Just how easily does adamantine slice?

[andargor]

Ain't it funny how anal some people get over the difference between -ium and -ine?

You folks do realize that this is just a game right? Sheesh!

What they don't realize is that WoTC writes books in Common, which are later translated to English. Hence, the strange sentences.

Heck, they probably use the Google translator.

(Sorry for the continuation of the hijack, DM)

Andargor

 

[Spatzimaus]

Two separate issues.
1> Is Adamantine too good, in that it allows you to bypass walls, doors, etc?
Personally, I wouldn't say so. Sure, it's a good thing to be able to bypass all of these, but by the time you've reached moderate levels, your Wizard is using Passwall, Teleport, Disintegrate, Fabricate, Dimension Door, and so on to bypass these anyway. Simple physical barriers just aren't anything more than a speed bump once you get to a decent level.
It reminds me of a scene from Piratecat's Story Hour, where the party (mid-teens level) had been imprisoned, but the guard left the door unlocked. When asked why, he responded, "Could you escape if you wanted to?" "Yes." "That's why."
2> Adamantine vs. Adamantium?
I just go with something based on a variant I saw in an AD&D supplement, and say that they're two distinct materials.
Adamantine is the "pure" metal, with big bonuses (keeping the 3E nonmagical Enhancement bonus) but it disintegrates in sunlight. It bypasses Hardness entirely.
Adamantium is a less powerful but more stable alloy that works anywhere. It still bypasses DR X/adamantine, but only ignores half Hardness (up to a maximum of -10). It's also cheaper and a bit easier to work with.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Ain't it funny how anal some people get over the difference between -ium and -ine?

It's the same as the difference between Rouge and Rogue.

One is correct D&D terminology. The other is not.

-Hyp.

 

[James McMurray]

Yep, and although people get anal about both of them, if you type "rouge" on accident (or even on purpose), people know what you're talking about. If you type "adamantium" on accident (or even on purpose) people know what you're talking about. Language is a tool for communication. If the message is sent, the tool has done its job, irregardless of whether the tool was used as a hammer or a scalpel.

I'd rather see people using Loose and Lose properly than adamantium/adamantine. At least those will frequently work their way into business correspondences, schoolwork, legal documentaion, etc.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Yep, and although people get anal about both of them, if you type "rouge" on accident (or even on purpose), people know what you're talking about. If you type "adamantium" on accident (or even on purpose) people know what you're talking about. Language is a tool for communication. If the message is sent, the tool has done its job, irregardless of whether the tool was used as a hammer or a scalpel.

I'd rather see people using Loose and Lose properly than adamantium/adamantine. At least those will frequently work their way into business correspondences, schoolwork, legal documentaion, etc.

Sure. But where "lose" can result from either misinformation (they thought "loose" was spelled that way) or a typo (fingers slipped) or a brain glitch (you knew exactly what you were trying to say, but the autopilot went the wrong way), "adamantium" is almost always the result of misinformation.

It's hard for "-ine" to become "-ium" as the result of a typo.

So by correcting them, they'll know for next time, and the world is a better place.

It's more difficult to fix loose/lose, because it involves definitions and examples if it's someone who simply hasn't grasped the difference. It turns into a lesson on English grammar... and it may have simply been a keyboard error anyway.

But you can generally fix "adamantine" jsut by saying "In D&D, the metal is 'adamantine', not 'adamantium'."

Since it's so easy, there's no reason not to.

-Hyp.

 

[James McMurray]

Certainly there is a reason not to do it: its pointless. It makes the orrector out to be a "correctnes nazi" and while it might change that person's usage of the word, it might also cause them to begin to consciously misuse the term out of rebellion and/or trollishness.

But irregardless of the result in that instance, you'll never fix everyone's usage of the term and you'll just inch yourself closer to an aneurism by stresing out over minor inconsequentialities.* And although we usually disagree on things, I wouldn't want you to have an aneurism.

*Even though that probably isn't even a word, it gets the message across.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Aiee! My eyes!

-Hyp.