Death by Saliva? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Death by Saliva? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
RoninFrosty
01-16-05, 09:59 AM I was DMing last night and the PC's fought an Azer (the flaming, dwarf looking thingies) and this particular Azer had a problem with being associated with dwarves. Well, one of the PC's spoke to him in dwarven, and a fight ensued. After their victory, the azer spat at one of the PC's and missed, so the PC spat back. I made him roll a ranged attack roll (just to see if it hit, I wasn't intending to roll damage). He rolled a 20. He rolled again, and got another 20. He rolled again, and got an 8, which given the dwarf's proneness, beat his AC.

The rule is 20, 20, over AC = Instant Death. I didn't rule it as such in this case, but I thought you guys might find it interesting.
Evadyn
01-16-05, 12:57 PM http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG22a.jpg

What, did he extinguish him?
evangelion1010
01-16-05, 01:16 PM I dislike using the 20, 20, hit rule as instant death. This means that theres probably a 1 in 1000 chance that a blow will be an instant kill.

This is especially the case if the PC's fight a lot of low CR creatures. My one character would have died from a boar if that was the case (20, 20, and i asked for him to roll a third time just to see what would happen....20.) I ended up taking around 27 damage, enough to seriously hurt my 7th level character, but not kill me.

It also means that if you have 8,000 kobolds surrounding some immensely old dragon, with skin easily thick enough to have arrows bounce off it...and they all fire one arrow, the dragon is statistically a goner.

Still, its interesting when things like that happen.
J.Augustus Rose II
01-16-05, 01:29 PM My group does the 20/20/20 = Instant Kill thing but it's never actually happened. We've had 20/20 rolls a couple of times but never the Triple 20 Instant Kill.
Silimaure
01-16-05, 03:42 PM ....Wouldn't something have to do damage to be able to do the 20 20 20 thing? I don'ts see a ball of spit doing any damage.
Bluebrush
01-16-05, 05:05 PM Maybe it was subdual damage? So he's only KO'd?
J.Augustus Rose II
01-16-05, 05:20 PM ....Wouldn't something have to do damage to be able to do the 20 20 20 thing? I don'ts see a ball of spit doing any damage.

Oh, well yeah. I didn't mean that the spit would insta-kill him. I was just (poorly) explaining how we do insta-kills.

Quit staring at me like that.
TyraaloftheFist
01-16-05, 09:16 PM *Wicked grin* I'd let it kill the Azer, just to see the look on the players' faces. :D Here's what I envision this encounter as:

DM: You see an Azer, and he looks like a flaming dwarf.
Dwarf PC: I say, "My party is a bunch of idiots," in Dwarven.
DM: He gets a horrible look on his flaming face and punches you.
Dwarf PC and his party proceed to beat the blazing tar out of the Azer.
DM: He spits at the dwarf.
Dwarf PC: I spit back, calling upon the grog I drank last night to make it smell really bad!
DM: Roll an attack roll.
Dwarf PC: Natural 20!
DM: Confirm the threat.
Dwarf PC: Another natural 20! Booyah!
DM: Ah, why not...roll one more attack roll.
Dwarf PC: Bugger...an 8.
DM: That hits, and your saliva extinguishes the Azer's flame and kills it.
Dwarf PC and his party: :eek: :eek: :eek: :mymy:
Dwarf PC: You're joking.
DM: I'm not, but the Azer twitches and kicks you in the groin for merely suggesting that I was.
PCs: :twitch: :OMG! :tantrum: ( The dwarf says "Gah!" as he is canned) :rofl:

Hm...wonder what they'd put as 'cause of death'...
Investigator: So, how did he die?
Cornoner: Death by Saliva.
:rimshot: :D
Loren Pechtel
01-17-05, 12:26 AM I dislike using the 20, 20, hit rule as instant death. This means that theres probably a 1 in 1000 chance that a blow will be an instant kill.

This is especially the case if the PC's fight a lot of low CR creatures. My one character would have died from a boar if that was the case (20, 20, and i asked for him to roll a third time just to see what would happen....20.) I ended up taking around 27 damage, enough to seriously hurt my 7th level character, but not kill me.

It also means that if you have 8,000 kobolds surrounding some immensely old dragon, with skin easily thick enough to have arrows bounce off it...and they all fire one arrow, the dragon is statistically a goner.

Still, its interesting when things like that happen.

Yeah, I'd never use such a rule. The PC's face a *LOT* of combat, sooner or later the #'s will come up.

Back in college there was some system, I forget what it was called, that effectively had 20/20 being lethal. (There was no such rule, but a hit that good would almost certainly mean a roll on a table that generally killed.) That means 1 in 400 shots killed. I've sent more than 400 rounds at the PC's in a single battle once. (They were on a recon mission of an orc army. They got stupid and they ended up beating a hasty retreat with shields on their heads trying to protect themselves from the arrow storm. Nobody died but it was close.)
DarkSoldier
01-17-05, 05:35 AM My group does the 20/20/20 = Instant Kill thing but it's never actually happened. We've had 20/20 rolls a couple of times but never the Triple 20 Instant Kill.
I have witnessed a Triple 20. Unfortunately, it was on a stormtrooper in my SWRPG game. Such a waste...
J.Augustus Rose II
01-17-05, 06:00 AM I have witnessed a Triple 20. Unfortunately, it was on a stormtrooper in my SWRPG game. Such a waste...

:rofl: That just sucks. You can kill stormtroopers with colorful language and a dirty look.
RoninFrosty
01-17-05, 10:39 AM Well, like I said, he didn't take damage, I just thought I'd share.

But I saw some 20-20-Confirm kills...

Our ranger once killed a 9 Headed Hydra with a scimitar to the chest.

A halfling rogue stabbed a Dryder with a dagger. Inabouts its leg.
sylvanwolf
01-17-05, 11:51 AM i think i would let the instant kill rules apply to the PC's but not the monsters that face them. i know this may not be fair, but the game is about the characters not the 1,997,776,673 kobalds in my world. and instant kills are both dramatic and FUN. i've had players jump for joy on instant killing an orc (i know who really cares about an orc), but it was an instant kill so far a while at least it he was the man of the hour.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RoninFrosty 01-16-05, 09:59 AM	I was DMing last night and the PC's fought an Azer (the flaming, dwarf looking thingies) and this particular Azer had a problem with being associated with dwarves. Well, one of the PC's spoke to him in dwarven, and a fight ensued. After their victory, the azer spat at one of the PC's and missed, so the PC spat back. I made him roll a ranged attack roll (just to see if it hit, I wasn't intending to roll damage). He rolled a 20. He rolled again, and got another 20. He rolled again, and got an 8, which given the dwarf's proneness, beat his AC. The rule is 20, 20, over AC = Instant Death. I didn't rule it as such in this case, but I thought you guys might find it interesting.
Evadyn 01-16-05, 12:57 PM	http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG22a.jpg What, did he extinguish him?
evangelion1010 01-16-05, 01:16 PM	I dislike using the 20, 20, hit rule as instant death. This means that theres probably a 1 in 1000 chance that a blow will be an instant kill. This is especially the case if the PC's fight a lot of low CR creatures. My one character would have died from a boar if that was the case (20, 20, and i asked for him to roll a third time just to see what would happen....20.) I ended up taking around 27 damage, enough to seriously hurt my 7th level character, but not kill me. It also means that if you have 8,000 kobolds surrounding some immensely old dragon, with skin easily thick enough to have arrows bounce off it...and they all fire one arrow, the dragon is statistically a goner. Still, its interesting when things like that happen.
J.Augustus Rose II 01-16-05, 01:29 PM	My group does the 20/20/20 = Instant Kill thing but it's never actually happened. We've had 20/20 rolls a couple of times but never the Triple 20 Instant Kill.
Silimaure 01-16-05, 03:42 PM	....Wouldn't something have to do damage to be able to do the 20 20 20 thing? I don'ts see a ball of spit doing any damage.
Bluebrush 01-16-05, 05:05 PM	Maybe it was subdual damage? So he's only KO'd?
J.Augustus Rose II 01-16-05, 05:20 PM	....Wouldn't something have to do damage to be able to do the 20 20 20 thing? I don'ts see a ball of spit doing any damage. Oh, well yeah. I didn't mean that the spit would insta-kill him. I was just (poorly) explaining how we do insta-kills. Quit staring at me like that.
TyraaloftheFist 01-16-05, 09:16 PM	Wicked grin I'd let it kill the Azer, just to see the look on the players' faces. :D Here's what I envision this encounter as: DM: You see an Azer, and he looks like a flaming dwarf. Dwarf PC: I say, "My party is a bunch of idiots," in Dwarven. DM: He gets a horrible look on his flaming face and punches you. Dwarf PC and his party proceed to beat the blazing tar out of the Azer. DM: He spits at the dwarf. Dwarf PC: I spit back, calling upon the grog I drank last night to make it smell really bad! DM: Roll an attack roll. Dwarf PC: Natural 20! DM: Confirm the threat. Dwarf PC: Another natural 20! Booyah! DM: Ah, why not...roll one more attack roll. Dwarf PC: Bugger...an 8. DM: That hits, and your saliva extinguishes the Azer's flame and kills it. Dwarf PC and his party: :eek: :eek: :eek: :mymy: Dwarf PC: You're joking. DM: I'm not, but the Azer twitches and kicks you in the groin for merely suggesting that I was. PCs: :twitch: :OMG! :tantrum: ( The dwarf says "Gah!" as he is canned) :rofl: Hm...wonder what they'd put as 'cause of death'... Investigator: So, how did he die? Cornoner: Death by Saliva. :rimshot: :D
Loren Pechtel 01-17-05, 12:26 AM	I dislike using the 20, 20, hit rule as instant death. This means that theres probably a 1 in 1000 chance that a blow will be an instant kill. This is especially the case if the PC's fight a lot of low CR creatures. My one character would have died from a boar if that was the case (20, 20, and i asked for him to roll a third time just to see what would happen....20.) I ended up taking around 27 damage, enough to seriously hurt my 7th level character, but not kill me. It also means that if you have 8,000 kobolds surrounding some immensely old dragon, with skin easily thick enough to have arrows bounce off it...and they all fire one arrow, the dragon is statistically a goner. Still, its interesting when things like that happen. Yeah, I'd never use such a rule. The PC's face a LOT of combat, sooner or later the #'s will come up. Back in college there was some system, I forget what it was called, that effectively had 20/20 being lethal. (There was no such rule, but a hit that good would almost certainly mean a roll on a table that generally killed.) That means 1 in 400 shots killed. I've sent more than 400 rounds at the PC's in a single battle once. (They were on a recon mission of an orc army. They got stupid and they ended up beating a hasty retreat with shields on their heads trying to protect themselves from the arrow storm. Nobody died but it was close.)
DarkSoldier 01-17-05, 05:35 AM	My group does the 20/20/20 = Instant Kill thing but it's never actually happened. We've had 20/20 rolls a couple of times but never the Triple 20 Instant Kill. I have witnessed a Triple 20. Unfortunately, it was on a stormtrooper in my SWRPG game. Such a waste...
J.Augustus Rose II 01-17-05, 06:00 AM	I have witnessed a Triple 20. Unfortunately, it was on a stormtrooper in my SWRPG game. Such a waste... :rofl: That just sucks. You can kill stormtroopers with colorful language and a dirty look.
RoninFrosty 01-17-05, 10:39 AM	Well, like I said, he didn't take damage, I just thought I'd share. But I saw some 20-20-Confirm kills... Our ranger once killed a 9 Headed Hydra with a scimitar to the chest. A halfling rogue stabbed a Dryder with a dagger. Inabouts its leg.
sylvanwolf 01-17-05, 11:51 AM	i think i would let the instant kill rules apply to the PC's but not the monsters that face them. i know this may not be fair, but the game is about the characters not the 1,997,776,673 kobalds in my world. and instant kills are both dramatic and FUN. i've had players jump for joy on instant killing an orc (i know who really cares about an orc), but it was an instant kill so far a while at least it he was the man of the hour.