Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

Telegraphic Attack is a very odd duck I have mixed feelings about, it can be neat in some cases, but not in others. The 'does not count' toward criticals definitely makes people look askance at using it, even when people do all out attacks

Telegraphic Attack is definitely a specialist move mostly for cases when you:
-Don't need to worry about the enemy defending due to some other condition.
or
-Don't mind if the enemy defends successfully.
or
-Have and extremely bad modified attack roll, so that you actually get more out of your bonus than the defender does.

[Kalzazz]

I mostly see it used when an enemy has made an all out attack or otherwise can't defend . . . sometimes. The +4 bonus is enough to add another level of Rapid Strike in for a weapon master. But since it doesn't count for determining critical hits, it seems you always wind up rolling 5s and 6s when you do a telegraphic attack. So it seems frequently people will forego the extra +4 (which becomes 1 extra rapid strike) for keeping the 16 'native' skill on their attack rolls so they can crit on a 6

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

I mostly see it used when an enemy has made an all out attack or otherwise can't defend . . . sometimes. The +4 bonus is enough to add another level of Rapid Strike in for a weapon master. But since it doesn't count for determining critical hits, it seems you always wind up rolling 5s and 6s when you do a telegraphic attack. So it seems frequently people will forego the extra +4 (which becomes 1 extra rapid strike) for keeping the 16 'native' skill on their attack rolls so they can crit on a 6

I'd think that when your target isn't going to defend, an additional hit would usually be better than a critical result.

EDIT: But I should probably point out that using it to counteract the penalty to target Vitals or the Skull is probably more typical than using it to get an extra Rapid Strike...

[Kalzazz]

Well, you don't necessarily know if what your fighting has vitals or a skull. But swinging for the center of the visible mass with a Cutting weapon is a tried and true approach for most everything

Vitals also are a thrust only target, which can dampen the joy of going for it. Normally see it more as a target for ranged attacks (which don't usually telegraphic)

The skull is definitely popular

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

The skull is definitely popular

Mrugnak got a lot of milage out of morning-star-ing people over the top of the head with a Telegraphic Attack. The flail penalty to defenses nicely compensates for the Telegraphic bonus, and the +4 makes the fact that it's a Hard skill much easier to bear.

[Tomsdad]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

T
I don't see it as a point balance issue [EDIT - but I'm willing to accept it as such. I won't be changing the way I run though). It's how I did things for most 3e (I did start announcing NPCs Manuevers towards the end of 3e just to make things 'fair', since as the GM I get to know the PCs manuevers) but stopped when Telegraphic Attack came in.

Telegraphic Attack makes AOA almost guaranteed suicide.

Yep (and if you feeling risky an AoA with telegraphic on top for those hard to armour places!)

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

Well, you don't necessarily know if what your fighting has vitals or a skull. But swinging for the center of the visible mass with a Cutting weapon is a tried and true approach for most everything

Vitals also are a thrust only target, which can dampen the joy of going for it. Normally see it more as a target for ranged attacks (which don't usually telegraphic)

The skull is definitely popular

Again settings and genre will have an effect on this, I run historical/low fantasy, there's not much my players face that don't have a brain or vitals.

IME in melee the vitals hit isn't necessarily about raw damage but that juicy -5 to knock-down/stun that's most likely to follow.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Mrugnak got a lot of milage out of morning-star-ing people over the top of the head with a Telegraphic Attack. The flail penalty to defenses nicely compensates for the Telegraphic bonus, and the +4 makes the fact that it's a Hard skill much easier to bear.

Nice!