Comments on: Behind the Screen: The Great Tavern Mug Debate…

By: kanati

kanati — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:25:00 +0000

Hell. This STILL comes up Dante. I remember a couple sessions ago someone mentioned that they would have hit if it had been a beer mug.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 02:46:00 +0000

My argument would be:
1d4 for the mug, 1d4 to randomly determine STR bonus, +2 for annoying me by starting the fight. 2d4+2 normalizes to 2d6.

By: Your G(rinning) M(asochist)

Your G(rinning) M(asochist) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:31:00 +0000

Occasionally this has come up. One particular time was when our PC Wizard, who chose to wear a mithril shirt that I had forgotten about, was singled out with a feeblemind spell at the start of a fight. He argued that since he didn't obviously look like a wizard, they shouldn't have targeted him. What I should have countered with, but didn't, was that because he never rolled arcane spell failure, I assumed he didn't wear it. In any case, it was quite the knock-down, drag-out situation that I still wish had been handled better by both parties.

These things happen. I agree, 2d6 for a beer mug is a bit steep (I'd have gone with a d6 or d4). Of course, you could also have said that the thrower was a rogue who had a the feat: exotic weapon proficiency (stein).

By: consummatedm

consummatedm — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:44:00 +0000

Rules discussions and numbers and die rolls are rarely if ever discussed during play. My Players mark down conflicts they have with my callings, and they bring them up after the session. That way, while I may have over-rolled or under-rolled the damage of a flying tavern mug, all future tavern mugs will have a pre-agreed upon amount of damage.

By: The_Gun_Nut

The_Gun_Nut — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:31:00 +0000

I would have said something like “He got a lucky crit” and just left it at that. If someone really complained, I’d go as far as saying “It’s a quick and dirty barfight, let’s just roll with it, OK?”

By: Yax

Yax — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:29:00 +0000

2d6 is fine. For all the stuff I let my players get away with they certainly have to let me get away with a Holy Mug +5 if I feel like throwing one.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:17:00 +0000

Maybe the one who threw the beer stein was a monk Drunken Master with the Throw Anything feat and the mug wasn’t just wooden. It was made of adamantine!

By: ChattyDM

ChattyDM — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:05:00 +0000

…That would work too.

By: SirGeekelot

SirGeekelot — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:04:00 +0000

I think to justify it in my head, I assumed that the one mug that got thrown was an ancient artifact. And that the drunken crazys soul is now locked away in some far off crystal being tortured by a Balrog.

By: ChattyDM

ChattyDM — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:56:00 +0000

Ohh My bad.

In that Context… I agree… Unless the DM was fast/devious enough to say ‘he rolled a crit’ and grin like a maniac…

A filled wooden Beer stein should deal 1d6 (and impose a -4 penatly to attack, possibly with a +2 circumstance bonus for righteous indignation), once and splash the target with foul smelling Rat’s Pi$$ causing the target to suffer a -2 on all Charisma based rolls until wash off

Still… DM calls that can cause a precedent where players require the same treatment are problematic…

But maybe such super Steins can only be wielded by drunk smelly angry characters… and always shatter upon impact.