new called shot idea (seriously)

[evilbob]

I know this gets kicked around time and again, and I have read many of the threads and rants against called shots. However, I think the fundamental problem with most called shot ideas is that they focus on increasing damage - which, I agree, just won't work (this is why critical hits exist). The point of a called shot, as I see it, is to damage a specific area of the body, thus inhibiting the use of that area to some degree. To that end, I have created what I think is a fairly simple rule system, based off two ideas:
1) The Variant: Damage to Specific Areas table on p27 of the DMG
2) the idea of smaller size categories being harder to hit
Both of these are slightly tweaked for balance. Here is the result:

This post has been edited to reflect suggestions and other new ideas.


Called Shots

Players may attempt a Called Shot as a standard action against a living opponent with discernable anatomy (must be subject to critical hits). This provokes an attack of opportunity. If using a ranged attack, the player must be within 30 ft. of the target. Roll an attack using the penalty from the table below and calculate damage as normal. If the attack succeeds and any damage is dealt, the target must make a Fortitude save against a DC of 10 + ½ damage dealt or be effected. (Targeting the torso or "body" area is considered a normal attack and has no additional effect.)

Body Part: Penalty to Hit: Targeted Damage Effect

Head: -6: -1 to attacks rolls, all skills checks, and to will and reflex saves
Arm: -4: -2 to climb, swim, and Str checks, -1 to attack rolls
Hand: -6: -2 to all skills involving hand use and attack rolls
Leg: -4: -2 to all skills involving movement and Dex checks, -1 to reflex saves
Foot: -6: -2 to all skills involving movement, -1 to reflex saves, movement rate reduced as encumbered
Eye*: -8: -2 to all skills involving seeing, initiative checks, and ranged attacks, -1 to reflex saves; **blinded
Ear*: -8: -2 to listen and initiative checks; **deaf

Targeted damage effects on more than one body part of the same type do not stack; i.e. you cannot damage two hands in order to increase the penalty. However, parts marked with an * cause extra effects (marked with **) once all of the parts of that type have been damaged; i.e. once a creature with four eyes has been damaged in the eye, additional Called Shots to the eye do not increase the penalties - but once he is damaged four times in the eye, he is blind. At least one point of healing will heal all targeted damage from Called Shots, whether magical or from resting.


Related Feats

Improved Called Shot
Prerequisite: BAB +3
Benefit: Making called shots does not provoke an AoO.

Greater Called Shot
Prerequisite: BAB +8, Improved Called Shot, ability to make either Sneak Attacks or Dirty Blows
Benefit: When making a Called Shot, sneak attack or dirty blow damage adds 1 to the DC of the Fort save to resist the effects of a Called Shot per die of sneak attack or dirty blow. For example, an 11th level rouge who did 6d6 sneak attack damage would add 6 to the DC of Called Shots.

Sniper’s Eye
Prerequisite: BAB +8, Improved Called Shot, Point Blank Shot
Benefit: The effective range for making ranged called shots is doubled to 60 ft.

All comments/suggestions welcome!

 

[evilbob]

Edit: This post was previously just a feat list, which is now included in the above post.

 

[Stalker0]

I would say it's okay to use called shots for ranges greater than 30 ft, you can either increase the initial attack penalty... or half the range increment, or something like that.

 

[SylverFlame]

I feel the 30ft limit on ranged is a good idea. At present, all the special abilities associated with bows and such is for 30ft so it makes sense and requires less book work.

All in all, I like the idea. Also, I feel with a little alteration it could easily be used as the base for a system where you are cutting off limbs. For instance, on a critical hit with a called shot, if one dealt a certain percentage or level of damage would see the limb removed. This isn't balanced, of course, but your system allows for things like this.

I really like it.

 

[Nifft]

Here's a mechanic that I'd consider: when you threaten a critical, you may either attempt to confirm the critical (as a normal critical) or attempt to make a Called Shot (which inflicts a "special effect").

If you choose to confirm the critical and miss, your blow lands normally (non-critically).

If you choose to attempt a Called Shot and miss, your attack misses entirely and is wasted.

This way, the "character decides" (not the player) when he's got a good enough shot to make a Called Shot / Critical, and the player decides how much he wants to risk.

-- N

 

[Ferret]

I think that some aiming may be need and a delay would be appropriate. Maybe even if the action must be readied, so that when an oppening is shown you can strike.

Most (attempted) murder victims that have been attacked towards the eyes end up with mutiple gashes along their arms before they can be hit properly.

 

[evilbob]

Actually, I think criticals work well within this framework already: if you score a critical during a Called Shot, the damage is increased and you have a much better chance for it to work. Otherwise, criticals just do more damage, which is generally preferable.

Keeping this in mind, however, rouges and other characters who have non-doubling crit damage (such as sneak attacks) come up short when dealing with criticals, compared to fighters who double all damage - and really, sneak-attack users should be inherently better at called shots. Therefore, I think this change may be a good idea:

Normal: As above (with changes), but changed to read "...the target must make a Fortitude save against a DC of 10 + 1/2 damage dealt or be effected."

Greater Called Shot
Benefit changed to read: When making a Called Shot, sneak attack or dirty blow damage is not halved when determining the DC of the Fort save to resist the effects of a Called Shot.

I like this more, but does it favor sneak attacks too much? Or is making it a feat good enough of a balance?

 

[evilbob]

Taking into account the suggestion for limb rending, perhaps an additional caveat could be added:

When making a Called Shot, if enough damage is dealt to force the target to make a save vs. massive damage and the target succeeds, a second Fort save against a DC of 20 must be immediately taken to see if the targeted area is severed or shattered (as appropriate, and at the DM's discretion). A severed or shattered body part cannot be used at all until it is healed, and it requires a Cure Serious Wounds (or better) spell to heal it. A creature with a severed or shattered body part may also be "shaken" (or worse, DM's discretion) until at least 1 HP of damage is healed or a heal check is performed on the creature. Unlike regular Called Shots, massive damage Called Shot effects can stack with themselves - a creature with one shattered arm can receive another shattered arm up to the maximum number of arms that creature has. (Optionally, the fear effect would also stack with itself as per normal rules regarding fear - DMG: 294 - if a creature had multiple severed or shattered body parts.) However, normal Called Shot effects do not stack with massive damage Called Shot effects; i.e. a creature cannot have one shattered arm and one arm with a Called Shot effect.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Fighting a dragon (or other big beastie)

Truestrike! Called shot eye!
Truestrike! Called shot eye!

Blind dragon (or blind anything) a bit too easily IMO.

In order to be productive, I think a better plan might be called shots to do ability damage (a la rogue crippling strike) and become available at the same sort of level - i.e. as rogue abilities or high level fighter feats.

e.g.
crippling strike (1 STR damage)
disabling strike (1 DEX damage)
wounding strike (1 CON damage)
confuseing strike (1 INT damage)
concussing strike (1 WIS damage)
disfiguring strike (1 CHA damage) (not that reducing appearance reduces CHA directly, but it affects the self-confidence component of CHA)

These would be useful abilities which are on a par with an extant high level ability and which fit in with your idea of "not more but different damage" and with less loopholes for abuse.

I don't know whether it appeals to you or not though.

Cheers

 

[evilbob]

Thanks for the suggestion, but you are right in that I don't think ability damage is really what I'm looking for here (who needs poison - we have called shot!). However, thank you very much for exposing a loophole - though I'm not sure how big of a loophole it is, since the dragon would have to fail two Fort saves against a DC of 10 + 1/2 damage done to them... An adult red dragon has a Fort of 18, which means - on average - they'd need to be hit by two attacks of ~36 damage each. Also keep in mind, as I said, that a PC who deals 36 damage per attack might want to just attack 6-8 times instead of making 2 called shots. Just supposing that they only hit 4 times out of 6-8, that's over 1/2 the dragon's HP right there.

An alternate way to go about it is to have the Fort save be 10 + character level, as many PrC abilities tend to work - that would certainly give the dragon a better chance. However, the problem there is that higher damage and especially critical hits aren't rewarded with a better chance to make an effect, and that is also against the idea here. Does anyone have any good numbers for high-level character average damage? That might help make it more clear as to which type of Fort save would be better in the long run.

Edit: Another possibility: Fort save = 10 + character level, critical hits double effective character level for DC. The feat "Greater Called Shot" would be changed to: Successful sneak attack damage during Called Shots adds 1 to the Fort DC per 2d6 of sneak attack used.


I am also not too happy with the "rending" rule I added above, as it rewards easier targets with a better effect: shatter/severing an arm is easier to do, but it makes both the arm AND the hand worthless. Hitting the head is easier than the ear, but it would probably have the same or more of an effect.

These updates should be added to the above: shatter/severing any part of the head causes the character to fall unconcious until healed (same rule for healing). Also, if the "massive damage Called Shot" effect is avoided, the creature still has to make a save against the normal Called Shot effect.

The whole massive damage thing is really just added flavor - the odds against it happening are quite high - but it's already getting a bit too complex, especially compared to the original idea.