[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by Tinman

I find that in my group they have pretty much figured out the stats by the end of the first fight. After that, I let them know so they can help with calculations ect...

However, when a 'new' monster comes up they have to figure it out for themselves again. Also, if it's a variant on something they have encountered before, I make sure they know.

This is me as well.

Originally Posted by ericthered

I think most of us use people as the primary opposition.

I dont. Especially in DF. Make up weird stuff and throw it in there.

Originally Posted by johndallman

Oh, it can. One of the best GMs I know for story and characterisation has to count on their fingers to add up some combinations of 3d6. They don't run GURPS and don't like to play it, calling it "too number-crunchy". They're happy with a fairly simple standard of D&D, or oWoD.

This boggles me in ways I cant describe. After the first round or 2 in a Combat encounter, Things settle down quite a bit and the math from the previous rounds guides you.

ALSO, alot of that math should be sorted in the Design of the Encounter. You know the party AND the opposition before hand. YOu dont know exactly what they'll do, but you have a pretty good idea of what their ads/dissads/skills/gear are. That helps narrow the set of possibilities of what will happen and what math will be needed.

Originally Posted by Culture20

My BS includes a minor in mathematics, meaning I've gone through diff-eq, stats, etc. but I have what GURPS would classify as incompetence with basic arithmetic. After middle school, the math portions of my brain were filled with other things, and calculators worked better than my faulty rote memory. Thankfully, my fellow gamers can add better than me, so I sometimes just start saying the dice numbers and bonuses. :)

Funny isnt it? As soon as you learn Algebra, arethmetic goes out the window. As soon as you get Calculus, Algebra goes out the window. Fortunately my education in PDE didnt cost me my Calculus.

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

So if my anatomy-savvy Ranger character sees a new-to-him monster, he cannot even make an educated guess as to its movement capabilities, based on what he can see of its body shape and musculature?

Depends on how odd the monster is. How can you be educated about a monster that you've never see or heard of before?

Is it more plausible (for those of you who dig that sort of thing) that he know or NOT know the location of a Beholders gonads? DO these species of ogres have spleens? If you de-scent a were-feret while in feret form, and he changes back into a human and back again into a feret, does he come back with or without those scent glands? What bits are he missing in his human form?

Body shape and musculature? Hippos top out about 9 yds/sec, Rhinos at 15 and Elephants at 12.

Deer = 23
Gazelle = 15
Impala = 16
Bongo = 21

Zebra = 10
Horse = 15

And these are all mundane animals in our real dirt and meat world.

The ranges are broad enough that Id say its relatively useless except to say 'faster than me'.

Nymdok