# D&D Movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2000, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753 "2000-12-09T11:24:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/41 "2000-12-13T02:26:57Z")
I am disappointed that the D&D Movie didn’t address that one deep question that’s been plaguing humanity since the beginning of time. Namely: Does a “protection from magic” scroll disable magic items within its radius of effect, line an “anti-magic shell” spell does? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/42 "2000-12-13T02:31:08Z")
GuanoLad wrote: > [@](#): > > [Courtney Solomon]'s male. And, indeed, a big D&D fan, apparently. > > [Check this out](http://filmforce.ign.com/features/39.html) Hah! Some “big D&D fan”! He said: “Third edition came out in like 1993” When we all know the 3rd edition rules came out just this year! (note: 😉 for the sarcasm-impaired) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/43 "2000-12-13T04:05:56Z")
The stats for all the PCs are available online, as well as the maps to what passed for dungeons. [Chequez vous](http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=movie/mx20001208c). But wait, something is screwy. Ridley has a 15 DEX, which gives him a +4 bonus? Uh uh. That’s either an 18 DEX or a +2 bonus. Norda is not a ranger, as I had assumed, but a 7th level fighter. Even Elwood is a third level fighter. But Ridley is a 2nd level rogue, 1st level fighter. How come he did most of the fighting? And how did he manage to last as long as he did against Damodar, who is also a 7th level fighter? According to her character sheet, Marina can’t cast Dimension Door at all, or any other gate or teleport spell. She has a magical device that allows her to cast Magic Lasso, though. With her current spell selection, she’s incapable of casting Feeblemind on herself, so I guess she won’t want to go out with Ridley. Snails is a 3rd level thief, and actually looks fairly competent, if skill ranks are anything to go by. Obviously, though, he’s too cowardly to actually use any of these skills. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/44 "2000-12-13T04:12:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*I am disappointed that the D&D Movie didn’t address that one deep question that’s been plaguing humanity since the beginning of time. > > Namely: Does a “protection from magic” scroll disable magic items within its radius of effect, line an “anti-magic shell” spell does? \*\* The answer is no. It will protect you from spell like effects but it will not protect you from the weapon itself. Marc ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/45 "2000-12-13T07:59:16Z")
A comment about the special effects in D&D… Frankly, even they sucked. We’ve gone through the Jurassic Park movies. We know that CG designers can A: make big, realistic lizard-like things (i.e. dragons) and B: make them interact with the environment realistically. The CG in this movie were cheap, shoddy, and cartoony, the kind of thing you’d find in the earliest days of computer games with CG movies, or even in some of the “graphics-intensive” movies that followed immediately after Terminator 2. So you can’t even say that the special effects in this movie were good. Especially when compared to other movies. BAH! HUMBUG! At least we have _The Lord of the Rings_ coming out soon to help us forget this travesty. ::crosses fingers:: ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/46 "2000-12-13T08:54:52Z")
The sad part is, this movie was greenlit now so that it could cash in on the Fantasy mania that _Lord of the Rings_ is establishing. After it comes out, there’ll be an onslaught of cheapo stuff ruining potential franchises. There’s an _Elfquest_ movie coming out. There’s a _Dinotopia_ movie (and TV series) shooting now. There’s hope for a _Dragonlance_ movie, and also a _Dragonriders of Pern_ film. (I think the _Pern_ movie has been cancelled, though) Most of those will be rushed, cheap, and made by first-timers who haven’t learned the lesson that Fantasy is so hard to translate well. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/47 "2000-12-13T18:17:43Z")
Johnny Angel summarized the official character sheets for the D&D movie charactes thusly: > [@](#): > > Norda is not a ranger, as I had assumed, but a 7th level fighter. What?! That’s just plain nuts. If she’s a plain fighter, how could she find Damodar’s tracks in the woods?! > [@](#): > > But Ridley is a 2nd level rogue, 1st level fighter. How come he did most of the fighting? And how did he manage to last as long as he did against Damodar, who is also a 7th level fighter? He lasted as long as he did because melee rounds last a full minute in AD&D. 😉 (Seriously, I think Damodar was supposed to be toying with him.) I can’t believe Damodar is only 7th level, though. > [@](#): > > [Marina] has a magical device that allows her to cast Magic Lasso “Magic Lasso”? What the heck spell is that? I don’t remember seeing it in the PHB _or_ the Tome of Magic. It sounds less like a magic-user spell than a piece of Wonder Woman’s crimefighting gear. > [@](#): > > With her current spell selection, she’s incapable of casting Feeblemind on herself, so I guess she won’t want to go out with Ridley. \ He’ll be here all week! Tip your waitresses! ---
**Author:** ![Kyberneticist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/48 "2000-12-13T21:57:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > \*\*The sad part is, this movie was greenlit now so that it could cash in on the Fantasy mania that _Lord of the Rings_ is establishing. After it comes out, there’ll be an onslaught of cheapo stuff ruining potential franchises. > > There’s an _Elfquest_ movie coming out. There’s a _Dinotopia_ movie (and TV series) shooting now. There’s hope for a _Dragonlance_ movie, and also a _Dragonriders of Pern_ film. (I think the _Pern_ movie has been cancelled, though) > > Most of those will be rushed, cheap, and made by first-timers who haven’t learned the lesson that Fantasy is so hard to translate well. > \*\* That is just disturbing. Are these films going to make it out before LOTR? I’m just seeing 2001 filled with lousy fantasy, and the burnt out public refusing to see LOTR. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/49 "2000-12-14T01:48:30Z")
Johnny Angel wrote: > [@](#): > > The stats for all the PCs are available online, as well as the maps to what passed for dungeons. [Chequez vous](http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=movie/mx20001208c). Now hold on just a cotton-pickin’ melee round here! The character sheets on that page are writted for **3rd Edition** D&D rules! I thought they were using **2nd Edition** AD&D as the basis for the movie! > [@](#): > > Norda is not a ranger, as I had assumed, but a 7th level fighter. I think I see why they did this. The character sheets and adventures on that webpage were written for use with the “D&D Adventure Game”, which is a simplified version of D&D designed for first-time players. I believe the “D&D Adventure Game” only has fighter, rogue, wizard, and priest character classes. The more “advanced” character classes – paladins, rangers, monks, sorcerers, druids, golf pros, etc. – only appear in the _real_ D&D 3rd Edition PHB. ---
**Author:** ![Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/50 "2000-12-14T01:51:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kyberneticist \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > > \*\*The sad part is, this movie was greenlit now so that it could cash in on the Fantasy mania that _Lord of the Rings_ is establishing. After it comes out, there’ll be an onslaught of cheapo stuff ruining potential franchises. > > > > There’s an _Elfquest_ movie coming out. There’s a _Dinotopia_ movie (and TV series) shooting now. There’s hope for a _Dragonlance_ movie, and also a _Dragonriders of Pern_ film. (I think the _Pern_ movie has been cancelled, though) > > > > Most of those will be rushed, cheap, and made by first-timers who haven’t learned the lesson that Fantasy is so hard to translate well. > > \*\* > > That is just disturbing. Are these films going to make it out before LOTR? I’m just seeing 2001 filled with lousy fantasy, and the burnt out public refusing to see LOTR. ☹ \*\* Blasphemy! Don’t ever say that again, OK? They’ll hear us. They have ears everywhere!! ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/51 "2000-12-14T02:02:52Z")
Oh, pshaw. I’ll bet you believe in black helicopters and ethereal mummy attacks too. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/52 "2000-12-14T02:43:36Z")
**tracer** wrote: > [@](#): > > I think I see why they did this. The character sheets and adventures on that webpage were written for use with the “D&D Adventure Game”, which is a simplified version of D&D designed for first-time players. I believe the “D&D Adventure Game” only has fighter, rogue, wizard, and priest character classes. The more “advanced” character classes – paladins, rangers, monks, sorcerers, druids, golf pros, etc. – only appear in the real D&D 3rd Edition PHB. I believe Golf Pro is a _prestige class_. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/53 "2000-12-14T02:51:49Z")
Don’t get me started on “prestige classes”… ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/54 "2000-12-14T04:15:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\* Hah! Some “big D&D fan”! He said: > > “Third edition came out in like 1993” > > When we all know the 3rd edition rules came out just this year!\*\* WHOOSH!!! (sound of sarcasm going over Danimal’s head). OK, I admit it, I’m really confused here. Obviously Solomon’s aware of the 3rd edition that just came out, because in the interview he talks about the “latest edition” that only now has arrived. So what is the “3rd edition” from 1993 that he’s talking about? I don’t remember anything like that. Does he mean the Player’s Option type stuff (I never did buy those)? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/55 "2000-12-14T04:25:55Z")
I’d say you should be at least a 10th level fighter before you can start leveling as a Blue-Lipped Badass. Armor restrictions: black, spikey. Alignments allowed – any evil. Makes you eligible for the feat Lavender Liptwitch (prereq. Great Cleave) – you can get a whole party of adventureres to surrender to your 1 hit die foot soldiers just by showing up, as long as they don’t have dashing rogue around to actually fight back. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/56 "2000-12-14T09:43:32Z")
Just got done looking through the game adaptation of the movie. Those beholder stats were messed up, way too weak - but since the highest level PC is 3rd level, I guess that makes sense (how did that girl cast Dimension Door at 3rd level?). ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/57 "2000-12-15T00:25:54Z")
I’m not sure that was a “dimension door” spell. Remember how, when she first cast it in the mage school, Marina pulled herself and BOTH of her lassoed thieves through the portal? Well, feast your eyes on the following sentence from the description of “dimension door” in the 2nd Edition PHB: > [@](#): > > All that the wizard wears or carries, subject to a maximum weight equal to 500 pounds of nonliving matter, or half that amount of living matter, is transferred with the spellcaster. You canNOT tell me that Ridley and Snails had a combined weight less than 250 pounds! And on a related note, what spell did Damodar use to return to the evil mage’s fortress after he got the Rod of Savrille? That was clearly not a dimension door. Not only was the distance between the Cave of Savrille and the Mage Fortress FAR greater than the maximum range of a dimension door spell, but Ridley _followed_ Damodar through the portal! No teleportation spell I know of allows a straggler to follow you and hitch a free ride. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/58 "2000-12-15T02:27:50Z")
Danimal wrote: > [@](#): > > Obviously Solomon’s aware of the 3rd edition that just came out, because in the interview he talks about the “latest edition” that only now has arrived. So what is the “3rd edition” from 1993 that he’s talking about? He **might** have been referring to the “Revised 2nd Edition” that came out at about that time. The Revised 2nd Edition consisted of bright, shiny new cover art for the PHB & DMG, a few little minor changes throughout the rules hither and thither (the only change I’ve noticed so far is a comma has been removed from after the word “_holy avenger_” in the description of intelligent weapon alignment restrictions), and the binding of the Monstrous Compendium into a non-loose-leaf hardcover volume called the Monstrous Manual. However, a caveat near the beginning of the Revised 2nd Edition _Player’s Handbook_ clearly stated, in big bold colored type, “ **This is not AD&D 3rd Edition!** ”. So either this wasn’t what Solomon was talking about, or he was blind as a bat with a _power word: blind_ spell cast on it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/59 "2000-12-15T03:30:43Z")
Or, another possibility I’ve considered is that he just misspoke. He was nervous, knowing that he had just laid a steaming stinker on the D&D community, and was about to start watching the gate figures rolling in, and some guy is asking him a bunch of questions. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753/60 "2000-12-15T09:51:23Z")
> [@](#): > > And on a related note, what spell did Damodar use to return to the evil mage’s fortress after he got the Rod of Savrille? It’s the most powerful spell known to the Kingdom of Wooded Holly. There are no level restraints, and the only reagents you need for its casting is lucre. This spell, fellow 'Dopers, is called “Cheap Gimmicky Plot Device.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-movie/44753.md?page=4)