Topic: Activity penalty in Criticals

[Dalewarrior]

Hello,
When a critical is rolled, sometimes the damage comes in the form of a penalty to Activity. I thought this shoulld only be applied to the OB, but it's too weak. It should also be applied to the DB.
How do you do it in your games?
Cheers,
DW

[EltonJ]

I think that applies to all activity.

[Hurin]

Do you mean, Dalewarrior, a penalty to activity separate from an injury penalty?

I believe such a penalty would apply to all activity, but remember that you get your full DB even if you have used up all your activity on other things, so effectively, a non-inujry penalty to activity would not affect DB.

[Dalewarrior]

I mean an injury penalty to Activity, Hurin, as taken from the critical tables.

[MisterK]

Basically, I apply the modifier to the *skill value*. The player then splits the modified skill bonus between OB and DB as usual.

[jdale]

If you apply a penalty to the OB, you're also implicitly applying a penalty to their parry DB. So for example if someone were to parry with their full (remaining) OB, and you also penalized their DB, they'd be suffering twice the penalty to their net defense. That's not the intent.

[Hurin]

I mean an injury penalty to Activity, Hurin, as taken from the critical tables.

Then yes, the activity penalty only applies to OBs and skills, not DB (unless you are parrying, in which case it applies to your weapon skill, as JDale noted).

The main things that can affect your Quickness DB are armor penalties and not being aware that you are in a combat situation (see 'Quickness Stat Bonus, 4.4.2, p. 13 of Arms Law). But injuries do not. This is clarified on p. 19, 'Critical Interpretations', 6.6.4, where, under '... at -#', it says, 'All of the target's bonuses (except DB and RRs) are modified by this number...' [emphasis added].

[Dalewarrior]

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks!

[Green Manalishi]

One thing that Rolemaster does is the concept is "once you start losing, you lose faster" with the injuries from crits and also the penalties when hits drop below 75%, 50%, etc.
It already compounds to losing faster, and any more like penalizing DB would just make it worse.

I just started a new campaign with 1st level characters, and that -10 starts the ball rolling down hill

[Malim]

Adrenal Defence will also be affected.