Balrog stats? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Balrog stats? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Wraith Man
03-15-05, 04:00 PM Is there any published material with D&D stats for a Balrog? I seem to remember that they were covered in past (TSR) editions, but what of the 3.* edition? I've looked through all 3 of the Monster Manuals, Fiend Folio and Monsters of Faerun.

Just curious.

Thanx!
The nameles one
03-15-05, 04:02 PM Balor... :rolleyes:
ServantOfTheLordYawgmoth
03-15-05, 04:04 PM Of course not. You will never find anything remotely resembling a Balrog in a D&D book. After all, it's not like they can just copy ideas straight from another author's work. They could get sued for that. I can assure you, Wizard of the Coast would never print information on a Balrog... without changing the name to cover their behinds. It's the Balor, listed under devils in the MM.
aaron3579
03-15-05, 04:07 PM This is why we call hobits halflings instead of hobits.

Seems like I recall Tolkien's son threatening to sue Gary Gygax at some point...

Of course, we have dwarves and elves and dragons and orcs in D&D, but these were around before Tolkien.

Gygax did rip off ALOT from Tolkien, however. The funny thing is that publicly, he claims to have not been influneced by Middle Earth at all.

pfff.
astute1
03-15-05, 04:17 PM double post
astute1
03-15-05, 04:17 PM The funny thing is that publicly, he claims to have not been influneced by Middle Earth at all.
Hmmm... I wonder why he would do that... Oh, yeah:
Seems like I recall Tolkien's son threatening to sue Gary Gygax at some point...

Anyway, Balrog = Balor. If you want to make one like in the movie, I'd advance it to at least 31 HD, which would make it size huge (and give it a CR in the 20s).
olshanski_home
03-15-05, 04:21 PM That is a joke.
You cannot seriously believe that a Balor is cribbed form the Balrog?
The balrog used a whip and a big sword! The Balor is entirely different...er... the Balor doesn't have a "G" at the end of his name, and the "OR" is reversed, so they must be entirely different.

Next you'll have me believe that hobbit=halfling, Ent=Treant, Warg=Worg, barrow-wight = wight
(and countless others)
The nameles one
03-15-05, 04:31 PM barrow-wight = wight

Actually the Barrow-Wights were more like specter's or ghosts. (Incorpreal)
Too bad they left them from the movie.
ServantOfTheLordYawgmoth
03-15-05, 04:38 PM Next you'll have me believe that hobbit=halfling, Ent=Treant, Warg=Worg, barrow-wight = wight
(and countless others)

Actually, I wasn't going to tell you because it's sort of a closely guarded secret, but, believe it or not, Orcs were actually based off of... well, you get the picture.

And we would, in fact, have you believe that these creatures aren't based off Tolkien's work. After all, if we were meant to know this stuff, do you really think that WotC would have done so much work to conceal these things? Obviously we have stumbled across the best-kept secret in the history of this game and we should all hush it up as soon as possible.

Obviously.
Arrowhen
03-15-05, 04:54 PM Of course, we have dwarves and elves and dragons and orcs in D&D, but these were around before Tolkien.
Before Tolkien we mostly had "dwarfs"--it was he who popularized* the term "dwarves."

Next you'll have me believe that hobbit=halfling, Ent=Treant, Warg=Worg, barrow-wight = wight
(and countless others)
Or ranger = uh... ranger? ;)

* Or coined, depending on who you ask.
fistanthius
03-15-05, 04:58 PM If you had the old AD&D books, you can see a collection of fantasy books that Gygax listed as inspiration for his game. He mentions The Hobbit and LotR books. Plus a whole lot more. No big surprise.
kliate
03-15-05, 05:09 PM Of course not. You will never find anything remotely resembling a Balrog in a D&D book. After all, it's not like they can just copy ideas straight from another author's work. They could get sued for that. I can assure you, Wizard of the Coast would never print information on a Balrog... without changing the name to cover their behinds. It's the Balor, listed under devils in the MM.

Actually, the Balor is a demon..you're off by a few pages.
ServantOfTheLordYawgmoth
03-15-05, 05:32 PM Actually, the Balor is a demon..you're off by a few pages.

Wow. I don't know how I missed that. Thanks for pointing that out. Boy do I feel stupid.

Of course, it's an easily excusable mistake. Really, demons are just like devils. Except for the whole "opposite ends of the law-chaos axis" thing and that bit about the Blood War and the two races having that sort of "eternal hatred" thing for each other... Okay, yeah, that was a pretty stupid mistake. Even Tolkien called them demons. Thanks for noticing that, because I probably would have felt really silly when I realized it a few days from now (probably in the middle of English class with an exagerated smack to the forehead while shouting something like "of course! It's a demon, you idiot!" Not that I've ever done anything like that before, of course).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Wraith Man 03-15-05, 04:00 PM	Is there any published material with D&D stats for a Balrog? I seem to remember that they were covered in past (TSR) editions, but what of the 3.* edition? I've looked through all 3 of the Monster Manuals, Fiend Folio and Monsters of Faerun. Just curious. Thanx!
The nameles one 03-15-05, 04:02 PM	Balor... :rolleyes:
ServantOfTheLordYawgmoth 03-15-05, 04:04 PM	Of course not. You will never find anything remotely resembling a Balrog in a D&D book. After all, it's not like they can just copy ideas straight from another author's work. They could get sued for that. I can assure you, Wizard of the Coast would never print information on a Balrog... without changing the name to cover their behinds. It's the Balor, listed under devils in the MM.
aaron3579 03-15-05, 04:07 PM	This is why we call hobits halflings instead of hobits. Seems like I recall Tolkien's son threatening to sue Gary Gygax at some point... Of course, we have dwarves and elves and dragons and orcs in D&D, but these were around before Tolkien. Gygax did rip off ALOT from Tolkien, however. The funny thing is that publicly, he claims to have not been influneced by Middle Earth at all. pfff.
astute1 03-15-05, 04:17 PM	double post
astute1 03-15-05, 04:17 PM	The funny thing is that publicly, he claims to have not been influneced by Middle Earth at all. Hmmm... I wonder why he would do that... Oh, yeah: Seems like I recall Tolkien's son threatening to sue Gary Gygax at some point... Anyway, Balrog = Balor. If you want to make one like in the movie, I'd advance it to at least 31 HD, which would make it size huge (and give it a CR in the 20s).
olshanski_home 03-15-05, 04:21 PM	That is a joke. You cannot seriously believe that a Balor is cribbed form the Balrog? The balrog used a whip and a big sword! The Balor is entirely different...er... the Balor doesn't have a "G" at the end of his name, and the "OR" is reversed, so they must be entirely different. Next you'll have me believe that hobbit=halfling, Ent=Treant, Warg=Worg, barrow-wight = wight (and countless others)
The nameles one 03-15-05, 04:31 PM	barrow-wight = wight Actually the Barrow-Wights were more like specter's or ghosts. (Incorpreal) Too bad they left them from the movie.
ServantOfTheLordYawgmoth 03-15-05, 04:38 PM	Next you'll have me believe that hobbit=halfling, Ent=Treant, Warg=Worg, barrow-wight = wight (and countless others) Actually, I wasn't going to tell you because it's sort of a closely guarded secret, but, believe it or not, Orcs were actually based off of... well, you get the picture. And we would, in fact, have you believe that these creatures aren't based off Tolkien's work. After all, if we were meant to know this stuff, do you really think that WotC would have done so much work to conceal these things? Obviously we have stumbled across the best-kept secret in the history of this game and we should all hush it up as soon as possible. Obviously.
Arrowhen 03-15-05, 04:54 PM	Of course, we have dwarves and elves and dragons and orcs in D&D, but these were around before Tolkien. Before Tolkien we mostly had "dwarfs"--it was he who popularized* the term "dwarves." Next you'll have me believe that hobbit=halfling, Ent=Treant, Warg=Worg, barrow-wight = wight (and countless others) Or ranger = uh... ranger? ;) * Or coined, depending on who you ask.
fistanthius 03-15-05, 04:58 PM	If you had the old AD&D books, you can see a collection of fantasy books that Gygax listed as inspiration for his game. He mentions The Hobbit and LotR books. Plus a whole lot more. No big surprise.
kliate 03-15-05, 05:09 PM	Of course not. You will never find anything remotely resembling a Balrog in a D&D book. After all, it's not like they can just copy ideas straight from another author's work. They could get sued for that. I can assure you, Wizard of the Coast would never print information on a Balrog... without changing the name to cover their behinds. It's the Balor, listed under devils in the MM. Actually, the Balor is a demon..you're off by a few pages.
ServantOfTheLordYawgmoth 03-15-05, 05:32 PM	Actually, the Balor is a demon..you're off by a few pages. Wow. I don't know how I missed that. Thanks for pointing that out. Boy do I feel stupid. Of course, it's an easily excusable mistake. Really, demons are just like devils. Except for the whole "opposite ends of the law-chaos axis" thing and that bit about the Blood War and the two races having that sort of "eternal hatred" thing for each other... Okay, yeah, that was a pretty stupid mistake. Even Tolkien called them demons. Thanks for noticing that, because I probably would have felt really silly when I realized it a few days from now (probably in the middle of English class with an exagerated smack to the forehead while shouting something like "of course! It's a demon, you idiot!" Not that I've ever done anything like that before, of course).