02-02-2022, 02:53 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Dec 2014
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Wolverine Claws
Would it make sense to make Wolverine-style triple-bladed claws do x3 damage? Or roll damage three times? I realize that realistic claws would have less penetrating power since the force is divided into three blades. But assuming penetration was not an issue, what argument could be made that it should be a single damage roll? Assuming the character could extend 1, 2, or all 3 claws, there must be a damage differential?
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02-02-2022, 03:00 PM | #2 |
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lynn, MA
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Re: Wolverine Claws
Strength-based attacks are variable by default, so you can pull your punches...
So buy Claws, Long Talons, and when you want to pull your punches, just say you are doing less damage and decide how much each missing talon deducts. |
02-02-2022, 03:34 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
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Re: Wolverine Claws
I would probably treat this like a trident in GURPS Low-Tech (p. 64).
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Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
02-02-2022, 04:54 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Re: Wolverine Claws
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Personally, I'd be inclined to say Claws/Striker/Melee Innate Attack/Natural Weapon with the above (+1 Block/Parry, -1 Dodge, x2 DR, +1 damage) all works out to a +0% modifier; being able to switch between multi-tined and single-tined would be an Enhancement, which I'd eyeball at +10% if it requires a Ready, +20% if it doesn't.
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02-02-2022, 06:26 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Re: Wolverine Claws
In the Natural Strikers article Minotaur hours are written up on Impaling Strikers x2 (linked). If you have the article it would be fairly easy to do a similar thing for Wolvie's claws by taking 3 then linking them with 20% link so that you could use any of the three. You can also buy AP or Cosmic (ignores) as desired. Pyramid Issue 3/65.
This probably doesn't help much without the article to explain the modifiers but I'd do: Wolverine Claws (Cutting; AP/100* +250% ; Destructive Parry +40%; Extra Type: Impaling +20%; Hidden +20%; Link +20%; Resilient +40%; Swing Cut +10%) 35 per blade, 3 blades. Total: [105] *AP/100 isn't official, but seems reasonable. Last edited by naloth; 02-02-2022 at 06:45 PM. |
02-02-2022, 06:39 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Jul 2018
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Re: Wolverine Claws
Or you figure one claw does the damage of a small blade (like a knife or dagger) and multiply that by three. It's basically three knives being driven by the strength of one arm. I'd say the main drawbacks are perhaps parrying or catching a weapon (depends on the type I think - catch another blade and you may end up just cutting your knuckles) and armor penetration (your strength is split among three blades rather than one and they'd still be rather light blades all told - not sure you'd want several kilos of weight on the back of each wrist).
If you implement this true 'wolverine' style it probably comes out of their flesh so that might cause some small pain/injury to trigger unless you also regenerate (they might or might not bleed too... I remember this being depicted inconsistently in the novels. When Logan lost his adamantium the 'natural' claws caused serious bleeding the first time for some reason) I vaguely recall there may have been an in-comic reason for avoiding that bleeding but again they weren't always consistent with it given how long Wolverine has existed. |
02-02-2022, 06:53 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
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Re: Wolverine Claws
I'd probably do this, but add Cosmic, Rapid Fire on Melee (+100%) and Rapid Fire 3 (+50%). I'd definitely add Cosmic Irresistible Attack (+300%) in addition to some level of Armor-Piecing. Those things go through anything.
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02-03-2022, 05:56 AM | #8 | |
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Re: Wolverine Claws
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You shouldn't need Rapid Fire. The reason for purchasing it three times and linking each together was to get up to 3 hits with one attack if all 3 blades were out. |
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02-03-2022, 06:32 AM | #9 |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
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Re: Wolverine Claws
You don't get three true attacks. There is not a gun firing a bullet, and then another, and then another; there is not an arm swinging a blade, and then again, and then again. There is one swing of an arm wielding three blades. The part of the damage that comes from strength (the majority of it) is not tripled; it occurs only once.
To be specific, a large knife does thr impaling damage; a fist does thr-1 crushing damage. So it appears that the knife adds 1 point of damage and changes it from crushing to impaling. If the claws count as three large knives, they might at most do 3 extra points of damage, or thr+2, and change it to impaling. It's a cruder approximation, but they might comparably change cutting damage from sw-2 to sw. A small knife does thr-1 impaling damage, which is no damage bonus relative to a fist; tripling that bonus would give thr-1 impaling damage for three small knives. Perhaps they might get up to thr; I doubt that they could get up to thr+1. Down at this level, treating damage as a linear function of number of blades is probably too crude an approximation, though. I think it would be better to use the spear-to-trident conversion, which adds 1 point of damage and reduces penetration by one step.
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Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
02-03-2022, 06:56 AM | #10 | |
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Re: Wolverine Claws
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In any case, the rules foundation seems solid since it follows the precedent for the Minotaur's Horns presented in that article. BTW, tridents used to have a RoF but penalized base damage, so that has waffled a bit over time as well. Last edited by naloth; 02-03-2022 at 07:00 AM. |
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