In my upcoming novel, my protagonist decided to paint every part of his body in mud before engaging with the fire breathing dragon which dwells at the bottom of a dormant volcano. The flame from the dragon can turn sand into glass. Of course, my protagonist will have to keep maintaining the moisture level in the mud, but I'm concerned that the dragon will make a terracotta soldier out of him instead. Is this a good method to go head to head with the vile creature? If not, how can I touch up to give him a fighting chance?
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3$\begingroup$ What is mud supposed to protect him against, and why is mud supposed to be effective at it? $\endgroup$– RonJohnApr 18, 2018 at 2:59
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$\begingroup$ @RonJohn I believe mud can save my protagonist from suffering severe burns. $\endgroup$– user6760Apr 18, 2018 at 3:01
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2$\begingroup$ Even if mud happened to be a great insulator (which it's not), your protagonist must breathe eventually, and won't stuff his mouth with mud. And how's he going to #1 carry all the water needed to keep the mud wet, #2 keep pouring it on the quickly drying mud, and #3 stop the water from washing the mud off? $\endgroup$– RonJohnApr 18, 2018 at 3:10
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2$\begingroup$ What are properties of dragon fire and of mud? In some fiction, dragon fire can melt rocks and even Rings of Power, more indestructible than any mundane item. $\endgroup$– MołotApr 18, 2018 at 12:33
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2$\begingroup$ That's why in real life, fire fighters can safely enter a burning building if they just smear a bit of mud over their uniform. You obviously become invincible if you bathe in that stuff $\endgroup$– Raditz_35Apr 18, 2018 at 15:31
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8 Answers
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Your protagonist is really going to get burned badly.
The flame from the dragon can turn sand into glass
Glass won't form until you cool molten sand and it won't be molten until about 1600 C which means your protagonist would get a third degree burn easily ( one second at about 160 C is enough ) from contact with molten dirt and sand in mud.
There's simply too much heat coming in to avoid this.
The most vulnerable parts will be any skin that directly contacts the mud. And mud is wet, so unless your chap/lass has a fully covering waterproof layer underneath the mud they're in major trouble. Any wet cloth would be really problematic - it will either burn or become extremely hot and will transmit that direct to the skin underneath.
You not only need a lot of layers, you need to be able to get them off quickly before you're cooked by them.
how can I touch up to give him a fighting chance?
Well unless this is a very conveniently small dragon you have an additional problem : It's going to hit you as soon as it can after it flames you.
Your hero, let's call him/her "Crispee", will first suffer, at best, a very nasty attack from flame which will, at best, act as suppressing "fire" which Crispee can't do much in (probably won't even be able to see the dragon, let alone attack it).
And the second that's over, Crispee will find (if your dragon is of traditional design) a large claw casually slapping Crispee into the next country.
The way to defeat a dragon is clearly to have multiple attackers. So only one survives to claim the hand of the fair princess/burly prince, this is OK and we can remember the sacrifice of Crispee's late friends Burnit and Ashby who were alas killed distracting the dragon while Crispee got close enough to strike at the beast's heart.
If you're planning to use magic at all, the time to use it would be during the dragon killing phase. :-)
You could limit the dragon in some way : exhausted after flaming, so the hero "just" has to dodge (hide) from the first flame and get in quick before it recovers to fry Crispee and/or thump Crispee so hard that parts land in different places. So you need Crispee to get close enough to antagonize the dragon into flaming, but to choose a spot that provides quick cover (a prepared ambush ?) to survive the flaming and rush out heroically and do something PETA would probably complain about.
That kind of stuff.
answered Apr 18, 2018 at 3:47
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1$\begingroup$ Ah yes, "The wilderness is a dangerous place, survive it by not being there" strategy. what doesn't hit you can't kill you. *probably $\endgroup$– IT AlexFeb 6, 2020 at 17:25
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It depends on how hot the dragon's flame is, and how long it lasts. If the dragon is capable of just a brief burst of flame, it will probably work, depending on just how thick the mud layer is.
OTOH, if the dragon is capable of a prolonged flame of even moderate intensity, then you will have created a succulent new dragon delicacy, knight baked in clay. See e.g. this recipe for trout: http://innatthecrossroads.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/dsc_0407.jpg?resize=584%2C388 "The clay acts as kind of a dutch oven for the food, keeping the moisture inside the fish. When the first clay fish finally cracked, we were surprised and delighted to find the flesh perfectly cooked and flaking off the bones. It was creamy and tender, with a wonderful, clean taste."
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$\begingroup$ "The flame from the dragon can turn sand into glass." It takes really (as in "nuclear bomb") high heat to melt glass in short bursts. So... prolonged flame it is!!! $\endgroup$– RonJohnApr 18, 2018 at 5:56
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1$\begingroup$ @RonJohn: Which is why the thickness of the mud matters. A short but hot burst of flame might glaze the outside, but leave the inside relatively unaffected. See e.g. recipes for Baked Alaska and similar. OTOH, a long but relatively low temperature flame would result in a well-cooked knight. $\endgroup$– jamesqfApr 18, 2018 at 18:28
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$\begingroup$ +1 "...new dragon delicacy, knight baked in clay" $\endgroup$– JesuismeApr 19, 2018 at 15:07
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No, the hero is going to die a horrifying death.
Not by the mechanisms demonstrated so far in other answers (although they are going to be pretty horrible anyway) but because you have made no provision to protect the lungs. The hero is going to be exposed to the heat of a large industrial kiln or molten glass tank in a glassblowing studio. Unless he can hold his breath for the duration of the fight, he is going to breath in fire and destroy his lungs.
Modern stuntmen are often filmed being set on fire, and special precautions must be taken to do the stunt, including slathering all exposed skin in fireproof gel, wearing Nomex or similar fireproof undergarments and not breathing in the flames.
Burn scenes
Scenes in which someone is actually set on fire are among the most dangerous ever filmed. The stuntman wears several layers of protective clothing, including fire-resistant materials like asbestos. Special gloves and a hood cover the hands and head. In most burn scenes, the hood is clearly evident, though its appearance can be minimized by good editing. Inside the hood is a small breathing apparatus connected to a small oxygen tank. The performer is then coated in a specially prepared flammable gel. They are not simply doused in gasoline -- that would be suicidal. Before the burn is lit, multiple extinguishers and paramedics must be at the scene. The burn itself is carefully timed.
https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/stuntmen5.htm
Firemen and industrial workers exposed to these sorts of conditions are similarly protected by multiple layers of fireproof clothing, ventilation or breathing systems and so on.
answered Apr 18, 2018 at 18:17
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$\begingroup$ beat me to it, I was going to say it doesn't matter if you just coat yourself to prevent surface burns, that kind of heat would melt your lungs leaving you to suffocate even if the coating was able to properly deal with the heat $\endgroup$– BKlassenApr 20, 2018 at 16:01
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Water is good at protecting from heat as long as it can evaporate and thus subtract heat. I think this is the idea behind the mud armor and incidentally also behind our natural sweating mechanism.
The problem we don't face when sweating is that once you have the cloud of hot vapor it will condensate on colder surfaces, such as a body, transferring back the heat.
And of course once the mud has been cooked it will absorb much less water.
All in all, I think the only way for this to work is that your hero keeps moving under the flames, so that he can leaves as much steam as possible behind, and that he has chances to completely renew the mud armor after each "roasting session".
This implies:
- short contact with the flames, not a "dive through them to aim at the mouth"
- reasonable time to be hidden, naked and spreading mud on the body
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$\begingroup$ agreed, also note my protagonist will be carrying a shield. $\endgroup$– user6760Apr 18, 2018 at 3:25
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$\begingroup$ Find a way to make a breeze during the fight if you want the steam away (maybe from wings?). Have a brief burst of flame, or have it sweep the area to only be on the protagonist for a short time. Might suspend disbelief... $\endgroup$– throxApr 18, 2018 at 9:43
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$\begingroup$ @throx, just run while avoiding the flames. An hero using a fan would be ridiculous, I agree. $\endgroup$– L.Dutch ♦Apr 18, 2018 at 10:14
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Based off the comments, I don't think mud will be particularly effective. If your protagonist is instead near water and has a shield, you could have him use the water as protection and the shield to ward of any direct flames when they are away from the water or luring the dragon to the water.
The mud could probably help your protagonist in warding of some minor burns as the heat is deflected off the shield and can be constantly be reapplied if your protagonist uses the shoreline and keeps moving into the water and out of it, basically covering themselves in mud as they fight.
Or you can have the dragon land in the mud or crash into it, and slowly be bogged down by it, giving your protagonist a better chance of reaching the dragon and hitting it.
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$\begingroup$ Jumping into the water is more likely to wash the mud right off the hero than to save him $\endgroup$ Apr 18, 2018 at 18:19
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$\begingroup$ It will save him from the fire once his mud has dried, and let him get a new coat of mud as he comes out $\endgroup$ Apr 19, 2018 at 0:20
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$\begingroup$ That only would work if he is jumping into a mud wallow. Jumping into a lake or stream will wash away the mud, and he will have little time to apply a new coat before being incinerated or eaten. $\endgroup$ Apr 19, 2018 at 2:29
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$\begingroup$ if the mud was deep enough or heavy enough to bog down a dragon don't you think the protagonist would be bogged down even more so? Same thing with the water, if you've walked into a lake you know that your stride changes even at about knee deep, something the size of a dragon won't be inhibited at all while you struggle $\endgroup$– BKlassenApr 20, 2018 at 16:06
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$\begingroup$ @BKlassen what I the hero has special plot armor that makes him immune to those affects? $\endgroup$ Apr 23, 2018 at 0:49
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TL;DR Give him a thin layer of non-circulating air under the mud. Air is an excellent insulator.
First, the science on insulation. The principle proposed is the same one used for thermal window panes.
A possible way to work it into the plot is that the hero discovers the mud from a certain river is magnetic (maybe from high iron content) when it "clings" to pan that he was washing. He previously learned a legend or bit of ancient lore that the only way to withstand the fire of a dragon was with the protection of the Gods of Earth and Air and that the stream he chose to wash his pan in was, in fact, sacred to them (uh oh!).
Once it's time to face the dragon, the elders insist that the hero engage in the traditional ceremony prior to facing a potent enemy. The warrior tradition is to be painted in protective runes from head to toe from the Gods of Air. The hero realizes ceremonial paint is also magnetic and, if he's lucky, will repel the mud. This would give him a thin layer of stationary air between the mud and his skin, acting as an insulator, fulfilling the legend.
So painted in runes prior to facing the dragon, he wallows in the river mud, forming a protective, insulating layer of air under the wet mud.
Potential issues:
- He has a limited supply of air while in this state. He either has to finish quickly or devise a way to get air.
- He has to be able to see or otherwise sense the dragon. His entire body will be covered in mud.
- The mud isn't going to just "hover" in place over his skin, so maybe there's an attraction of the mud to the iron in his blood to keep his "shell" intact.
- The insulation will not protect against physical dragon strikes. One swipe of the claw and it's lights out.
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2$\begingroup$ Clever. I'm not sure a thin layer of air would save you from the blast (not unless the blast is unable to dry out and blow away the dirt), but a very clever idea nonetheless. Welcome to worldbuilding.SE. $\endgroup$– JBHApr 18, 2018 at 23:44
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$\begingroup$ @JBH Thank you. And I agree it may not be a solution if the "wind" from the blast breaches the mud. $\endgroup$– JesuismeApr 19, 2018 at 15:04
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To quote Mr. Miyagi -- "Best defense... no be there."
Going up against a huge, fire-breathing beast with only a sword, shield and some mud sounds like a perfect mix for a funeral pyre honoring your intrepid warrior.
I would suggest an alternative of the warrior somehow outsmarting the dragon so that it can be defeated without directly engaging and succumbing to the flames. Perhaps fighting somewhere that the dragon cannot use its abilities or is hindered somehow. OR -- something that gives the warrior a huge advantage in the engagement (traps or the like.)
I keep thinking of Schwartzenegger going up against the Predator. Direct confrontation is borderline suicidal. Outwitting the beast to whittle it down and eventually finish it is probably a better, more likely, finish.
Just my 2 cents.
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$\begingroup$ This is a good suggestion, but it does not answer question that's asked here. $\endgroup$– MołotApr 18, 2018 at 14:27
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$\begingroup$ I think I did. The question was: "Can a person covered in mud survive an ordeal with fire breathing dragon?" My somewhat indirect answer was, no. Going up against a dragon while using mud as a defense will result in "funeral pyre honoring your intrepid warrior." ;) $\endgroup$– TamApr 18, 2018 at 14:31
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2$\begingroup$ @Mołot, I agree with the answerer. Sometimes the answer to a yes/no question is "no." As I was reading the question to review this answer, my first impression was also, "you can't use mud." Most of it would be knocked off the armor/body in the first 20 seconds of the fight. I, too, considered agility and intelligence as the only way to overcome the problem. In other words, my answer would also have been "you can't do that," and I think it's a legitimate answer (especially with some examples of alternatives). $\endgroup$– JBHApr 18, 2018 at 16:04
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$\begingroup$ The if the answer is no, the rest of your answer is irrelevant. $\endgroup$– VincentApr 18, 2018 at 16:21
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$\begingroup$ @Vincent by that same reasoning, if the answer is yes the rest is irrelevant. Yet people are trying to justify how they believe it could be pursued. If the OP only wanted "yes" answers, I believe they would have asked "How can I justify a man covered in mud surviving an ordeal with a fire breathing dragon?" in which case only answers trying to work out positive outcomes would be relevant. This was not the case. $\endgroup$– TamApr 19, 2018 at 1:53
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You can make a very good chicken by wrapping it in mud and tossing it in the fire. It keeps all the steam on the inside and cooks the chicken. When you crack off the mud, you have a moist and delicious chicken.
I am sure the dragon will appreciate the effective cooking wrapper around his dinner.