Frequent hits to the groin using the Human and Humanoid Hit Location Table

[Ezra]

Do hits to the groin occur too often when players strike at "whatever target presents itself"? My players rarely call their shots, and the fact that the "Human and Humanoid Hit Location" table (B552) assigns the groin to rolls of 11 (a common roll on 3d6), it comes up often. Shouldn't hits to the groin be rare (a critical hit location even)?

[Varyon]

Basic Set sets the Groin as too easy to hit; Low Tech fixes this by replacing it with the Abdomen, and Low Tech: Instant Armor reintroduces the possibility of randomly hitting the groin (on a hit to the Abdomen, roll 1d; a 1 means a hit to the Vitals, a 2-4 means a hit to the Digestive Tract, a 5 means a hit to the Pelvis, and a 6 means a hit to the groin; I'd be tempted to remove one or more of those Digestive Tract results and replace with "no special effect," personally). -3 to hit is probably insufficient of a penalty, but probably isn't horrible (it being 1/6 to hit on a -1 to hit location implies it should be -5 to hit, which seems more appropriate).

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Ezra

Do hits to the groin occur too often when players strike at "whatever target presents itself"? My players rarely call their shots, and the fact that the "Human and Humanoid Hit Location" table (B552) assigns the groin to rolls of 11 (a common roll on 3d6), it comes up often. Shouldn't hits to the groin be rare (a critical hit location even)?

Probably, yes.

This is fixed if you use the revision to the hit locations from GURPS Low Tech, which changes hit location 11 to the 'abdomen', which is just more of the torso (but differentiated for purposes of body armor).

[Ezra]

I see it. That resolves the issue. Thank you!

[lordabdul]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Basic Set sets the Groin as too easy to hit; Low Tech fixes this by replacing it with the Abdomen

Oh interesting, I hadn't seen that Low Tech was indeed doing that. That's a much better hit location table! (although I generally don't roll for Hit Locations, I have all attacks hit the torso unless specifically aimed at something).

Originally Posted by Varyon

-3 to hit is probably insufficient of a penalty, but probably isn't horrible (it being 1/6 to hit on a -1 to hit location implies it should be -5 to hit, which seems more appropriate).

Yep, at some point my players figured that the -3 penalty was quite worth it for all the benefits you get from a groin hit, and suddenly the game became inappropriately comical, as they would hit every NPC guard in this area... I think -5 to hit is a lot better, since IIRC it's the penalty for hitting the neck, and the two parts seem pretty similar in size and difficulty to hit. At least, using -5 helped recover the original tone of the game... :)

[Ezra]

Originally Posted by lordabdul

...I think -5 to hit is a lot better, since IIRC it's the penalty for hitting the neck, and the two parts seem pretty similar in size and difficulty to hit. At least, using -5 helped recover the original tone of the game... :)

I like this house rule. I think I'll implement that as well.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by lordabdul

I think -5 to hit is a lot better, since IIRC it's the penalty for hitting the neck, and the two parts seem pretty similar in size and difficulty to hit. At least, using -5 helped recover the original tone of the game... :)

It's -5 to hit the Face (from in front, or the Skull from behind), the Neck, the Shoulders+Upper Arms (that is, to avoid the forearm and elbow), or the Thighs, although those last two are a bit problematic in terms of size (but GURPS has some built-in assumptions about presentation and the like, basically assuming the hands are easier to hit than the upper arms, despite the latter being noticeably larger). Again, the Groin being as difficult to strike as any of those sounds roughly appropriate.

Note the same methodology I used implies the Vitals would be -4 to hit (1/6 to hit, thus 5/6 "protection") on the Chest or -5 to hit on the Abdomen, the Digestive Tract would be -3 to hit, and the Pelvis would be -5 to hit. The RAW values for these are -3, -3, -2, and -3 (although I'll say the Abdomen Vitals being the same penalty to hit as the Chest Vitals is problematic, as the Abdomen is often less armored than the Chest).

[Donny Brook]

I have a long-standing house rule that gives a +1 bonus to active defenses vs. groin shots.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Basic Set sets the Groin as too easy to hit; Low Tech fixes this by replacing it with the Abdomen, and Low Tech: Instant Armor reintroduces the possibility of randomly hitting the groin (on a hit to the Abdomen, roll 1d; a 1 means a hit to the Vitals, a 2-4 means a hit to the Digestive Tract, a 5 means a hit to the Pelvis, and a 6 means a hit to the groin; I'd be tempted to remove one or more of those Digestive Tract results and replace with "no special effect," personally). -3 to hit is probably insufficient of a penalty, but probably isn't horrible (it being 1/6 to hit on a -1 to hit location implies it should be -5 to hit, which seems more appropriate).

I'm going with 1-in-6 hits the Groin, to match the optional rule of 1-in-6 hits to the Torso hit the Vitals.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

I have a long-standing house rule that gives a +1 bonus to active defenses vs. groin shots.

I'm not sure all of them should get that, it's not necessarily any easier to dodge an attack aimed there than elsewhere...

More like people just use Frantic Defense more often when they perceive this is the intended hit location.