From Daniel.Schlyder@stud.hials.noMon Jun 9 12:21:28 1997 Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 09:21:42 -0500 From: Daniel SchlyderReply to: rolemaster@tower.clark.net To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Aimed Blow (new skill - update)
A new skill for those of you that want to aim your attacks. This is an update to a message I posted a while ago.
Skill name: Aimed Blow
Skill Category: Combat Maneuvers
-- Description --
This skill allows a combatant an attempt to hit a certain part of his opponent's body with his weapon melee or missile attack (i.e. not spell attacks). Determine the result of the maneuver before the normal attack roll.
Success indicates that he hit the designated body part; near success and partial success that he failed, but can still make a normal unaimed attack; failure that he missed altogether; and absolute failure, spectacular failure and unusual event, that he fumbled his weapon. If he hits his opponent, he will still have to succed in the normal attack roll for any damage to be done. (At the GM's discretion, a +10 bonus may be added to the attack roll, if the Static Maneuver roll was an unusual or absolute success.)
If he hit the body part aimed on, he should cross-index his attack roll with the AT for that body part, instead of the general AT of his opponent. [Ag]
-- Modifiers --
The GM should assign a level of difficulty to the Static Maneuver roll based on the body part aimed on. The difficulty levels of the chart below apply to same sized characters. If the target is significantly higher or shorter than the attacker, then they should be modified (e.g. hitting the head of a giant would be absurd). If the attacker uses a missile weapon, then the appropriate range modifier from the weapon's attack table should be applied to the Static Maneuver roll.
DIFFICULTY BODY PART very hard head easy torso medium upper arm hard lower arm light upper leg medium lower leg
-- Notes --
The Aimed Blow skill bonus can NOT exceed the attacker's weapon skill bonus (i.e. if the Aimed Blow skill bonus is higher than the weapon skill bonus, then use the weapon skill bonus for the Static Maneuver roll). Note that this skill must be developed separately for each weapon category. The Static Maneuver roll is a 0 % activity, and can only be used prior to an attack.
You are not allowed to aim more specific, than on the body parts in the chart above. That would make it too hard to resolve criticals. An example: If you aim for the head you could blind your opponent, give him a nasty scar, or chop his head clean off. If you aim for his eyes, the choices are somewhat more limited. He becomes blind, and there's no point in rolling on the critical tables (i.e. no eyes, no index fingers and no big toes!).
And a last, but very important note: An aimed attack ALWAYS takes place in the deliberate action phase.
-- Example --
The Dwarven fighter Dronkhar is ambushed by a Great Orc knight. Fortunately for him, the Orc is very stupid, and has forgotten to put his helmet on. Dronkhar's player decides that Dronkhar will try to chop the stupid Orc's head clean off. Since they are about the same height, it will be very hard for Dronkhar to hit the Orc's head. Dronkhar's player rolls an unmodified 100 - an unusual success. Dronkhar's player then rolls the normal attack roll, adding a special +10 bonus for his unusually successful aiming, and looks up the result in the AT 1 column of the Broadsword Attack Table. The Orc dies a horrible death...
Comments, suggestions, questions? Anyone?
- Daniel Schlyder E-Mail: dsc@unix1.hials.no ...or... dsc@stud.hials.no www: http://unix1.hials.no/~dsc/
From sd18@cornell.eduMon Jun 9 12:21:49 1997 Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 14:54:55 -0500 From: Steve DanielsonReply to: rolemaster@tower.clark.net To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Re: Aimed Blow (new skill - update)
I think in terms of mechanics I would change the wording a little ...
Make Aimed Blow a special attack
Say that the amount you spend on the aimed blow is subtracted out of your normal OB for your normal attack that round.
So in your example I would say that the dwarf has the following stats
Battle Ax OB +95
Aimed Blow 2H Wpn OB +50
The dwarf decides to use his aimed blow action [still 0%] and puts 50 points into it [the max he can since he is limited by the lesser of his aimed blow and wpn OB]. He makes his maneuver -- unusual success [ UM 100].
He then makes his normal attack roll with a bonus of 55 [95 -50 +10(for UM 100)]. If he succeeds in this maneuver then the GM can modify the critical approp.
Otherwise every fighter will make an 0% free aimed blow action every attack since the only thing that can happen is that they might fail -- and if their skill in aimed blow becomes high enough then this becomes a very unlikely possibility. True the penalities for failure might be high, but given a high enough aimed blow skill they can be safely ignored.
There probably are other game balance things that I have not thought about but this is a start.
Nice Idea!
Steve
From mikem@en.comMon Jun 9 12:22:01 1997 Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 15:20:02 -0500 From: Michael McLaughlinReply to: rolemaster@tower.clark.net To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Re: Aimed Blow (new skill - update)
as an alternative to spawning another skill (a real problem with rm2ed), why not just another application of ob ? so, rather that just splitting your weapon skill between ob and db, how about ob, db and aiming ?
Mike McLaughlin EN Tech Staff 615-9400