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The bigger they are, the harder they are to kill
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<blockquote data-quote="Abe.ebA" data-source="post: 2891479" data-attributes="member: 32545"><p>While reading a thread about the sizes of various Giants and the ways in which a Medium sized PC would take down a Huge sized target I was struck by something: grappling is the only mechanic which recognizes the size of a target creature. I mean, sure you get a bonus to hit, but that almost runs counter to the common sense problems of fighting something the knee of which is at eye level to you.</p><p></p><p>So I came up with the following:</p><p>When fighting an opponent whose size category does not match your own, you adjust the die size of the weapon you're using. Each size category of difference changes the die size by one. So a Medium human fighter fighting a Large hill giant using a shortsword would do 1d4 damage base, rather than 1d6. Conversely, the same fighter with a shortsword fighting a Small halfling rogue would deal 1d8 damage. </p><p></p><p>Then, so that PCs are not routinely destroyed by larger opponents we introduce a feat:</p><p><strong>The Bigger They Are...</strong></p><p><strong>Pre-requisite</strong>: Knowledge (Nature): 5 ranks.</p><p><strong>Benefit:</strong> You are able to make crippling strikes against creatures larger than yourself, taking advantage of their similarly larger pressure points, veins, and arteries. Any opponent who would normally be one or more size categories larger than you is treated as one size category smaller for purposes of determining the damage you deal on a successful attack.</p><p></p><p>Possibly also a spell which replicates the effect for a brief period by making the target's vascular and nervous systems glow visibly within their body.</p><p></p><p>Now, if something is at least 2 size categories larger than you are, you can get the effects of the above feat for free. Make a Climb check opposed by a Ref save (or maybe just a Dex check? Or Escape Artist?) on the part of the target. Success allows you to climb up onto the target, giving you access to vital locations like their head, neck, and back. If you both mount a target <em>and</em> have the above feat, you get to neglect two size categories. The so-mounted opponent can then spend a move-equivalent action attempting to shake you off. It's the same thing again: Climb opposed by Ref (or whatever) to shake the target off. Or they can take a Standard action to slam themselves bodily into a wall, the ground, or whatever is available dealing 1d6 (1d8?) damage per size category they are larger than you and percipitating the Climb check automatically to stay mounted. Maybe with a bonus on their side of the check proportional to the damage done?</p><p></p><p>We could also introduce a magical enhancement for weapons that negates a size category, or a feat that allows you to count as one size category larger for determining damage done by an opponent (maybe make this a bonus racial feat for Dwarves and Halflings, given their usual backstory with hatred of the big-uns?).</p><p></p><p>So what do you lot think? Good idea? Impractical? Totally un-workable? This is kind of an off-the-cuff thing I made up on my way to work today while thinking about PCs fighting giants and how it should be a lot cooler than it usually is. My primary inspirations being the fact that big things have thick skin and the special attacks versus the Ogre-y guys in God of War.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Abe.ebA, post: 2891479, member: 32545"] While reading a thread about the sizes of various Giants and the ways in which a Medium sized PC would take down a Huge sized target I was struck by something: grappling is the only mechanic which recognizes the size of a target creature. I mean, sure you get a bonus to hit, but that almost runs counter to the common sense problems of fighting something the knee of which is at eye level to you. So I came up with the following: When fighting an opponent whose size category does not match your own, you adjust the die size of the weapon you're using. Each size category of difference changes the die size by one. So a Medium human fighter fighting a Large hill giant using a shortsword would do 1d4 damage base, rather than 1d6. Conversely, the same fighter with a shortsword fighting a Small halfling rogue would deal 1d8 damage. Then, so that PCs are not routinely destroyed by larger opponents we introduce a feat: [b]The Bigger They Are...[/b] [b]Pre-requisite[/b]: Knowledge (Nature): 5 ranks. [b]Benefit:[/b] You are able to make crippling strikes against creatures larger than yourself, taking advantage of their similarly larger pressure points, veins, and arteries. Any opponent who would normally be one or more size categories larger than you is treated as one size category smaller for purposes of determining the damage you deal on a successful attack. Possibly also a spell which replicates the effect for a brief period by making the target's vascular and nervous systems glow visibly within their body. Now, if something is at least 2 size categories larger than you are, you can get the effects of the above feat for free. Make a Climb check opposed by a Ref save (or maybe just a Dex check? Or Escape Artist?) on the part of the target. Success allows you to climb up onto the target, giving you access to vital locations like their head, neck, and back. If you both mount a target [i]and[/i] have the above feat, you get to neglect two size categories. The so-mounted opponent can then spend a move-equivalent action attempting to shake you off. It's the same thing again: Climb opposed by Ref (or whatever) to shake the target off. Or they can take a Standard action to slam themselves bodily into a wall, the ground, or whatever is available dealing 1d6 (1d8?) damage per size category they are larger than you and percipitating the Climb check automatically to stay mounted. Maybe with a bonus on their side of the check proportional to the damage done? We could also introduce a magical enhancement for weapons that negates a size category, or a feat that allows you to count as one size category larger for determining damage done by an opponent (maybe make this a bonus racial feat for Dwarves and Halflings, given their usual backstory with hatred of the big-uns?). So what do you lot think? Good idea? Impractical? Totally un-workable? This is kind of an off-the-cuff thing I made up on my way to work today while thinking about PCs fighting giants and how it should be a lot cooler than it usually is. My primary inspirations being the fact that big things have thick skin and the special attacks versus the Ogre-y guys in God of War. [/QUOTE]
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