Dungeons & Dragons Reveals Shocking Truth: 100 People Can Defeat 1 Gorilla!

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The internet has been engaging in a lively discussion about whether a single gorilla could be defeated by 100 ordinary individuals in unarmed combat, but for years, Dungeons & Dragons has already had an answer to this question. Recently, there’s been a popular internet meme asking the same question. Many people have presented theories ranging from crowd psychology to animal biology to decide if a group of people could actually defeat a gorilla in a fight. However, the rules established by Dungeons & Dragons have offered an answer to this hypothetical situation for quite some time.

A Reddit post by Aselunar sparked a discussion by comparing a gorilla and people in terms of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) characters. According to D&D 5th Edition rules, a gorilla has a Challenge Rating (CR) of 3, while 100 commoners are represented by the CR 0 statblock. On Reddit, it was generally accepted that, following D&D’s rules, the commoners would have the advantage. Pinkalink23 explained that the “action economy” favors the 100 commoners, while ItsTinyPickleRick added that the Gorilla might not even get a turn in combat due to this imbalance.

D&D Answers The 100 People Vs. 1 Gorilla Question Using 5e Rules

The Action Economy Heavily Favors 100 People Based On 5E Rules

The crucial point to keep in mind is that Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) employs an action economy that significantly advantages the party with more actions at their disposal. While a gorilla can potentially eliminate two commoners per turn, a group of 100 commoners would collectively launch 100 attacks, each striking approximately 55% of the time. Although it’s likely that the gorilla could kill over a dozen commoners in a single round, the massive difference in the number of attacks during each round favors the commoners substantially.

Indeed, a gorilla does possess some distinct advantages that might prolong its survival in multiple encounters. Its Intimidating Show prowess could easily scare off most ordinary people around it, imposing a disadvantage on attacks directed at it. Moreover, these ordinary people must synchronize their movements to create space for further attacks, making the process more complex. However, even with such effects, a band of approximately fifteen ordinary people would still manage to overpower a gorilla, according to the Monster Manual’s statblocks, given enough time and strategy.

Our Take: Dungeons & Dragons Mirrors Real Life

In This Case, Dungeons & Dragons Logic Makes A Lot Of Sense

In essence, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) isn’t designed to mimic reality perfectly, but it effectively settles disputes such as gorillas versus groups of humans in an abstract manner. While witnessing a friend being squashed by a gorilla may leave a group feeling demoralized, D&D provides a mental detachment by suggesting that there must be a compelling reason for 100 people to engage a single gorilla in combat in the first place.

In certain situations, the action economy in Dungeons & Dragons might not be a perfect fit, but it truly shines when illustrating a fight scenario. For instance, two gorillas swinging their fists may seem powerful, but the sheer damage that 100 determined individuals could inflict is more accurately represented in this game.

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2025-05-01 20:03