Magic Item Oddities

[coffee]

This struck me as odd:

Paralization: A paralization ray of the same dimensions as a Fear Wand. Creatures take half damage if their saving throw is made.

(p. 34)

First of all, I'm assuming that was a typo, and that the reference to half damage was meant to go somewhere else. After all, in Volume One it says, under Saving Throws:

Scoring the total indicated above (or scoring higher) means the weapon has no effect (death ray, polymorph, paralization, stone, or spell)...

Second of all, how would you take half damage from paralization? Would it last half as long, or would you only be half paralyzed?



Has anybody else found anything like that? Something that strikes you as odd, or that you just don't have an explanation for? I'm just curious...

[jrients]

I assume that the line about half damage was meant to apply to another wand and is just an error to be ignored.

However, you could make it work. 'Standard' damage is a d6 in pre-Sup I D&D. So if you wanted to be ornery you could have the wand paralyze on a failed save but do d6/2 pips of damage if the save is made. Perhaps the wand achieves its effect by electrically shorting out the nervous system of the targets and a successful save avoids the paralysis but the electricity instead discharges through other parts of the body, causing tissue damage.

[coffee]

Good idea!

This is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. As I said, I'm assuming it's a typo. But a lot of people read a rule and say "Well, that what is says..." and so play it.

You can come up with some weird games that way!

(Some friends of mine admitted once that when they started playing, they'd drop Iron Rations to get Rust Monsters off their trail...)

[jrients]

Going again with the "How Might We Have Mis-read It When We Were Dumb Kids" line of inquiry, I could see a player complaining that it made no sense for the wand to do half damage on a successful save but no damage on a failure. The referee might then rule that a failed save is d6 damage plus paralyzation.

[crimhthanthegreat]

coffee said:

Good idea!

This is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. As I said, I'm assuming it's a typo. But a lot of people read a rule and say "Well, that what is says..." and so play it.

You can come up with some weird games that way!

(Some friends of mine admitted once that when they started playing, they'd drop Iron Rations to get Rust Monsters off their trail...)