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<blockquote data-quote="Wulf Ratbane" data-source="post: 2288610" data-attributes="member: 94">We're not talking the Gorgon of classical mythology (ie, medusa).We're talking the gorgon of D&amp;D-- the big stone (iron?) bull that breathes petrifying gas in a 60' cone, once every 1d4 rounds (DC19).An 8th level fighter has, I think, +6 to his save, meaning he survives 65% of the time, nothwithstanding magical resistance bonuses, feats, Con bonus, or action points.If you assume as little as a +2 save bonus with all factors combined, you're up to 75%, which means that (worst case) 1 in 4 fighters is dead on the first round, leaving the others to kill the gorgon in 2.5 rounds or less before, on average, he breathes again.An 8th level fighter with a +3 Str bonus and a +2 weapon (we'll assume the ubiquitous longsword, though any 1d8 weapon is fair game) vs. AC 20 deals an average of 10.925 damage per round, for a total damage output from all three fighters in 2.5 rounds of 81.9375 damage.A gorgon has 85 hit points.Now when you go back and factor in whether or not the fighters actually beat the gorgon's initiative on the first round, you can see just how close the fight is... ON AVERAGE.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Wulf Ratbane, post: 2288610, member: 94"] We're not talking the Gorgon of classical mythology (ie, medusa). We're talking the gorgon of D&D-- the big stone (iron?) bull that breathes petrifying gas in a 60' cone, once every 1d4 rounds (DC19). An 8th level fighter has, I think, +6 to his save, meaning he survives 65% of the time, nothwithstanding magical resistance bonuses, feats, Con bonus, or action points. If you assume as little as a +2 save bonus with all factors combined, you're up to 75%, which means that (worst case) 1 in 4 fighters is dead on the first round, leaving the others to kill the gorgon in 2.5 rounds or less before, on average, he breathes again. An 8th level fighter with a +3 Str bonus and a +2 weapon (we'll assume the ubiquitous longsword, though any 1d8 weapon is fair game) vs. AC 20 deals an average of 10.925 damage per round, for a total damage output from all three fighters in 2.5 rounds of 81.9375 damage. A gorgon has 85 hit points. Now when you go back and factor in whether or not the fighters actually beat the gorgon's initiative on the first round, you can see just how close the fight is... ON AVERAGE. [/QUOTE]

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