Post/Author/DateTime	Post
duckthatquacks 08-05-06, 06:10 PM	I like called shots. I feel that it is much more interesting to play a warrior-type character when combat consists of more than "I try to hit him with my sword" ("I jam my sword through his cerebral cortex" is much more to my liking). However, since there are no rules about called shots, and since they can easily be extremely overpowered, and since I'm too lazy to try to come up with a system on my own, I was wondering if anybody has/knows of a good house rule system for called shots. Thanks.
Bulletproof_Condom 08-05-06, 07:34 PM	Tarkin does. Or maybe that was just for limb loss. The simplest way to handle called shots is to just use the aiming as flavor. Player says "I'm aiming for his head," or something. Roll the attack and damage normally and describe it as a hit in that general area and base the severity on the damage dealt. If it was minor damage, "your sword clangs off his helmet, dazing him slightly." Something more severe, "he attempts to dodge the blow and succeeds only in sheering off his right ear." If it was the killing blow, "with a mighty swing, you bury your blade in his skull down to the chin and up to the hilt. As he falls, you're able to pry the weapon free of his lifeless corpse with a swift kick." It's all just flavor, dude.
Rhomphaia 08-05-06, 11:30 PM	I am currently trying to come up with such rules for a d20 game I am writing and it is a major pain in the ass. So far I got something for 'random' hit location determination and a makeshift system for hitting certain vital spots, but it isn't easy without making a system where heads are flying off orcs from a first level party more often that an epic dervish wielding two +5 Vorpal scimitars. If you do use such a system, either use what WotC has put in place (various feats like Improved Trip and Improved Disarm and the like) or be ready to yank any homebrew system you try if it proves too powerful.
Illithid_Tentacles 08-07-06, 01:24 PM	Step 1: Take one level of Sorcerer. Step 2: Buy a wand of True Strike. Step 3: Use your wand on yourself. Step 4: Make a called shot to the eye, throat, heart, or groin. Step 5: Deal (near) instant death. This is largely why called shots are considered a bad idea. There's also the whole "it makes combat HORRIBLY more complicated" thing, and that if it's too hard to make a called shot, nobody will ever do it, and if it's too easy to make one, then nobody will EVER perform a normal attack again. I've seen this subject come up a lot, and the general consensus is always that it's just not a good thing to implement.
Antioch 08-07-06, 01:41 PM	Called Shots (Optional Rule) A called shot is a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The characters attempts to focus his attention to strike a particular location on another creature. This otherwise is resolved as a normal attack, except that if the creature attempting the called shot is struck by the attack of opportunity it must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + damage dealt) or his called shot attempt it wasted. The location that is attacked benefits from the creature's armor class, although armor and shield bonuses may not apply (if the armor does not cover that location), and it also benefits from an additional size bonus as determined by the DM. If the location is successfully stricken, the creature must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or suffer penalties to skills associated to that location as determined in the Dungeon Master's Guide under Optional Rule: Damage to Specific Locations. Magical healing, rest, or a Heal check (DC 15) alleviates the penalties as normal. It is not possible to be instantly slain by a called shot, nor is it possible to permanently disable someone (permanent blindness, limb loss, deafness, etc). In the abstract combat system of D20, you must realize that when you strike a creature, you are not plunging your blade through them, so therefore even a called shot to the head won’t crush their skull and slay them. The blow may daze them, affected them with penalties to Spot, for example. Damage is inflicted against the creature's normal hit point amount; there is no fractional HP for each individual body location as in some combat systems. As an addition to this optional rule, you could require that characters acquire a feat in order to make called shots, create a feat to prevent the attack of opportunity, or make it into a small feat tree. Called Shot [General, Fighter] You are able to accurately damage specified locations of your foes. Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1, Combat Expertise. Benefit: You are able to declare called shots. Improved Called Shot [General, Fighter] You are able to accurately damage specified locations of your foes. Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +3, Combat Expertise. Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when attempting to make a called shot. Normal: You provoke an attack of opportunity when attempting a called shot.
Derren S. 08-07-06, 01:49 PM	Called Shots rule: Before rolling an attack the player can announce to attack a specific body part of the enemy. After he does he rolls an attack and compares the result with the AC of the enemy. If the attack result is equal or higher he hits and does damage according to his weapon.
tarkin 08-07-06, 02:03 PM	Here is my called shot rule: 1) Keep in mind that -10 is death. 0 is just the point where you have taken more than a fleshwound. 2) You can as a Full round action, use any slashing weapon to remove a limb from any one that can't move and is below -10. This does work with someone that you have brought to below -10 using non-lethal damage (or more accurately have done at least 10 more points of non-lethal damage higher than their current hitpoints). 3) Otherwise, if you take someone down below -5 using a slashing weapon, they must roll a Fort save. DC is 10 + damage done on that last blow. A failed Fort save means they lost a non-essential limb. (originally I had stated it out at -2 = hand/foot, -5 = elbow/knee, -8 = full arm/leg, but I felt this detail was uneccesary). 4) If you take someone down below -10 with a slashing weapon, then they must roll a fort save just before they die to see if the blow removes the head.
Dethro 08-15-06, 01:05 AM	I've always followed the Called Shots rules from the Mongoose series of QUintessential books, namely the Quintessential Fighter. In my opinion Mongoose is second only to Wizards themselves.
Quention 08-15-06, 02:18 AM	So, it was decided in our game that a rule should exist for called shots. Personally, I never ACTUALLY use it, but the system was developed, so here goes: A called shot is, for all intents and purposes, simply attacking a small, specific part of a larger target. Since there are some creatures for whom this is a major factor (beheading a hydra, blinding a basilisk, etc), it seems only logical that SOME system should accomodate these very common battles, as most fantasy literature does. As such, we decided that, since you're just targetting a small part of a creature, that part would get a size modifier. Armor/Natural armor is counted or ignored on a case by case basis (does that armor protect that area) and a size bonus is given to body parts as a function of the body as a whole. These use the standard size modifiers: Torso - Default target, no modifier Limb (arm/leg) - +4 AC bonus for size. Imposes a -2 penalty on checks made with that limb. Attacks to legs reduce speed by 25% per leg. "Massive" damage to a limb is equal to 1/4 total hit points of healthy creature. Fortitude save vs massive damage or limb is severed. Extremity (hand, foot, head) - +8 AC bonus for size. Imposes a -2 penalty on checks made with that extremity. These penalties stack with those targetting an associated limb. Massive damage to an extremity is equal to 1/8 total healthy hit points. Critical location (eye, groin, etc) - +16 AC bonus for size. Imposes a -2 penalty on checks using that location (eyes include spot checks, as well as attack rolls). Massive damage is equal to 1/16 total hitpoints. Massive damage results in permanent loss of function. This can result in blindness, etc. Making a called shot is a full round attack action which provokes an attack of opportunity. The target may not move more than 5 feet in the round, or else the shot can not be lined up. The design of the system was to allow called shots for the "right" circumstances, but to convince players that they were rarely worth it. Adding 8 points to AC to target the head and not guaranteeing a kill shot pretty much made headshots a last ditch effort, rather than the standard. These rules basically only get pulled out when the party needs to disable a lethal natural attack.
tarkin 08-15-06, 10:46 AM	ANY system that uses "bonuses to AC" or penalties is hit is incredibaly abusive and foolish. Unless the 'benefits' from these ac modfications are so weak as to be pointless. They only used by Power Gamers or Anything Goes Gamers. Your system offers blinding, which is basically an "I win the battle" move. The current AC system is designed so that at higher levels your first attack is pretty much a guaranteed hit. -16 is no where near high enough to make it at all dificult. When you throw in True Strike, all you have done is transformed Wizards/Sorceors/clerics with the right domain into blinding machines. One level of Sorceor can get you 4 first level spells/day (with a reasonable charaisma). In addition, those systems indicate a lack of understanding of the basic concepts behind D20 combat: 1) Anything that does not take you below 1 hitpoint is just a flesh wound. It's in core books in practically the first chapter. 2) Any significant damage to you will take you of the battle, leaving you unable to fight. (I.E. anything that takes you below 1 hitpoint).
Dalthbar 08-15-06, 11:07 AM	I think if someone was serious about implimenting these sorts of called-shot rules that you'd have to have a cover and concealment -like component where there's a high fixed miss % no matter the AC hit. So you'd roll to hit the now-harder AC and still get a miss chance even if you hit the target's AC. (the miss chance should be high - 50-75% or higher pending the area targeted) This is the only thing that'd start to balance out the True Strike dilemma.
LordPendragon 08-15-06, 12:05 PM	Regardless of balance issues, every shot in d20 is already a called shot. Seriously, every single attack you make is a called shot against your opponent's unarmoured area. That's why armour grants AC and not DR, which in itself is a ridiculous system, IMO. Also, every attack is a called shot against a vital area. That's why damage is a roll and not a set value; you deal more depending on how close to a vital area you hit. If you want to implement called shots, then you'd better be prepared for a player saying "I want to attack him in the unarmoured legs to bypass his chain shirt's AC bonus", or "I want to attack the hydra's head as a called shot, not a sunder". When a player says to me "I want to attack him in the stomach on this shot, since Orcs are known to have weak intestines", I reply with "are Orcs your favoured enemy?? If not, you don't know that". When a player says "I want to hit it in the junk!!", the automatic reply is "aren't you trying to hit where it hurts on every attack??". Really, called shots are a nice idea, and they can work in other systems, but they just have no place in d20.
Quention 08-15-06, 02:53 PM	Tarkin, I'm forced to disagree with you simply because you have generalized everything. The system I offered was an answer to the question as to if any systems existed, but I never claimed that it was a great system, or flawless in any way, only that it has worked well for me. I'd also argue very strongly that blinding in NO way is an "I win" maneuver. If it was, then Blindness/Deafness would be a MUCH higher level spell than it is. The number of other ways to detect an opponent without vision are huge, including Blindsight, Tremorsense, Hightened Senses (like those of a dragon), or even Blind-Fight, a feat that requires nothing as a prereq. Blindness offers nothing more than a 50% miss chance to any attacks. If a 50% miss chance is a game breaker in your game, so be it, but in mine, it isn't. Also, while, yes, 4 castings of True Strike are good for blinding 4 people per day (assuming you want to use them for that), think of the spells you CAN'T cast that day because you blinded something. Remember that the +16 is on top of the standard AC of the target. +16 is easily countered by a True Strike, but does that extra +4 give you enough attack bonus to have a guaranteed hit every time? You're blowing a guaranteed hit for a chance at a crippling blow. Yes, in isolation, any system can be shown to fail. But in practicallity, as you say, the first strike is expected to hit. Removing the other attacks, and reducing the likelyhood of hitting only reduce the effectiveness of the action. You pay for your benefits in opportunity costs. The system I mentioned also requires that the damage dealt be massive to the part of the body AND that the target fail a low DC Fort save. Take a single example. You want to blind a dragon (a foolish action, since the dragon's heightened senses make blinding meaningless, but let's assume you had a good reason). An Old Red Dragon is a CR 20, so we'll assume this is being done by a Fighter 19/ Sorcerer 1 (so he can have True Strike). BAB of +19, Str mod of +7 (with gear) and wielding a +5 Sword with which he has greater weapon focus. A total of a +33 to hit. Add True Strike and he's attacking for one attack at a +53! Round 1, Cast True Strike. Dragon hits you hard, but you survive (and managed to cast on the defensive) Round 2, Attack the Eye. AC 49 including the +16 for targetting the eye. Cool, you hit. Like you said, it's not hard to make that first hit in a round. Now, deal your damage. Chances are you can deal the 24 points of damage to be "massive" damage against an eye. I mean, you're hitting for 1d12 (it's a greatsword), +5 (enhancement), +10 (Str * 1.5), +4 Greater Weapon Specialization. If you roll pretty well (or have other damage), you deal more than 24. Let's assume high and say you deal 30 points of damage. From SRD: Massive Damage: If you ever sustain a single attack deals 50 points of damage or more and it doesn’t kill you outright, you must make a DC 15 Fortitude save. If this saving throw fails, you die regardless of your current hit points. If you take 50 points of damage or more from multiple attacks, no one of which dealt 50 or more points of damage itself, the massive damage rule does not apply. We've changed the number 50 to 24 for this dragon's eye, so the dragon must make a Fortitude save, DC 15 against being blinded. An Old Red Dragon has a Fortitude save modifier of +23. Dragon saves and is not blinded. The system works, because while making the blinding attack is not difficult, neither is the save against it. I offer one more point, and this one is AGAINST called shot rules. Any system that benefits players by allowing them to deal appreciably more damage in a single strike, is inherently dangerous for the players themselves. As has been stated many times in many places by many people, monsters fight their fight and die. It's what they're good at. Who cares if you blind the orc? You're going to kill him anyways. But do you care if the orc blinds you? Sure you do, because the orc is going to die anyways, but YOU have to fight thousands of more people before you're supposed to die. I also argue that if there was no intent for specific damage in the game, there would be no reason to even MENTION that regeneration or fast-healing have the ability to regrow limbs. If my arm can never be hacked off, why bother learning a spell to grow it back?
savant_warlord13 08-15-06, 06:05 PM	Called shots are a bad, bad thing. We wait until after hits are resolved to describe our actions fully. For instance 2 damage My sword opens a wound in the orc's arm 42 damage critical hit + 21 fire damage I impale him through the gut with my scythe, the burst of flames gives him serious internal burns.