[RAW]: No elephants were harmed while asking this question

[Ah_Ftagn]

A friend of mine was discussing crazy things that happened in their old RPG sessions, and brought up something that begs the question: What the...?

In "That Other Game" he had discovered an absurd tactic: An enchanted ivory elephant he found would turn into a full sized bull elephant in midflight if thrown. He would have his familiar (A raven) fly up as far as possible and then drop the figurine.

Ignoring the enchanted item bit here, this brings me to the following question:

Assuming average mass for a male, African Bull Elephant, terminal velocity, and a long drop, what would be the unmodified damage for an elephant hitting an object or person, such as a wheeled wagon or a peasant?

Please show your work, and try to keep to the core rules from the basic set wherever possible.

[Humabout]

Ah, the old tactical nuclear donkey trick! I'm not sure just what the drag coefficient is for an elephant, but assuming a spherical elephant (Cd=0.47, R=4 m, A=50.24 m*2, m=5000 kg), falling through an air density of 1.24 kg/m^2 in a gravitational acceleration of 9.81 m/s^2 . . .

Fd = mg = 5000*9.81 = 49,050 = 1/2*Cd*rho*A*v^2

A = pi*R^2 = pi*4^2 = pi*16 = 50.24

49,050 = 1/2*0.47*1.24*50.24*v^2

49,050 = 14.64*v^2

3,350 = v^2

58 = v

Converting to yards per second, this yields 63.22 yards per second or 129.7 miles per hour. That's actually not much different than a human falling belly-to-earth.

[chandley]

Given 63 yards per second terminal velocity, the elephant described on Basic P. 460 would hit a 10 hex size area for

HP 45 x 63 yards/sec = 2835 / 100 = 28.35 dice of damage.

So everything under the elephant is taking 28d. But likely, the elephant is going to be most concerned with its impact on the cold hard ground, and not the relatively soft, squishy critters that walk upon the ground. So that is 56d, averaging 196 damage. Elephant will likely be at -3 x HP or more, takes a major wound, and has 3 HT checks coming to not die.

In this case, I wouldnt stack the damage from all the things the elephant hits. I would just use the highest damage, here, likely the ground.

[Dingle]

I think the things on the ground, due to being braced against the hard ground might also take the 56d.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Humabout

assuming a spherical elephant

Only cows can be approximated as spheres. The OP clearly specifies a bull elephant.

[Ashtagon]

A lot of the discussions in that other game hinge on whether the figurine in question expands in size before or after it impacts a solid surface. If after, it would deal damage as any other object weighing a couple of ounces. if before, that would imply it is physically impossible to throw it any meaningful distance horizontally, which is I believe the rules-as-intended idea.

[chandley]

Originally Posted by Dingle

I think the things on the ground, due to being braced against the hard ground might also take the 56d.

I believe strictly by RAW, they take 28d for the elephant hitting them, and then whatever damage would occur because they are knocked back by that damage into the unyielding ground. Likely not going to be 56d though.

But your interpretation is certainly the sensible one. If we can use that word in this thought experiment.

[ArchonShiva]

Why anyone would do this with an elephant when the Aquatic Elves have figurines of whales is beyond me.


Why would I want to go I to a dungeon?

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Ashtagon

A lot of the discussions in that other game hinge on whether the figurine in question expands in size before or after it impacts

I think the intent is after it lands, less amusing though that is. The wording in the most recent edition of TOG:

If you use an action to speak the command word and throw the figurine to a point on the ground within 60 feet of you, the figurine becomes a living creature. If the space where the creature would appear is occupied by other creatures or objects, or if there isn't enough space for the creature, the figurine doesn't become a creature.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

I think the intent is after it lands, less amusing though that is.

Much more boring! Back in the day, we let you throw/drop elephants, but if the elephant got killed, you were down the item. That restricted it to serious panic situations quite well.