| | Ref | Ouvrage | Question | | Reponse |
|---|
| 21. | DR118 | Dragon #118 | Can any mounted character fire a
bow weapon while riding a horse
(or other mount)? Page 33 in the
DSG seems to say that he can, while
page 86 in the Wilderness Survival
Guide says that only a character
with riding proficiency can do this.
Which is correct? | | They’re both correct. Page 33 in DSG
says that any character can fire a bow
from a stationary mount. Rut the next
sentence states that only a character with
riding proficiency (and a bow weapon
proficiency) can fire a bow weapon from a
moving mount. |
| 22. | DR118 | Dragon #118 | Can a waterfall (or other loud
sources of noise) negate the casting
of a spell with a verbal component?
Also, can a character cast a hold
person on a character who has just
gone over a waterfall to hold him
under water and drown him? | | Nope and nope. To negate a spell with a
verbal component, one needs to stop the
spell-caster from speaking. It doesn’t matter
whether the target can hear the words
— all that matters is that the words are
spoken. The tremendous din of a waterfall
would not affect a spell that requires a
verbal component to cast, but a silence
spell or a gag will prevent the spell from
being cast. A waterfall does, however,
drown out the noise of shriekers and the
singing of harpies (the DM must decide
how far from the waterfall one must be
before normal hearing is restored).
A hold person spell doesn’t work that
way. It only prevents a person from voluntarily
moving, and cannot stop the action
of the moving water (and the body’s natural
buoyancy) from bringing the person to
the surface, where he can float (and
breathe). |
| 23. | DR118 | Dragon #118 | I want to create a map as large and
as detailed as the map of Deepearth
on pages 76 and 77 of the DSG. The
blank maps included at the back of
the DSG use boxes. that are too large
for mapping at this scale. Is there
any way around this? | | Doug Niles rolled up into a ball and
thought about this one for a while. When
he unwound himself, he offered a solution.
Take the most suitable map in the
back of the DSG (probably one of those on
page 127) and enlarge it using a photocopy
machine. Then, take a straight edge and
draw a vertical line between each pair of
vertical lines on the blank map (these new
lines should bisect the spaces between the
old lines). Do the same for the horizontal
lines. You have now doubled the number
of spaces available for your subterranean
world. |
| 24. | DR118 | Dragon #118 | How about some guidelines for
what constitutes a “shallow descent
” and a “(steep descent” (Table
29, page 50 in DSG)? | | A shallow descent is a slope of less than
15°. A steep descent describes slopes
steeper than this. |
| 25. | DR118 | Dragon #118 | Aren’t the DSG grappling hooks
(page 56) a bit expensive at 76 gp? | | Well, maybe. How does 15 gp sound? |
| 26. | DR118 | Dragon #118 | Is it my imagination, or is it too
easy to smash a boat to bits in underground
waterways (according to
the tables on page 48 of the DSG)? | | It’s your imagination. First of all, look at
page 47. You only roll on Table 25: Collision
Probability if the characters can’t see
where they’re going (if they’re covering
more distance per round than the distance
they can see). Carrying a torch lets the
boaters see 30’, so there’s no chance of a
collision in water that’s moving 30’/round
or less. If a beacon (described on page 56)
is mounted on the boat, the characters can
see 240’ directly ahead of them. That
keeps them safe from mishap in any but
the wildest waters or in waterways that
twist and turn a lot.
The above points aside, traveling totally
blind through a medium-speed waterway
(up to 120’ per round) in a passage 20-60’
wide gives the boaters a 10% chance of a
collision per round if they cower in the
bottom of the boat and hope for the best
(if a character with boating proficiency
steers, this chance drops to 2%). If a collision is indicated, the chance of damage is only 5% for every 30’ per round the boat
is moving. You roll 1d100. If the result is
less than the chance of damage, the boat
receives damage equal the damage chance
minus the d100 roll result, multiplied by
1% of the boat’s hull strength (Table 26:
Boat Damage gives a qualitative result in
terms of how badly the boat leaks).
To sum up, taking a few simple precautions (having a character on board who
can handle a boat, bringing a light source,
backing the oars if the water is moving too
fast, etc.) gives a good chance that the boat
reaches
its destination with only a few
dents.
If anything, the system seems to be
too lenient considering that travel occurs in confined quarters, with no natural light,
and in usually rough, fast, and unknown
waters. |
| 27. | DR118 | Dragon #118 | Our campaign includes an old-
style paladin with a long history.
With the change from fighter subclass to cavalier sub-class, we have
been arguing over what changes
must be made in this character’s
statistics and background. The character doesn’t have the minimum
requirements for the cavalier class.
Do we have to raise his ability to
scores so he can fit into the class?
Also, the new code of chivalry would change the character drastically. Do we have to assume that the
old teachings were part of his background this whole time? | | Bringing existing characters into line
with new rules is always difficult, but the
degree to which this change is mandatory in a given campaign is a matter for the DM and player to decide together. If the DM wants to include the full gamut of new rules in the campaign and wants the characters to conform, the player and DM can discuss the best method of working it out.
It is not mandatory that the character
change at all; your campaign is your own game, and it can be run as you please.
[There are a few lawful-neutral dwarven paladins running around in certain long-term AD&D® and D&D® game campaigns because of a poorly explained rule in the old Supplement 1, Greyhawk, for the original boxed D&D® game set — RM].
There are several methods of handling minimum ability score requirements. First of all, though a character must meet the minimum requirements to start out in the class, the character will not lose powers or the
ability to progress in the class if those scores are later lowered by some means, such as magic, aging, etc. Therefore, one option is to assume that the character had the requisite scores at the beginning of his career, but they were later reduced to their present status. This process can be rationalized as much or as little as you wish. Or, the DM can rule that the requirements for becoming a paladin in this campaign world were not as strict when the
character in question started, but that due to competition the requirements were increased at some later time. That way,
the existing character can stay as it is, but new ones would have to conform to the new rules. However, the old character would still be eligible to begin gaining the
benefits of the cavalier class at this point due to his status within the campaign world. The cavalier’s ability to raise scores through experience can also come in
handy; you could make it retroactive if that would help bring the character into line.
As for background, the chivalric code
may or may not fit in with your campaign world. If it does not, I would recommend
not using the cavalier class at all. If it does, the paladin character should abide by it. But use good sense; paladins behave in a
lawful and good fashion, and do not scorn lowly folk in need. |
| 28. | DR118 | Dragon #118 | Why can’t a dwarf pummel a human using Weaponless Combat System I (page 106, Unearthed Arcana)?
Likewise, why can’t a dwarf grapple
a human or overbear that same
person?
| | System I is the streamlined, simplified
method, and it does not allow short characters to pummel larger opponents at all.
The reason is simple — the system was
designed to be quick and easy. If you want
more detail, use System II. In that system,
any creature can pummel any prone opponent. Overbearing attacks can be used by
a smaller attacker to bring down a larger opponent. So, your dwarf has to knock his
human opponent down first, then he can
pummel and grapple. |
| 29. | DR119 | Dragon #119 | D&D® Masters Set: Can a wall of iron spell be cast
with holes in it, so as to “handcuff” a
creature? | | No. A wall cannot be cast so that a creature
is embedded in it. Any magical wall,
however, can be cast so as to trap a creature
inside an enclosure. In your example,
the prisoner could be entrapped in an iron
enclosure constructed with a wall of iron
spell, but the victim couldn’t be “handcuffed.
” |
| 30. | DR119 | Dragon #119 | D&D® Masters Set: What would the effect of weapon
mastery be for a mystic’s attacks
with his hands? | | Mystics cannot gain mastery with their
hands. The weapon mastery rules are
limited to weapon-using creatures of sufficient
intelligence, as explained on page
15 of the Master Players’ Book. |
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