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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kermit4karate" data-source="post: 9768827" data-attributes="member: 7053643">I didn't even know anyone actually played the Arduin Grimoire. That's bonkers! We simply used it as a resource for AD&D. Whenever we wanted help thinking outside the traditional D&D boxes, especially back in the day, Arduin was so far outside the box is was heretical, but also totally helpful! SO many great ideas for rules, monsters, magic items. Especially back in the day, there'd been nothing else like it -- nothing else that dense with outrageous D&D-compatible (within reason) ideas.Those books are treasures, IMO, but I'd say less so today because of the sheer volume of outrageous 5e material available now. Still, though, for any fan of D&D, you could do a lot worse than tracking down copies of those first 3 Arduin books.P.S. Here's the version of book #1 I had (have, somewhere in a box). That book is almost 50 years old! <a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/175923027052" target="_blank">The Arduin Grimoire Vol 1 David Hargrave 1977 RPG VINTAGE RARE | eBay</a>P.P.S. I found this example of one of the critical hit tables from book #1. The book is filled with things like this. Imagine the impact something like this had on a young D&D player in the late 1970s. 01-02 Brain penetrated die immediate death damage 4-32 points03-04 Voice box ruined total voice loss damage 1-8 **05-06 Hand severed, die in 1-8 minutes damage 3-1807-08 Impalement, weapon is stuck there damage 3-3009-10 1-5 ribs broken damage 1-3 per rib11-15 Leg, artery cut die in 1-10 minutes damage 1-816-20 Arm, as above die in 1-12 minutes damage 1-621-25 Achilles tendon cut fall immediately 1-3 **25-30 Finger 1-5 roll side damage 1 each31-32 Toes, as above damage 3 per 233-34 *1 Eye ruined (roll side) or torn out damage 1-635-36 *2 forehead gash blood in eyes, can’t see damage 1-337-38 *3 Genitals/Breasts torn off, shock damage 3-1839-40 *4 Ear taken off, hearing loss damage 1-341-42 *5 Buttock torn off, fall, shock. damage 4-1643-44 Stunned 1-10 melee turns. No fighting. Damage 1-245-46 Stunned 1-6 minutes. No Fighting. Damage 1-447-48 Minor concussion, as above. Stunned 1-10 minutes damage 1-649-50 *6 Moderate confusion, unconscious. damage 1-851-55 *7 Major skull fracture, unconscious. Damage 1-1056-60 Throat cut, die in 1-3 melee turns. Damage 1-861-65 Arm torn off (roll % loss) die in 1-3 turns. Damage 4-2466-70 Leg, as above, fall, die in 1-3 melee turns. Damage 4-4871-75 Heart pierced die immediately. Damage 1-1076-80 *8 Spine ruined, varied results. Damage 2-2081-85 As for no. 33-34 both eyes blinded. Damage 2-1286-90 *9 Node ruined -6 charisma, stunned. Damage 1-891-94 *A Head general, nothing apparent later problems. Damage 1-295 Guts ripped out, 20% chance of tangling feet. Die 1-10 minutes. Damage 2-1696 *B Skull caved in major brain damage. Damage 2-1297 *C Lung pierce internal damage. Damage 1-1298 Head torn off immediate death. Damage 5-5099 Body split in twain, immediate death. Damage 10-100100 Entire head pulped and splattered over a wide area, irrevocable death insues. Damage total.** – Indicated permanent damage*1 – Unable to fight 1-10 melee turns (roll), loss is irrevocable.*2 – Blo0d in eyes can’t fight for 1-10 melee turns (roll).*3 – Immediate shock induced coma, death in 1-4 minutes.*4 – Permanent 50% hearing loss and -2 charisma.*5 – Shock induced coma for 3-30 minutes, permanent -3 agility, 1/2 speed.*6 – Actually unconscious for 1-6 melee turns, after revival, confused and groggy for 6-60 minutes.*7 – out for 2-20 minutes and amnesia for 2-24 hours afterward, 40% chance of it becoming permanent.*8 – Roll six sided die with the following results:1=100% paralyzed; 2=left side ditto; 3=right side ditto 4=waist up ditto; 5=waist down ditto; and 6 means damage was too severe, death in one minute.*9 – Breathing problems, -2 constitution as applicable to endurance, and a bad speech problem (1-12) months to learn to speak properly, etc.).*A – Brain will hemorrhage in 1-10 days resulting in in either (roll) death, or total and permanent insanity, incoherence, etc.*B – All mental faculties permanently halved, roll % of memory destroyed (starting at 50%), charisma reduced by 8.*C – Permanently halving of strength, constitution, and endurance.[URL unfurl="true"]https://skulltower.wordpress.com/2015/12/24/arduin-grimoire-vol-1-critical-hit-tables/[/URL]</blockquote>

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