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Old 02-26-2019, 01:37 PM   #31
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Default Re: is there a minimum damage? how...

I agree with Greg, Guy and Skarg here. Reading every single nuance of every single rule and interpreting them across several domains is a sure way to end a campaign, as everyone sits around for several hours while the GM agonizes over a decision that logic (simply standing back and looking at the situation itself instead of debating variable clauses and the placement of the words "the" and "if" in the rules) would render self-evident in a matter of seconds.

I've never much enjoyed rules lawyerdom... ;-)
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Old 02-26-2019, 06:19 PM   #32
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There's still a valid question as to whether the fire would count as what I'm going to call "base" damage instead of "followup" damage. (The invented jargon meaning followup is that damage which is applied only if the base penetrates armor, doing > 0 hits on its own.) Fire can damage lots of armor materials, so it's not a slam dunk that it would be part of followup rather than base damage, able to damage flesh but never any kind of armor (including creatures supposedly possessing "tough skin/hide", "fur", etc).

And so on for any other damage types you care to invent. Game life gets a lot more complicated by the time you completely resolve the implications of the new distinction.
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Old 02-27-2019, 02:18 PM   #33
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Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
Are edged weapons the same as cutting weapons? Assuming as much.
hcobb: That's where your logic fails. Arrows are edged but not cutting. They cannot be made fine because they are not metal. If you have metal arrows in your game then I suggest they are darts, a la D&D and you will have to create your own rules to cover range and damage. But they won't be fired from a bow, normally.

Yes, the tips are metal (maybe), but the arrow itself is wood and feathers.
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Old 02-27-2019, 02:33 PM   #34
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Further, I would rule that a fire arrow would burn off any poison in the first place.
I like your rule
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Old 02-27-2019, 02:39 PM   #35
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Default Re: is there a minimum damage? how...

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hcobb: That's where your logic fails. Arrows are edged but not cutting. They cannot be made fine because they are not metal. If you have metal arrows in your game then I suggest they are darts, a la D&D and you will have to create your own rules to cover range and damage. But they won't be fired from a bow, normally.

Yes, the tips are metal (maybe), but the arrow itself is wood and feathers.
How about spears and javelins or even axes?
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Old 02-27-2019, 03:08 PM   #36
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How about spears and javelins or even axes?
ITL 123: "A person who has the Master Armourer talent can make a sword, polearm, hammer, mace, or ax (but no other weapon) so well that it does extra damage, or effectively increases its user’s DX, or both. ...

Good workmanship can give a weapon such good balance that its user gets +1 DX (never more than +1). A cutting weapon can also be made of such good metal that it does either 1 or 2 extra hits of damage. A dagger may do extra damage, but not increase DX."

SO, a polearm, hammer, or mace can do +1 but not +2. A sword, dagger or ax can do +1 or +2. All of the above can give a +1 DX except for a dagger.

Arrows cannot be made fine per above.

I have house ruled that Javelins cannot be used for a Polearm charge or be made fine - but that is not RAW. Spears are borderline imo but I have kept them in since they are the only 1handed Polearms (besides Javelins). I would have no problem if the rules were changed to only allow 2handed pole weapon charges (including spears). However, from my reading of history, that would not be historical. Imo, the historical usage would be to move Javelins into Thrown weapons, along with sling. But that's mo.
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Old 02-28-2019, 09:43 AM   #37
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Default Re: is there a minimum damage? how...

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With different groups I have seen this done different ways. I wanted to see if there is a consensus for how the rules intended this to be done.

If you have a Saber (2-2) and roll 2, is the damage:
0: since 2 minus 2 is zero
1: since some believe their is a minimum damage (I cannot find it in the rules)
2: some believe each die has a minimum of 1 (ditto)
The group I'm in plays it 2 - 2 = 0. The saber might have hit, but it was a glancing blow that did no damage. It is just incredible bad luck to roll snake eyes in that situation, but it happens.
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Old 02-28-2019, 11:02 AM   #38
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Originally Posted by RVA_Grandpa View Post
The group I'm in plays it 2 - 2 = 0. The saber might have hit, but it was a glancing blow that did no damage. It is just incredible bad luck to roll snake eyes in that situation, but it happens.
This is exactly why I don't like 'zero' damage hits. A critical success roll should never result in no damage IMO.

Now that I'm thinking about it, though, I suppose I could accept some other effect besides damage on a critical hit. Maybe the weapon does no actual damage, but the blow knocks the opponent off-balance (DX penalty) or prone.
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Old 02-28-2019, 08:49 PM   #39
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This is exactly why I don't like 'zero' damage hits. A critical success roll should never result in no damage IMO.

Now that I'm thinking about it, though, I suppose I could accept some other effect besides damage on a critical hit. Maybe the weapon does no actual damage, but the blow knocks the opponent off-balance (DX penalty) or prone.
The original post didn't mention a critical hit. I agree that in the case of a critical hit there should be something, but I think it should be the GM's discretion to come up with a unique solution.

Bogus the barbarian, wielding his saber, rolls a 5 on three die, but then rolls 2 for hits (2-2=0 damage). His opponent, Thrag, takes no damage, but his belt is cut and his DX is reduced by one for the next turn as his pants fall around his ankle.
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Old 03-01-2019, 07:03 PM   #40
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Default Re: is there a minimum damage? how...

We used to roll double and triple damage results by multiplying the dice and adds, so it would be 4d-4 and very unlikely to do nothing.

You could make it an option to do such hits either way, so players can choose the swingier 2d-2 x 2 or 4d-4. (There are pros and cons to both in terms of possible risk/reward, though the averages are the same.)
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