Basic Fantasy RPG Forums

jsp wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:01 am

Solomoriah wrote: ↑Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:48 pmYes.

Sorry, didn't understand, so let me rephrase: do Dwarves detect only stone related traps?

Correct. Not "stone related" as much as "stoneWORK related" i.e. traps constructed from stone.

jsp wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:01 am

Solomoriah wrote: ↑Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:48 pm Um... those two pronunciations are the same. Ah in mahogany is ah in ah. This makes me suspect I'm not understanding something here.

Yeah, that was bad example. Well, what I've meant to ask is: does 'h' have any sound? So, I guess there is no silent 'h' at the end.

The "h" at the end is silent. That's pretty much a rule in English.

jsp wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:01 am

Solomoriah wrote: ↑Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:48 pm The nature of opposition is left to the judgement of the GM. Don't nail down anything I didn't nail down, please.

This is a tricky one. I cannot translate it directly as opposition, so the closest word would be 'resistance'.

Good enough.

jsp wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:01 am

Solomoriah wrote: ↑Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:48 pm Yes, it did. Gygax said it, so it must be so. Seriously, though... I am having the same trouble you are. It may be apocryphal, or perhaps real but not really as common as suggested. The screw was, I'm told, used to pry the stones apart. Picks might be used instead for the same result, either one under the cover of a "sow" or movable shelter.

Well, for now it will be 'drill', but I'll try to research more.

A "drill" makes a hole in something without substantially damaging it. Whether or not they were historically used, this device is a screw and not a drill. It is inserted between the stones, generally at the junction of three when they are stacked in interlocking form, and as it pulls itself in it pries the stones apart and pulls them out. Really large stones are probably immune to this attack, but any stones a man can carry could be attacked this way.

Here's an example of an extruder screw; its threads don't go all the way to the point, while on the screw I'm describing the threads are sharp and go to the point. Such a screw pulls itself into the material while prying it apart.

Solomoriah wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 8:23 am Correct. Not "stone related" as much as "stoneWORK related" i.e. traps constructed from stone.

Thanks, I think I need to clarify it to avoid any confusion.

Solomoriah wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 8:23 am The "h" at the end is silent. That's pretty much a rule in English.

Alright, I'll try to make it close enough to /ta:/.

Solomoriah wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 8:23 am A "drill" makes a hole in something without substantially damaging it. Whether or not they were historically used, this device is a screw and not a drill. It is inserted between the stones, generally at the junction of three when they are stacked in interlocking form, and as it pulls itself in it pries the stones apart and pulls them out. Really large stones are probably immune to this attack, but any stones a man can carry could be attacked this way.

Hmm, I get what you mean. The translation of screw itself as in simple machine has eluded me. By the way it sounds like it should work more like corkscrew than Archimedes' screw, i.e. people bore into junction, then pull the device.

From experience, I can tell you that pulling on the screw may be unnecessary... its intrusion into the space between the blocks will unsettle them.

Retainers are just hired hands. Employees.
A simple example would be hiring a local guide when trying to find hidden caves.

The principle of the screw was known since ancient Greece but they were difficult to manufacture prior to the advent of machine tool around 1800.
The picture of the "forms auger" used by the Romans looks like a screw.
(If you google "roman siege drill").

Um, no, sorry Seven but you have that wrong.

A guide hired to get you somewhere is a hireling, i.e. an employee. Retainers are more than that. They are the true lieutenants to the character, trusted with significant and wide-ranging responsibilities. It's a role or position that has no customary or cultural equivalent these days, though I'm sure there are still people who go about their business this way. "Sidekick" is sort of the same thing, but it's a much more diminutive term than "retainer."

1E called them "henchmen" but that's too close to minions. Minions love their master, or at least respect him or her, but the master has little respect for minions. Retainers are valued by the master.

Okay, wow. No screw threads, but this is very much the idea, and apparently the Roman version did involve drilling rather than screwing/prying.

Yeah, my bad. I guess associate is correct them, but more like a junior associate.
An underling.

I thought the roman illustration looked right. It's turned manually and if it was just boring a hole, it would be too small to be of much use. It's kinda hard to see the threads.