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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mercutio01" data-source="post: 5839131" data-attributes="member: 37277">How is "targeting a vital area" not the same thing as a called shot? Next - why do shins not qualify in this case, and in what case would a kick to the shins qualify? I'm curious as to the reasoning, and that's clearly all that is happening here. The rules don't prohibit it: it's simply a case of DM preference.What is your justification for a shin NOT being a vital spot? It's potentially crippling, painful as all heck, and, traditionally, the third area of the body armored (after head and chest), so ancient warriors and armorers must have disagreed with you on its vital nature. The tibia is the one bone closest to the skin with the least protection from muscles. It's a very obvious place to attack, particularly if you are short and attacking someone larger, and the potential for devastating damage is pretty high. Watch that clip from the soccer match again.I'm curious as to how you justify this. Is a groin or throat a better place to attack? How about the eyes or the solar plexus? How about the Achilles tendon or a kidney punch? What's the determining factor here, and how much of a difference does it actually make? Why is the player saying "shins" a barrier to the sneak attack where if he simply didn't mention anything at all NOT a barrier to sneak attack? It comes down to your personal opinion of what is and is not a vital spot.Limbs are also not defined in D&D, but my justification is that an eyestalk has nerve endings and is just as vital to a beholder as a finger or hand would be to a human. Amputating either would have a similar sort of effect. The medical definition for a limb is "any jointed or prehensile appendage." Eyestalks are clearly jointed, must have muscles, tendons, and blood, and, additionally, have magical properties. If that's not a vital spot worthy of special attention for attacking, then I just don't know what is.Really, what it all comes down to is playstyle. Clearly I'm more in the area that Piratecat is. Artificially nerfing sneak attack because of exactly one half a sentence of fluff, and nothing less than personal bias on what is and is not vital (since "vital spot" is never defined in any edition) smacks of petty DM-tatorship and not furthering the fun of the game. Ultimately, that's all it comes down to. Have fun playing your way, and I'll have fun playing mine.</blockquote>

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