Topic: Action like "Power Strike" for Missile and Elemental attacks

[LukeZ]

I was thinking to use a new action ("Precise Strike") that works like "Power Strike", but with a -30 to the attack (instead of -20) to get the +10 to the critical result for Missile and Elemental attacks.

What do you think about this?

[Thom @ ICE]

For Elemental attacks use Scaling. Creating a new talent or combat action like this causes a major problem with the balance of spellcasting.  Scaling allows size increase and has extra penalties already built in.


As for Missiles....
Bow-type weapons I would not permit it.  You can't increase the amount of damage done by exerting more force using a bow.  If you wanted to make it a more precise strike (as your proposed name states) you are effectively making it more like a Called Shot.  I would simply use the Called Shot optional rules.


For thrown weapons - I would permit Power Strike to reflect greater power put into the throw, causing less accuracy, but greater damage. 

[Bruce]

Isn't there already a skill like "precise shot" called sniping? It is on pg 48 of the new revised core book (GCP ), and pg 43 of the older revised core book (Mjolnir).
 On a similar but different note. Anyone remember the old 60's movie where a legendary character (Odysseus, Agamemnon?) had this bow that only he could string and draw (forgive me if I am vague but I barely remember the movie) . It was a very powerful bow. My question is how would you handle a bow like this in game. It may be slightly magical but I place it as a bow made of special materials for more pull and a more powerful shot. I believe it would require a special strength maneuver to draw and fire, but would there be a bonus to the attack/crit roll?
I was into archery many years ago and I have always wondered how one would handle the different pull weight on recurve bows, especially in HARP.
Bruce

[pyrotech]

I think this might be a bit out of the scope for vanilla "High Action Role Playing"  but if someone was looking for more complicated archaic missile weapon rules you could probably assign a strength rating to each one.

A ST 8 longbow can apply the full bonus of the users +8 ST bonus to the weapon skill, but anyone with a lower bonus would take a -10 penalty per point of bonus below the weapons ST.  Weapons like crossbows could be hand cocked if the user had the appropriate ST bonus, but a mechanical aid could be used for higher ST x-bows but at the cost of longer reload times.

In the Ulysses case say he had a super 100 ST score.  So only an incredibly strong 95+ stat character could even hope to use the bow.

You would probably have to fine tune this idea to insure the right balance however.

-Pyrotech

[Bruce]

True. If any of my groups ever encountered something like this I probably would've had them make a strength RR with a modifier based on the difficulty of the pull on the bow.

Bruce

[LukeZ]

Isn't there already a skill like "precise shot" called sniping? It is on pg 48 of the new revised core book (GCP ), and pg 43 of the older revised core book (Mjolnir).
 On a similar but different note. Anyone remember the old 60's movie where a legendary character (Odysseus, Agamemnon?) had this bow that only he could string and draw (forgive me if I am vague but I barely remember the movie) . It was a very powerful bow. My question is how would you handle a bow like this in game. It may be slightly magical but I place it as a bow made of special materials for more pull and a more powerful shot. I believe it would require a special strength maneuver to draw and fire, but would there be a bonus to the attack/crit roll?
I was into archery many years ago and I have always wondered how one would handle the different pull weight on recurve bows, especially in HARP.
Bruce

The Sniping skill lets you do more damage with a surprise missile attack.
The Ambush skill lets you do more damage with a surprise melee attack.
I was searching for something to give missile attacks the effect of "risk something for increased critical damage".
I think I'll simply go with "flesh cutter" arrows/bolts: they would give -30 to hit, but +10 to critical damage. They are useful only if you are pretty sure to hit your target with a wide margin (easier when the target has no armor).

[Zut]

I think this might be a bit out of the scope for vanilla "High Action Role Playing"  but if someone was looking for more complicated archaic missile weapon rules you could probably assign a strength rating to each one.

A ST 8 longbow can apply the full bonus of the users +8 ST bonus to the weapon skill, but anyone with a lower bonus would take a -10 penalty per point of bonus below the weapons ST.  Weapons like crossbows could be hand cocked if the user had the appropriate ST bonus, but a mechanical aid could be used for higher ST x-bows but at the cost of longer reload times.

In the Ulysses case say he had a super 100 ST score.  So only an incredibly strong 95+ stat character could even hope to use the bow.

You would probably have to fine tune this idea to insure the right balance however.

-Pyrotech

Hooo! I like this idea!

Maybe could be coupled with damage caps: a bow that needs St +2 could do less damage (e.g. caps at small) than a St +6 bow (caps at large).

Just my 2 cents.