Hats off to the Wolves

[johnlewismcleod]

A 6d8+30hp, which should mean 48hp max.

Admittedly, I'm a bit rusty with PnP calculations, but with HP gain maxed for PC's and creatures (as I understand it is), wouldn't this be 48 + 30 = 78HP? Or, if creatures are randomized, be ~ 54?

[Brokenbone]

You'll notice that critters in PnP always have dead-average hitpoints. If they should have 6d8, that means they get 18. It's what players in most PnP games expect, you do not expect to fight 20 goblins each with maxed out hp, nor 20 goblins which all rolled 1's. Every unimportant critter being "completely average" is the expectation. Unusual important NPCs you might fudge (like Elminster, you don't count up a bunch of average d4s for his arcane levels...), but the faceless masses you go average.

NWN2 doesn't assume critters have maxed hitpoints, the toolset has more finesse than that, the things never roll, they're always set amounts a builder (whether employed by Obsidian or a volunteer here) inputs. I believe if you put in a bunch of hitdice, it suggests an average value which a builder could, but tends not, to tinker with.

[HEEGZ]

None of the ALFA mobs I checked had max HP, only players do. I didn't do an exhaustive check though.

[Mulu]

Yep...wolves in ALFA are every bit as fiercesome as they are in RL.

And then some. It is claimed that only 1 in 10 wolf attacks in RL result in a dead person, and those deaths are against unarmed and unarmored people. In the last century only a dozen or so deaths have been confirmed, and both of those stats are from a wolf hunting website that has every reason to exaggerate the claims (and they did). Most naturalists will claim wolf attacks are exceedingly rare, deaths even more so, and the only death by wolf pack that I'm aware of that took place in modern times was a young man in Alaska who previously in the day had taunted a wolf pack with some friends. Being killed by a wolf pack not only made the news, it merited a Discovery Channel one hour special. *That's* how rare it is. Obviously a wolf pack *can* kill an unarmed and unarmored man, but they rarely do.

From that same wolf hunting website: "1987 a 16-year-old girl was bitten by a wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, she was bitten on the arm, clothing prevented severe lacerations." emphasis added. Imagine what plate mail would do. I think you'd be essentially immune from a wolf bite. You'd look like those dog attack trainers getting bit in a red suit.

My brother has a husky/wolf mix. The thing swims across partly frozen rivers and kills deer. It's never bitten a person. I'm sure it could hurt me plenty well if it caught me by surprise, but with a club I think I'd break it's jaw before it could really do anything. In fact I seem to recall a famous story like that....

In general, animals are very afraid of people, and rightly so. Zulu warriors used to hunt bare-handed to prove their bravery. I remember watching a special on a man in Africa who was attacked by a very large python, and bit it to death. He was just a guy walking down the road, not a trained warrior. BTW, that incident *also* merited a one hour Discovery Channel special.

Bears, lions, tigers, leopards, crocodilians, rhinoceros, elephants, large bovines and hippos are the exceptions. And small poisonous things, they love to kill people. In India roughly 50,000 people die each year from snakebite. Mosquitoes are responsible for roughly half of all human fatalities.

However, this is D&D where a swarm of rats is treated a 5HD monster, so although I totally agree with Mik's assessment of wolves, reality is irrelevant.

[Mikayla]

Since you mentioned Discovery Channel specials, I would like to point out that *I*, Mikayla, have merited not one, but TWO one-hour Discovery Channel specials - "Changing Sexes: Male to Female" and "Switching Sexes: The Aftermath" (I was also the subject of a short-film documentary called "The Bond" which plays in film festivals now, but no connection with Disco. Channel). Obviously I am therefore at least twice as cool as the guy who got killed by wolves or the dude who bit a python to death. I am sure my parents are proud (and, actually they are .. the producer of "The Bond" was my dad, hee hee).





*Of course, what this really proves is that Discovery Channel lacks programming and will make a one-hour special out of just about ANYTHING and sometimes, more than once. There - I said it for y'all before y'all could.

[Mulu]

Just think how awesome you would be if you bit a python to death too! That might merit a TWO hour special!

Then if you adopted a two-headed midget, they'd just rename it the Mikayla Channel. Heck, we might have one of those floating around in ALFA....

Well I suppose to be thorough you'd have to start a cult, see ghosts, proclaim the apocalypse and have a mummy in your living room.

[Mulu]

Oh, and before it gets lost in the noise, the important lesson to take away from this thread is the fact that D&D is a silly fantasy game that has no rational relationship to reality. That is precisely why it has been so successful for so many years. Something for the HTF/weapon&armor breakage/long travel times/long resting crowd to consider....

[Mikayla]

I have to yield to the "D&D is a silly fantasy game" retort. I, myself, am a huge fan of all-protective bikini armor, so I guess I cannot complain too much if the wolves are overly deadly considering that my cleavage baring armor stopped many a blade and provided better protection than an M1 tank (well, back when I had a character that actually wore armor anyway). And so it goes.

As for the "Mikayla Channel" idea, I like it! (But then, was there anyone whose been in ALFA longer than a day who didn't think I would?!?). As for all things I have to do ... hmm, I think I can start a cult (though I am an atheist) and I can surely see ghosts (even if I don't believe in them). Adopting a two-headed midget is out though - I promised my real son that I would never have or adopt any more children, since his other parent has now had two more. Alas, he gets me all to himself.

[johnlewismcleod]

While I understand what you're saying about wild animals, I think you're using a 21st century filter. You don't have to go back very far in our own histroy to reach the point where these animals still considered humans to be good grub, but since we're in Faerun all RL bets are off anyway

I would say: "I'm glad we agree, Mulu! "

[johnlewismcleod]

Except that:

I'm just feeling disagreeable today ...I don't even agree with myself

This does begin to sound like a brainstorming thread though...anyone agree with that?

Hey..what comes after Gelatinous Cube anyway?

[mr duncan]

Yes, lets brainstorm all the animal spawns into goblins, orcs, and gnolls. We have debate over whether or not we should have animals and what conditions they would attack, or how /capable/ they are of attacking armed adventurers

We /dont/ have these disagreements about what gnolls are capable of and willing to do.

Also, Id like to point out that when its snowy and cold outside, bears find a cave and sleep for a whole season... yet we have a bear spawn out in the midst of the snowy pass. We are due to get a new Silverymoon Pass soon anyway, but it makes a good point as to how dysfunctional our animal spawns are.


J


PS- What comes after a gelatinous cube? Why, a squeaky clean hallway with no organic bits at all... THATS what youll see after every gelatinous cube

[Mulu]

If you mean what pursues a gelatinous cube, why greedy adventurers of course! I mean, you can *see* the sword inside of it.

The usual issue with rabid attack animals is druids and rangers, and I'm surprised that issue hasn't surfaced yet. There are certainly plenty of unambiguous monsters to choose from as dangers in a D&D world. So many that it really makes one wonder how wolves could survive.

[MorbidKate]

Also, Id like to point out that when its snowy and cold outside, bears find a cave and sleep for a whole season... yet we have a bear spawn out in the midst of the snowy pass. We are due to get a new Silverymoon Pass soon anyway, but it makes a good point as to how dysfunctional our animal spawns are.

Umm, most species of bears don't enter full hibernation and most will leave their dens on occasion. And seeing that no builder is going to bother duping their work with seasonal exteriors for the mod some things just have to slide. Besides, Faerun Black & Brown bears may not be exactly like American Black & Brown Bears

And a word of warning... Whatever you do, don't feed the Dire Bears at Yosemite

Kate

[mr duncan]

The lack of seasonal changes just underlines for me the reason to get rid of seasonal spawns rather than assuming the bear thats ALWAYS hanging out in the snow is just an occasional bear leaving its den "this time"

Like when all our elves used to get attacked by the wolves, we made the lame excuse "Poor thing must have been starved"... We needed an excuse or reason EVERY time we passed a wolf

Just change the spawn to things that we dont need an excuse for when we encounter them. It does not need to be "let slide" when a much more DnD solution is avalaible rather than every wolf being starved or the bear always being out on an occasional snowy outing

[MorbidKate]

LOL, well.... the critter palette isn't huge to start with and it's even smaller when you consider the terrain the servers are built around so if you want to pull Wolves & Bears I'd be curious to know what would replace them with.

Kate