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Post by jonas on Feb 4, 2013 1:52:04 GMT -8
Quick question regarding damage.
If I have an attack that make 1d-4 cutting damage (my players are going to fight zombie cats!), does the attack do a minimum of 1 damage or can it deal 0 damage (if you for example roll a 3).
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daniel
Journeyman Douchebag
Posts: 217
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Post by daniel on Feb 5, 2013 4:17:14 GMT -8
I don't think you can go under a minimal 1 unless before DR
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Post by jazzisblues on Feb 5, 2013 6:26:28 GMT -8
I'm pretty sure that 1 would be the minimum damage before damage reduction but it couldn't be brought below 0.
JiB
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Post by mook on Feb 5, 2013 11:46:44 GMT -8
The relevant passage is:
p. 378 (under Damage Roll):
"A negative modifier can’t reduce damage below 0 if the attack does crushing damage, or below 1 if it does any other type of damage."
So 1d-4 cut damage is gonna do at least 1 point on a successful hit (assuming no armor/DR, 'course). Damn you, kitty demon-spawn!
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Post by Stu Venable on Feb 5, 2013 11:51:24 GMT -8
If it's Crushing damage, the damage roll can be reduced to zero. If it's any other type of damage, it can't be reduced below 1 (all of this is before DR).
See the core books, page 378 for the rules.
That said, I don't think I've ever told someone they rolled zero damage on a successful attack. I always allow for a 1-point minimum.
There is a common trope in fantasy games that does not translate well in GURPS: the small, dagger-wielding rogue. Even if you have a very high skill and take big penalties to bypass DR, doing 1d-3 impaling just doesn't do much.
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Post by mook on Feb 6, 2013 13:21:42 GMT -8
There is a common trope in fantasy games that does not translate well in GURPS: the small, dagger-wielding rogue. Even if you have a very high skill and take big penalties to bypass DR, doing 1d-3 impaling just doesn't do much. I think my players are allergic to Strength 10 (as they should be ) -- this has never really come up. Still, that's assuming an average man (ST 10) with a small knife (1d-3). If I were making a Rogue I'd probably go ST 13 (thr 1d) with a large knife (1d) of Fine quality (+1 damage) -- a successful 1d+1 imp attack to the vitals (x3 dmg) would average about 12 points, that's fairly beefy. I'd also allow Very Fine quality in a Fantasy game (for another +1), and probably grab a couple levels of Striking ST to eke out another +1. (Enchantments could help too - every +1 counts). If you're actually Stealthed and making a classic 'backstab' attack, may as well go with All-Out Attack for +2 damage (and as a bonus - no defense for the target because they're unaware!) Really though, I think the better way would be a swinging attack instead of thrusting. You couldn't attack the Vitals, but you could attack the carotid artery in the neck. Sure, it's -8 to hit so you'd need a lot of skill -- but the damage modifier is 2.5x!! Owie.
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Post by Stu Venable on Feb 6, 2013 14:06:51 GMT -8
In my game the roguish character is a halfling ...
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daniel
Journeyman Douchebag
Posts: 217
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Post by daniel on Feb 6, 2013 21:14:46 GMT -8
The rogue clearly needs a Batista
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Post by mook on Feb 7, 2013 10:41:01 GMT -8
In my game the roguish character is a halfling ... Ah. Since realism isn't the hurdle (should a child-sized dude with a letter-opener be able to one-shot an average adult human?), couldn't you just say "he has super-secret training that lets him do sw damage with imp strikes and/or +1d damage"? I'm curious now how you're handling it -- does the Rogue feel gimped by the rules, or have you loosened things to keep him in the same ballpark as the rest of the party? Poor wee Rogue!
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Post by Stu Venable on Feb 7, 2013 16:07:38 GMT -8
I have not loosened up the rules.
It's actually the PLAYER who came up with the best solution (which I just Yes, anded).
He got the drop on a very large bad guy and threatened him with the weapon (no one wants to get stuck with a knife, right).
So his 1d-whatever impaling damage didn't come into effect. I believe he also bought up his striking damage (or whatever it's called) to 9?
There's another way to get past the small rogue/little damage problem. One of my players in another game found it. Weapon master? Something like that. It gave him a damage bonus.
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kevinr
Journeyman Douchebag
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Post by kevinr on Feb 7, 2013 21:23:35 GMT -8
That is what poison is for right? Hide in the fighters pocket and shoot poison darts.
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daniel
Journeyman Douchebag
Posts: 217
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Post by daniel on Feb 8, 2013 9:08:00 GMT -8
That is what poison is for right? Hide in the fighters pocket and shoot poison darts. Its not a pocket, there is a reason he is called Back door turret Joe ;D
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2013 10:26:37 GMT -8
I have not loosened up the rules. It's actually the PLAYER who came up with the best solution (which I just Yes, anded). He got the drop on a very large bad guy and threatened him with the weapon (no one wants to get stuck with a knife, right). So his 1d-whatever impaling damage didn't come into effect. I believe he also bought up his striking damage (or whatever it's called) to 9? There's another way to get past the small rogue/little damage problem. One of my players in another game found it. Weapon master? Something like that. It gave him a damage bonus. Combat advantages (with limitation (daggers)) to boost your damage are a good way to be useful with a small weapon. Another one is to focus on grabbing and stabbing, if I am not mistaken when grappling you get half the penalty for hitting precise locations and that way you can ignore the enemy's armor and go for vulnerable spots like the neck or vitals for leathal results.
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Post by mook on Feb 10, 2013 0:19:17 GMT -8
Grappling seems to be massively under-appreciated by the majority of GURPS-folks, I think because the rules for it maybe don't flow as neatly as the rest of combat - but that shit be deadly. This is a great post by Kromm: "Yes. Once the initial grapple lands, any significant ST difference looks like this: You fail to break free. Takedown. You still fail to break free. Pin. You fail to break free. Ten free attacks. You still fail to break free. Ten free attacks. You still fail to break free. Ten free attacks. Ad nauseum. It's quite possible at any point prior to the pin to give up on breaking free and try to hit your stronger opponent to make him let go. However, if he has lots and lots of HP, this can prove tough, because limb-crippling, major-wound, and unconsciousness thresholds are all HP-based. Really, the way the rules work, you can't afford to let a higher-ST fighter grab you. Sure, Wrestling can compensate for a 1- to 2-point ST difference if you have it and he does not. But if grappling is his tactic, then he likely knows Wrestling. And if he has the Power Grappling perk to go with . . . ow." You manage to get yourself pinned, you're pretty much boned unless you can withstand 10 (TEN!) turns of merciless beating. There's an upcoming PDF called Technical Grapping which will hopefully streamline the whole thing while still offering even more options!
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Post by ayslyn on Feb 10, 2013 0:36:35 GMT -8
should a child-sized dude with a letter-opener be able to one-shot an average adult human? Absolutely. It takes a lot less force than you might imagine to inflict serious harm to a person. We're actually pretty damn fragile.
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