13.0 SPECIAL CREATURE ABILITIES
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Many of the creatures in the AD&D and D&D
games have special abilities.
PROCEDURE
All special abilities and limitations of
creatures must be determined before play
begins. For monsters in official AD&D
and
D&D game publications, the
published information should be used.
For new monsters, you must agree what
the abilities and limitations are before
play begins. A referee is extremely useful
for resolving problems.
[13.1] COMBAT BONUSES AND PENALTIES
If a creature has a penalty or benefit
under certain circumstances (e.g., -1 to
hit in daylight, or -4 to AC against
giants), the adjustment applies whenever
the circumstances occur. Make AR and
AC adjustments before the dice are
rolled; make damage adjustments after
the dice have been rolled. Each + or -
equals one column shift on the Combat Results Tableper
attacking figure to the
total HD of damage done.
EXAMPLE: If the result is 3D6 of damage per figure, and there
is a +1 damage adjustment, the actual # of HD of damage is 3 times the
result in the D8 column (1 column shift to the right).
There are two types of poison: poison
that causes paralyzation or
immobilization, and poison that causes
extra damage or death.
Poison that causes paralyzation,
immobilization, or similar effects is
resolved as in [13.4] PARALYZATION or
[14.6] CHARM, HOLD, AND
TEMPORARY IMMOBILIZATION.
Poison that causes extra damage or
death is treated as extra dice of damage,
using the same dice roll as the
conventional attack(s) made during that
phase. If the poison is defined as weak,
or the save is made at a bonus,
shift one column to the right to
determine the extra damage. If the poison
is defined as strong, or the save
is made at a penalty, shift three columns
to the right to determine the extra
damage. If the strength of the poison is
not defined and there is no bonus or
penalty to the save, shift two
columns to the right to determine the
extra damage. Do not make a save
against poison in the
BATTLESYSTEM game, even in one is
permitted. SPECIAL NOTE: This rule
applies even if the poison only does extra
damage, rather than causes death.
Some creature are hit only by magic
or silver weapons, have a shield spell or
globe of invulnerability, or possess other
protection against harm.
If a unit ends a Melee Phase in
base-to-base contact with the enemy
figure or unit it cannot psb. harm, it
makes an immed. Morale Check in
+addition+ to any other checks that may
have to be made in that phase.
Any damage caused by a figure or unit
that paralyzes upon touch causes any
enemy units in base-to-base contact with
it to be become paralyzed.
Paralyzation attacks never cause
wounds; if any damage is scored,
fractional unit damage paralyzes an
entire figure. If the only damage caused
by a unit is to paralyze, use the D4
column on the CRT to calculate how
many HD of enemy figures are
paralyzed. Any damage (no matter how
small) that affects a single figure requires
an immed. save for that
figure (if allowed).
Creatures engaged with level-draining
opponents at the end of a Melee Phase
must make an immed. Morale Check
with a -2 penalty, in +addition+ to any
other checks that must be made.
When level-draining creatures engage
in melee combat, they do double
damage.
Some creatures, incl. dragons, demons,
and devils, have the power to
cause awe and/or fear. The official
monster description for each such
creature explains when the effect occurs
and who is subject to it.
If a creature capable of causing awe
and/or fear is on the battlefield, all units
that are affected by it and that are within
12" of it must make an immed.
Morale Check, in +addition+ to any other
Morale Checks that must be made.
Modify the unit's morale by -1 if the
check is caused by a dragon or a creature
of 12+ HD. Modify the morale by +1 if
the check is caused by an illusion of a
creature that causes awe or fear.
If a divine being (gods and demigods
only) with a CHA of 19 or higher
appears on the battlefield, all forces
within sight on both sides are
automatically affected by the god's awe
power. <e>
Awe power stuns affected crteatures into
inaction as long as the deity is present.
There is no save.
Breath weapons use the rules for
magical artillery. See [14.5] for
calculating damage. Range is defined
in the official AD&D or D&D monster
description, but AREA of effect is as
defined in [14.2].
Breath weapons are normally used
during the Missile and Magic Phase.
They can be used as split-fire or as
pass-through fire if desired.
Q: Dragons can use
their breath
weapons as both pass-through
fire
and split-fire. In which
phases can
dragons use their breath
weapons?
A: A dragon (or other
creature with a
breath weapon) may breathe
during the
missile and magic phase,
or during the
movement phases if it uses
pass-through
fire or split-fire. Breath
weapons and
other effects that are usable
only once per
round are not usable during
the initial
missile phase:
(127.67)
Q: Could a dragon
using split-fire
stay put, breathe, then
move half its
movement allowance? What
about
other units capable of split-fire?
A: A bow-armed unit
could do exactly what
you describe simply by firing
during the
initial missile phase, but
a dragon could
not. You must decide how
strictly to apply
the split-fire rule -- strictly
speaking, a
split-firing unit must move
half its movement,
fire, then complete its
movement.
You can, however, be a bit
more flexible
than this. Many miniatures
players allow
split-firing units to use
their missiles any
time before the half-move
mark; if you use
this rule, it is best to
limit the unit to onehalf
a normal move after it fires,
as you
have suggested. Note that
in this case the
split-firing unit could
move less than half a
move at the owning player's
option.
(127.67)
Creatures with this ability can remove
a Wound marker from a figure if it goes
for two Game Rounds without
participating in combat. When
regenerating creatures are killed, place a
second Wound marker on the figure and
leave it on the battlefield. Two Game
Rounds later, one Wound marker is
removed and the figure can MOVE and
fight normally. If an enemy figure is
within 1" of the "dead" regenerating
creature, the creature cannot regenerate.
A single figure can prevent two
regenerating creatures from healing if it is
within 1" of each such figure.
Damage caused by fire && acid
attacks does not regenerate unless the
creature description says otherwise.
[13.9] UNDEAD AND MINDLESS CREATURES
Mindless undead (zombies, skeletons,
etc.), must be in command in order to
MOVE or FIGHT. They never check morale
|| discipline (but must hav a morale
rating calculated for them). If a unit of
mindless undead goes out of command, it
continues following its last order: MOVE,
FIGHT, pursue, halt, etc., regardless of
circumstances. If it is moving, it will
FIGHT any opponents or friendly forces in
its path, and MOVE off the tabletop or
over a cliff || into a river or otherwise
self-destruct if command is not
re-established in time.
Q: What are the effects
of the various
"draconian deaths" in Krynn,
the
DRAGONLANCE®
saga world -- particularly
the Baaz
turn-to-stone, the
Bozak
explosion, the Kapak acid,
and the Sivak
flame deaths?
A: The Baaz ability
is ignored during mass
combat (entrapped weapons
are soon
freed, and secondary weapons
can be
employed), but it does affect
character vs.
character combat. Bozak,
Sivak, and Kapak
effects cover areas so small
that they
usually cannot affect an
entire figure, and
thus can be ignored. In
the event that they
do cover an entire figure
(see page 23),
they generate 10 dice of
damage for each
draconian figure eliminated
(wounding a
draconian figure produces
no effect) and
are treated like any other
magical attack.
In any case, the Kapak acid
remains
behind, forming a barrier
1/3" deep
(extending back from the
point where the
melee took place) and as
wide as the figures
that produced it. This acid
damages
units or figures that cross
it or stand in it.
Such units suffer one die
of damage for
each creature that contacts
the acid (if any
part of a figure touches
the acid, all creatures
in the figure are considered
exposed).
(127.67)
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