Are DMG effects allowed to be negative and have a damage type?

[Minty23185Fresh]

An effect of DMG: -2 is shown on the 5E Effects Wiki Page (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/5E_Effects) in the Specific DMG Magic Item Examples table under the Defender entry. When I use it in the Combat Tracker with a damage type a cryptic message is thrown to the GM's chat window.

The screen shot below is that of the GM's chat window and Combat Tracker. The PC, Jimmy, rolled a damage d8 against an Orc with the effect DMG: -2 and things worked out okay. The second roll is with the effect DMG: -2, fire. Note the error message circled in red in the chat.

As near as I can tell, in both cases the appropriate damage is applied to the Orc, the second effect, with a damage type produces the message.

If carefully scrutinized, one can ascertain that for DMG: -2 without a damage type, the -2 value is "rolled into" the slashing damage of the long sword. If the DMG: -2 has the additional damage type (different than slashing) then there is an additional [TYPE fire (-2=-2)] clause displayed in the chat and that produces the error. This can be verified by tracking it down in the code.

In actuality, is a negative damage really a valid value anyway? With or without a damage type. Isn't DMG: -2 equivalent to HEAL: 2 ?

15019

[El Condoro]

Did you try DMG: -2 fire (no comma between -2 and fire)? I haven't tried it but there is usually no comma unless there are multiple damage types.

Edit: Just tried, no change. I think DMG is meant to pick up the damage type of the weapon used so no need for the 'fire'.

[Zacchaeus]

Yes, El Condoro is correct in this instance. A damage effect can be a number of different things but in your example it is simply a penalty to the damage which is being inflicted from the weapon being used. So it's back to your earlier problem of multiple damage types applying to a single weapon - it can't be done. FG simply expects that the DMG: -2 will reduce whatever damage is being inflicted by the NPCs weapon.

DMG: can also take on a type of its own where for example the damage is being caused by a spell rather than by a weapon. In that case you can have DMG: 3d6, fire. DMG: can also accept a keyword to test for range or melee DMG: 1d6, melee.

As a simple bonus or penalty however DMG pulls the damage type from the source and you can't add another type to it.

[Minty23185Fresh]

Excellent. Thank you, both. I forget to think outside my own little box, sometimes.

[Edited: Added]

As you infer, Zacchaeus, this is relevant to the extension I'm working on. As I work though its implementation, trying to guess every combination of effects someone might employ is, well, impossible. Coding for the generic rather than the specific is a must. Hence, the ridiculous questions, about applying effects in ways that one should not do.

And El Cordoro is precisely right, there should not be a comma. Rereading the Wiki page, specific to DMG, I see that all examples (except of one, in the discusssion of IFT, a typo?) do not have a comma separator between the damage amount and the type.

Again thank you both for responding to my ludicrous questions.