Now they buy pigs

[Templetroll]

In one campaign I played in the GM had a Room of the Jars. It was 10 gold jars that you would choose one, reach in and *something* might happen. Sometimes it was *nothing*, sometimes you would find a small item, sometimes your hand would get stuck, sometimes alignment would change, sometimes your limbs would change or your head blow up. One guy got sucked into a jar and then about a year later, another player pulled that character out of the jar. The storyline was the lich that built the place liked to watch people deliberately tempt fate by using the jars.

Bringing this back on topic, I had a CE cleric bring a cage with 20 baby chicks and a spool of thread. He was tying the thread to their legs and dipping them into each jar. We got a ring, lost a couple of chicks to unknown things, had a puff of smoke come out of one jar and the thread was charred, and one interesting occurrance.

the Chick went in and came out easily, but chirping like crazy. The druid did speak with animals and it was screaming, "kill you! Kill you all!" It had gone from a neutral animal to CE! My character appreciated that so he undid the thread and let it out the door into the dungeon to wreak what havoc it could. Again, about a year later, we're facing some fould thing from the Abyss astride a weird mount, a gigantic, Eeeevil, soul-eating chicken! It was a nice tough fight and certainly well-deserved damage.

Another option, have some young druidic worshippers with no powers follow the party and try to rescue the pig(s). could be an entertaining encounter.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Hey, pigs/reality... what about guys who can throw fire out of their fingers or survive 2-3 terminal velocity falls? Not realistic either? At least piggies give the ranger a 'superpower' they can use - even if it is just herding 50 piggies silently and without trouble?

I really wish people would stop using this erroneous argument. "There's fireballs in D&D, so nothing has to make sense, and reality is impossible!"

Bull-dookie (yes, I used the word dookie, out of respect to Eric's Grandmother. ) Just because one aspect of a campaign is fantastical does not mean you check your sense of realism at the door. Basic gravity, physics, etc. still apply. And, IMC, the general behavior of farm animals. I only change the reality I want to, and I see no reason to suddenly make pigs behave other than naturally, in order to invite Cheese into my campaign.

Granted, as someone else mentioned, they could simply switch to sheep. At which point I might get a chance to pit the PCs against some of the good celestials I've always wanted to try. Those sheep have a god too, and that god has servants. Sacrificing sheep in such a callous way is bound to piss somebody off Upstairs.

 

[Rel]

Granted, as someone else mentioned, they could simply switch to sheep. At which point I might get a chance to pit the PCs against some of the good celestials I've always wanted to try. Those sheep have a god too, and that god has servants. Sacrificing sheep in such a callous way is bound to piss somebody off Upstairs.

I know where you're coming from and I've got no real beef with your position but I have this image of me introducing this concept to my players and how they would react (at least with the rather callous, mercenary batch of characters they're running right now)...

Rel - "Make a Knowledge-Religion Check."

Player 1 - "I got a 23."

Rel - "You think that this current course of action might raise the ire of a deity. Just fair warning."

Player 1 - "Well we're going into this dungeon to help the Lord of Redgate retrieve the Staff of the Winds, right?"

Rel - "Yes."

Player 2 - "And the Lord of Redgate is going to use it to defeat the Corsairs of the Black Tide, right?"

Rel - "Yes."

Player 3 - "And that will likely save the lives of many of the townsfolk, make us heroes and win back the title to my father's ancestral estate, right?"

Rel - "Yes."

Player 1 - "And we believe that by trying to avoid some traps and complete our mission without getting killed that we might piss off the 'God of Sheep'?"

Rel - "Yes."

*Players all look at each other and say in unison...* - "We'll chance it."

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I introduced a defective bag of tricks in my game that only creates flesh-eating slugs.

I'm now tempted to introduce a wand of summon monster that only summons pigs. Normal everyday pigs -- with attitudes.

 

[The Sigil]

If you want to have a fun evening, just tell the PC's that they awake in the morning to find the latest pig can talk and is angry. And make sure that his voice sounds just like Cartman from South Park.

"Screw you guys! I'm goin' home!"

Dang, Rel... that was the funniest thing I've seen all day. Thanks!

--The Sigil

 

[William Ronald]

Well, in one group that I used to game with, one of the players used mice to set off glyphs of warding and runes. Of course, this did not work well for mechanical traps based on weight.

It would be vary easy for spell effects to be triggered by sentient creatures only, so that a pig or other creature with an intelligence score of less than 3 could pass through. This might help create a false sense of security.

Also, I think that it should be remembered that many creatures have the scent ability.

Intelligent opponents, on hearing or seeing a barnyard animal in a place where it does not belong, would be suspicious. They would probably prepare for combat. Of course, particularly devious foes could capture the pig, use charm monster to mess with speak with animals, and place a few spells on it to mess with the party. (Explosive runs could work well, as could contagion, or delayed blast fireball.)

 

[Gez]

I'm a big fan of the Summon Monster I: Celestial Dog method myself for disarming traps.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

*CRASH!*

NO ONE expects the druidic inquisition!

 

[mythusmage]

Exactly. Why do you think Jews and Muslims won't eat them? Because back in "ye very olden days" the early Arabs and Hebrews were pastoral nomads, living off herds of sheep and goats. Pigs were excluded exactly because you can't herd them.

That may be a reason and the most germane here but it's not the primary reason. The tapeworm that affects pigs affects humans too but the ones that cows, sheep and goats get are not normally dangerous to people.

Small problem with that theory, we didn't find out about the parasite until after pigs were made unclean.

Pig was eaten by the Canaanites, city folk. They ate pig because they could raise pigs. Since city folk ate pig good pastoral nomads didn't because good pastoral nomads don't do what city folk do.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I know where you're coming from and I've got no real beef with your position but I have this image of me introducing this concept to my players and how they would react (at least with the rather callous, mercenary batch of characters they're running right now)...

Rel - "Make a Knowledge-Religion Check."

Player 1 - "I got a 23."

Rel - "You think that this current course of action might raise the ire of a deity. Just fair warning."

Player 1 - "Well we're going into this dungeon to help the Lord of Redgate retrieve the Staff of the Winds, right?"

Rel - "Yes."

Player 2 - "And the Lord of Redgate is going to use it to defeat the Corsairs of the Black Tide, right?"

Rel - "Yes."

Player 3 - "And that will likely save the lives of many of the townsfolk, make us heroes and win back the title to my father's ancestral estate, right?"

Rel - "Yes."

Player 1 - "And we believe that by trying to avoid some traps and complete our mission without getting killed that we might piss off the 'God of Sheep'?"

Rel - "Yes."

*Players all look at each other and say in unison...* - "We'll chance it."

Except that celestials, particularly Lawful Good ones, tend not to subscribe to the ends justifying the means. Sheep, as a herd animal, are almost certainly represented by Lawful sorts.