Post/Author/DateTime	Post
tralfas253 12-20-04, 06:01 PM	just wondering if there is a rule about hitting a specific part of the body with an attack
Melpomene 12-20-04, 06:09 PM	Yup. Aside from a pre-UA book (that I can't remember the name of) which had more specific rules on called shots, the general rule is you can take a -2 penalty to add +1 damage (or -4 for +2, etc.)
tralfas253 12-20-04, 06:18 PM	+1 to what?damage
XMasterX 12-20-04, 06:21 PM	you can take a -2 penalty to add +1 damage (or -4 for +2, etc.) -2 penalty [to attack] to add +1 damage
Melpomene 12-20-04, 06:33 PM	...sorry... I'll.... in the future...
tralfas253 12-20-04, 06:36 PM	is it a feat or just something you can do (-2 ,+1)
LukiLoki 12-20-04, 06:39 PM	It's in a sidebar in the Combat section of the 3.5 DMG.
Melpomene 12-20-04, 06:39 PM	Just something you can do. Power Attack (the feat) gets you a more favourable ratio.
Santrilla 12-20-04, 07:46 PM	Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there also a Called Shot feat, which allows you to attack either the head or the leg to cause concentration and speed penalties, respectively? Or am I thinking of Neverwinter Nights...
e-z0r 12-20-04, 11:36 PM	No such thing according to the 3.5 SRD.
JabberWocky 12-21-04, 05:48 AM	I think the majority of the Called Shot rules, as found in 2E and a lot of other roleplaying systems, were left out because of the massive amounts of attack bonuses you can get in 3.X D&D. Let's say that a called shot to the head does x2 damage if you hit, x3 on a crit, but you take a -10 penalty to hit the head. At 10th level a friend of mine had a fighter with a 21 Str (+5 bonus), +10 BaB, a +3 greatsword, Weapon focus for his sword, and +2 to hit when he charged. In total, that's a +21 to hit, or +11 for him swinging at somebody's head. Obviously, he hits a fair amount of the time at 10th level (given reasonably-appropriate challenges for that level), getting upwards of 4d6+24 damage every time he does so. And it's even worse with ranged attackers, they can do that from 300 feet away.
MarkB 12-21-04, 08:52 AM	Called shot to the weapon hand = Sunder or Disarm attack on weapon Called shot to the off-hand = Sunder attack on shield Called shot to the legs = Trip attack Called shot to the head or other vitals = critical hit or sneak attack That's all there is by the core rules. If you want to add more, use whichever of the above mechanics comes closest, and balance it accordingly.
jack77 12-21-04, 06:19 PM	just wondering if there is a rule about hitting a specific part of the body with an attack Trally, I've got a pocket knife which will do that exact thing. Never misses. I'll lend it to ya sometime. Jack
spasheridan 12-21-04, 08:16 PM	Called shots don't work so well in a game with a HP system. HP don't represent the amount of physical damage you recieve, it represents skill, luck, endurance, and tricks you've learned. THe general idea is that a 1st level fighter hit for 20 pts from a crit on a greatsword is gutted and left for dead. The 20th level fighter getting critted by a greatsword for 20 pts isn't even bleeding, he's just winded from having to duck fast to avoid the hit. With that in mind, the general rules for called shots (hits to head do X damage, hits to arms give you this penalty) breaks this HP system. The 20th level fighter goes from dodging the 20 hp crit to actually having his leg broken if it's a called shot to the leg. Anywho, as stated above, because the game uses this abstract damage system the way the rules handle called shots are: Crits (lucky good hits) Sneak attacks (well aimed attacks on distracted opponents) Power attack (- to hit, + to damage = hitting them where it hurts) Disarm (aiming for the weapon hand) Sunder (aiming for the weapon) Stunning Fist (smakcing someone hard in a soft spot) and stuff like that. Anyone who uses a called shot system that does the above but allows you to avoid the negatives (needing the feats, changing the AoO) and / or increases the positives (1/2 move instead of stunned, double damage instead of a + 1/ -1 ratio) or adds in vorpal effects (20 pts to a body part HACKS it off!) is just asking for a super deadly game that will break down when the sorc / archer get's a wand of true strike and called shots the eye every single time.
Calaheardof 12-21-04, 08:30 PM	Let’s just say that Called Shots and the True Strike spell don't mix. Sure the you can take a -10 to hit if you aim for the head but that +20 bonus sort of makes that -10 not matter anymore. If you want to use Called Shots fine by me but just watch out for Sorcerer/Fighter or Rogue combos.
DarQuing 12-21-04, 10:08 PM	Let’s just say that Called Shots and the True Strike spell don't mix. Sure the you can take a -10 to hit if you aim for the head but that +20 bonus sort of makes that -10 not matter anymore. If you want to use Called Shots fine by me but just watch out for Sorcerer/Fighter or Rogue combos. Actually, it could work because the +20 becomes a +10 (after you figure in the -10). True Strike is still a good spell, but you're better off just aiming normally instead of making a called shot. The way my DM does it, when you make a called shot the target gains an AC bonus in relation the size of the parge you're trying to hit (a leg or arm is tiny and parts of the arm/leg (lower arm/leg, upper arm/leg, joints, hands/feet) and head are fine). Obviously those are based on medium size creatures. Scale them up or down as necessary.
MarkB 12-22-04, 05:54 AM	If I really wanted to introduce a Called Shot system into my game (and I really don't), I'd tend towards modifying the critical hit system. Something like this: Declare that you are making a called shot to a specific body part with your next attack. You take a -2 attack penalty. If you hit normally, you simply do normal damage (either your hit was misplaced or you didn't do the necessary specific damage). If you make a confirmed critical hit, you do not inflict extra damage, but instead inflict ability damage equal to your critical multiplier (2 points for a X2 modifier, 3 points for X3, etc.) The ability damaged is chosen randomly based on the body part targetted: Arms: Strength or Dex Legs: Con or Dex Torso: Strength or Con Head: Int, Wis or Cha That shouldn't be terribly unbalanced. The attack penalty may or may not be necessary, but declaring the called shot before making the attack definitely is. Requiring a confirmed critical helps mitigate the effects of special attack bonuses like True Strike.
Nightshade-Docker 12-22-04, 07:55 AM	Hamstring (Complete Warrior) on the top of my head is a feat that does something of a called shot. Search the boards for called shots, I know there is a thread which lists all feats for calling shots.
spasheridan 12-22-04, 12:38 PM	If I really wanted to introduce a Called Shot system into my game (and I really don't), I'd tend towards modifying the critical hit system. Something like this: Declare that you are making a called shot to a specific body part with your next attack. You take a -2 attack penalty. If you hit normally, you simply do normal damage (either your hit was misplaced or you didn't do the necessary specific damage). If you make a confirmed critical hit, you do not inflict extra damage, but instead inflict ability damage equal to your critical multiplier (2 points for a X2 modifier, 3 points for X3, etc.) The ability damaged is chosen randomly based on the body part targetted: Arms: Strength or Dex Legs: Con or Dex Torso: Strength or Con Head: Int, Wis or Cha That shouldn't be terribly unbalanced. The attack penalty may or may not be necessary, but declaring the called shot before making the attack definitely is. Requiring a confirmed critical helps mitigate the effects of special attack bonuses like True Strike. No, this isn't terrily unbalanced. But if you consider what HP actually are then this is terribly unbalanced. Read my post above and see what the HP system represents. See how the 20 pt hit cuts a 1st level PC in half, but that 20pt hit does almost nothing to the 20th level PC. That is not because the 20th level PC can suddently take a cut that would kill another human, but rather that the 20th level PC can dodge the blow. In your system I would be a dervish wielding 2 scimitars, improved crit, power crit, and make a called shot with every attack. Threats on 30% of my attacks, +4 to confirm them. 4 attacks a round by level 6 so I should get at least 1 called shot a round. That's 2 pts off of a stat every round (con?), so I can take a -2 to hit and almost have a wounding weapon. Con loss will KILL and drop HP at the same time.
Shinryouga 12-23-04, 04:52 AM	My called shot system comes from a rebuilt version of the 2nd Edition Combat and Tactics critical hit chart (we also use spell criticals as well). We play 3.5 by the way. A critical hit does its extra damage as normal, plus its critical multiplier. It also threatens a critical effect, as determined through a severity/location system, which is then repulsed by the defender with a successful Fort save. For called shots, a -10 allows a character to target a spot and threaten a critical effect. This is not a critical hit, no double damage, unless the roll itself actually threatens and confirms a real critical hit. The defender still gets a save against the effect. We find this balanced and useful. Monsters make good use of it too. The only downside is a few extra rolls in combat when crits occur. Sometimes we forgo the extra effect to keep combat moving. Sometimes its really nice to have it happen. Other downside is the effect tables are prohibitively large. We're currently working on streamlining them, or just making a +5 DM screen with the works. :D If you're interested in the full detail of the crit system, email me, I'll send you the text files. Shinryouga
krichaiushii 12-23-04, 07:33 AM	A very nice critical hit system - to include called shots AND an excellent alternate (nonmagical) healing system - is Bastion Press' Torn Asunder (http://www.bastionpress.com/Products/torn.htm). I highly recommend it. As for called shots, the problem arises that many players get upset when the DM lets the NPCs make called shots - and intelligent NPCs should - that kill the 300 HP PC in one hit.
Shinryouga 12-23-04, 02:02 PM	I'd say the best a DM can do is come up with something that they think works, test it with a few different examples (just use the example NPCs from the DMG against some monsters from the MM1) and then ask the players if they want it. But ALWAYS warn them that anything they can do, the enemy can too. A game mechanic has to affect all characters, regardless of Player or Non-Player status, to be balanced. If they acknowledge that, and after your explanation of your tested house rule, there shouldn't be a problem. If there are, well, jump that hurdle when and if you ever get to it. Shinryouga