Reduced Penetration = 2 Attacks?

[Dust Raven]

I'm well aware that players like to simulate 2 weak attacks by buying a large attack and putting Reduced Penetration on it. I can understand why too....you get to keep to total STUN rolled vs the defenses.

 

I was wondering is anybody but myself uses Reduced Penetration for anything else?

 

There's another thread about a whip/lash attack that could easily be bought Red Pen, though I personally feel it should be a Red Pen HKA and a Linked NND.

 

I use Red Pen for claws and other animal attacks, but not to simulate the D&D claw/claw effect. It's to simulate that the claws, though sharp, aren't long enough to dig past armor. I also use it for several magic spells designed to knockout armored targets, and kill unarmored ones.

 

So how do the rest of you us it?

[dugfromthearth]

my pulp hero detective used dual pistols. It was bought as autofire 2 shots.

[prestidigitator]

I like to use it for attacks which "spread out," their damage, doing a little bit to a large part of the body (low density, but significant total). Therefore I rather liked it as used in the shotgun example. Also consider a large swarm of insects or a splash of acid; things that will hurt naked flesh, and might do a lot of damage to it, but are hardly going to do anything if the body is well covered. When used for this kind of attack, I even make one of the "attacks" do damage as if the target had no resistant defenses if, for example, (s)he only has partial coverage armor ("Your chestplate keeps you safe from some of it, but boy, do your arms, legs, and face hurt!").

[Mr. Negative]

I also use Red Pen more for things that ACTUALLY have reduced penetration than to simulate two attacks. Given the wide variety of other ways to get two attacks (autofire, rapid fire, sweep, links), I generally discourage RedPen as a "two attack" mechanism, particularly since you keep the stun together. For most attacks, there is no reason why two particular shots should cause more stun than two other shots, which also hit the target. Also, RedPen attacks always hit together or miss together, and always hit at the same time, which is not particularly accurate for dual-paw attacks (or dual-gun attacks).

 

The only time I encourage it is for coordinated attacks from a single character (such as hitting both sides of someone's neck at the same time). In this way, the stun is totalled vs. defenses, much like two allies coordinating attacks. Thinking of this, it would also make an interesting limitation for a "crab-monster" pincer attack, in that the damage would be dealt by both parts of the claw, one on either side of the victim. Thus, the crushing pressure would be painful (hence the stun), but the actual penetration might be less.

 

I particularly like RedPen for attacks that are vicious and painful, but not terribly deadly, such as whips with glass and spikes, barbed wire, quills, and the like. These attacks are dangerous against unarmored foes, but relatively innocuous against protected areas. Same for "wind-based" attacks that do damage via abrasive particles.

 

RedPen is also good for weird weapons, like tridents and the like, or double-pointed swords, which have more than one location that delivers the blow.

[pinecone]

In my abortive "Solomon Kane" game I wrote up Rapiers as Red Pen HKA to simulate that a rapier is lethal against an unarmored foe but does not punch through stuff very well otherwise, so I could avoid a master fencer knocking down doors with his rapier...never got to test it out though...so it remains theoretic only.....