Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (
More info?)
On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 22:39:40 -0700, Dormammu
<Dormammu@thedarkdimension.com> wrote:
>Auric__ wrote:
>> On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 18:53:02 -0500, David Serhienko
>> <david.serhienko@ndsu.nodak.edu> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Dormammu wrote:
>>>
>>>>Let's say your characters are rowing a boat and some big critter wants
>>>>to either ram the boat and sink it or bull rush the boat to try to drive
>>>>it off course into the dangerous reefs nearby.
>>>>
>>>>A. How much ramming damage would a charging sea critter do? (could be
>>>>any type, I'm looking for generic rules)
>>>
>>>No idea =)
>>>
>>>
>>>>B. How would you run the bull rush? Would it be critter's strength (+2
>>>>for charging) versus one rower, versus all rowers, versus one rower with
>>>>+2 per additional rower, or something else?
>>>
>>>I'd wouldn't think it'd be against the rowers at all, but rather against
>>>the weight of the contents, and its seaworthiness.
>>
>>
>> The speed of the boat is an issue. The size of the boat is a major issue
>> (easier to push a dinghy than a frigate). Direction and distance to the
>> reef could be a factor (straight ahead vs. off to one side). Does the
>> boat have a rudder, or is it steered entirely by the rowers? (Probably
>> has a rudder; only a tiny rowboat would have no rudder.) If the PCs are
>> aware of the reef and try to pole themselves away from it, then it's a
>> matter of the strength of those trying to push, and the strength of the
>> poles (oars) themselves (can't use them very well if they're too short
>> to reach the reef).
>>
>
>I figured I'd use the basic rules in the Arms & Equipment Guide, but
>they don't say what damage is done by something like a giant sperm whale
>ramming a rowboat, say.
The results of that particular pairing would depend on the type of
campaign you're running.
Realistically, an adult sperm whale (or any large whale) would have no
problem destroying a rowboat, whether rushing it or whatever. The whale
could come straight up from below and physically launch the boat into
the air, distance depending upon weight of passengers & cargo and the
size & strength of the whale. The whale could possibly slap the boat
with its tail and *maybe* drive it under - or capsize it by flipping it
with the tail from underneath. A toothed whale could even bite a large
chunk out of the hull.
OTOH, for a high fantasy campaign, the whale should swallow the boat -
including passengers and cargo - whole and undamaged, if it (the whale)
is large enough and the boat is small enough (think Pinocchio or Baron
Munchausen).
>>>Beyond that, I have no idea.
>>>
>>>Interested to see if anyone comes up with something simple, though.
>>>
>>>DWS
>>
>>
>> [view this with a fixed-width font]
>> A B C
>> R ^ ^ ^
>> E | R | R |
>> E | E | E |
>> F | E B E |
>> | F O F |
>> | A |
>> | T |
>> B B
>> O O
>> A A
>> T T
>>
>> Boat A can be forced onto its reef with very little work on the
>> monster's part. Boat B would need to be pushed nearly sideways by the
>> monster; not so easy. Boat C is not as hard as B but hard than A; plus,
>> since the reef is angled, there is also a matter of timing by the
>> monster.
>
>Yeah, but would you use Bull Rush? Whose Strength would you use?
For pushing the boat it would be a strength check of some sort, but not
a rush. A "rush" would seem to indicate the intention to do sudden
damage, not a possibly prolonged push. I think it would be the strength
of the monster vs. the part of the total strength of the rowers ("part
of" because of the nature of rowing itself) - say half the total, or
less.
Caveat: I am entirely unfamiliar with rules later than 2nd ed., and
don't have much beyond the core rules - meaning I don't know what a
"Bull Rush" is - and I have never dealt with water-borne battles of this
nature. (My groups dealt with pirates, and rarely, at that. The one
battle against a large beast was a plot device; the PCs weren't allowed
to win.)
--
auric underscore underscore at hotmail dot com
*****
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