Topic: Attacking specific parts of the body

[Zedul]

This situation is exactly why I think that the whole "as skill to cover everything" approach doesn't work in games: we won't stop adding more and more just to do one thing. It just becomes rolls stacked on rolls stacked on rolls until it takes a dozen rolls to accomplish a task; taking way too long to accomplish anything.

This is why I prefer to go with a more free-form approach than uber-detailed rules and skills.

*Applause*   

[sesostris]

So has anyone tried to use the 'strategic targeting' skill from Arms Companion?
Or used it enough to discover it's flaws?
I ask because we had a pirate campaign a ways back, swords and guns. Arms companion came out and we tried some of the strategic targeting for the guns. But I felt the rules weren't written clearly enough, either that or we were all a little dense in our reading comprehension :-).....   

Either way, everyone who had the skill wanted head shots. Human head was -75 I believe.
Roll your ST.Targeting which is stated as a maneuver I think.... so you make your roll now you can shoot.... But we got confused as to whether or not you use your OB at -75, or if the skill ranks in st.targeting were the actual 'OB' you use....?   
What about the defenders db? He's bobbing and weaving and in combat, isn't his DB still tacked on as well? The rules didn't seem to mention it clearly.....unless we all missed something which is entirely possible....     We settled on just using the sniping skill, just that when in combat there's more of a penalty to roll to use it, then if you make it it's still only half your ability....very similar to ambush etc.... except you can have a foe fully aware and engaged in combat, but if you roll past our agreed upon penalty you could crack off that shot in combat while he was looking right at you....   like how close quarter combat trained swat or seal teams can get clean headshots often.   

Isn't there a simple/ fast/ way to implement these concepts? Or is it truly a gordian knot and best left untouched?

[markc]

  IMHO if it was simple then it would have been thought of long ago. But then sometimes the simple things elude you the longest.
  One thing to remember is that NPC's can use the skills against the players as well and this can be a bit of a shock to a high level PC's (and players) if there is not sufficient balances put in. IMHO that is the hard part.
  From your text above I thought that maybe there should be some type of RR roll on part of the target if the target is an important NPC or PC in addition to the rules. Note I have not gone back and looked at the rules in the RM2 AC you have talked about but the addition of an extra layer may help out those important NPC's and PC's that can be the receiver of the skill.
MDC

[Kristen Mork]

So has anyone tried to use the 'strategic targeting' skill from Arms Companion?
Or used it enough to discover it's flaws?
I ask because we had a pirate campaign a ways back, swords and guns. Arms companion came out and we tried some of the strategic targeting for the guns. But I felt the rules weren't written clearly enough, either that or we were all a little dense in our reading comprehension :-).....   

Either way, everyone who had the skill wanted head shots. Human head was -75 I believe.
Roll your ST.Targeting which is stated as a maneuver I think.... so you make your roll now you can shoot.... But we got confused as to whether or not you use your OB at -75, or if the skill ranks in st.targeting were the actual 'OB' you use....?   
What about the defenders db? He's bobbing and weaving and in combat, isn't his DB still tacked on as well? The rules didn't seem to mention it clearly.....unless we all missed something which is entirely possible....     We settled on just using the sniping skill, just that when in combat there's more of a penalty to roll to use it, then if you make it it's still only half your ability....very similar to ambush etc.... except you can have a foe fully aware and engaged in combat, but if you roll past our agreed upon penalty you could crack off that shot in combat while he was looking right at you....   like how close quarter combat trained swat or seal teams can get clean headshots often.   

Isn't there a simple/ fast/ way to implement these concepts? Or is it truly a gordian knot and best left untouched?

We played with Strategic Targeting for years.  It's not that useful unless you have lots of skill in Strategic Targeting skill.  In any event, here's a summary of how it works:

Normal attack = d100 + OB - DB; lookup the result on the weapon table and use the indicated crit chart.
Strategic attack = d100 + OB - DB - 20 + Min(StrategicTargetSkill - LocationModifier, 0); lookup the result on the weapon table, but use both the indicated crit chart and the Strategic Targeting crit chart.

So, a normal attack might be at +75 (+100 OB - 25 DB).  A strategic attack vs. the head (with +45 in Strategic Targeting skill) would be 75 - 20 + (45 - 75) = +25.

Note that in general, head shots aren't as effective as neck shots.  The neck is only an additional penalty of 20, but the BAM for the neck is only 1 vs. 4 for the head.  In other words you need to inflict 4 times as many structural hits to the head.  For years one of my players had a Rogue with a dagger, Strategic Targeting, Closing and Ambush.  He would spend 2-3 rounds getting into position (closing and/or stalking), but once he was in position, it was one-shot, one-kill.  He used a dagger because he hated fumbling.

His targets took to wearing metal gorgets for protection.  So, the mage learned an Arcane metal spell that let him crumple a small metal object (such as a gorget) at distance.  Those two were a great combo!

[markc]

Peter Mork;
 What was the Rogues nick name if he had one?
MDC

[Kristen Mork]

I don't remember that Hael ever had a nickname.  Alas.

[markc]

 Bummer there is no official name.....but:


  Maybe the Apple Killer (Apple for short) for hitting people in the Addams Apple or the Hole Killer for just putting one hole in his targets.


MDC