Exhaust, red smite, death's dance, hextech gunblade. They all refer to damage, but not true damage. Riot doesn't tell you this, but true damage is not actually 'damage.' True is a modifier for 'damage' yet it's never treated in the same ways that physical or magic damage are. If this continues, then it shouldn't be called 'damage' anymore. It's just confusing to do this.
SEKAI3 votesTrue damage also ignores resistance and all forms of damage reduction. It's a damage that will do exactly how much it says it would without question.
You can either only put on shield and have it soak the damage; it would still do what it says it would but you put up a dummy to take it for as much as it could before reaching your HP. Otherwise, you would need invulnerability such as Kayle's or Taric's R that would block all damage including true damage. Outside of these instances, there is no way to reduce or block true damage in terms of its raw number (though you can generally reduce its effectiveness by stacking HP, that is until you see bullshit like %max HP true damage).
.......
True damage is always maintained as a very reliable source damage but either doesn't scale or scales in a subpar fashion. So this design decision is probably just keeping to that.
Fluffi Kitti1 votesCalling it damage, then having damage reduction that doesn't reduce the 'Damage' is an oxymoron. Fundamentally wrong.
Subdue2 votes[{quoted}](name=Fluffi Kitti,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=KcyVBeVE,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2019-09-05T05:13:31.760+0000)
Calling it damage, then having damage reduction that doesn't reduce the 'Damage' is an oxymoron. Fundamentally wrong.
Or you could argue that "true" damage which is reduced by some forms of reduction is not "true" damage. That's also an oxymoron.
Fluffi Kitti1 votesAnd fundamentally wrong. Change the name rito.
DOUBLE TAPPED E1 votesDid you know that hitting rift herald's eye on Katarina with 
+ 
+ 5 stacks of Ravenous Hunter will completely fill her healthbar?
I thought that was interesting :D
Fluffi Kitti1 votesoh wow, but doesn't ravenous hunter only effect healing from abilities, not basic attacks?
DOUBLE TAPPED E1 votesTechnically, yes, but all sources of true damage including Rift eye, the burn from red buff, and summoner spells, are considered "abilities" when it comes to Ravenous.
You even heal from the true damage dot that you apply to enemies who have .
Edit: You also heal from the portion of damage that gets converted to true damage by conqueror.
Fluffi Kitti1 votesThat's weird that DD and gunblade don't heal off true damage dealt by conqueror (as the wiki states)
Divin1ty1 votes[{quoted}](name=Fluffi Kitti,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=KcyVBeVE,comment-id=0001000000000000,timestamp=2019-09-05T06:15:54.682+0000)
That's weird that DD and gunblade don't heal off true damage dealt by conqueror (as the wiki states)
They heal off true Damage, what are you talking about?
Fluffi Kitti1 votesLoL is honestly just a really inconsistent game in terms of mechanics.