Dalamar wrote:For the purpose of the rule the first part of the second sentence defines "it".
Not if we're both speaking English. "It" is a pronoun that usually refers to the noun object in the clause in which "it" is used, "it" is not necessarily always the Subject noun of the sentence. In the case of your suggestion the "of it" refers to the
unit because of the comma after "If it does so". In the rule's case the "If it" refers to the
dragon. Compare the Seraphon Noxious breath and the Black Dragon noxious breath for a clue here:
Seraphon can exhale a cloud of noxious gas. If she does so, pick a target unit that is visible and roll one dice for each model in that unit that is within 6".
a Black Dragon can belch forth a cloud of noxious gas. If it does so, pick a target unit that is visible and roll one dice for each model in that unit that is within 6".
Adding "of her"
would make sense in Seraphon's sentence because it's use is unambiguous. Adding "of it" in the Black Dragon sentence creates ambiguity because of its poor grammar. "Of the model" is equally bad and of the dragon is redundant when you read it. Also try adding "of it" in the same way to the Seraphon rule and you should see what I mean (the sentence is actually clear and the "of it" clearly indicates the
unit).
It's probably for this reason that both sentences make a compromise and leave out the "of her/it/the model" and rely on the reader's pragmatic competence to fill in the gaps. Now, this is a poor piece of writing by GW, but it's poor because A) it relies on the reader's knowledge of grammar (which IS increasingly a problem), and B) it relies on the writer's assumption that everyone will
want to understand them (which has always been a problem, since the beginning of time).
I'm just saying because the suggestion of adding the "of it" is totally ungrammatical for the meaning you intend in that sentence. GW's line, however bad, is better than that. People in glass houses and all that.
Re: the template. The exact size wasn't my point. What I meant was that it was measured from the dragon's mouth, sorry if I was unclear.