Fire And Water
In the previous chapter, Bilbo and the dwarves summoned the courage to venture into Smaug's lair only to find him mysteriously absent. Now we find out why. Stirred into a rage by Bilbo's pilferings, Smaug launched a terrible assault on the town of Esgaroth. Thanks to some "inside information" obtained by Bilbo, however, the champion of Laketown is able to slay the dragon and events are set in motion that will bring the book to an exciting close on the fields of battle before the gates of the Lonely Mountain.
This chapter is a bit odd in that it is the only one in the book where the point of view is entirely focused on characters other than Bilbo and the dwarves. But it is a critical chapter in that it demonstrates unequivocally the danger that the protagonists avoided as well as the consequences of their actions for good (learning of Smaug's weak spot) and ill (stirring him from the mountain).
The chapter's main lesson that can be applied to fantasy roleplaying games is that the occasional narrated scene can be a valuable addition to an adventure. Even in an old school sandbox game, showing the players something that the characters couldn't possibly know can help connect their characters to the larger world and show them the consequences of their actions.
Idle Thoughts
- Even though he is slain in this chapter, Smaug earns his reputation as one of the greatest dragons of literature. He kills 25% of the population of Esgaroth and pretty much razes the town to the waterline. He ignores most counterattacks with impunity and seems to have no limit on the use of his breath weapon.
- Smaug's limitless breath weapon starts "unquenchable" fires. That makes me think that he's spewing some kind of unholy napalm.
- Once more, we have talking birds. And it's not just the thrush who gives Bard that crucial bit of information. It's also the countless birds that carry tidings of the death of Smaug to the elves, Beorn, and even the goblins. A network of almost ubiquitous avian messengers would be a cool idea for a fantasy setting (sort of like the ravens of Game of Thrones or the owls of Harry Potter but more so).
- Bard's killing shot against Smaug s not possible in D&D and other old school games without a little narrative slight of hand. But it does raise an interesting question. Why not treat information as treasure? Instead of finding an arrow of slaying, why couldn't a crucial bit of information accomplish the same effect?
10 comments:
Oooh, I like the idea of using critical and useful information as treasure or in replace of magic items. That's an excellent idea!
The introduction in 4E of "treasures" like Boons is exactly along the line you're discussing here.
IIRC, EPT allows for a killing blow on a roll of '20'.
Those counterattacks Smaug was ignoring with "impunity"? He was still losing hit points. But HP loss has no effect in D&D until you reach '0'. Which he did when Bard rolled that '20'.
@Simon: This would be especially useful for a monster hunter game, where the critter has a specific weakness that you have to discover.
@Rob: Ah yes, it's been a while since I've delved into my 4e books.
@phf: I need to get me some EPT.
@GSV: That's a great way to look at it. Of course, as a lazy DM I would never bother playing out a whole battle with that many NPCs. Still, rolling them into a handful of aggregated units would be doable. :)
My favorite 4E Boon is "Crimson Determination" (from the "Legacy of Nerath" article in Dragon): you get the Boon (+2 damage to bloodied targets) for completing the Red Pilgrimage to the ruins of gnoll-haunted Nerath. There isn't a specific social benefit attached to the Boon, but I think that anyone who willing to shed the blood necessary to see the still-burning Flame Imperishable would probably have a slight edge in intimidating others.
Let me clarify why I like "Crimson Determination" so much:
1. It takes the old D&D idea of an item offering a damage boost to a specific class of foe (i.e., the "sword +1, +2 vs. goblins" approach) and disarticulates the boost from the item.
2. To get this boost, you must complete a specific, world-linked story. If you don't become a Red Pilgrim, and you don't make it to ruined Nerath, then you can't have "Crimson Determination." But getting it means that you accomplished something in-world, and that has future story implications (e.g., how do people treat Red Pilgrims?)
3. Unlike the Boons described in DMG 2, there's no one person to grant this reward. It's just something you get for what you do.
I can totally see "Thrush's Insight" working along these lines: now you know about dragons' weak spots and can target them for added effect.
Very good thought about magic items!
It could be that Smaug just keeps burninating everything until Bard finds the treasure that allows him to strike the killing blow... Much like searching a dungeon for the key that opens that one door.
Then, no matter how much damage you do to him (he may not even have HP!), Smaug won't die until someone finds that treasure and uses it. Or finds the treasure, rolls a 20, and spends some awesome points!
Bard's killing shot against Smaug s not possible in D&D and other old school games
I know Chainmail doesn't fall under the "old school RPG" umbrella for most folks, but if you're running OD&D with the implied Chainmail combat system, Heroes can one-shot Dragons in a manner very reminiscent of Bard's shot.
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