I hear ya, but determining right and left side etc.. gets dangerously close to targeting... a philosophy I don't like . . .
My brother and cousin are EMTs and I "hear" you.
The problem is, doing anything less is cheating in favor of your players.
Why? Do you know how large a troll is? According to the equipment "scales" set out in the DMG and the PHB, oil is carried in pints. A pint of oil isn't going to do a "standing" troll a damn thing. Personally, I wouldn't allow any significant amount of damage for that maneuver; 1d4 at best, 1d6 if I'm feeling extremely generous.
Player: "I threw my pint of oil at the troll and set it on fire with my torch!"
Action: Troll flails about for a few minutes and returns to the slaughter.
DM: "Okay, the troll's back and madder than hell! What do you do now?"
Player: "You mean it's not dead?"
DM: "From a pint of oil? Not hardly."
See what I mean? Over-all damage -- which is basically what you're suggesting -- is a waste of . . . oil. Trollsare not humans, they aren't going to "die" from "3rd degree burns" to their "chest" area.
But we each play it our own way. But hey, you've given me another Blog post topic, so who am I to complain?
Player: "I threw my pint of oil at the troll and set it on fire with my torch!"
DM: The flask hits the troll in the belly and bounces to the ground. (The player forgot to state removing the stopper.)
But, assuming the player DID remember to state removing the stopper, I'd allow that some oil would likely splash into the troll, allowing for some damage.
I don't claim to be an expert on glass, but I think it'd need to be a fairly fragile flask to shatter upon striking a relatively soft creature. And, a flask that fragile would have a hard time surviving long in a backpack.
Now, cracking the troll over the head with the flask might be a different story.
Interestingly, in last night's session the troll / fire scenario came up! The players encountered a troll and as soon as they had 'killed' it started getting out the fire. When I suggested that they were meta-gaming, the meta-gamer looked sheepish but from the rest I was met with the out-raged cry of "what so how are we supposed to know how to defeat it?". Sigh.
Unfortunately the damage had been done by the meta-gamer, the challenge of dealing with the troll was spoiled for the others and do to the lateness of the night and the fact I was knackered I let it slide putting it down to the fact that trolls and the roll of fir ein defeating them may be common knowledge in some areas - even the subject of the odd nursery rhyme or two taught to children.
It was interesting that the players almost felt that they had a right to use meta-gaming knowledge and felt cheated if they couldn't to solve a problem. I would be lying if I said that the ring of fire resistance the next troll they encountered didn't bring me some joy at the confusion it caused them all
It was interesting that the players almost felt that they had a right to use meta-gaming knowledge and felt cheated if they couldn't to solve a problem.
Sorry to hear that there's was a bit of a hic-up on that.
But stand your ground, the only things they have a "right" to know are what you, the DM, says they can know.
Wolfling wrote:
I would be lying if I said that the ring of fire resistance the next troll they encountered didn't bring me some joy at the confusion it caused them all
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