Feint combat maneuver with margin of success of zero (foe fails)

gamaleo · 11-29-2024, 07:21 PM

I searched the forum and googled for this, but didn't seem to find an answer to this question. So here it goes...

My question is about the Feint maneuver scenario where the foe fails their quick contest roll but you succeed on your quick contest roll with a margin of success of zero.

Page 365 of the Basic Set says this about the outcome of the quick contest during a feint:

"If you make your roll, and your foe fails, subtract your margin of success from the foe's active defense if you attack him with Attack, All-Out Attack, or Move and Attack on your next turn."

The example I find problematic is: If your skill is 15 and you roll a 15 (a margin of success of zero), your foe defends against you at -0 next turn (i.e., you succeed but get nothing for your success).

It seems like the rule should be revised to read "subtract the sum of 1 and your margin of success from your foe's active defense..." and, for balance, that same change should probably be made to the case where "you and your foe both succeed but you succeed by more".

Or maybe the easier fix would be to revise the rule to say that the minimum you subtract for a successful feint is 1 (to cover the case of a zero margin of success, but that still seems like your are getting cheated in the case of higher margins of success).

Am I missing something here, or was this considered such a minor edge case that it wasn't worth addressing?

I also looked at the Third Edition Basic Set Revised rules for the Feint maneuver on page 96, and the problem is there too. I find it hard to believe that I am the first person to ask about this, but I had to ask.

11-29-2024, 07:21 PM	#1
gamaleo Join Date: Nov 2024	Feint combat maneuver with margin of success of zero (foe fails) I searched the forum and googled for this, but didn't seem to find an answer to this question. So here it goes... My question is about the Feint maneuver scenario where the foe fails their quick contest roll but you succeed on your quick contest roll with a margin of success of zero. Page 365 of the Basic Set says this about the outcome of the quick contest during a feint: "If you make your roll, and your foe fails, subtract your margin of success from the foe's active defense if you attack him with Attack, All-Out Attack, or Move and Attack on your next turn." The example I find problematic is: If your skill is 15 and you roll a 15 (a margin of success of zero), your foe defends against you at -0 next turn (i.e., you succeed but get nothing for your success). It seems like the rule should be revised to read "subtract the sum of 1 and your margin of success from your foe's active defense..." and, for balance, that same change should probably be made to the case where "you and your foe both succeed but you succeed by more". Or maybe the easier fix would be to revise the rule to say that the minimum you subtract for a successful feint is 1 (to cover the case of a zero margin of success, but that still seems like your are getting cheated in the case of higher margins of success). Am I missing something here, or was this considered such a minor edge case that it wasn't worth addressing? I also looked at the Third Edition Basic Set Revised rules for the Feint maneuver on page 96, and the problem is there too. I find it hard to believe that I am the first person to ask about this, but I had to ask.