Is there something about the slam rules I'm missing?

Talonos · 12-15-2022, 05:35 PM

A female cheetah uses a pounce (B372) against a partially surprised male impala, as the description of pounce suggests. ("This is how some animals attack, especially cats: they knock down their foe and then claw or bite.") The cheetah is running at speed 24. The cheetah easily makes her attack roll and the impala fails to dodge. They "each inflict dice of crushing damage on the other" (B371). The impala takes 2d crushing damage (2.16, round down) and the cheetah takes 3d. (2.64, round up as per B371.)

On average, the impala takes 6 damage and the cheetah takes 9.5 (because both have DR 1). The impala takes less damage, so remains standing, unless he takes a major wound and fails his knockdown roll. The cheetah is more likely to have a major wound, as likely as not to be at 0 HP or lower, and must make a DX roll or fall over because of the special rules on flying tackle. (If the impala rolls twice as high as the cheetah it's possible the cheetah's down anyway, depending on your interpretation of "On a success, you stay on your feet!" under pounce on B372)

It seems like unless you can manage to arrange your velocity such that your damage is above a rounding breakpoint and your opponent's is not (hard to know unless you exactly know your foes HP) then a slam of any kind is a really bad idea, unless you have armor (which limits your velocity) or a shield or spear to absorb the damage. Even if you can manage to arrange the damage around a breakpoint, if you're an unarmored martial artist, you're risking a major wound even at 1d, and therefore at risk of getting stunned or knocked over.

Is there something I'm missing here?

12-15-2022, 05:35 PM	#1
Talonos Join Date: Jan 2007	Is there something about the slam rules I'm missing? A female cheetah uses a pounce (B372) against a partially surprised male impala, as the description of pounce suggests. ("This is how some animals attack, especially cats: they knock down their foe and then claw or bite.") The cheetah is running at speed 24. The cheetah easily makes her attack roll and the impala fails to dodge. They "each inflict dice of crushing damage on the other" (B371). The impala takes 2d crushing damage (2.16, round down) and the cheetah takes 3d. (2.64, round up as per B371.) On average, the impala takes 6 damage and the cheetah takes 9.5 (because both have DR 1). The impala takes less damage, so remains standing, unless he takes a major wound and fails his knockdown roll. The cheetah is more likely to have a major wound, as likely as not to be at 0 HP or lower, and must make a DX roll or fall over because of the special rules on flying tackle. (If the impala rolls twice as high as the cheetah it's possible the cheetah's down anyway, depending on your interpretation of "On a success, you stay on your feet!" under pounce on B372) It seems like unless you can manage to arrange your velocity such that your damage is above a rounding breakpoint and your opponent's is not (hard to know unless you exactly know your foes HP) then a slam of any kind is a really bad idea, unless you have armor (which limits your velocity) or a shield or spear to absorb the damage. Even if you can manage to arrange the damage around a breakpoint, if you're an unarmored martial artist, you're risking a major wound even at 1d, and therefore at risk of getting stunned or knocked over. Is there something I'm missing here? Last edited by Talonos; 12-15-2022 at 05:40 PM.