[MUD-Dev] Source data on Crossbow

[clawrenc at cup.hp.com]

In <Pine.LNX.3.96.970718071036.124A-100000 at mpc.dyn.ml.org>, on
07/18/97 
   at 08:13 AM, Matt Chatterley <root at mpc.dyn.ml.org> said:

>Bola (and even nets) are probably very dangerous in the right hands -
>and a very good way to bring down an opponent while you're chasing
>him. 

Read up on the old Roman gladiators.  Look out for the guys with net
and trident.  They were *quite* effective.

>Boomerangs? Well.. being hit by 'em would hurt, I imagine. ;)

The Australian aboriginees had war boomerangs not only hurt, but broke
arms, legs, necks, and regularly killed with a single blow.  Such
boomerangs did not return to the thrower however.

>> Chinese used sort of giant Roman Candles early in the gunpowder era.

>Don't forget, even if you're working pre-gunpowder, you can still use
>cannons - if you can reason a way that they might have been crafted,
>and function by magic.

One of my favourite D&D stories involves a campaign where the resident
wizard brought along a small sack of pebbles.  The pebbles turned out
to be magically minaturised/encpasulated objects of various types:
like a compleat galleon, a house, a castle, huge casks of wine, very
large boulders, horses, armour, wagons, clothing etc.  The wiz as
happens died early in the campaign, however not before one of the
other players had noticed and learned how to "release" the contents of
the pebbles by crumblinb them.  Later on, when the party was under
severe attack by a large army they took to slinging the pebbles at the
enemy.

  A band of Orcs runs at you screaming and waving their swords!
  Bubba throws a small stone at them.
  The stone turns into a small galleon with all sails set!
  Crash!  The galleon smashes into the ground!
  The Orcs are gone.

--
J C Lawrence                           Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor)                           Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------------(*)               Internet: clawrenc at cup.hp.com
...Honorary Member Clan McFUD -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...