Surprised not to see this V thread...

[ABB]

So many threads about V and the dragon. I'm really surprised I haven't seen one about how in the 9 levels of HELL did V survive having a fully grown, one would assume multi-ton dragon essentially landing on it so hard that a large rock under it was shattered by the impact.

Really, people, that dragon came down so hard that a large rock formation under it went "CRACK!" and V was between the dragon and the rock, yet it survived?


What, do elves come from the planet krypton?

[Da'Shain]

I think someone before posted that the damage V would take from an attack like that would be 2d8+X, possibly plus another 2d6+Y.

The important thing to remember is that people take damage according to how they would in the game. Never mind that such an attack should squash V like a bug; he's a 14th level adventurer, and has (we assume) 14d4 HP plus w/e his Con modifier is each level. So he'd survive, likely even after taking half damage from the dragon's breath weapon earlier.

People also routinely survive several arrows and/or sword slices while retaining full combat capability, which generally doesn't happen outside a game.

[TheSummoner]

Though I never made a thread about it, I did question how could V possibly survive in another thread...

Not playing makes me not realize how immortal a puny elf whose completly helpless without magic can be...

[Corwin Weber]

I think someone before posted that the damage V would take from an attack like that would be 2d8+X, possibly plus another 2d6+Y.

The important thing to remember is that people take damage according to how they would in the game. Never mind that such an attack should squash V like a bug; he's a 14th level adventurer, and has (we assume) 14d4 HP plus w/e his Con modifier is each level. So he'd survive, likely even after taking half damage from the dragon's breath weapon earlier.

People also routinely survive several arrows and/or sword slices while retaining full combat capability, which generally doesn't happen outside a game.

You might be surprised how much people can survive, even at full (or close to full) combat capacity. Adrenaline can cover for a wide multitude of sins.... as can experience.

That having been said, I'd have to suggest that the dragon is pulling its punches. It specifically wants to make sure V doesn't die.

[factotum]

It doesn't need to pull its punches. As pointed out by Da'Shain, the actual damage V would take in an in-game version of this encounter would not be enough to kill him. Don't forget that high level D&D characters are superhuman--even V, who is a squishy caster type not meant for close combat, would have an average of 35 hit points at level 14 (assuming no Con bonus or penalty); by the D&D rules, that means he has around a 50% chance to survive a fall of 100 feet! I don't think any person in the real world would survive a fall that high without some external influence (e.g. landing in a forest and getting slowed down by crashing through tree branches).

[Trixie]

Yup, crush damage from the dragon is suprisingly weak.

As for people - one soviet paratrooper and parachute instructor survived several kilometer high fall when his parachute broke. He was from specnaz, though, he he propably had a lot of levels in d12 prestige class :smalltongue:

Joking aside - if you know what to do, the length of fall doesn't matter. If you stretch your arms and legs, you'll hit a border speed (at which air drag counters the gravity) pretty quickly and after that, you won't accelerate anymore. Sure, that speed alone can kill a human, but experienced people can lower it to (almost) safe levels just before the ground.