Half-Baked Idea: Multiple Locations Hit

[Utech]

I wouldn't be surprised if someone else has posted something like this before, but I didn't spot it. For me, the idea is half-baked and I'm curious if anyone is interested in seeing it baked any further.

 

Concept

An optional rule in games using Hit Locations: decide beforehand how many locations your single attack will hit and roll that many times on the Hit Locations Table. STUNx, N STUN, and BODYx are averaged across locations hit. Defenses are averaged across locations hit.

 

Why?

It's not difficult to imagine a single stabbing attack hitting only one location. It's not difficult to imagine a single slashing attack hitting several locations. But why stop there? Imagine...

 

• A sword thrust that goes through someone's hand and strikes them in the chest.
  
• A bullet piercing the chest, bouncing off a rib and exiting through the stomach.
  
• A fan of flames bursting from a mage's fingertips burning the target's right arm, chest, and left arm.
  
• etc.
  

Limits

I imagine splitting this into four levels of use. Some attacks might be capable of all of them -- some not. (I leave it up to the GM, common, and dramatic sense to decide.) Feel free to ignore the names -- they're just there for the flavor of it right now.

 

Level 1: Poke

How things usually work now -- one roll on the hit location chart. This is a concentrated attack that has both risk and reward. With luck, you'll hit an unarmored area and/or one with high multipliers and you'll do plenty of damage.

 

Level 2: Slash

Two rolls on the hit location chart. This attack is spread a bit. You have greater chance to hit an unarmored area and/or one with high multipliers, but the reward of doing so will probably be diluted by doing lesser damage.

 

Level 3: Split

Three rolls on the hit location chart. This attack is really spread out. You have a much greater chance to hit an unarmored area and/or one with high multipliers, but the reward of doing so will almost certainly be diluted by doing lesser damage.

 

Level 4: Engulf

Automatically hits all locations on the hit location chart. This attack has STUNx = 2; N STUN = 1; BODYx = 1 with no minus to OCV.

[Utech]

Re: Half-Baked Idea: Multiple Locations Hit

 

Doh! Forgot to mention...

 

If you roll twice on the Hit Locations Table and the same location comes up twice, you've only hit that one location. You do not reroll.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Half-Baked Idea: Multiple Locations Hit

 

Interesting... going to have to let this one percolate for a bit before I comment on it.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Half-Baked Idea: Multiple Locations Hit

 

Hmm. Interesting idea. I sometimes use that kind of description as the SFX of a Sweep maneuver when the player hasn't described their action very specifically. I wonder how much it would change the balance if an AOE were allowed to act as a form of autofire on Hit Locations.

 

Whenever you are going to apply it, maybe if an attack hits multiple locations, ignore all but the locations with the lowest defence, subtract that defence normally, and divide the resulting Body damage up amongst the affected areas (the ones that shared the low defence value)?

[Sean Waters]

Re: Half-Baked Idea: Multiple Locations Hit

 

How does it work mechanically? Why not just choose head and vitals?

[Utech]

Re: Half-Baked Idea: Multiple Locations Hit

 

How does it work mechanically? Why not just choose head and vitals?

You cannot choose. You roll. Just like now. But you can roll more than once (if you would like to, the GM allows, and common and dramatic sense say this is a reasonable idea). I'll try to post an example when I have more time.

[Utech]

Re: Half-Baked Idea: Multiple Locations Hit

 

Example:

 

Our attacker is using a Short Sword that does 1d6K damage. He might try to increase that damage in one way or another, but for this example, he won't. In fact, he'll manage a very average roll of 4 for our example.

 

Our defender is wearing a Scale Full Coverage Helmet, Chain Long Jacket, and Boiled Leather High Boots. He has some natural PD and ED, but we'll ignore that for the moment.

His locations are armored as follows:

3-5: 5 DEF

6-8: 0 DEF

9-14: 6 DEF

15: 0 DEF

16-18: 3 DEF

 

Our attacker's first 3 attacks are Pokes (one roll on the Hit Location Table for each of these attacks) and he manages:

14 (thighs) for 2 STUN and no BODY

9 (shoulders) for 6 STUN and no BODY

and 16 (legs) for 5 STUN and 1 BODY

Total: 13 STUN and 1 BODY

 

Our attacker's 4th through 6th attacks are Slashes (two rolls on the Hit Location Table for each of these attacks) and he manages:

9 (shoulders) and 6 (hands) for 5 STUN and 1 BODY

15 (legs) and 12 (stomach) for 9 STUN and 1 BODY

11 (chest) and 9 (shoulders) for 6 STUN and 1 BODY

Total: 20 STUN and 3 BODY

 

Our attacker's 7th through 9th attacks are Splits (three rolls on the Hit Location Table for each of these attacks) and he manages:

11 (chest), 10 (chest), and 16 (legs) for 7 STUN and no BODY

12 (stomach), 12 (stomach), and 10 (chest) for 10 STUN and no BODY

7 (arms), 10 (chest), and 8 (arms) for 6 STUN and 2 BODY

Total: 23 STUN and 2 BODY

 

Finally, our attacker utters a magical word of power. His 10th through 12th attacks Engulf the defender (hitting all Hit Locations at once* for each of these attacks) so that he does:

5 STUN and 1 BODY

5 STUN and 1 BODY

5 STUN and 1 BODY

Total: 15 STUN and 3 BODY

 

*21 possible hit locations including right and left sides, 75 DEF total over all those locations, average DEF = 3

[prestidigitator]

Re: Half-Baked Idea: Multiple Locations Hit

 

Another way to do it might be to calculate the damage done to each Hit Location as if it alone were hit, then divide the resulting damage (after defences, hit location multipliers, etc.) by the total number of locations affected. After determining whether this results in Impairment and such, add the final values together again and apply them to the target's Body and Stun counts. This way will factor in more of the Hit Locations' individual traits. I'm not sure if it will be more or less cumbersome, since the original idea already requires taking an average of DEF and all that.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Half-Baked Idea: Multiple Locations Hit

 

I like the idea: I think it too complicated for most games, but it adds something to the system that the system does not do at present, which has to be a good thing.

[pinecone]

Re: Half-Baked Idea: Multiple Locations Hit

 

It looks worth working on...if you do please take a gander at having shotguns hit multiple locations as well....(multiple "pokes"?..)