More Data Mined from the DMG

After finishing off the last book of Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser by Lieber, I ran out of immediate reading material. I could have started the 1st book of Thieve's World, but instead opted to re-read the Dungeon Master's Guide for like the umpteenth time. True to form, new insights were revealed.

While reading the section about half way through the book on running monsters and monster tactics between dungeon forays, I came across a bit on orc lair behavior. I always thought the alignment listing in the Monster Manual for orcs was wrong. Bad handwriting could allow one to misread a CE as LE - and it seems that this was the case! Gygax stated that due to their [the orcs] CHAOTIC behavior, they would be less likely to organize themselves after an assault... Finally, proof positive that orcs are indeed Chaotic Evil as assumed from their tribal destructiveness. Martial behavior aside, I think that only hobgoblins should be Lawful Evil as their description implies.

The second tidbit came in the section on dealing with character death. I'm not so sure this isn't an error on Gary's part. He states that surviving a resurrection requires a SYSTEM SHOCK roll by the player, when obviously that would invalidate the RESURRECTION SURVIVAL percentage which is supposed to be used in this instance. A system shock should only be used when being transformed physically from stone to flesh or polymorph. I've also used system shock when "death" occurs from illusionary damage - failure basically indicating the body shuts itself down, assuming it has died.

There was also a bit of insight on siege missiles and giant boulders which is very relevant to my current campaign (running G2). Ballistae would be very useful in the tunnels of the Underdark, but catapults would not as the arching flight of boulders would be precluded in low-ceilinged caves. The one thing I could not find, however, is the height of the arc achieved. Distance traveled was provided for catapults and trebuchets, but no value given for the height requirement of the arc. I'm sure there is some formula to calculate this (given Earth-type gravity of course) but my physics book was sold off long ago....

Lastly, regarding character deaths that occur through no fault of the player.... Gygax tends to indicate that he was a softy at heart after all. Through all that gruff exterior, he still allowed his players a chance to survive certain death - of course they would be maimed, severely hindered, or even permanently damaged somehow, but alive!

So, even after 30+ years of reading the same book over and over, one can STILL find snippets of useful information and relevant data. This book was so densely packed with information useful to both the player and DM alike that it could take a lifetime to thoroughly plumb the depths of its knowledge! And to think it was written in about a year and a half while campaigns were being run, modules were being written, a business was being nurtured, and a life was being lived. Incredible, Mr. Gygax, and thank you SO much for this legacy of yours!