Knockback: just checking

[bigdamnhero]

My group usually plays heroic games, so we haven't used knockback much. But a recent forray into Champions land has led to a dispute.

5ed p280 says you subtract 2d6 from "the amount of BODY done by the attack." This is BEFORE defenses are applied, yah? We're talking the BODY rolled on the dice? Or is this another thing I've been doing wrong all these years? (I confess, I've found one or two of those since I discovered this board.)

Thanks for the help,

[Edsel]

Yes, it is before defenses are applied.

[mudpyr8]

Yeah, what's really fun is when you get a 12d6N attack that generates 20 BODY and then you roll a 2 for KB... 18" of KB. If they hit anything sturdy enough (usually in this case it is often 2-3 sturdy somethings) they are taking an additional 18d6 KB. Even if they just hit the ground, they still got blown back 36m and take half that (9d6n).

It can get "crazy-go-nutz". Which is fun. Even at the heroic level it can change the dynamic of the game. Playing in a 150-pt game that used KB most of the other players never experienced KB because they were always going for the big kill with killing attacks. At a cinematic moment when we needed to stop a bad guy I decided by 1 1/2d6 killing attack just wasn't cutting it (literally). So, I pulled out my club and haymakered his @$$, rolling a crit and then rolling a 3 for KB. The hit was bad enough but the 20" of KB that resulted was just too sweet for words. He hit the ground, died, and dropped that which we were trying to stop him from leaving with. Much fun.

[zornwil]

I never used to do it the orthodox way, relented when I started my most recent supers campaign, and finally dialed it back. It's 3d6 default, but any hard covering or resistant toughness (pretty much every super) makes it 4d6. Characters can have Increased Knockback at somewhat reduced values though so they can make this work if they desire.

[bigdamnhero]

OK, I thought that was the case, but wanted to make sure. Thanks guys.

[prestidigitator]

For heroic games, I normally don't use Knockback, although in dramatic situations I might calculate Knockback and use it like Knockdown (that is, a result of zero or less Knockback makes the target fall prone and/or pushes them back a very small distance--usually 1-2 hexes).

For attacks such as a fantasy giant's club that very likely may send a target flying I might use Knockback normally, but I usually have the attacker take a +1/4 Advantage called, "Always Does Knockback" (similar to the Does Knockback Advantage, but it applies to attacks that might do Knockback normally and is a very genre/setting-specific Modifier).