Oots 439

[Nyeshet]

Because they're, like, 1st level Hobgoblin warriors. Too low a level to be a challange.

If I recall correctly aren't there rules for combining individual CRs to determine the CR of an encounter? If so, I would have to say that killing ~100 1st or 2nd level hobgoblin warriors is probably at least close to if not within CR 7-12 - in which case he should get some xp. Granted, many DMs just say that if the individuals are not high enough to grant at least a little xp on their own then even if slaying several thousand in one encounter you get no xp. I'm not one of them, but I have met a few DMs like that.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

If I recall correctly aren't there rules for combining individual CRs to determine the CR of an encounter? If so, I would have to say that killing ~100 1st or 2nd level hobgoblin warriors is probably at least close to if not within CR 7-12 - in which case he should get some xp. Granted, many DMs just say that if the individuals are not high enough to grant at least a little xp on their own then even if slaying several thousand in one encounter you get no xp. I'm not one of them, but I have met a few DMs like that.

No, there's no rules for that. It doesn't mean you must not give out XP in such a situation, it's that the rules don't attempt to say how much XP you should give out (and also say that in many such situations, XP shouldn't be handed out).

The rules don't cover it, so the DM can assign however many XP they want (which could be zero).

As for the grappling... yeah, right! We're dealing with intelligent beings there who are generally not suicidal, and trying to grapple such an obviously proficient warrior is suicidal. (It also doesn't really work... grappling requires two rolls, which means aid another isn't nearly as strong as it would be otherwise).

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Well, that's really an artifact of not having a continuous curve for CR and XP. IME, throwing a big mob of lowly monsters at a mid- to high-level party is rarely more than an opportunity for the PCs to showboat.

Generally, yes.

I remember this first time we were playing mid-level 3e, sneaking around a very dangerous castle. Turn the corner and there is an Orc Patrol. Pathetic -- a bunch of badass heroes who get the alarm bell pulled on them by a low bunch of mooks, right out of the gate.

The rogue was very disappointed that none survived long enough for him to dagger. His initiative count was 21.

In this case, a PC going solo does face some small measure of risk. But the fact that Belkar can easily kill these non-Flatfooted foes with a single swipe of his Small-sized dagger says quite a bit about his power level.

 

[Doctor DM]

This just further supports my theory that Belkar is in fact, the coolest person in the world.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Eh...

It'll be cooler in the movie.

It's hard to do complex action in a stick-figure comic. Points for effort.

 

[Galethorn]

Regarding the beheading,
I think the problem is that Belkar uses two daggers, which only deal piercing damage per the rules. It's awfully hard to stab somebody's head off.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Regarding the beheading,
I think the problem is that Belkar uses two daggers, which only deal piercing damage per the rules. It's awfully hard to stab somebody's head off.

They're not knitting needles. They have an edge. Again, if someone goes down from a critical hit, it's certainly within the DM's rights to say the subject was beheaded.

 

[MarkB]

Regarding the beheading,
I think the problem is that Belkar uses two daggers, which only deal piercing damage per the rules. It's awfully hard to stab somebody's head off.

Nope, regular daggers can do piercing or slashing damage by the rules.

 

[Galethorn]

Huh. I always thought they were piercing-only, just like a longsword is (illogically) slashing-only. Well, I don't particularly mind being wrong, seeing as I was playing devil's advocate. Personally, I'd let the player do some beheading if they really wanted to.

 

[RangerWickett]

small dagger d3
raging Str 16? +3
magic +2? +2
favored enemy (goblinoid) +2

So an average of 10 damage? Easily enough to knock out a 6-hp hobgoblin.

Of course, now I'm curious why Belkar doesn't use shortswords? He should've gotten himself ret-conned after converting to 3.5.