11-13-2018, 12:14 PM | #11 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
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Re: Vitals shots vs. Size&Speed/Range table
The reason why the Skull is -7 from the front and -5 from the back in Martial Arts (and vice versa for the Face) is that from the front, the skull is behind the Face - GURPS doesn't really allow for blowing through the Face into the brain, so from the front you have to target the forehead above the brows, or opportunity shots as the targets head moves, if you want to hit the brain. Or the eye, of course.
Whereas from behind, the entire back of the head is the Skull hit location, and the Face is largely hidden behind the skull (the jaw and ears are considered part of the Face) so again, you can't blow through the Skull to hit the face, and therefore it effectively has cover. Of course in both cases characters don't stand stock still with their heads held up exactly straight facing dead forwards, unflinching. So in both cases there's opportunity shots at the sides of the face and cranium even from "bad angles", but considering the timing problems that easily also accounts for the -2 difference IMO.
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11-13-2018, 12:53 PM | #12 | |
Join Date: Aug 2018
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Re: Vitals shots vs. Size&Speed/Range table
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skullcap#Other_uses liks to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvaria_(skull) described as "the upper part of the neurocranium". You have a major point here, since "skull" in regular terminology includes mandible (ie the lower jaw bone, I think corresponding to the new hit location in martial arts) and this -6 location isn't treated as a sublocation of the -7 location, a term like "cranium" would be more specific. "Neurocranium" (also termed "braincase" and "brainpain") seems even more specific, because it refers to the braincase. The term viscerocranium actually appears to refer to the face. The calvaria/skullcap is only part of the "skull roof" so that's probably too specific. It'd probably be something like "skull only, top only" DR, whereas neurocranium and I think the intent of the -7 hit locatio you can target from front/sides (or from back at -5) is I think supposed to be DR composing an entire surrounding structure from all directions. Since the neurocranium is composed of multiple bones and fractures could occur on specific sides of it, I guess you could come up with some kind of sub-locations where each direction has its own semi-ablative DR, as 10 crushing seems enough to fracture a skull: the 8 damage penetrating 2 DR is multiplied by 4 and -32 is enough to send a human with 10 HP to negative 22, forcing 2 death checks) |
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11-13-2018, 09:26 PM | #13 | |
Join Date: Apr 2016
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Re: Vitals shots vs. Size&Speed/Range table
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11-13-2018, 09:59 PM | #14 |
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: France
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Re: Vitals shots vs. Size&Speed/Range table
You don't have to defend yourself. Those old thread are not always easy to find and there was no reproach intention in my post. Sorry if I implied it.
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12-01-2018, 03:07 PM | #15 | |
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: The Land of Enchantment
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Re: Vitals shots vs. Size&Speed/Range table
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I think that this is a common house rule.
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I'd need to get a grant and go shoot a thousand goats to figure it out. |
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12-02-2018, 12:56 AM | #16 |
Banned
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 100 hurricane swamp
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Re: Vitals shots vs. Size&Speed/Range table
That's a potent house rule and as a Player I'd happily roll on the random hit location chart almost every single time.
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12-02-2018, 01:46 AM | #17 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Vitals shots vs. Size&Speed/Range table
It's a house rule I've encountered before, so it's not super rare, but not sure it counts as 'common'.
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12-02-2018, 01:10 PM | #18 | |
Join Date: Apr 2015
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Re: Vitals shots vs. Size&Speed/Range table
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With all that in mind I think I would see archers continue aiming for the torso unless they desperately needed the extra +1 to hit at range. In melee combat those with cutting weapons would likely open up with random hits to see what they could disable and switch to more carefully aimed attacks later in the fight. I think I would like the randomness that introduces to peoples injury in a fight.
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12-05-2018, 05:40 AM | #19 | |
Join Date: Aug 2018
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Re: Vitals shots vs. Size&Speed/Range table
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DR for collective chest/abdomen might need repricing if done based on those penalties, could use similar rules for collective face+skull DR too. |
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12-05-2018, 07:48 AM | #20 | |
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Re: Vitals shots vs. Size&Speed/Range table
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I think the default rule is a better default rule, since it treats the target as a bundle of hit points with limited special rules, which is a better for new folks and other peeps who want a simpler combat game. |
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Tags |
cranium, neurocranium, ranged combat, size modifer, size modifier, vitals |
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