[CONAN] a DEADLIER, Funnier and Varied Conan Combat

[Supplement Four]

More Skilled characters do cause greater damage: through their # of attacks / round.

True. This is why the Max Damage at 20 is a fair rule.

 

[LucaCherstich]

Yes, it's true, but my starting problem was not about David vs Goliath situation.
My problem was about the need for alternative ways to get Massive Damage.
If i do not come out with a rule like mine, the Massive Damage will keep on being the main dominion of:
- SneaK Attackers
- Brutal, Reckless, 2-handed, Power Attackers

The chance of getting Massive Damage with the abobe two tactics are quite great.
While the chance of getting MD simply because you are skill with your weapon are pretty much lower.

It's true that multiple attacks maybe mean multiple chances to get criticals.
HOWEVER, it's also true that to get multiple attacks you need a full-round action, which is not always possible.
On the other hand, Sneak and Brutish attackers can do their dirty jobs even with standard action (single attacks).

Furthermore, even with 3 or 4 attacks there is no certainty to get criticals, which is not bad in itself....but it is bad if you consider how easy is to get Massive damage with Sneak and Brutish attacks.

In conclusion:
I NEED Sneak and Brutish tactics not to be the surer ways to get Massive Damage.
Otherwise skillfull Fencers will never be comparable to them.

 

[Spectator]

Hmmm, I see what you are saying LUCA, I just am not sure how you will get to it. A skilled fencer's attack should not cause as much damage as a skilled Axemen's attack though.
So you have to work it through the Finesse angle, I suppose.

Maybe with your skilled character you can start "calling shots" as we say in American english, meaning that your fencer is so skilled that when he hits he nails an unprotected vital area whether an eye socket, artery, etc...

That would make the Fencer (skilled a very formidable opponent).
You could lower your BAB and increase your damage... Which is exactly what power attack does. But maybe some type of "Disabling Attack" so instead of MD, your opponent is incapacited with blindness, nerve damage, pierced lung, etc...

Argghh this is a tough problem you face.

Again, I think by focusing on the MD threshold you are trying to hard to make a fencer into power-combatant.
Eliminate MD and you wont have this issue.

 

[LucaCherstich]

CALLING SHOTS
Calling shots are nice idea.
I've thought about it.
Maybe, to give proper sense to called shots, I could use the Permanent Damage rules in "the Warrior's Companion".
However, adopting damage threshold will facilitate also brutish fighters as long as fencers.
Furthermore that table has no sense vs non-humanoid animals and monsters.

MASTERY CRITICALS
I was also thinking about changing my "Mastery Critical" rule above in order to properly balance it:

1) A Mastery Critical can be triggered not by 10 pt beyond defence (an easy target for many fighters) but by a 15 or 20 pts (I'M STILL NOT SURE ABOUT IT!!!).

2) Mastery criticals are just dmg x2, whatever the weapon.

2) Mastery Critical CANNOT be summed up with normal Criticals and if you trigger both you must choose what to do.
I did this since I recognize that for many fighters to be 15 or 20 pts beyond Defence often means doing also a normal Critical threat.
The main difference is that, if your bonuses to Attack are high enough, you can do it even just with your skills alone, rather than by rolling a d20 on a chance-full 19 or 20.
Flat-footed PCs: beware!!!

NEW FEAT ????
To facilitate both Mastery Criticals & Called Shots we can come up also with a feat to lower your Defense and increase your BAB.
However it should be something less advantageous than Pirates' Ferocious attack (increase just in BAB, NOT Initiative and Damage).
Do you know if something like that already exists?

 

[Spectator]

I like the concept of mastery criticals, a lot!!!!

How bout it only applies to Finesse weapons (sorry Bardiche carrying barbarian).
What about this dynamic: a standard arming sword CRITS on a 19-20.
To reflect skill increase how bout we say that every level you rise (after 1st) in level your Crit # drops by 1.
So if you have a 5th level character (4 levels after 1st), 19 -4 = 15. So you now have a crit range of 15-20. To make things even spicier, we could say that a natural 20 does one extra die worth of damage, so your 5th level fencer crits a Natural 20, he could get 3d10!!!

I'm liking this a lot.

Finesse weapons should do damage, lots, since they are piercing weapons and having a 4inch blade of dagger pierce your heart is much more fatal than an arm chopped off (that still sucks though).

 

[LucaCherstich]

CRIT THREAT RANGES
I'm reallly tempted about your rule regarding levels lowering down Critical Threat ranges...
However, I feel it's a bit too deadly that way.
The game should be fun at low levels, but crits will loose their "uniqueness" at high levels when they will occur every round.
What about monsters with a lot of HD?
Check the "Winged One" in Bestiary: 12 hd.
A Crit Threat range of 9-20 is a bit too much for me...

CRITICAL DAMAGE
Did you ever read the Codex Martialis?
It's a d20 book written by medieval arms expert.
It makes some big changes in d20, but they are all historical.
I'm trying to get inspired from that book and make something into Conan but WITHOUT changing too much the Conan d20 system.
So, just some minor adaptation.

A Codex-ized but still Conan rule could be the following:

"DAMAGE TYPE CRITICAL"

1) Each Critical multiplier (x2, x3, x4,) refers just to the damage modifiers (Str, specialization, etc.)

2) Roll the dice as normal damage but add a number of dice equal to the multiplier:
x2 means +2 dices
x3 means +3 dices
x4 means +4 dices

3) Which dices?
It depends on the kind of damage:
Bashing/Piercing: 1d8
Chopping: 1d10 (a specialized slashing damage: Axes, machete, hatchets, cutlases. A list is below)
Slashing: 1d12 (Swords, scimitars, etc.)

4) To balance this effect we should also add the following rule (which applies also to NORMAL DAMAGE, giving you a sense why so many warrios in the past were armed with SPEARS rather than axes):

Other weapons consider AP vs Armor in a special way according to the weapon used:
- Bashing/Piercing: no change
- Chopping: Consider Armor x 1.5 just for the confrontation with AP. HOWEVER, Armor Dr to be subtracted from dmg is still x1
- Slashing: Consider Armor x 2 just for the confrontation with AP. However, Armor Dr to be subtracted from dmg is still x1

- Finesse is NOT AFFECTED, no change: this is very advantageous with Slashing weapons (ARMING SWORDS!)

CONSEQUENCES:

The critical is now MORE dependent on weapon type than on size.
Hatchets and bardiches will add the same value to Criticals (+3d10).
This makes sense to me: bardiches in usual hits make a lot more damage than an hatchet.
However, a chopping critical is the same for both weapons (hatchet can kill in real world, as much as bardiches!).
Furthermore, since Hatchet is a Finesse weapon they have another advantage over bardiches!
They can be better used to slip through armour weak spots!

NOTE:
"Chop" penetrates more than slash (is a specialized slash damage), but it makes less damage.
If you do not like the "Chop Differentiation" from simple Slash you could treat this way:
All slashing weapons: +1d10 and Armor comparison to AP: x1.5


LIST OF WEAPONS
Choose your attack if you have more than one!
SIMPLE WEAPONS
Gauntlet: Bashing
Unarmed: Bashing
Dagger: Piercing
Hatchet: CHOP
Knife: Piercing, Slashing
Knife, Yuetshi: Piercing, Slashing
Stiletto: Piercing
Club: Bashing
Mace, Heavy & Light: Bashing
Spear, Hunting & WAR: Piercing
Staff: Bashing
Bow, Hunting: Piercing
Javelin: Piercing

MARTIAL WEAPONS
Axe: CHOP
Knife, Ghanata: Slashing
Pommel: Bashing
Poniard: Piercing, Slashing
Sword, short: Piercing, Slashing
Battleaxe: CHOP
Broadsword: CHOP, Slashing
Cutlass: CHOP
Knife, Zhaibar: Slashing, Piercing
Lance, Heavy and Light: Piercing
Scimitar: Slashing
Sword, Arming: Piercing, Slashing
Bardiche: CHOP
Bill: CHOP
Club, War: Bashing
Pike: Piercing
Pollaxe: Piercing, CHOP
Sword, War: Piercing, CHOP
Arbalest: Piercing
Crossbow: Piercing

EXOTIC WEAPONS
Sabre: Slashing
Whip: Slashing
Greatsword: CHOP
Tulwar: CHOP
Bow (Hyrkanian, Shemite, Bossonian): Piercing

ANIMAL AND MONSTER NATURAL WEAPONS
GameMaster's judgement rules.
Slams should have the Bashing ability
Claws should have the Slashing ability.
Bites should have Slashing or Piercing according to the kind of bite.
Piercing and Grasping bites should have the Piercing ability: Wolves, tigers, snakes, spiders, sabretooths,
Slashing bites should be for the very few animals with razor-blade teeth made for easily taking whole chunks of flesh like for Sharks and piranhas.