D&D General 0 HP Magic Missile = Death?

[Reynard]

Which addresses the second point, but not the first: Even as actual damage, is there one strike, or potentially several?
TomB

The easiest and most logical interpretation is that anything you roll (or apply in some rare cases) a discrete damage value for is a separate damage instance.

 

[Oofta]

That way madness lies. We need to look at it in terms of number of hits as defined in-game, not number of impacts in the fiction, otherwise you end up asking things like whether a hit from a trident should cause three failed death saves.

The trident from a game standpoint is no different than damage from a fireball.

Although, it would be a reason for the trident to actually exist.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

The trident from a game standpoint is no different than damage from a fireball.

Although, it would be a reason for the trident to actually exist.

Interestingly, wasn’t the trident back in 1st edition something like 3d4 damage to large creatures? I may be remembering wrong…

 

[Reynard]

The trident from a game standpoint is no different than damage from a fireball.

Although, it would be a reason for the trident to actually exist.

I'm no historian but I would guess that the trident was only every an actual weapon in the gladiatorial arena and probably only because something something Poseidon.

 

[Oofta]

I'm no historian but I would guess that the trident was only every an actual weapon in the gladiatorial arena and probably only because something something Poseidon.

A trident is just a fishing spear, I doubt it was ever used for actual warfare. If you actually want to kill someone, it would be significantly worse than a normal spear.

 

[Reynard]

A trident is just a fishing spear, I doubt it was ever used for actual warfare. If you actually want to kill someone, it would be significantly worse than a normal spear.

Maybe it was one of those weapons that was basically "well, we're peasants and the knights are coming and this is all we have."

 

[Crimson Longinus]

A trident is just a fishing spear, I doubt it was ever used for actual warfare. If you actually want to kill someone, it would be significantly worse than a normal spear.

I removed it as a part of my weapon revamp. Trident is just funny looking spear, no need for separate entry.

 

[Oofta]

Maybe it was one of those weapons that was basically "well, we're peasants and the knights are coming and this is all we have."

Some people would use anything they had on hand if forced to fight, but a trident typically has barbed hooks on the end. The reason you have 3 tines is so that the spear doesn't go too deep or chop up the fish, all you want to do is pull it out of the water. A trident is not designed to do damage like a spear is.

Gladiators occasionally used them with a net, but that was combat for show and rarely fought to the death.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I thought the difference was tridents are 3 times cooler than spears.

In one game I was in, a pc had each tip be a different metal: silver, cold iron, etc…

 

[MarkB]

Never bring a fork to a knife fight.