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Subject: Ability damage vs. ability drain

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dagonet
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04/14/2006 11:53 PM  

Could someone explain to me why certain attacks deal ability damage (heals naturally as long as you get bed-rest and chicken soup) and others deal ability drain (major magic mojo needed to fix)?

For example, a Vampire blood-sucking deals Con(stitution) drain, right? So when old Vladd turns you into a human slurpee, you end up permanently debilitated, even though (presumably) your bone marrow (or appropriate equivalent) will be able to replace the lost blood. Is there more to the attack than simple blood-loss; is part of your spirit getting drawn out as well? While I can see that actually making sense for a vampire, what about everything else whose blood drain deals Con Drain? Why does getting chomped on by a Fiendish Dire Weasel permanently wreck your health?

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the Spawn of Kyuss. Those little green worms squirming all over the Spawn like nothing better than to bore their way into a living PC and snack on his/her brain. Which deals. . . Int(elligence). . . Damage? DAMAGE????? Meaning that if you manage to extract the worm, the victim's swiss-cheesed brain will GROW BACK? Even acknowledging that this is a fantasy world, with fantasy rules, how does this possibly make sense?


Feel free to jump in with your own examples.

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zenthrus
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04/15/2006 3:12 AM  
quote:
Originally posted by dagonet
Even acknowledging that this is a fantasy world, with fantasy rules, how does this possibly make sense?


It doesn't have to. It's a fantasy world. 90% of the reason one creature deals ability damage and another deals ability drain is for game balance/challenge rating niches. While sometimes the phenomenon makes sense (vampires probably suck out a bit of the 'soul' in addition to a lot of the blood) other cases don't.

In the example of the Spawn of Kyuss...is that any more outlandish than trolls picking up their lopped off arms and re-attaching them? Or clerics returning a severed toe to a living being (they don't need the whole body)?

Somethings just aren't going to make a lot of sense when magic is involved. If you'd like more logical monsters just shuffle around the drain/damage abilities and be sure to adjust the challenge ratings to suit [:D]
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Forums > Role Playing Games (RPG's) > Dungeons & Dragons 1e-3.5e > Ability damage vs. ability drain



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