells that deal negative energy (the "Inflict ____ wounds" spells and a few others) that heal undead with negative energy. The rest, like negative essences, deal damage to undead normally unless the specific creature has DI or DR to negative energy.

Psionic blasts that apply stun should be prevented by mind immunity, though some of the damaging blasts might get through. Were you stunned by one?

[Dr_Hazard89]

Not stunned, but did take damage as magical damage.

edit: Would it help the issue if undead were given DI to negative, and psionic damage had a will save involved?

[Cortex]

Vampire is already super strong, and you want more buffs?

[Lorkas]

Vampires and other undead are not supposed to have immunity to negative energy damage. Negative energy in and of itself doesn't heal undead any more than positive energy in and of itself heals living things. Yes, negative energy can be specially channeled to heal undead, and yes, positive energy can be specially channeled to heal the living, but negative energy can also be used to damage undead and positive energy can also be used to damage the living. If you want to argue for negative energy immunity for the undead due to lore, it probably also means making every living character immune to positive energy damage, or giving vampires 100% damage vulnerability to positive energy.

Psionic damage blasts should get through (they're hitting you with kinetic energy, not affecting your mind). Psionic stun blasts are all that should be blocked by mind immunity.

[Rwby]

I'm not sure that's strictly true, Lorkas.

My unstanding is excessive posative energy is in fact, VERY bad for living things. Over healing is a thing, a fatal sort of thing.

By contrast, on the plane of negative energy, undead be chillin'. The Plane of Negative energy. Where everything is infinate energy forever. This suggests they do have a total immunity to it.

Meanwhile, the plane of posative energy is _not_ a safe space for living things.

[Lorkas]

That's true, I guess.

I'd rather the setting treated them as equal and opposite forces of life and anti-life, but it's definitely true that DnD has that assymetry built in.

It is definitely true that positive effects that damage living things typically deal double damage to undead in PnP though. See Bolt of Glory (fluff) (crunch), for example. For balance and lore-consistency purposes, if damage immunity to negative energy is implemented for vampires, then some amount of positive damage vulnerability should also.

That would make Hellball deal less damage to them, but Greater Ruin deal more. It would make negative energy essences pointless against them, but it would make positive energy essences more valuable.

It would be important I suppose to find a way to exempt the Cure ____ wounds spells, heal, and mass heal from that, since they already deal damage.

[Dr_Hazard89]

Vampire is already super strong, and you want more buffs?

No, this thread is not about mechanical balance. It's a big game and I didn't think it unlikely that some things were overlooked, especially when it comes to new modifications to the game. Vampires are super awesome, powerful and most of all fun as they are.

Psionic damage blasts should get through (they're hitting you with kinetic energy, not affecting your mind). Psionic stun blasts are all that should be blocked by mind immunity.

Oh, okay. That makes sense! I was imagining psionic powers causing one hell of a head-ache, rather than a kinetic sort of punch. That's cool.

Vampires and other undead are not supposed to have immunity to negative energy damage.

I thought otherwise, but I can't actually find anything to support it. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond, anyway.

That's true, I guess.

I'd rather the setting treated them as equal and opposite forces of life and anti-life, but it's definitely true that DnD has that assymetry built in.

It is definitely true that positive effects that damage living things typically deal double damage to undead in PnP though. See Bolt of Glory (fluff) (crunch), for example. For balance and lore-consistency purposes, if damage immunity to negative energy is implemented for vampires, then some amount of positive damage vulnerability should also.

That would make Hellball deal less damage to them, but Greater Ruin deal more. It would make negative energy essences pointless against them, but it would make positive energy essences more valuable.

It would be important I suppose to find a way to exempt the Cure ____ wounds spells, heal, and mass heal from that, since they already deal damage.

That sounds pretty awesome. My ignorant bug report turned into more of a suggestion/discussion