[LT/ MA] Arrow "realism"

[jacobmuller]

Are there optional rules for having an arrow stuck in you?
For that matter, if someone's pick is stuck in you?

Edit: aha, MA136 Thank you!

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

Are there optional rules for having an arrow stuck in you?
For that matter, if someone's pick is stuck in you?

something along the lines of: if you have a pick or arrow stuck in you, your actions involving the injured location are at a DX penalty equal to the higher of ½ the injury they caused or their weight in pounds. Your attempts to remove it are at ½ injury caused, due to pain, High/ Low Pain Threshold apply; +4 for two hands; removal causes ½ the injury originally inflicted. Surgical removal may negate further injury but requires 1 minute per attempt.

I'll say Technical Grappling has a rule for what an attacker can do with a weapon impaled in the foe . . .

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

I'll say Technical Grappling has a rule for what an attacker can do with a weapon impaled in the foe . . .

Oh no, now you've caught the "upcoming book teasing disease" too?

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Oh no, now you've caught the "upcoming book teasing disease" too?

Nah, he's been doing it for months. ;)

Low Tech describes Barbed Arrows (pg 73) as being the default for most war arrows. They inflict half damage on being pulled out, though make no mention of penalties while they're in their target. I think a continuing Shock penalty based on half the initial damage would be fair. I wonder about other arrows though - could bodkins also stick in the target to inflict pain, but not causing damage when pulled out? Cutting arrows probably couldn't, unless they hit with a lot of force.

Having a Pick stuck in you might count as being Grappled, assuming that the attacker retains hold of the weapon. In addition to the normal DX penalty for being grappled, there could be pain from having the pick pulled and shoved. I suspect this will be elaborated on in TG.

[Flyndaran]

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, AHHHH!

A continuing shock penalty if moving seems easiest and reasonable to employ.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

Nah, he's been doing it for months. ;)

Having a Pick stuck in you might count as being Grappled, assuming that the attacker retains hold of the weapon. In addition to the normal DX penalty for being grappled, there could be pain from having the pick pulled and shoved. I suspect this will be elaborated on in TG.

Hrpmh. I'm not sure whether I should be glad that the rule was this obvious, or bummed that it was.

In any case, yanking on an impaling weapon allows you to apply pain as if your foe was in a lock. There are some details, but this is the gist of it.

Oh, and hat tip to Peter Dell'Orto. Was his idea.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

Hrpmh. I'm not sure whether I should be glad that the rule was this obvious, or bummed that it was.

In any case, yanking on an impaling weapon allows you to apply pain as if your foe was in a lock. There are some details, but this is the gist of it.

Oh, and hat tip to Peter Dell'Orto. Was his idea.

Be glad. It implies consistency which is a good thing.

[Polydamas]

That's a case of the general problem of weapons getting stuck. KyleAaron posted his house rules a few years ago, and they were good.

[Gigermann]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

Having a Pick stuck in you might count as being Grappled

I was using the Hook Technique as a basis, but that ends up being, more-or-less, the same.

Seems to me that the most logical solution for the OP's problem is to use the Partial Injuries mechanic (MA136), but with the "damage-causing implement" still stuck in the affected location, maybe treat it as "effectively" one step worse.

The situation I've been trying to work out is from the first fight scene in Kingdom of Heaven, where Godfrey is shot in the side by a crossbow, such that he could not effectively use his sword-arm without risking breaking off the bolt. The damage was done to the Torso location, but it effectively rendered his sword-arm "Crippled," forcing him to switch to his off-hand—then, further into the fight, he used his sword-arm anyway, and snapped off the bolt, causing himself further (Torso) injury. Hit location and injury mechanics, as they are, are a bit too abstract to get something like this across. Using Partial Injuries as I described would help, but would still require a bit of GM arbitration—which I prefer to avoid, when possible.

[Maz]

Originally Posted by Gigermann

where Godfrey is shot in the side by a crossbow, such that he could not effectively use his sword-arm without risking breaking off the bolt. The damage was done to the Torso location, but it effectively rendered his sword-arm "Crippled,"

That's such an extremely unqiue situation that I don't think you should try to make general rules for it. I t could be an interesting effect of a Critical Hit though. IMO the crit-tables could use some more variate and I personally encourage my players to make up interesting crit-results and try to do so as a GM as well. In GURPS terms it could be an alternative to crit-resutl-12 (drop weapon): "arrow blocks you weapon arm and it can't be used. If you use it anyway you take ½-dam of the arrow-wound". Perhaps require a Will-check to do so.


However I do agree some more general rules for "arrows stuck in you" would be nice. Such as hitting them for further injury or grabbing and twisting them for pain. But sounds like there might come some soon.