Taking a skill penalty to increase damage

[PK]

This is already covered by Martial Arts. The GM can allow a virtual "technique" which is -2 to skill for +1 damage, or -4 to skill for +2 damage (or +1/die if better). Note that this is definitely cinematic; realistic techniques which allow extra damage always come with some sort of trade-off in drawbacks.

[Sense of Duty (Kittens)]

You can do that in the RAW. It's called aiming.

[Ragitsu]

Originally Posted by Sense of Duty (Kittens)

You can do that in the RAW. It's called aiming.

Aiming, in and of itself, does not add to a roll for a firearm's damage.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Ragitsu

Aiming, in and of itself, does not add to a roll for a firearm's damage.

if ROF is 2+ it will 8)

[Philosopher Rogue]

Quick, what is the ROF on my sword?!

[Ragitsu]

No one's trying to take all the randomness out of the game, just some of it. Also note that you don't have to use this (these?) potential houserules.

By the way, while it's technically not allowed, adding a high Rate of Fire to a sword would be cool and evokes images of the Crissaegrim from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

[Philosopher Rogue]

I think you can do it in some other systems. It should be at least a +50% modifier, minimum.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Ragitsu

No one's trying to take all the randomness out of the game, just some of it. Also note that you don't have to use this (these?) potential houserules.

By the way, while it's technically not allowed, adding a high Rate of Fire to a sword would be cool and evokes images of the Crissaegrim from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Ain't no rule against a rapid-fire attack with melee range.

[Xplo]

Originally Posted by Ragitsu

Also note that you don't have to use this (these?) potential houserules.

Of course we don't have to use them, and it's rude for you to dismiss someone's reply like that just because it contradicts what you want to hear.

...adding a high Rate of Fire to a sword would be cool and evokes images of the Crissaegrim from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Anything that evokes the Crissaegrim is probably a bad idea. ;p

. . .

My initial reaction to this is that just because people whine that they don't have exactly what they want, doesn't mean you give it to them.

My second thought is that if they have high skill, they can do more damage by attacking eyes and vitals.. and if they're so skilled that they can do that with relative ease, then they either need tougher environments to fight in, or enemies with good defenses that force them to blow effective skill on Deceptive Attack, not a special houserule just for them that lets them easily kill things even deader.

My third thought is, if you must give the whiners what they want: -2 to effective skill per +1 to damage, but damage is capped at the unmodified maximum. For example, if Baby McGee usually does 2d, and blows 6 points of skill, and then rolls a 7, he would do 10 damage. But if he rolled an 11, he would still only do 12 damage; his skill let him use his strength and weapon to their maximum potential.

My third and a half-th thought is that this primarily benefits low-strength characters (who have the most random damage rolls and need the least skill to max those rolls out), and since the whiners are probably all playing wimpy ninja swashbuckler bishounen or something if they're asking for this ability, it ought to make them happy.

[kdtipa]

Originally Posted by Ragitsu

By the way, while it's technically not allowed, adding a high Rate of Fire to a sword would be cool and evokes images of the Crissaegrim from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

I love that sword... I always wondered how one might model that sword for a paper and pencil RPG... a high RoF sounds like a funny way to do it. :)