Called Shot [Archive] - Wizards Community

Called Shot [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
andrewknaut
10-03-06, 11:53 AM I assume this has been talked over A LOT. But still i thought i would ask...again.

So I was thinking of having called shot and add AC bonus for what they shoot for. I was even thinking of making feats that build the ability hit called shots better.
I was just wondering what others have done with called shots though.
Thanks for the help.
Fargren
10-03-06, 02:55 PM Called shots= power attack: take a penalty to hit, add a penalty to damage. Change the strenght requirement for a DEX and double damage to light weapons instead of two handed, if you want to, but that's the only balanced possibilty I've seen so far.
nunchuckgun
10-03-06, 05:25 PM What about a drastically increased AC for whatever your calling the shot against? A called shot would be a full-round action as well. An eye would be Fine sized, so change the AC accordingly. If you miss the eye's AC, but still hit the opponents normal AC you still hit for normal damage? They make a fort save if it hits their eye or they go blind in that eye until the damage is healed magically.

Or "I hit his knee with my greatclub!" A knee would be tiny or diminuitive. You hit an opponents knee, the make a fort save or they gain a limp and their movement is reduced by 5-10ft for 5 rounds.
058
10-03-06, 06:54 PM Heh. I don't know many folk what can take a thwack in the knee and keep a limp for just thirty seconds(five rounds). :p

For Called Shots, I've adopted this system:

A general shot--example, "I want to clip him in the knees"--means that the DC for the hit is the target's AC+2, and a successful hit has deficiencies determined by the DM depending upon the location of the hit(a disabled arm, a limp, etc).

A more precise shot--example, "I want to hit him in his right forearm in order to disable it"--makes the DC the target's AC+5, and again, a successful hit has a deficiency determined by the DM depending upon the location.

An extremely precise shot--example, "I want to stab his eyes out"--makes the DC the target's AC+8, again with the same effect.

Of course, a more precise shot will have a greater deficiency to your foe than a general shot, and an extremely precise shot the same again. A natural twenty, even if your attack bonuses don't meet the requirements to hit an extremely precise shot and even if you don't confirm the critical hit, will always succeed in a called shot. Even if the DC for the called shot is missed, if the AC for the target is met, the character still gets a hit. Perhaps I might implement an Attack of Opportunity for a failed called shot but succeeded hit.
Xeviat-DM
10-03-06, 08:08 PM If you want Called Shots to inflict "debuffs" (ill-status effects) to your target, then it can be balanced. I have a called shot system that I've submitted for publish in the Campaign Builder's Guild magazine, which should be released soon. I don't want to share too much about it, but the mechanic is basically what you're going for: accept a penalty to hit to go for a smaller target, if you hit the defender might suffer an ill condition.

But called shots should never be used to gain more damage (that's what power attack is for, though having a finesse-based power attack wouldn't be out of the question as long as it is precision damage and not raw damage), or worse, instantly kill or auto-crit. While these seem to make sense, hitting someone in a vital with an attack is what a critical hit is.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
andrewknaut 10-03-06, 11:53 AM	I assume this has been talked over A LOT. But still i thought i would ask...again. So I was thinking of having called shot and add AC bonus for what they shoot for. I was even thinking of making feats that build the ability hit called shots better. I was just wondering what others have done with called shots though. Thanks for the help.
Fargren 10-03-06, 02:55 PM	Called shots= power attack: take a penalty to hit, add a penalty to damage. Change the strenght requirement for a DEX and double damage to light weapons instead of two handed, if you want to, but that's the only balanced possibilty I've seen so far.
nunchuckgun 10-03-06, 05:25 PM	What about a drastically increased AC for whatever your calling the shot against? A called shot would be a full-round action as well. An eye would be Fine sized, so change the AC accordingly. If you miss the eye's AC, but still hit the opponents normal AC you still hit for normal damage? They make a fort save if it hits their eye or they go blind in that eye until the damage is healed magically. Or "I hit his knee with my greatclub!" A knee would be tiny or diminuitive. You hit an opponents knee, the make a fort save or they gain a limp and their movement is reduced by 5-10ft for 5 rounds.
058 10-03-06, 06:54 PM	Heh. I don't know many folk what can take a thwack in the knee and keep a limp for just thirty seconds(five rounds). :p For Called Shots, I've adopted this system: A general shot--example, "I want to clip him in the knees"--means that the DC for the hit is the target's AC+2, and a successful hit has deficiencies determined by the DM depending upon the location of the hit(a disabled arm, a limp, etc). A more precise shot--example, "I want to hit him in his right forearm in order to disable it"--makes the DC the target's AC+5, and again, a successful hit has a deficiency determined by the DM depending upon the location. An extremely precise shot--example, "I want to stab his eyes out"--makes the DC the target's AC+8, again with the same effect. Of course, a more precise shot will have a greater deficiency to your foe than a general shot, and an extremely precise shot the same again. A natural twenty, even if your attack bonuses don't meet the requirements to hit an extremely precise shot and even if you don't confirm the critical hit, will always succeed in a called shot. Even if the DC for the called shot is missed, if the AC for the target is met, the character still gets a hit. Perhaps I might implement an Attack of Opportunity for a failed called shot but succeeded hit.
Xeviat-DM 10-03-06, 08:08 PM	If you want Called Shots to inflict "debuffs" (ill-status effects) to your target, then it can be balanced. I have a called shot system that I've submitted for publish in the Campaign Builder's Guild magazine, which should be released soon. I don't want to share too much about it, but the mechanic is basically what you're going for: accept a penalty to hit to go for a smaller target, if you hit the defender might suffer an ill condition. But called shots should never be used to gain more damage (that's what power attack is for, though having a finesse-based power attack wouldn't be out of the question as long as it is precision damage and not raw damage), or worse, instantly kill or auto-crit. While these seem to make sense, hitting someone in a vital with an attack is what a critical hit is.