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Dungeons
& Dragons and Advanced Dungeons &
Dragons are
2 of the most exciting games on the market.
Unlike “normal”
games, D&D and AD&D
provide opportunities for not only roleplaying, but creative, original
thought as well. If one considers all of
the possible scenarios and character reactions,
then The Game itself
becomes the basis for original and unique
plans of action.
However, this aspect of the game is not
always emphasized when
one sits down to a session of D&D
or AD&D. All too often, DMs spend
their Time dictating to players and forcing them into
situations which cause them to “strike
1st and ask questions later.”
Surely, this limits The Game in an area
that should be exploited to
both the player’s and the DM’s advantage.
This article will attempt to describe some
exciting, inventive and
creative methods of handling various monsters.
These ideas are not
meant to be idealized into Napoleonic-like
strategies. On the contrary,
it is hoped that these methods will simply stimulate creative
and unusual play in the reader’s future
sessions.
With all monsters, the first thing to consider,
once battle is
inevitable, is “How do I attack it?” Is
the creature prone to spells?
Does it have a low intelligence
(confusion-type attacks work well
here) or a high intelligence (insanity,
paradoxes and the like are most
effective under these circumstances)? What
are its weaknesses and
what are its strengths?
Basically, unless one can go in for a quick
kill, then an attack on
the monster’s strongest weapon is in order.
By all means, do not
necessarily attack the monster’s strongest
attribute. This is foolish
and could cost you the battle. Disarmament,
however, usually leads
to quick capitulation. Render useless a
giant’s arm so that he cannot
heave boulders at you, or silence a harpy,
and both become much
more easily defeated. If you cannot destroy
the weapon, then at least
protect yourself from it. Use a mirror
on a medusa or put wax in your
ears to help against a banshee’s
scream.
Terrain
can be the all-important factor in determining the outcome of battle.
Remember that you are fighting in 3 dimensions,
not just 2. If possible, use your Levitate
or Fly spells to advantage.
A Magic-User in the air can see better
and is also protected from
hand-to-hand combat. Characters in danger
of dying can be levitated out of melee.
Always consider the 3rd dimension (and possibly
the 4th) as possible routes of escape
or means to an advantage.
Remember that D&D and AD&D
are medieval-based games. Tactics
that were feasible for that period in history
are some of the best
available when playing the game; i.e.,
armor tactics do not work
unless you have tanks.
All creatures have a weakness. This is a
key to remember in
fighting a monster. Each monster, in its
turn, must have an Achilles’
heel or it would surely dominate the world
of mortal men. For
example, creatures with magic
resistance seem very frustrating to the
average player. However, it must be realized
that magic resistance
gives no benefit against physical forces.
An earthquake is just as
liable to swallow an orc
as a demon. Creative thought along these
lines leads to the concept of “indirect
attack.” Strike at those objects
around you, in hopes that they will do
damage for you. Use your
lightning
bolt to snap off a stalactite, or strike the ground to send a
shower of rock chips toward the abdomen
of whatever is attacking
you. Knock
down a tree; turn a ceiling
to mud and let it collapse on
the hapless attackers; these are the methods
to deal with magic-resistant creatures, instead of striking at them and
hoping the die roll
will penetrate that magic resistance.
As a case study in “creative attack,” consider
dragons. For
example, it is possible to generate a small
boiler explosion in the
stomach of a red
dragon by forcing cold water down its throat. This is
a simple, if not always a readily accessible,
means of incapacitating
the beast. However, what does one do if
the brand of super-lizard
one is facing does NOT happen to have a
carmine tinge to its scales?
The answer really depends on how deeply
your DM has contemplated dragon physiology.
A good guess, however, would be that a
reasonable argument would prevail.
If we say, for example, that a blue
dragon discharges a bolt of
electricity,
then we could assume that it must build up this highly
positive charge within its mouth and then
release it when its mouth is
opened. If this is the case, then a
large piece of metal within its mouth
would serve to short-circuit the process.
If it did not incapacitate the
lizard, at least it would give it a splitting
headache. One may NOT
always have a large hunk
of iron ore hanging around (or a man with
sufficient strength
to throw it), and so one must come up with an
alternate means of gaining the advantage.
One method of doing this
is to simply take the high ground on the
beast. If the beleaguered
party can get above the head of the blue
dragon, then the ground
itself will act as a draw on the bolt of
electricity. While you may NOT be
able to convince your DM that this action
will negate the effects of the
breath weapon, it should be reasonable
to assume a plus to the
SAVE.
More about specific dragons later, but Now,
a few words about
dragons
in general. The dragon is a cowardly, solitary
beast. If this <morale modifier = x>
were not so then they would most surely
rule the world. This dictates
repartee and palaver as the 1st line of
defense (if the dragon can
speak). While a dragon is not likely to
be pleased at an intrusion into
its privacy, it is also NOT likely to attack
until it has determined the
Nature and strength of the party. Only
the oldest and most confident
of dragons should attack without thinking
about it 1st. Remember,
also, that it is hard to tell a 1st-level
character from a 10th-level, if
the 1st-level is a good enough actor. During
this first, or “negotiation:’ phase, the player should attempt to gain
whatever concessions
that he or she can. Terrain
advantages, as well as strategic placement
of party members, should be accomplished
in this 1st stage. Always
try to get above a dragon’s head. Most
things fall, including lightning
(attracted by the
ground), chlorine gas (it is heavier than
air), acid (a
little thing called
gravity), and cold
(cold air falls). Always spread out
so that the breath weapon cannot demolish
the entire party. Try to
encircle the beast and get him before he
can get you.
Despite all this, a major tactical advantage
can be achieved by
shutting down the breath weapon before
it can be expelled. This is
the most powerful of the dragon’s weapons
and should be the 1st
thing to be dealt with. A
large rock heaved in the general direction of
the dragon’s face should do the trick.
If not that, then try a Web spell.
Both of these would give some advantage
to the party. If one can
ruin the mouth, then one not only shuts
down the breath weapon but
can also put the 2nd major weapon (disregarding
spell-casting
ability) out of commission, the bite. In
other words, don’t try to
absorb the power of the breath weapon until
the dragon runs out of
charges; do something about it immediately;
in the long run, you will
be glad that you did.
Now, for some more dragons in specific.
For a green dragon,
a
good plan is to acquire
some sodium-tipped arrows. Store them in
oil,
since they will bum (slowly) in air. However, if one is shot into the
mouth of a green
dragon it will then react violently with the chlorine
gas. This will surely
leave the head of the dragon spinning for a few
moments, and he should
gag on all of the salt that you have just put
in his throat.
Black
dragons spit acid. Packets of lime (a strong alkaline) will at
least neutralize
the acid, if not get rid of the ability altogether. A gust
of
wind or a sudden downpour of created
water would serve to
disperse poisonous
clouds (timing, of course, is very important
here). This list
is by no means exhaustive, and many more methods
can be developed
by the creative mind.
This article has expressed, through theory
and case study, some
of the principles of battle that are necessary
for creative play of D&D
and AD&D. As stated earlier,
this article does not attempt to be the
ultimate source of battle tactics, but
is only provided as a guide
towards better, more enjoyable, and more
creative play.