# Share your tabletop stories of powergaming **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202 "2004-08-17T04:30:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [August 27, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/61 "2004-08-27T01:59:33Z")
> [@bughunter](#): > > [Adam Ant](http://www.adam-ant.net/): A 1980’s era British pop-rocker. [Atom Ant](http://www.pazsaz.com/atomant.html): A 1960’s era cartoon superhero. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/62 "2004-08-27T02:03:49Z")
One trick I’d like to try out in 3.5 is using wounding weapons. Get a double weapon with both ends wounding and a level or two in exotic weapon master to get the flurry feat. Watch thine enemy’s Con drop like a rock. Maybe even use some Con draining poison to compound the whole mess. 😃 Hey smiling bandit, what happened to your time stamp mastery? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/63 "2004-08-27T06:40:21Z")
> [@](#): > > adamant = super-tough substance mentioned once or twice by Tolkien Specifically, the super-tough substance generally referred to as “diamond”. Other substances mentioned by Tolkien include mithril and its various alloys, which seems to be aluminum; elven-glass, about which we know only that Eärendil’s ship was made partly from it; and tilkal, a mystical and apparently indestructible metal made by Aulë from iron, lead, tin, copper, silver, and gold for the great chain Angainu which bound Melko (AKA Melkor AKA Morgoth). So, about damage reduction: There are no longer beasts resistant to +1 weapons, say, but not to +2? That seems a bit odd, to me. As does this concept of “epic damage reduction”… By the time you get to that point, you just do so much damage per attack that you overwhelm the damage reduction, and don’t worry about the plusses. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/64 "2004-08-27T12:52:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So, about damage reduction: There are no longer beasts resistant to +1 weapons, say, but not to +2? That seems a bit odd, to me. As does this concept of “epic damage reduction”… By the time you get to that point, you just do so much damage per attack that you overwhelm the damage reduction, and don’t worry about the plusses. Damage reduction works thusly - if your weapon doesn’t have the necessary properties to cut through, then X points get shaved off your damage. Properties include Adamantine (for hard things), Magic (for magical creatures), Epic (for really tough magical creatures), Good (for Evil Creatures), Silver (for Lycanthropes, some demons), Cold Iron (Fey and some demons), Evil (for Good Creatures), etc. And no, you don’t generally overwhelm Epic DR with your mundane attack damage. There are Epic DRs in the 50 or 60 range. Higher, I think, but I don’t have the book here. ---
**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:** [August 27, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/65 "2004-08-27T18:07:36Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > And no, you don’t generally overwhelm Epic DR with your mundane attack damage. There are Epic DRs in the 50 or 60 range. Higher, I think, but I don’t have the book here. Not that _I’ve_ seen. One of the big changes in v.3.5 was a general **decrease** in the number of points of damage reduction that various creatures have. Even epic magic armor of Great Invulnerability, which used to have DR going all the way up to 25/+5, now maxes out at either 15/magic or 10/epic. ---
**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:** [August 27, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/66 "2004-08-27T18:10:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Other substances mentioned by Tolkien include mithril and its various alloys, which seems to be aluminum; **WHAT?!?** :eek: ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/67 "2004-08-27T18:15:50Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Not that _I’ve_ seen. One of the big changes in v.3.5 was a general **decrease** in the number of points of damage reduction that various creatures have. Even epic magic armor of Great Invulnerability, which used to have DR going all the way up to 25/+5, now maxes out at either 15/magic or 10/epic. That’s partially true - I forgot that the Epic Level 3.5 Update booklet revised each specific monster’s DR downward. For the record, the current DR champs in the Epic category are Very Old Prismatic and Force Dragons, at 25/Epic. Which, incidentally, is still enough to wipe out almost all damage from a typical very potent attack. But you can conceivably power through it, with Power Attack and the like. But not well. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/68 "2004-08-27T18:40:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Which, incidentally, is still enough to wipe out almost all damage from a typical very potent attack. But you can conceivably power through it, with Power Attack and the like. But not well. I was thinking more along the lines of siege weaponry, Colossal transmuted chunks of lead, falls into not-quite-bottomless pits, and the like. I mean, who would attack a Very Old force dragon with a hand-held weapon? That’s just silly. And **tracer** , mithril is lightweight, silvery in color, exceedingly valuable, versatile in alloys, chemically reactive, and used in the manufacture of synthetic gemstones. Plus, it’s so rare in pure form that a single suit of armor made by the dwarves is worth as much as the whole Shire, and yet the Elves had an abundant enough supply that they were able to make whole ships out of the stuff. Aluminum fits, on every point. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/69 "2004-08-27T21:06:07Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > **Capacitor** > > Exactly how did you word the wish? If I were DMing that, unless the wish was worded with incredible detail the player would have gotten ‘You now have all the powers of the Cat Lord. He wants them back and will coming to kill you.’ or ‘You have all the powers of the Cat Lord. In fact, you are now the new Cat Lord. You retain no memory, possesion or ability from your former life. The current adventure no longer interests you and you wander off to do Cat Lord things.’ The wish was: “I wish that I can acquire the powers of the Cat Lord”. Well, she spent 7 years being taught by the Lord. It was one in demihuman years (to the rest of the party). ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/70 "2004-08-27T21:29:51Z")
Aluminum doesn’t make for Good armor, if I understand its metalugerical properties correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/71 "2004-08-27T21:57:50Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Silver (for Lycanthropes, some demons), Cold Iron (Fey and some demons) Silver’s for Devils, actually. Demons have X/Good or Cold Iron (Weakest, like the Dretch or the Quasit), X/Good (Vrock or Bebelith) or X/Good and Cold Iron (The Balor and Marilith). I’m a little surprised Succubi are under X/GoCI, rather than just X/Good, but they seem to be at the cutoff, so… Devils have X/Good or Silver (Lemures and Imp), or X/Good (Erenyes or Osyluth) or X/Good and Silver (Pit Fiend and Cornugon). ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/72 "2004-08-27T22:36:08Z")
> [@smiling bandit](#): > > Aluminum doesn’t make for Good armor, if I understand its metalugerical properties correctly. Quite correct. A chainmail shirt made from Aluminum would be nearly useless against cutting weapons - significantly worse than a conventional steel mail shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202/73 "2004-08-27T23:48:15Z")
But if you look more closely, you’ll find that pure mithril is, in fact, unsuitable for use in weapons and armor. Bilbo’s shirt and the like were actually made from an unspecified alloy of mithril. And while I can’t accept a pure aluminum hauberk, I can accept that the dwarves knew of an aluminum alloy unknown to us. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-tabletop-stories-of-powergaming/260202.md?page=3)