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Old 10-23-2016, 09:05 AM   #11
OldSam
 
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Default Re: Rules and hints for improvisation and creativity in combat situations

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Originally Posted by aesir23 View Post
*I'd make it so that he had to spend a fatigue on extra-effort and make an all-out attack (Strong) shove--maybe even for multiple rounds in a row. Anything to make it feel like a risk and an accomplishment.
Also a nice interesting idea, using AoA:Strong to work with a skill like brawling if I got you right... Seems to fit :)
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Old 10-23-2016, 09:06 AM   #12
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Default Re: Rules and hints for improvisation and creativity in combat situations

This seems like a great place for Player Guidance or the Serendipity advantage. "None of my weapons can hurt this slug without it killing me. I make a run for it, but I want to use Player Guidance (or Serendipity) to find something that does".
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Old 10-23-2016, 09:15 AM   #13
Christopher R. Rice
 
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Default Re: Rules and hints for improvisation and creativity in combat situations

One thing I do is turn the dials in a combat of gritty/realistic vs. cinematic/larger than life. Say I want to make bleeding relevant to a combat. I decide that the Bleeding rules are in effect until the end of the scene and suddenly a normally cinematic game becomes a bit more scary.

You can do this with any optional rule - even cinematic ones. It makes things a LOT more interesting.
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Old 10-23-2016, 09:31 AM   #14
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Default Re: Rules and hints for improvisation and creativity in combat situations

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Any good rule of thumb which ST could be said as the standard requirement for the task? To compensate one could demand a modified ST roll with extra effort maybe...?

Yes, some kind of eyeballing is required though I'd like to have a _base_ for that to roughly get the right dimension. Assuming that the above detailed calculation by McAllister (result: 12d) is much better, your estimation would be way off, so maybe we can find a way to improve our guesses...?
For both of these, I feel like it might have a good idea to have a really simple table with some worked examples. Maybe a simple 3x3 grid where one side shows ST10, ST15 and ST20; and the other shows a wardrobe (~100lbs), a man-sized stone statue (~600lbs) and a mid-sized sedan (~2,400lbs). Like, a person with ST 10 can pick up the wardrobe over their head if they have four seconds to do it, can dislodge the statue with a running start and a good roll on DX, Brawling or Sumo Wrestling (the slam skills), and can push the car very slowly along a flat, level surface if it's in neutral. The ST 20 person can throw the wardrobe 12 yards for 2d-1 damage, break the statue off at the ankles and pick it up over their head, and can roll against Lifting to get two of the car's wheels off the ground (success by 4+ lets them roll it onto its roof). Figure out how the ST 15 person can interact with those things, and, when the situation arises in game, use the table to make a guess.

You could do something similar with falling-object damage. Dropping a wardrobe on someone from 10 yards is 5d. Dropping a car from 50 yards is 15d. You'd think multiplying the weight by 24 and the distance by 5 would... well, never mind the scaling, you've got some values, and if you interpolate based on them, you'll be close enough.
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Old 10-23-2016, 09:32 AM   #15
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Default Re: Rules and hints for improvisation and creativity in combat situations

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This seems like a great place for Player Guidance or the Serendipity advantage. "None of my weapons can hurt this slug without it killing me. I make a run for it, but I want to use Player Guidance (or Serendipity) to find something that does".
Absolutely. If you want this to be a normal occurrence, throw Serendipity at everyone.
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Old 10-23-2016, 09:42 AM   #16
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Default Re: Rules and hints for improvisation and creativity in combat situations

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Absolutely. If you want this to be a normal occurrence, throw Serendipity at everyone.
I would be more inclined to allow Player Guidance as an option and make Destiny Points mandatory before I made Serendipity Points mandatory. Serendipitous-guy is much more niche, IMO.
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Old 10-23-2016, 11:15 AM   #17
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Default Re: Rules and hints for improvisation and creativity in combat situations

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Yes, some kind of eyeballing is required though I'd like to have a _base_ for that to roughly get the right dimension. Assuming that the above detailed calculation by McAllister (result: 12d) is much better, your estimation would be way off, so maybe we can find a way to improve our guesses...?
Well, I got my estimate by thinking that I wanted the blow to knock someone unconscious. I usually have combats end when the antagonist goes unconscious, so that's good enough for my purposes.

However, let's say that you play a game in which you require unconsciousness checks. In that case, lethal damage is 60 HP for an average human (10 HP plus 5x10 HP below zero). 12d is about 42 damage on average - not quite automatic insta-kill, but pretty close and certainly enough to threaten death with all the saving throws and penalties required. So, if your mental image of the stone is "heavy enough to kill someone," then 12d is a fair estimate.

In my ballparking damage post, I used the GURPS log progression up to 15 damage. The next steps would be 20 damage (6d), 30 (8d), 50 (14d), and 70 (20d). Anything in the 30-70 range (or 8d to 20d) could credibly threaten death in a single impact.
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Old 10-23-2016, 12:30 PM   #18
Kelly Pedersen
 
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Default Re: Rules and hints for improvisation and creativity in combat situations

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Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
This seems like a great place for Player Guidance or the Serendipity advantage. "None of my weapons can hurt this slug without it killing me. I make a run for it, but I want to use Player Guidance (or Serendipity) to find something that does".
That's what I'd do, yeah, particularly the Player Guidance suggestion. As an addition to that, you could consider a house rule of giving out some "free" player guidance for good Tactics or Observation skills. The way I'd work that is allowing characters to take a turn to roll Per-based Tactics or Observation (as a Concentrate maneuver). If they succeed, they get two free points to use for Player Guidance, plus one additional point for every 5 points of margin of success. The points have to be used during the combat or encounter, and they also go away if there's a significant change of scenery within the combat.

Compare that to the rule that allows an opposed Tactics rule before the battle to get your side re-rolls (Martial Arts, p. 60). That one has to be done before the fight begins, but it potentially gives a lot more "point-equivalents" (I think treating a use of Luck, which is what each re-roll effectively is, as worth 1 point is pretty reasonable), and they can be transferred to anyone on your side, too.
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Old 10-23-2016, 12:52 PM   #19
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Default Re: Rules and hints for improvisation and creativity in combat situations

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That's what I'd do, yeah, particularly the Player Guidance suggestion. As an addition to that, you could consider a house rule of giving out some "free" player guidance for good Tactics or Observation skills. The way I'd work that is allowing characters to take a turn to roll Per-based Tactics or Observation (as a Concentrate maneuver). If they succeed, they get two free points to use for Player Guidance, plus one additional point for every 5 points of margin of success. The points have to be used during the combat or encounter, and they also go away if there's a significant change of scenery within the combat.
I'm reluctant to give out multiple point pools for impulse buys because it can get confusing quickly (so I have two Serendipity points, three Destiny points, two Wildcard points that apply, these unspent points, and now I get more points from just making an Observation roll?) and also this suggestion somewhat allows ordinary skills to replace Wildcard points.
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Old 10-23-2016, 02:55 PM   #20
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Default Re: Rules and hints for improvisation and creativity in combat situations

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I'm reluctant to give out multiple point pools for impulse buys because it can get confusing quickly
This is true. I probably wouldn't recommend using my suggestion in a game that already used Impluse Buys otherwise.
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