| Ref | Ouvrage | Question | | Reponse |
---|
191. | DR058 | Dragon #58 | Could an elf or dwarf who has reached the highest level
possible use an Ioun Stone to gain further levels? | | No. Ioun Stones do not contain powerful enough magic.
None of the six stones which have the power to increase ability
scores can make them better than the mathematical maximum
of 18. Although no similar limit is specified for the power of the
pale green stone which “adds 1 level of experience,” it is unreasonable
to assume that this stone can exceed the prescribed
maximum (in this case, a maximum number of levels) when the
others can’t. |
192. | DR058 | Dragon #58 | Are there any alignment restrictions for dwarves? The Monster
Manual says they are lawful good. | | Many of the particulars of the Monster Manual description of
dwarves are intended only to strictly apply to non-player character
dwarves. Alignment is one of these particulars: Not all
player character dwarves have to be lawful good, just like not all
player character dwarves have to have just one hit die, and not
all player character dwarves will be “Very” intelligent.
No player character race is restricted as to what alignment a
member of that race can be. The only restrictions placed on
races concern what classes they can become — and some of
those classes have alignment restrictions, but that’s a different
matter.
A player character dwarf can be a thief, an assassin, or a
fighter, or certain combinations of those classes. If all dwarves
had to be lawful good, no dwarf would be able to be a thief or
assassin. Player character dwarves can theoretically be of any
alignment, as long as it fits the rules for the class(es) they
belong to.
Non-player character dwarves, as described in the Monster
Manual, are considered differently. NPC dwarves will be predominantly,
if not exclusively, lawful good in alignment. Virtually
all of them, except for leader types, will have no more than 1
hit die, and virtually all of them will be above average in intelligence.
Also note that the MM makes no mention of dwarven
thieves or assassins being encountered in a large group; all of
the higher-level dwarves in a group of NPCs are either fighters
or fighter/clerics. If you play NPC dwarves “by the book,” there
can never be dwarven thieves or assassins, and if those character
types are included in an adventure or a campaign, the
Monster Manual information (at least with regard to alignment,
armor and weaponry in this instance) will have to be “modified”
accordingly. |
193. | DR058 | Dragon #58 | What would be a reasonable spread of races and sub-races
for adventurers and NPCs? For instance, what would be the
chance of a PC dwarf being a mountain dwarf? | | The chance of a player character dwarf being a mountain
dwarf is 100% — if the player wants to be one, and if no circumstances
of the campaign prohibit such a choice. This decision
is one a player can make for his character, although the simple
desire to be a mountain dwarf is sometimes not enough to
guarantee that the character will be a viable member of a group
of adventurers. If the player knows something about the DM’s
campaign milieu beforehand, there may be obvious reasons
why a mountain dwarf would not be a desirable character. If
there are no mountainous areas in the DM’s world, for instance,
where (if anywhere) can a mountain dwarf call “home”? In a
world consisting of nothing but oceans, deserts, plains and
forests, it might be hard to justify the existence of any type of
dwarves.
When the DM is deciding which races or sub-races his NPCs
should be, he must take other things into account besides
simple preference. First and foremost, for dwarves, the geography
and topography of the environment will dictate whether
a certain clan in a certain area is composed of hill dwarves,
mountain dwarves, or maybe some hybrid of both. Other information
gleaned from the rule books can be used to make things
“fit” properly: For instance, if a band of halflings is located in
close proximity to a clan of dwarves, it would be quite proper to
designate them as stout halflings because of that sub-race’s
known affinity for dwarves. There are no “percentages” for the
chance of a dwarf being a mountain dwarf, or a halfling being a
stout halfling, because no set of guidelines could be developed
that would be appropriate to every type of campaign. |
194. | DR058 | Dragon #58 | Do dwarves rise to the 7th or 8th level of clerical ability? The
DEITIES & DEMIGODS™ Cyclopedia (p. 108) and the Monster
Manual (p. 35) either state or imply that 7th is the maximum, but
the Players Handbook (p. 14) says 8th. | | In his general article on dwarves in this issue of DRAGON™
Magazine, Roger Moore suggests one logical answer to this
problem: To resolve the discrepancy, it can be ruled that
dwarven clerics with 18 wisdom can ascend to 8th level, while
all others are limited to 7th level. In the final analysis, whether a
campaign includes 8th-level dwarven clerics or not (regardless
of wisdom score) is a matter of choice and circumstance. Perhaps, if your campaign was begun with a pre-generated band of
dwarves that includes characters who have 7th-level clerical
ability (as per the Monster Manual), you might allow the possibility
of those characters rising to 8th level. But such an advancement,
if it is even possible, would take decades of game
time to achieve. According to the age determination charts in
the Dungeon Masters Guide, dwarven clerics who are established
as NPCs are already almost 300 years old. If a dwarf has
spent, say, 200 years rising from 1st level to as high as 7th level
in clerical ability, then the advancement from 7th to 8th level is
certainly not going to come about “overnight.” |
195. | DR058 | Dragon #58 | Why is the dwarven deity Moradin non-psionic while dwarves
can be? | | Again, Roger Moore tackled this problem in his article by
suggesting that Moradin simply doesn’t let on that he has psionic
powers, preferring to keep his thoughts to himself. Without
assuming so much about what kind of a guy Moradin is, the
question can also be approached in this fashion:
Dwarves and halflings are the only characters besides humans
who can possess psionic ability, and only dwarves and
halflings of an “unusual” nature are eligible. “Unusual,” in this
case, can be taken to include those dwarves and halflings who
have a small amount of human blood (due to some racial intermixing
at some time in the distant past), which affords them the
opportunity to have human-like psionic ability. (Why aren’t
psionics also possible for “unusual” gnomes, elves, half-elves,
and half-orcs on the same basis? Because some factor which
exists only in the biological makeups of dwarves and halflings
makes the “passing on” of psionic potential possible.) Of
course, any dwarf or halfling who is “unusual” in the genetic
sense would also have to meet the standard qualifications for
having psionics — intelligence, wisdom or charisma of 16 or
higher, and so forth.
So, to answer the question, based on those assumptions:
Moradin isn’t psionic, just like the vast majority of dwarves are
non-psionic, because the god and most of the mortals who
worship him are full-blooded dwarves with no human blood in
their background. |
196. | DR058 | Dragon #58 | Concerning Moradin: “Worshiper’s Align” for him is listed as
“Lawful good (dwarves).” Does this mean that only lawful good
dwarves may worship him, or that all dwarves and any other
lawful good character may worship him? | | Well, it can mean both of those things (not at the same time),
and a few others besides. It depends on the circumstances of
the campaign. If Moradin is the only dwarven god in the DM’s
pantheon, then dwarves don’t have much choice if they want
(or feel a need) to worship a dwarven deity. Non-lawful, nongood
dwarves, such as player character thieves and assassins,
might have difficulty adhering to Moradin’s standards. However,
if Moradin is the only dwarven god, and he knows he’s the
only dwarven god, and if those dwarven thieves and assassins
don’t have another acceptable deity to turn to, then Moradin
might not look upon those dwarves with absolute disapproval,
and could be expected to understand their plight. He is lawful
good, after all, even if some dwarves might not be.
In a campaign with a more fully developed dwarven pantheon
(possibly including those gods mentioned in the DEITIES &
DEMIGODS Cyclopedia, and others; see the article on the
following pages), where dwarves of non-lawful, non-good
alignments can worship a more “agreeable” deity, then it is
unlikely that Moradin would want to attract, or have to put up
with, any dwarves who aren’t lawful good.
General guidelines for how to run the deities of a campaign
are virtually impossible to set forth because of the vast number
of variables involved. But it is probably safe to say that there are
no foreseeable circumstances where a non-dwarf (even a lawful
good non-dwarf) would worship Moradin. Likewise, the
“right” to worship a certain non-human deity is generally limited
to members of that particular race (with exceptions and
additions as noted in the DDG book). But the prohibition can’t
always work the other way: Dwarves, for instance, can certainly
worship human or other non-dwarven deities, if that deity’s
outlook, alignment, etc., are in accordance with the character’s.
So, while not all dwarves must necessarily worship dwarven
gods, all the worshipers of any dwarven god will be dwarves
themselves. |
197. | DR058 | Dragon #58 | Can a dwarf use a long sword in one hand?
A dwarf is too short to use a bastard sword one-handed. Can
a dwarf use it two-handed, and if so, does he strike every other
round with it? | | Whether a dwarf can use or carry any sword longer than a
short sword is a matter of conjecture and contention. Certainly,
a dwarf is capable of lifting and swinging a long sword, a broad
sword, or a bastard sword. But the shortest of these weapons is
almost as tall as the average dwarf. This makes such weapons
unwieldy, even in the hands of a dwarf (or other diminutive
humanoid) with above average strength or dexterity. No dwarf
in his right mind would try to carry such a weapon around with
him, unless he enjoys being overly encumbered and likes wearing
his scabbard belt up around his shoulders. Any dwarf who
tries to take a long sword down the dungeon steps is probably
going to clank and clatter so much that he’ll be a walking lure
for wandering monsters. Other player characters aren’t going
to put up with this sort of situation for very long, if at all.
If a dwarf finds himself unarmed in the midst of melee and
there’s a long sword lying on the floor nearby, nothing’s to
prevent him from grabbing it and flailing away. But he isn’t
going to wield it well: For one thing, he can’t possibly be proficient
in the use of such a weapon. And in addition to the
customary penalty for non-proficiency, the DM might justifiably
tack on penalties to the weapon speed factor, its adjustment
against certain armor classes, and its damage figure. Even if a
dwarf is able to manipulate a long sword or broad sword and
score a hit despite all the penalties attached to the attempt, he
might be unable to bring the weapon to bear on a target with
any more effectiveness than if he were wielding a short sword
— and perhaps the damage figure would be adjusted even
lower (for instance, a maximum of 1-6 per hit against any size
opponent).
Whether or not a dwarf can use a long sword or a broad sword
with one hand, or a bastard sword with two hands, is a topic that
calls for more interpretation by the DM. If you choose to allow a
dwarf to employ a long sword with one hand, then you’ll have to
make a different set of penalties for one-handed or two-handed
use of the weapon, and make the one-handed penalties stiff
enough so that it’s highly advisable to use the weapon with both
hands if it is used at all. The penalties that might accrue to a
dwarf trying to use a bastard sword with both hands might be so
great as to make it mathematically impossible for the character
to score a hit — but that shouldn’t prohibit him from trying. He’ll
learn his lesson soon enough, if he survives that long.
In matters like this, where the rules provide no specific allowances
or prohibitions, logic and common sense must rule. It is
enough for a Dungeon Master to discourage the use of long
swords by dwarves by administering logical and sensible penalties
to the attempt, rather than issuing an outright proclamation
against such activity. Let players do what they want, as
long as they’re willing to pay the price... |
198. | DR060 | Dragon #60 | In the Players Handbook, it is stated that elves and halfelves
are 90% and 30% resistant to sleep and charm spells. What
spells are considered charm spells? | | Obviously, the only charm spells where the elves’ resistance
makes a difference are those which have a chance (even a small
one) of affecting them: The druid spell Charm Person or Mammal
and the magic-user incantations Charm Person, Charm
Monster, and Mass Charm. There are other charm spells, of
course (Charm P/ants, for instance), which can’t affect elves or
any other humanoids or creatures.
Certain magic items can also charm, and since most of those
magic items are described in terms that equate them to charm
spells, it’s logical and reasonable to have elves’ and half-elves’
resistance apply to the effects of these items as well, even
though the Players Handbook does specify that the resistance
is to charm spells. These items include the Potion of Human
Control, Philter of Love, Ring of Human Influence, Rod of
Beguiling, Staff of Command, Eyes of Charming, and any magic
sword with the Extraordinary Power of charm person. Note
also that elves are resistant to the charming caused by a bard’s
singing and playing, which according to the Players Handbook
“does not negate any immunities” to such effects. |
199. | DR060 | Dragon #60 | Why are elven thieves always children? | | Anyone who has a relatively recent edition of the Dungeon
Masters Guide will probably think this question doesn’t make
sense. The latest edition of the DMG lists 100+5d6 as the starting
age for player-character elven thieves (page 12). This puts
them into the “young adult” range according to the Age Categories
chart (page 13) for high elves — the only kind of elves
who can be player characters. However, it wasn’t always so.
Earlier editions of the DMG gave 50+5d6 as the starting age,
which would indeed mean that all elven thieves would start their
adventuring lives as “adolescents” of 55 to 80 years old. Fortunately,
this inaccuracy was spotted and corrected in later editions;
anyone with an old book can simply make the appropriate
change in the text. |
200. | DR060 | Dragon #60 | Suppose an elven fighter/magic-user in plate mail (AC3)
casts a Shield spell on himself. Does this simply raise his armor
class to 2, as the spell description indicates, or raise it 8 places
(as from AC10 to AC2), to AC-5, with respect to hand-propelled
missiles? If the former is the case, why doesn’t a Shield spell
function at full effectiveness when cast by an armored magicuser? | | The former is the case, and the Shield spell does indeed
function at “full effectiveness.“ The spell description is specific
and should be taken literally: a magical Shield will give protection
equivalent to AC2, AC3 or AC4 (depending on the situation),
regardless of what the spell-caster’s armor class was
prior to the casting. It doesn’t make a lot of sense for a M-U who
is already AC3 to “waste” a Shield spell on himself for the
minimal benefit in armor class that the spell might offer. Of
course, some of the spell’s other benefits (immunity to Magic
Missiles, bonus to saving throws) might make it worthwhile for
certain purposes. |