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What are "vitals"


Edsel

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Re: What are "vitals"

 

A quick search on the UMA PDF turns up a lot of references to low blows targeting the vitals, and the Full Contact Karate Armor specifically states that an athletic cup protects Hit Location 13 (p. 186).

 

JoeG

 

Yep, this is what I was referring to.

 

I don't necessarily think that "t3h 13" should be the nads' date=' since that only applies to 1/2 of the population on a technicality, but I'm pretty sure women have a 13 as well.[/quote']

 

Actually, getting kicked in the groin is an incredibly painful experience for women too...

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Re: What are "vitals"

 

Basically, I tend to think of it as anything below the ribcage and above the legs. But, I've only played in one Fantasy Hero game where we actually used Hit Locations, and even then we were kind of fast and loose about it.

 

There was one memorable occaision where one of the players really wanted to kill an NPC villain (who was clearly intended to be a recurring character over several chapters) just because his name was Hoschew K'Zuuntite. So the player had Rin attack Hoschew with his mace, and rolled a 13. It didn't have to be a groin shot, but in agame with a character named Hoschew K'Zuuntite, it seemed appropriate to let it be a 'nad shot.

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Re: What are "vitals"

 

due to the desire to avoid an abstract hit location, I've mostly settled on the decision for my games that locations 12 (stomach) and 13 (vitals) are essentially "intermixed" as "abdomen below the ribcage", mentally reconfiguring stomach to mean "guts/Intestines" and Vitals to mean "Vital Organs (including the stomach). I do potentially include the groin as a "vital" mostly for specially targeted martial moves like the Low Blow, but in general consider it a hit to any of the actual, ya'know VITAL organs that live down there.

Frankly speaking....the groin isn't really that vital. Hurts like the dickens, bleeds a lot....but it's sitting on top of one of the biggest bone plates in the human body, and in general isn't really all that important to the overall function of the body. When discussing relatively realistic wound effects, getting your bladder perforated, or a kidney, or your liver.... even the stomach.... when all is said and done, you'll end up WISHING you'd only lost your happy sacks rather than watching your system overload with toxins and begin failing in a variety of gruesome and painful ways.

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Re: What are "vitals"

 

Sorry to continue the derail, but the first time I saw QFT I thought it meant "Quiet Flak-Tard!" to put it less vulgar. Anyways... umm... back on topic... umm...

 

I like Sean's idea of it being slight bits of stategic reinforcement in various places to represent armor for loc 13 being a more abstract hit loc. I still say, though, that it either needs to be reduced or have it's position moved due to getting rolled waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too often (more often than a DnD crit!).

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Re: What are "vitals"

 

I like Sean's idea of it being slight bits of stategic reinforcement in various places to represent armor for loc 13 being a more abstract hit loc. I still say' date=' though, that it either needs to be reduced or have it's position moved due to getting rolled waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too often (more often than a DnD crit!).[/quote']

 

This depends on how often you think a hit should land in a vital location. One in six seems not too unreasonable, but it is fairly often, especially when combined with head hits. Of course, if you make good hits less frequent, it often upsets players.

 

Where would people think Vitals were if we moved the number into a less frequently rolled range ;)

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Re: What are "vitals"

 

This depends on how often you think a hit should land in a vital location. One in six seems not too unreasonable, but it is fairly often, especially when combined with head hits. Of course, if you make good hits less frequent, it often upsets players.

 

Where would people think Vitals were if we moved the number into a less frequently rolled range ;)

 

"Hero system is so dumb. Not only do you have to have a PhD in Mathematics and a Cray supercomputer to build a character, but if you get hit in the toe with any half-decent attack, you might as well start making another character."

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Re: What are "vitals"

 

My group difines it like this.

When purchasing locational armor it counts as being from thigh to navel or there abouts

Players that want to stab somone in the heart or somthing similar take the -8 vitals loc shot in witch case whatever locational armor that makes sence applies e.g. heart would be loc 10 armor.

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Re: What are "vitals"

 

My group difines it like this.

When purchasing locational armor it counts as being from thigh to navel or there abouts

Players that want to stab somone in the heart or somthing similar take the -8 vitals loc shot in witch case whatever locational armor that makes sence applies e.g. heart would be loc 10 armor.

 

This still requires you to define where the vitals are, doesn't it? Otherwise, I'll aim for a vital area in the hit location not covered by that sectional armor which has the smallest penalty ("I aim for the vital part of his arm")

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Re: What are "vitals"

 

This still requires you to define where the vitals are' date=' doesn't it? Otherwise, I'll aim for a vital area in the hit location not covered by that sectional armor which has the smallest penalty ("I aim for the vital part of his arm")[/quote']

 

Having discussed this with Jason last night, we came to the following conclusion:

 

"Vitals" are generally only going to be covered by some sort of full body armor. Any 'sectional' armor will likely leave the appropriate gaps somewhere along the line (no Vital area).

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Re: What are "vitals"

 

Having discussed this with Jason last night, we came to the following conclusion:

 

"Vitals" are generally only going to be covered by some sort of full body armor. Any 'sectional' armor will likely leave the appropriate gaps somewhere along the line (no Vital area).

 

That seems like a very reasonable approach. You might consider armor that increases the hit location penalty for vitals (ie it's harder to target that gap in the armor), but once you're taking a -8 penalty anyway, the head shot becomes as or more attractive anyway.

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