diff --git a/src/g_shared/a_armor.cpp b/src/g_shared/a_armor.cpp
index bcd48d804b..664a56307e 100644
--- a/src/g_shared/a_armor.cpp
+++ b/src/g_shared/a_armor.cpp
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ void ABasicArmor::AbsorbDamage (int damage, FName damageType, int &newdamage)
 {
 	int saved;
 
-	if (damageType != NAME_Drowning)
+	if (!DamageTypeDefinition::IgnoreArmor(damageType))
 	{
 		int full = MAX(0, MaxFullAbsorb - AbsorbCount);
 		if (damage < full)
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ bool AHexenArmor::AddArmorToSlot (AActor *actor, int slot, int amount)
 
 void AHexenArmor::AbsorbDamage (int damage, FName damageType, int &newdamage)
 {
-	if (damageType != NAME_Drowning)
+	if (!DamageTypeDefinition::IgnoreArmor(damageType))
 	{
 		fixed_t savedPercent = Slots[0] + Slots[1] + Slots[2] + Slots[3] + Slots[4];
 
diff --git a/src/info.cpp b/src/info.cpp
index fe06e6f6b5..c15bf0a947 100644
--- a/src/info.cpp
+++ b/src/info.cpp
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ extern void LoadActors ();
 extern void InitBotStuff();
 extern void ClearStrifeTypes();
 
-
 //==========================================================================
 //
 //
@@ -545,3 +544,84 @@ CCMD (summonfoe)
 {
 	SummonActor (DEM_SUMMONFOE, DEM_SUMMONFOE2, argv);
 }
+
+
+// Damage type defaults / global settings
+
+TMap<FName, DamageTypeDefinition> GlobalDamageDefinitions;
+
+void DamageTypeDefinition::Apply(FName const type) 
+{ 
+	GlobalDamageDefinitions[type] = *this; 
+}
+
+DamageTypeDefinition *DamageTypeDefinition::Get(FName const type) 
+{ 
+	return GlobalDamageDefinitions.CheckKey(type); 
+}
+
+bool DamageTypeDefinition::IgnoreArmor(FName const type)
+{ 
+	if (type == NAME_Drowning) return true; 
+	DamageTypeDefinition *dtd = Get(type);
+	if (dtd) return dtd->NoArmor;
+	return false;
+}
+
+//==========================================================================
+//
+// DamageTypeDefinition :: ApplyMobjDamageFactor
+//
+// Calculates mobj damage based on original damage, defined damage factors
+// and damage type.
+//
+// If the specific damage type is not defined, the damage factor for
+// type 'None' will be used (with 1.0 as a default value).
+//
+// Globally declared damage types may override or multiply the damage
+// factor when 'None' is used as a fallback in this function.
+//
+//==========================================================================
+
+int DamageTypeDefinition::ApplyMobjDamageFactor(int damage, FName const type, DmgFactors const * const factors)
+{
+	if (factors)
+	{
+		// If the actor has named damage factors, look for a specific factor
+		fixed_t const *pdf = factors->CheckKey(type);
+		if (pdf) return FixedMul(damage, *pdf); // type specific damage type
+		
+		// If this was nonspecific damage, don't fall back to nonspecific search
+		if (type == NAME_None) return damage;
+	}
+	
+	// If this was nonspecific damage, don't fall back to nonspecific search
+	else if (type == NAME_None) 
+	{ 
+		return damage; 
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		// Normal is unsupplied / 1.0, so there's no difference between modifying and overriding
+		DamageTypeDefinition *dtd = Get(type);
+		return dtd ? FixedMul(damage, dtd->DefaultFactor) : damage;
+	}
+	
+	{
+		fixed_t const *pdf  = factors->CheckKey(NAME_None);
+		// Here we are looking for modifications to untyped damage
+		// If the calling actor defines untyped damage factor, that is contained in "pdf".
+		if (pdf) // normal damage available
+		{
+			DamageTypeDefinition *dtd = Get(type);
+
+			if (dtd)
+			{
+				if (dtd->ReplaceFactor) return FixedMul(damage, dtd->DefaultFactor); // use default instead of untyped factor
+				return FixedMul(damage, FixedMul(*pdf, dtd->DefaultFactor)); // use default as modification of untyped factor
+			}
+			return FixedMul(damage, *pdf); // there was no default, so actor default is used
+		}
+	}
+	return damage;
+}
diff --git a/src/info.h b/src/info.h
index 60397d7f9b..7fcdeca9bb 100644
--- a/src/info.h
+++ b/src/info.h
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@
 #include "dobject.h"
 #include "doomdef.h"
 
+#include "m_fixed.h"
+
 struct Baggage;
 class FScanner;
 struct FActorInfo;
@@ -185,6 +187,31 @@ typedef TMap<FName, int> PainChanceList;
 typedef TMap<FName, PalEntry> PainFlashList;
 typedef TMap<int, FPlayerColorSet> FPlayerColorSetMap;
 
+
+
+struct DamageTypeDefinition
+{
+public:
+	DamageTypeDefinition() { Clear(); }
+
+	fixed_t DefaultFactor;
+	bool ReplaceFactor;
+	bool NoArmor;
+
+	void Apply(FName const type);
+	void Clear()
+	{
+		DefaultFactor = (fixed_t)1;
+		ReplaceFactor = false;
+		NoArmor = false;
+	}
+
+	static DamageTypeDefinition *Get(FName const type);
+	static bool IgnoreArmor(FName const type);
+	static int ApplyMobjDamageFactor(int damage, FName const type, DmgFactors const * const factors);
+};
+
+
 struct FActorInfo
 {
 	static void StaticInit ();
diff --git a/src/p_interaction.cpp b/src/p_interaction.cpp
index bc563dced2..1947eaf303 100644
--- a/src/p_interaction.cpp
+++ b/src/p_interaction.cpp
@@ -997,20 +997,12 @@ void P_DamageMobj (AActor *target, AActor *inflictor, AActor *source, int damage
 
 		if (!(flags & DMG_NO_FACTOR))
 		{
-			DmgFactors *df = target->GetClass()->ActorInfo->DamageFactors;
-			if (df != NULL)
-			{
-				fixed_t *pdf = df->CheckFactor(mod);
-				if (pdf != NULL)
-				{
-					damage = FixedMul(damage, *pdf);
-					if (damage <= 0)
-						return;
-				}
-			}
 			damage = FixedMul(damage, target->DamageFactor);
 			if (damage < 0)
 				return;
+			damage = DamageTypeDefinition::ApplyMobjDamageFactor(damage, mod, target->GetClass()->ActorInfo->DamageFactors);
+			if (damage <= 0)
+				return;
 		}
 
 		damage = target->TakeSpecialDamage (inflictor, source, damage, mod);
diff --git a/src/thingdef/thingdef_parse.cpp b/src/thingdef/thingdef_parse.cpp
index ae236a58c3..1b820f9bb4 100644
--- a/src/thingdef/thingdef_parse.cpp
+++ b/src/thingdef/thingdef_parse.cpp
@@ -1179,7 +1179,50 @@ static void ParseActor(FScanner &sc)
 	sc.SetCMode (false);
 }
 
+//==========================================================================
+//
+// Reads a damage definition
+//
+//==========================================================================
 
+static void ParseDamageDefinition(FScanner &sc)
+{
+	sc.SetCMode (true); // This may be 100% irrelevant for such a simple syntax, but I don't know
+
+	// Get DamageType
+
+	sc.MustGetString();
+	FName damageType = sc.String;
+
+	DamageTypeDefinition dtd;
+
+	sc.MustGetToken('{');
+	while (sc.MustGetAnyToken(), sc.TokenType != '}')
+	{
+		if (sc.Compare("FACTOR"))
+		{
+			sc.MustGetFloat();
+			dtd.DefaultFactor = (fixed_t)sc.Float;
+			if (!dtd.DefaultFactor) dtd.ReplaceFactor = true; // Multiply by 0 yields 0: FixedMul(damage, FixedMul(factor, 0)) is more wasteful than FixedMul(factor, 0)
+		}
+		else if (sc.Compare("REPLACEFACTOR"))
+		{
+			dtd.ReplaceFactor = true;
+		}
+		else if (sc.Compare("NOARMOR"))
+		{
+			dtd.NoArmor = true;
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			sc.ScriptError("Unexpected data (%s) in damagetype definition.", sc.String);
+		}
+	}
+
+	dtd.Apply(damageType);
+
+	sc.SetCMode (false); // (set to true earlier in function)
+}
 
 //==========================================================================
 //
@@ -1263,6 +1306,11 @@ void ParseDecorate (FScanner &sc)
 				ParseOldDecoration (sc, DEF_Projectile);
 				break;
 			}
+			else if (sc.Compare("DAMAGETYPE"))
+			{
+				ParseDamageDefinition(sc);
+				break;
+			}
 		default:
 			sc.RestorePos(pos);
 			ParseOldDecoration(sc, DEF_Decoration);