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Old 09-13-2009, 04:25 AM   #41
chris1982
 
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Default Re: Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

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Originally Posted by nik1979 View Post
yes see my post: Mechanical efficiency = less waste of energy.



my understanding of swordsdmanship is more from ARMA and the physics of it. I'm still wondering how do you measure the joules of a melee attack?
Well, the damage that you inflict is really only marginally dependant on the force that you deliver in real life with melee attacks... Whether you impale the heart as a ST 10 or ST 25 character doesn't matter that much... ;-)

So one should see increased damage at lower skill more as more accurate aiming (a bit like a hit location) that of course makes the attack harder to hit...
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Old 09-13-2009, 06:12 AM   #42
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Default Re: Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

I'll just chime in and say one last thing before I leave the "I don't think this is a good idea" sub-topic alone.

Remember that GURPS is an effect-based system. Mechanical efficiency is one of many ways to argue that you qualify for that part out of Weapon Master*, or levels of Striking Strength. The fact that it is actually not your muscles that are stronger, but instead improved technique isn't important as long as the effect matches.


Increased Damage by taking a skill penalty (especially with WM or Karate) does kind of imply that all your other blows are kind of half-assed and inefficient in their nature. Why does your striking power go down when you aim for the face instead of the torso? Are you unable to make high thrusting punch movements of similar strength to mid height ones?

If you imagine this being like powerful mighty Kung-Fu Finisher-like attacks in movies, I'd like to point to Committed Attack (GURPS Martial Arts p.99), as well as All-Out Attack. When those attacks misses the attacked typically turn the tables on the attacker.


*Weapon Master (in part) and Karate are an advantage and a skill that simulates the 'mechanical efficiency' and other things in your striking.
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Old 09-13-2009, 07:00 AM   #43
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Default Re: Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

Well, here is a technique to increase damage with the help of skill.

Strike of the Golden Dragonflight*
Hard
Default: Any Melee Weapon skill-8, or Karate-8.
Prerequisite: Any Melee Weapon skill or Karate; cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
By positioning yourself perfectly according to form and retracing the path of the Golden Dragonflight in your attack you manifest a mighty surge of chi energy right at the moment when your attack touches your opponents center point. This technique will allow even a weakling to injure a well trained man with ease, but it's true potential is shown by the Masters, those who have learnt to master Chi Control with the might Power Blow technique. Those men and women have been known to crush massive trees with a single punch!
This technique is, if using karate always a punch, or if using a melee weapon, a swing or thrust at the torso. The blow does 1d extra damage, or +2 per die, whichever is better.
The technique can easily combined with Power Blow, and adds a +1 to the Power Blow skill roll when they are used in synergy.



- - - - -
There you go, this technique should let any skill-based fighter dish out a truly terrifying attack that might very well go through heavy armor and kill most things without.

For an ST 11 person with Karate this attack would do
thr + karate + technique
1d-2 + 2 + 4 = 2d cr
Add Power Blow and you get 3d+1 cr
Add Power Blow 2 and you get 4d+3 cr
For a ST 15 Weapon Master with a Halberd (swung) you'd get:
Sw + weapon + Weapon Master + Technique
2d+1 + 5 + 2 + 4 = 5d cut
Add Power Blow and you get
5d+2 + 5 + 5 + 10 = 10d+2 cut
Add Power Blow 2 and you get
7d+1 + 5 + 7 + 14 = 13d+1 cut
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Old 09-13-2009, 07:16 AM   #44
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Default Re: Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

How about the generic: "Perfect Strike/Shot"
Default: Hand to Hand or Weapon Skill -10; Cannot Be Increased.
Do maximum damage with attack and roll on the critical hit table.
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Old 09-13-2009, 08:43 AM   #45
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Default Re: Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

btw, another important option not to forget is extra effort!
if it is just for a single moment in a fight where you need to put maximum power into a strike, then investing fatigue points is a good way to simulate that...

IMO these 'power blow'-techniques are more suitable for cinematic than realistic games... (because then its likely that everyone uses the techniques every time, even without the risk of missing)

Last edited by OldSam; 09-13-2009 at 08:48 AM.
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Old 09-13-2009, 03:48 PM   #46
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Default Re: Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

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Originally Posted by GoblynByte View Post
Looking simply at this, isn't this just the same as taking a penalty to hit in order to hit a location that results in greater damage potential?
No ma'am, it is not. I already stated before that the per die damage is being raised, not multiplying the overall damage after it is rolled. I also stated that I am aware of hit locations that multiply damage.

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I'll just chime in and say one last thing before I leave the "I don't think this is a good idea" sub-topic alone.
Thank you for leaving your soapbox, RedMattis.

---

I also find it funny that people feel the need to label such a desired houserule (houserules?) as "cinematic, even silly" like the idea is beneath them.

Last edited by Ragitsu; 09-13-2009 at 03:51 PM.
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Old 09-13-2009, 04:47 PM   #47
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Default Re: Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

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Thank you for leaving your soapbox, RedMattis.

---

I also find it funny that people feel the need to label such a desired houserule (houserules?) as "cinematic, even silly" like the idea is beneath them.
No need to aggravate my post. What I said was "I don't agree" followed by explaining why I thought other options were generally preferable.
I think I was being quite clear on the point that this was an "I don't agree", not a "You're doing it wrong!!!".

I never once said or implied that it was "beneath" me. That's you putting words in my mouth.
Please try to read posts on boards like this one with the assumption that most are written with good intent, and when responding to them, try to do so in a polite way. What you wrote up there sounded almost like you were intentionally trying to insult me.
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Old 09-13-2009, 04:55 PM   #48
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Default Re: Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

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I never once said or implied that it was "beneath" me. That's you putting words in my mouth.
No kidding. What's beneath this forum is taking things so personally. Its a game people.

Topic is skill penalty to increase damage. I like the idea of taking a -2 penalty to increase the minimum roll per die one category. So if you do 3d6 damage and roll all 1s you'd normally do 3 points; but if you had taken a -2 penalty to increase damage you'd do 6 points (the 1s are bumped up to 2s).
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Old 09-13-2009, 04:56 PM   #49
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Default Re: Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

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That's you putting words in my mouth.
If you read my previous post, you'll see that there is a triple dash underneath my response to you. That signifies a separate point of address (in this case, to the aforementioned person who said the rule(s) are silly). Rest assured that I have no intention of making false claims on your behalf.

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Originally Posted by LemmingLord View Post
Topic is skill penalty to increase damage. I like the idea of taking a -2 penalty to increase the minimum roll per die one category. So if you do 3d6 damage and roll all 1s you'd normally do 3 points; but if you had taken a -2 penalty to increase damage you'd do 6 points (the 1s are bumped up to 2s).
In this case, do the numbers rolled for damage all need to be the same, or would it also work for, say 3d6 (1, 3, 2 which would then become 2, 4, 3)?

Last edited by Ragitsu; 09-13-2009 at 05:01 PM.
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Old 09-13-2009, 05:26 PM   #50
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Default Re: Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

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In this case, do the numbers rolled for damage all need to be the same, or would it also work for, say 3d6 (1, 3, 2 which would then become 2, 4, 3)?
At -2, any 1s rolled would be 2s.
at -4, any 1s or 2s would be bumped up to 3s.
at -6, any 1s, 2s, or 3s would be bumped up to 4s.
at -8, any 1s, 2s, 3s, or 4s would be bumped up to 5s.
at -10, all dice are assumed to roll 6s.
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