Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Delving into AD&D: Ghouls
Ghoul Paralyzation in the original three books doesn't have a duration. Unless the referee is feeling merciful looks like the only way to remove it is through magic (spell or item). Luckily for Boog, my half-orc fighter character, Tim of Gothridge Manor was feeling merciful.
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You have to treasure mercies like that when given.
Ghoul Paralysis changes a lot from book to book and GM to GM. There doesn't even seem to be an agreement about what the paralysis *is*. Poison? Supernatural chill? Fear effect?
It hasn't come up in my games recently, but I think I'll take a page from Chainmail and make it a one-turn fear affect that doesn't affect elves or characters of 4 HD or more, and which can be shaken off with aid from an unaffected character.
Paralysis ends when the ghoul eats your ass . . .
To my knowledge, neither does Holmes. Moldvay gives CLW the ability to cure paralysis instead of hp and the touch has a duration. Personally, I never remember using anything other than Molday's interpretation for this.
I ended up making it 1d6 rounds in my game, but I'm thinking I should bump it up.
Oh, the shenanigans!
Half-orcs aren't listed as one of the races paralyzed by ghouls in the MM. If THAT doesn't matter, Tim better let 1/2 orcs enjoy the effects of a Raise Dead spell (if such are available) -- I've read of many half-orcs discriminated against because they aren't specified in the Raise Dead spell!
(let's just ignore the Sage Advice that retconned that, shall we?)
:)
I either make it 2d6 turns (like potions lacking a duration), or forget completely and by the end of the fight I say "oh yeah and Casanova Frankenstien starts moving again".
The thing with Ghouls and their list of paralyzable creatures actually came up in my 1E game. War Dogs can't be paralyzed because they're not on the list! Because of that I suspect the paralyzation is fear-based (which jives with paralyzation being a mind-affecting thing which Wisdom helps resist) (and also didn't Ghouls in OD&D cause fear?).
I don't have the books to hand (because I can't find them) but I'm about 90% sure that in 3LB OD&D, paralysis requires a CON roll to survive (what later became system shock).
In both T1 The Village of Hommlet and A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity, Ghoul paralysis is given a duration of 3-12 turns.
We played it, back in the day, as lasting until the fight was over. Your side wins, you become un-paralyzed. You lose, well, roll up a new guy.
It was only much later we used a duration, even when the books told us to.
I just assumed it was like this originally - you are paralyzed until the fight's over and then who cares how long you hang out waiting?
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