To the Hilt vs Natural DR

[Raven Blackwell]

I don't know a great deal about the mechanics of your game, but I would think that you could not go To The Hilt because your hilt would be held off by the distance or thickness of the armor from the body. A chest plate can be several inches away from your skin. You might be able to fit the blade through a gap or such, but the hilt would still prevent the total length of the blade from entering the body.

Unless these rules are terribly unrealistic.

Then you have to ask yourself if they could do so with a Dagger, but couldn't with an Arming Sword etc. There's a limit to how much realism a game can bear. I'd say yes you can To The Hilt if you finesse the armor or your STR + AP [natural or otherwise] is equal to or greater that the armor of your opponent. For an example of this principle, see the finishing move Riddick makes on the Lord Marshall at the end of The Chronicles of Riddick. Not only does he sink his shiv to the hilt in the Lord Marshall's head, he snaps off the hilt to make removing it even that more difficult....

 

[Voltumna]

I don't know a great deal about the mechanics of your game, but I would think that you could not go To The Hilt because your hilt would be held off by the distance or thickness of the armor from the body. A chest plate can be several inches away from your skin. You might be able to fit the blade through a gap or such, but the hilt would still prevent the total length of the blade from entering the body.

Unless these rules are terribly unrealistic.

Gamewise, you may not care if the blade is actually driven to the hilt, or you can't pull it off because it is stuck in your enemy. You may just want to leave it there to take advantage of the fact that the manuever's conditions to happen took place. Some combat maneuvers need to meet circumstances that are not known until rolls are made, or circumstances are met, like the ones that require you to confirm a critical, or in this case weapon damage>str bonus. And just as the introduction to combat maneuvers say, they can be performed by anyone who meets their requirements. Even if that damage conditions happen you might not want to leave your wepon there because you'll find yourself unarmed. Still this combat maneuver is pretty cool for dramatism.

 

[Voltumna]

they don't let you finesse natural DR.

I think that shouldn't be the case for characters. I would consider a human with natural DR as a very though fellow capable of shrugging off some damage, but not as a freak with thick hide all over his body. Natural DR for characyers is usually low, a barbarian needs to be 16th level to have DR 3/- to emulate the beneffits of a padded jerkin. DR 1/- only emulates the DR from a stell cap which leaves most of the body unprotected, then you can finesse against them easily. If granted again that natural DR is usually low, that makes those characters unnecesarily tough.

 

[bjorntfh]

Actually you can get much higher DR, I've got a Nordheimer Soldier/Barb with DR 5/- vs piercing naturally from Hard as Rock. The reason we've ruled you cannot finesse natural DR is that it's hard to aim for a part that isn't armored against someone like that. Of course natural DR doesn't apply to the finesse target number (i.e. you only need to beat finessable armor, not all DR) so it's not unbalanced.