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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BLACKDIRGE" data-source="post: 826682" data-attributes="member: 1953">What fun! This is a really cool idea. Having done SCA and full contact live steel combat for some years now I have learned a thing or two about the nature of melee combat. First of all its rarely "pretty", even the best fighter will look nothing like the movies when in the thick of it. Economy of motion is the key not flashy moves which more than likely will just gey you killed. That said I do like a rousing description of combat from a writer who at least understands the basics of armed combat.One thing to remember is that weapons rarely land where you want them to, which is not necessarily a bad thing. A good way to spice up combat description is to describe the blow landing in a place your mind would not normally jump to. Here is an exmple of what i mean from one of my rogue gallery threads."Grummok pistoned his arm up and over Thagmot’s open faced helm plunging his dagger into the bugbears face twice before Thagmot, writhing in agony, managed to shake the tenacious gargoyle off of his back. Grummok hit the ground and rolled to his feet his dagger poised to strike, but there was no need, the blackguard had lost all interest in the deadly assassin. Thagmot had stumbled back away from Grummok clutching the ruins of his face and howling in absolute torment. Grummok’s two strikes had inflicted grievous damage removing the bugbear’s right eye with the first while the second had plunged deep into the blackguard’s mouth, taking most of his upper lip and good portion of his tongue along with it."Here you have two vicious blows that would more than likely reduce an opponent to less than half his current hit points. Getting stabbed in the mouth would really ruin your day and in the thick of things is a very real possibility. Attacks like this are also good for reoccuring villians as they tend to leave horrible scars and give the bad guy something to really hate your PC's for.Another good trick is to describe defense as much as offense, take a good attack roll and describe it as a riposte or as a response to an oppoent's attack. Again from my rogue's gallery thread."As Hek darted in with a double thrust aimed at Grummok’s throat the gargoyle spun his body to the side allowing Hek’s thrust to sail past its target. Surprised by the sudden change in his rhythm Hek was momentarily off balance and his speed simply was not enough to retract his blades and vulnerable hands in time to save them from Grummok’s blade. The wickedly sharp drow longsword arced up in vicious undercut slicing clean through Hek’s right wrist and sending his severed hand, still clutching the flaming dagger, twitching to the ground. Grummok followed his cut by pivoting his body back to face Hek and slamming his buckler with all his might into the human’s stunned face. The crunch of cartilage and bone as Hek's nose and cheekbone shattered was horribly loud in the echoing space of the trophy room. The force of Grummok’s blow knocked Hek of his feet where he lay in stunned silence blood jetting in crimson spurts form his ragged stump."In the above clip you have what could be a critical hit with the removal of the hand and a finishing blow that would put the opponent into negatives.Once again great idea, I will post more as they come to me.</blockquote>

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