Toolkitting Knockback

[DasBroot]

A relatively simple House Rule to play test for feasibility would be to change Bracing for Knockback from a 1/2 Phase to a 0 Phase Maneuver.  Keep the 1/2 DCV Penalty and state that the decision to Brace has to be made before the To Hit Roll.  Then it becomes a relatively persistent effect vs. the expected impact direction.

 

HM

 

I like it but bracing for KB does very, very little for the average non-brick character.  Against a 'standard' 12 body attack you'd need 25 strength to counter an average knockback roll - and if you fail you're sent the whole 10 meters.  Maybe it's just my games but when it comes to str the characters I see tend to come in a 10 - 15 range or a 50+ range - no in-between.

 

If you were a 'blaster' type character who wants to routinely resist the average knockback you're definitely better off buying 10 points of KB resistance for 10 points that *will* reduce the distance you move to 2 - 4 m on a bad day than spending 15 - 20 points on strength (or flight, but then you'd have more KB to resist so you'd need more points in flight than if you'd chosen strength) that may or may not fit your character concept and *may* reduce the 10 meters of movement (at the cost of half your DCV).

[Christopher R Taylor]

I like the rule, since basically nobody braces for impact unless they are about to be pushed off a cliff, since it blows a half phase or requires an abort.  This makes it painless and more useful, but as DasBroot notes, won't have a huge impact on big knockback attacks.

[Christougher]

I've long pondered the issues with Knockback, and have yet to find satisfactory answers.  I will however offer one of my thoughts from trying.  Change the KB Resist mechanic to -1d6 per Body or 2 Body, where each Body rolled on KB Resist subtracted 1 from the KB rolled.  Actual KB Resist might subtract or just increase the number of dice.  

 

 

Are you suggesting replacement of the -2m KB for every 2x normal human mass ... by making it random (using die results) based on BODY, instead?   If so, how would you handle the +2m KB for every 1/2 normal mass a character has ... since, you know, the character would need to be at negative BODY (and likely dying) for you to do go positive (i.e. +1d6) ... and I'm not sure that makes much sense.

 

Or did I misunderstand?

 

Written in a hurry, so clearly not explained well.  

 

Normal Knockback uses a -2d6 base roll that can lead to high swing values.  The suggestion is to replace the 2d6 roll with subtracting the BODY of a different roll, going for a bell curve.  The number of dice initially rolled would depend on the target's normal (not current) BODY, while KB Resist, DI, Growth, Shrinking, Martial Arts, Killing attacks, flight or water could add/subtract dice or a fixed value.  I never completed working through my idea, but its a possible tool for the toolkit.

 

Chris.

 

Could this lead to Armor Piercing or Penetrating Knockback?  And Resistant or Hardened KB resist?  The thought plickens...