What D&Disms have you never liked?

[Garthanos]

I had to go back and check my copy of Chainmail. When I wrote that last post, I was specifically thinking of the SuperHero being able to 1-hit kill dragons with an arrow (for some reason I thought it was an Elf ability). At any rate, the first thing I thought of when I read that rule in Chainmail was the scene in The Hobbit where Bard the Bowman drops Smaug (admittedly it's not from LotR, but it's still pure strain Tolkien). Perhaps that wasn't intentional, but I'm not aware of any other scene in literature where a hero 1-hit kills a dragon with an arrow (or enchanted arrow).

I lke to point out that the dragon had already been attacked many many many times... and that by the time that final bow shot took place his "luck" had already been worn pretty thin. D&D hit points were abstract for many many years and are now again.

 

[jdrakeh]

I lke to point out that the dragon had already been attacked many many many times... and that by the time that final bow shot took place his "luck" had already been worn pretty thin. D&D hit points were abstract for many many years and are now again.

Well, I'm talking about Chainmail. The rules pretty clearly state that a SuperHero insta-kills a dragon with a single shot on a certain roll result, regardless of if has already been hit or not (and the rules also specifically mention a bonus for enchanted arrows).

 

[diaglo]

Well, I'm talking about Chainmail. The rules pretty clearly state that a SuperHero insta-kills a dragon with a single shot on a certain roll result, regardless of if has already been hit or not (and the rules also specifically mention a bonus for enchanted arrows).

and superheroes much like dragons were usually limited per side.

it falls under the point value system in later wargames for "buying" your side.

my point started about races being included. they are in D&D from Chainmail. chainmail may have used them from LotR or the Hobbit. but that is for playing out the battles in those novels.

just like the martian races.

if you exclude sci fi and stick with medieval fantasy. then you have dragons. a dragon is a trope from more than just LotR. and a superhero is too.

i mean a Myrmidon isn't from LotR. they are from references to Achilles.

 

[jdrakeh]

a dragon is a trope from more than just LotR. and a superhero is too.QUOTE]

No doubt, but the specific rule that I allude to is almost certainly a nod to The Hobbit.

 

[diaglo]

a dragon is a trope from more than just LotR. and a superhero is too.QUOTE]

No doubt, but the specific rule that I allude to is almost certainly a nod to The Hobbit.

or Hercules killing the Caucasian Eagle and freeing Prometheus

 

[El Mahdi]

deleted

 

[Ariosto]

He may be referring to the fact that, for a very long while, lay priests were pretty poorly represented in official TSR adventures and setting materials. Every religious shrine, grotto, or temple, it seemed, was staffed by spell-wielding priests, with nary a lay priest in sight.

He may be doing just that -- but it makes no difference to the facts I cited, including what you quoted.

I lke to point out that the dragon had already been attacked many many many times... and that by the time that final bow shot took place his "luck" had already been worn pretty thin.

Regardless, OD&D Volume 3 gives possibilities for head and body (and rider, wing and tail) hits, and for resultant Critical Hits including "Crash - Dead In Air".

A shot from the bottom hits:
head (20%) x crit 20% x 20% CDIA = 0.008
body (40%) x crit 10% x 10% CDIA = 0.004
sum = 1.2% chance a given "hit" fells a flying dragon

 

[Garthanos]

He may be doing just that -- but it makes no difference to the facts I cited, including what you quoted.

Regardless, OD&D Volume 3 gives possibilities for head and body (and rider, wing and tail) hits, and for resultant Critical Hits including "Crash - Dead In Air".

A shot from the bottom hits:
head (20%) x crit 20% x 20% CDIA = 0.008
body (40%) x crit 10% x 10% CDIA = 0.004
sum = 1.2% chance a given "hit" fells a flying dragon

My point was that even though RQ or Rolemaster or Whatever... had crits capable of killing in one die roll sequence allowing the battle of smaug which took an incredibly long time (I bet it wasnt a minute) in the story to have taken one round in game ... D&D in most versions can have that functional effect without the uber unpredictable crit hit mechanic. In fact if that many attacks were made against smaug... I would have been very suprised if he didnt have depleted hit points.

Not that I normally think if dragons hit points as a luck buffer ... its normally big bad ass supernatural amounts of wounds... Smaugs I am invulnerable but one spot makes me think his are exactly that.