Original D&D Discussion - Spell questions

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May 18, 2013, 11:22pm

Original D&D Discussion :: Dungeons & Dragons (1971-1978) :: Men & Magic (1974) :: Spell questions

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Topic: Spell questions (Read 805 times)

coffee
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Re: Spell questions
« Reply #15 on Sept 24, 2008, 12:54pm »

Also, with both fireball and lightning bolt, there are environmental factors to consider. Gary often mentioned the size of the fireball and the tendency of it to fill spaces (33,000 cubic feet...). And lightning bolts bounce back. So they have their attendant dangers.

But hey, it's a lot better than saying they choose one or the other and can throw them at will, as in Chainmail...

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scottenkainen
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Re: Spell questions
« Reply #16 on Sept 25, 2008, 1:12pm »

Protection from Evil -- how am I to interpret this line using the alternative combat system? "a -1 from hit dice of evil opponents". Does that mean the attacker should have a -1 to hit or attack as if 1 level lower? From 3+ HD on, it makes a difference.

~Scott "-enkainen" Casper

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makofan
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Re: Spell questions
« Reply #17 on Sept 25, 2008, 1:15pm »

I treat it as a straight "-1"

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coffee
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Re: Spell questions
« Reply #18 on Sept 25, 2008, 1:26pm »

Sept 25, 2008, 1:12pm, scottenkainen wrote:

It means that the attacker has a -1 on his attack.

The difficulty stems from the ambiguity of language; Hit Dice both meant one's dice score to hit as well as one's Accumulative Dice for Hits (which give hit points).

In a similar vein, the word "turn" was used both in the sense of a 10-minute turn as well as a 1-minute melee round (sometimes clarified as a "melee turn").

In both cases, it wasn't until AD&D that such nomenclature was standardized.

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longcoat000
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Re: Spell questions
« Reply #19 on Oct 7, 2008, 11:58am »

Sept 25, 2008, 1:26pm, coffee wrote:

Sept 25, 2008, 1:12pm, scottenkainen wrote:

The full sentence states the following about Protection from Evil (Men & Magic, p. 23):

Quote:

It also serves as an "armor" from various evil attacks, adding a + 1 to all saving throws and taking a — 1 from hit dice of evil opponents. (Note that this spell is not cumulative in effect with magic armor and rings, although it will continue to keep out enchanted monsters.)

Which means that it is treated the same way as magical armor, meaning that the attacker attacks as if one level lower / having one less hit die on the attack matrix per page 31 of Monsters & Treasure regarding magical armor:

Quote:

Armor proper subtracts its bonus from the hit dice of the opponents of its wearer.

Of course, it's probably easier just to give the monsters a -1 to-hit. It's your game, so you get to make the call.

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