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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nagol" data-source="post: 5600344" data-attributes="member: 23935">So the arrow will bounce off harmlessly unless a wound could inflict secondary effects?That leads to Scenario C: same arrow except it is carrying a longer-term threat that the PC should be unaware of, for example a disease that won't manifest for at least a day.If the arrow bounces harmlessly off the armour then the player is given a mental image of the event that doesn't require any form of follow up and the imposition of the disease at a later time can feel like a gotcha.  If the arrow acts differently than other arrows of similar ilk and the player is paying attention then he receives more information than he should.In the olden days before hp inflation, it could be argued that any hit no matter how minor effectively resulted in actually hitting the target (even if luck, morale, inherent toughness, etc. reduced the resulting wound) and my point was moot.Ultimately, this doesn't matter too much so long as the DM controls the narrative surrounding the combat and the effect of any particular blow.  Where it becomes problematic is when the game systems starts to share narrative control with the players and deliberately starts to justify most damage to non-tangible results such as morale, et al. allowing hits to apparently miss.For the players to effectively participate in narrative control they need the same overall information of the situation surrounding the combat as the DM has.  Otherwise the narrative begins to unravel as events no longer seem to unfold in predictable patterns from previous situations.</blockquote>

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