Throat Slit?

[dogboy]

Interesting Thread

This is a great discussion that really gives me some ideas for my game. One might be to allow the PCs to buy a Bic or Gillette Mach II. Oh, and Lady Bic
for the ladies or transvestites in the party. Just have to figure out gp cost for
one of those babies now.

 

[Silverglass]

Time for my Wizard to exploit the paranoid adventurer market with a batch of +1 Merciful Straight Razors (cannot be supressed and only does lethal damage to hair).

 

[Rafael Ceurdepyr]

Relaxing at the Fair

Well the Ranger survived.

Had to chime in as one of the players in this scenario, the one who was safely shaved just before the Ranger. This was a cool bit, one I thought originally was just for flavor. We're wandering around the Fair, taking a day off to relax essentially, seeing the sights. Oh, how amusing, a barber who is juggling bottles and knives! Sure, we'll get shaves, why not. Careful with the hair (paragoblins are particular about that)!

Then it's Levan's turn. Yikes! Flavor turned into fighting. In game we were totally at a loss for why this happened, as we had no clue about the Ranger's extracurricular activities. Metagaming, we knew it was because he'd been naughty, killing two guys in a Barrelman's Guild bar. (And I critted one of the henchmen with my rapier.) Now Levan's got an amazing scar and will probably not go picking fights in guild bars again. Maybe.

Gotta make sure that boy doesn't get bored...

 

[Pagan priest]

I would definately call this a CDG scenario. Whether or not the razor goes deep enough to open a vein is as much luck at that point as anything else, so the luck of a saving throw is the best way to model it. AS far as the PC's using this against their enemies, they would need to succeed at a lot of skill checks... disguise, bluff.

I would also like to mention a great movie scene. Douglas Fairbanks, jr. in Sinbad the Sailor is getting a shave when the barber suddenly is holding the razor at his throat and talking about how easy it would be to slit it and simply take the neckalce Sinbad is wearing. Because the barber wants to talk, not kill, Sinbad is able to whip out his sword. Had the barber wanted to kill and not talk, Sinbad would have been dead.

 

[Hypersmurf]

From the SRD (apologies if someone has already pointed this out) “…Some full-round actions can be taken as standard actions, but only in situations when you are limited to performing only a standard action during your round…”

This is true... but they're labelled as such.

See 'Withdraw' and 'Charge' for examples.

-Hyp.

 

[Ampolitor]

reflections

your the DM be creative,
how about they see what should be a relfection in the mirros its distorted or not there, use something to clue the player in that something is just not right.

 

[The Souljourner]

Definitely coup de grace time. You feel a ridiculously razor sharp knife at your throat that you just saw the guy sharpening for 30 seconds, and you lean back so he can get a good angle at your throat? Hell yeah, that's a CDG. Those razors are insanely sharp... I don't care how tough your neck is, they'll do massive damage. Yes, you can live, that's why you get a saving throw.... but most people die when their throats are cut.

Using it on PCs... I'd never actually let the CDG go through... it's way too unfair. I'd do something like you see in movies.. I'd ask what the person's spot, listen, and sense motive are, and make a few rolls, just to get the metagaming juices rolling, then do a little descriptive thing... you see an evil grin on the barber's face in the reflection of the knife as it descends on your throat, or you smell the acrid stench of poison on the blade, or *something* to justify why your character isn't face down in a puddle of blood.. because of the "fortuitous" forewarning, I'd just make it a very descriptive sneak attack, and everyone could talk about what a "close call" it was once the murderous barber is dead.

-The Souljourner

 

[Psimancer]

This is true... but they're labelled as such.

Correct... that's WHY I included the line; "...Given the circumstances..."

* * *

Anyway... I will be including this option in my game (on both sides of the fence) from now on... However, I will require TWO checks prior to the attack, either:

'Disguise vs Spot' AND 'Sense Motive vs Bluff'

or

'Move Silent vs Listen' AND 'Hide vs Spot'

or

Something similar, but always at least two checks...

If either of the checks fails, no go on the CDG...

The reason for two checks?... It increases the chances that the players (or NPCs) will NOT face a CDG...

In the original scenario, if the 'Disguise vs Spot' was failed, the victim would realise that the attacker did not have any ranks in Profession (Barber), or something akin to it...


.

 

[Numion]

This kind of situation is outside of what WotC intended for Coup de Graces IMO. Surprise and sneak attack, sure, but not Coup de Grace. The target is not helpless. He's sitting in a chair.

I hear you all on actual effects of slit throat, but if the target is not killed by sneak attacks and surprise round, his throat apparently wasn't slit. D&D adventurers aren't killed by a commoner on a barberchair any more than they are killed by a big fall at higher levels. They might be killed by skilled assassins on a barberchair, though (through sneak attack and surprise round mechanics).

 

[Pagan priest]

This kind of situation is outside of what WotC intended for Coup de Graces IMO. Surprise and sneak attack, sure, but not Coup de Grace. The target is not helpless. He's sitting in a chair.

Intent is difficult to guess, and not always relevant. The target is sitting in a chair, either relaxed or trying to relax so the barber can do his job, he is leaning way back, limiting his mobility, in all likelyhood, the barber has a hand on his forehead to position the head for shaving... all that adds up to potentially helpless, and thus vulnerable to a CDG.

However, note that hand on the forehead. That is significant. If the barber increases the pressure to keep the person from being able to move before the razor starts cutting into the victim's throat, that may give enough of a warning for a hero type to react. In other words, a sense motive check.

If our barber assassin times it just right, that hand on the forehead will keep the hero immoble during the attack, rendering him helpless long enough to perform the CDG.