"What do you mean I can't...?"

[Geron Raveneye]

Well, one easy way for "called shots" is to tell the player that he can call out a target area on his opponent if he wants, but he'll only hit it with a critical hit. If he manages one, apply standard critical damage to the opponent, and add a -2 penalty to any actions the opponent might have used the targeted area for. If it was the eyes, treat him as blinded. Easy to remember, within system limits, and the additional penalty variant comes from the DMG, so it's nothing too rule-bending either.

 

[Gentlegamer]

My dwarf once rode bronco-style on the back of a rampaging giant rhino beetle . . .

 

[Frozen DM]

I've always tried to encourage my players to try unusual combat techniques, if for no other reason than to make our combat sessions more interesting. Last night, for example, the characters were at the edge of an underground chasm (only 30 feet high though) when a dire bat attacked. One character, the dwarf, was haning to a rope ladder on the way down and became the bat's choice of target. Our ranger decided to try bat-riding and leapt off the top of the chasm onto the bat. I ruled it as follows:

• A Jump check (DC 10) to reach the dire bat. This succeeded.
• The ranger had to make a sucessful grapple check against the bat. This failed because the dire bat had a much better grapple bonus. Essentially the dire bat shook him off.
• The dwar tried to catch his friend. I ruled this as a touch attack on the falling ranger. This worked so the dwarf, hanging on the rope, managed to catch him.
• However, the ranger exceeded the dwarf's max load, so I required a DC 20 strength check from the dwarf to hold on. This failed, and the ranger fell the remaining distance.

In the end the ranger fell 20 feet (I decided the first 10 was removed from the actions of the dwarf). He got up, bruised, but not terrible hurt, and the fight continued.

I would also recommend Iron Heroes for the combat chapter. The combat rules on combat challenges and stunts easily adapt themselves to any d20 game IMO, and provide a rules framework for a lot of the ideas mentioned in this thread. For example, one of the lesser combat challenges (that any character can try) is to take a -2 penalty to their attack roll for a +1 bonus to damage, as the character tries a wild, but more powerful swing, essentially a lesser form of Power Attack.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I would also recommend Iron Heroes for the combat chapter. The combat rules on combat challenges and stunts easily adapt themselves to any d20 game IMO, and provide a rules framework for a lot of the ideas mentioned in this thread. For example, one of the lesser combat challenges (that any character can try) is to take a -2 penalty to their attack roll for a +1 bonus to damage, as the character tries a wild, but more powerful swing, essentially a lesser form of Power Attack.

Mike Mearls' Book of Iron Might from Malhavoc Press also has a lot of the same elements specifically written for use in a D&D game. It includes advice on the consequences of introducing new combat maneuvers and whatnot, too. Really a great book.

 

[Thotas]

Geron Raveneye, I really like your simple way of taking care of called shots. Consider it adopted. Maybe the reason it makes sense to me is that it reflects something that happened to me in game once. I was playing an archer, and once when standing guard he drew his bow and told an intruder not to make a move or "I'll put this shaft right between your eyes." The intruder moved, I rolled a natural 20, confirmed the threat and rolled damage, he fell over, I have no doubt where the arrow struck.

 

[Steverooo]

To play devil's advocate, there are game balance issues with allowing what you described. A hypothetical situation I could imagine is that you have Character A, a Ranger like the one you described, and Character B, a Rogue character who has maxed out his ranks in Craft(Trapmaking), and has spent several thousand gp preparing similar traps for the parties' urban safehouse.

To be players' advocate, I fail to see any game balance issues. The Rogue has Craft (Trapmaking), @ 1 Rank/Skill Point, and the Barbarian, Cleric of the Travel Domain, Druid, and Ranger have Survival @ 1 Rank/Skill Point. Likewise, the Fighter, etc., could take Craft (Trapmaking), and be in "Class A" with the Rogue, while other PCs with Survival are in "Class B".

"Class A" can set (Cross-)Bow-traps, deadfalls, (spiked) limb-traps, net-traps, (spiked) pits, and simple or complex snares (and note, here, that I include tripwires, alarms, and the old "rope stretched across the road" among the simple snares), AS WELL AS spending at least 1,000 GPs and a week (or more) to set more complex traps which the "Class B" group can not. If a Ranger wants to sit down and hammer a sheet of steel and some wire into a mechanical bear trap, then he will need Craft (Trapmaking). If he wants to set one of the above, he should be able to do it with his Survival skill.

Of the traps, above, four do some damage, two do none, and one could. Assuming pits less than 30' deep, none will do more than 3D8 damage (on a critical), or 1D8 normally (3D6 for a 30' Pit)... A Crossbow- or Bow-trap will do the weapon's damage, if it hits. A deadfall will do falling damage, depending upon mass and distance fallen, usually 2D6 or less. A Limb-trap will do 1D6 Blunt, 1D8 Blunt/Piercing, if spiked. A Net-trap will do simple entangling, and COULD be set up in such a manner as to cause either falling damage when you try to climb out (if you fail a Climb check), or sling the net into some spikes for another 1D6 damage. A Pit-trap usually only does 1D6/10' falling damage, but may also be spiked, and/or hold the NPCs, if they can't climb out. A Simple snare will do no damage at all, unless it catches an unintelligent creature about the neck, and it continues to struggle until it kills itself. A tripwire, etc., might cause 1D6 to a running opponent. Complex snares can whip an opponent off their feet, dangling them in the air, doing no damage unless it has them by the neck, or (again) sling them into some sharpened tree branches, doing spike damage.

As for these being useless against intelligent prey, they were used in Nam, by the VC, and proved quite effective against (presumably intelligent) American soldiers. I leave their particularly nasty version of slow-killing infectious coating for the spikes out!

Also, allowing traps w/o skill ranks, time & $$ kinda treads on the spellcasters roles in a weird way to my logic, "Why do I bother preparing Entangle when Woodland McGuyver here can make the same thing out of bushes and bootlaces?"

Why? The Ranger (and Druid) have Entangle, as well as Snare, and are the ones who will be memorizing and casting them. Besides, your A Priori assumptions ("w/o skill ranks, time & $$") are all wrong! I just say that 1,000 GP and one WEEK of time is ridiculous!

So, let's call these "CR 0" traps, and state that they all require the use of Survival OR Craft (Trapmaking) skill, a knife or axe, snare wire or cord, and "appropriate materials for the trap to be made": A croobow and bolt for a Crossbow-trap; a string and arrow for a Bow-trap; nothing additional for a deadfall, (spiked) Limb-trap, or Simple/Complex Snares; a net for a Net-trap; a shovel or spade for a Pit-trap (unless you encounter a naturally-occurring pit). Then, all you need is a table showing the type of trap and the time needed to create it from natural materials, along with the Search & Disable Device DCs. It all fits quite nicely with the Traps CRs, as well as the text of the Detect Snares & Pits spell!

As these are all mechanically simple traps, the Search DCs will all be 20 or less. (It is DC:20 for a covered Pit-trap, I know, but the rest would have to be created... DC:20 sounds good to me, DC:15 if a Hide check fails to conceal it.) Compare this to the DCs on the Snare spell... and we haven't even brought up the Reflex Saves for avoiding these traps, yet!

Myself, I would require ranks in craft(trapmaking), require the time, and abstract the gp requirements somehow...i.e. "You need to spend x man-hours gathering and preparing materials and you traps has penalty y and z because it's made from saplings, wood spikes and twine instead of steel springs and sword blades" Allow a reducting in the the time building the trap with competant helpers.

And, again, a week to set a snare, with penalties, is ridiculous, even if you allow it to be reduced for "qualified" help (whatever that is). I can set a simple snare in about ten seconds, once I have the materials. I can anchor it in 20 or less. The first time I ever tried to set a mechanically complex snare (dangle & strangler), it took me less than 10 minutes, when I wasn't sure that I knew what I was doing (it worked, too!).

If a PC wants to rig a complex trap, like those in the DMG, most especially those involving magic, but more generally anything complex and mechanical (and outside my experience), I am fine with using the DMG times and prices. For things that I know I can do, my-unheroic-self, thank you very much, it strains my suspension of disbelief to be told that I (my PC) can't do it.

Furthermore, Survival skill can be used to gather food & water (which the Clerics can do away with the need for, with a 0-level Orison, Create Food & Water, that any first level Cleric or Druid will have!), or to resist heat and cold, or to Track, or find directions/avoid getting lost... none of which comes up very often, in-game. I don't think that allowing the Ranger (or Barbarian, Cleric of the Travel Domain, Druid, or any other PC with Survival or Craft (Trapmaking) skill) to set a few small, low-damage, and easily-detected-by-their-peers traps steps on their toes any more than the Clerics' Orison steps on the Ranger's. Your Mileage May Vary, of course.

 

[Geron Raveneye]

Geron Raveneye, I really like your simple way of taking care of called shots. Consider it adopted. Maybe the reason it makes sense to me is that it reflects something that happened to me in game once. I was playing an archer, and once when standing guard he drew his bow and told an intruder not to make a move or "I'll put this shaft right between your eyes." The intruder moved, I rolled a natural 20, confirmed the threat and rolled damage, he fell over, I have no doubt where the arrow struck.

Hey, I feel honored! Sounds like a pretty memorable scene to me, too.

 

[billd91]

To be players' advocate, I fail to see any game balance issues. The Rogue has Craft (Trapmaking), @ 1 Rank/Skill Point, and the Barbarian, Druid, Cleric of the Travel Domain, and Ranger have Survival @ 1 Rank/Skill Point. Likewise, the Fighter, etc., could take Craft (Trapmaking), and be in "Class A" with the Rogue, while other PCs with Survival are in "Class B".

"Class A" can set (Cross-)Bow-traps, deadfalls, (spiked) limb-traps, net-traps, (spiked) pits, and simple or complex snares, AS WELL AS spending at least 1,000 GPs and a week (or more) to set more complex traps which the "Class B" group can not. If a Ranger wants to sit down and hammer a sheet of steel and some wire into a mechanical bear trap, then he will need Craft (Trapmaking). If he wants to set one of the above, he should be able to do it with his Survival skill.

<snip>

As for these being useless against intelligent prey, they were used in Nam, by the VC, and proved quite effective against (presumably intelligent) American soldiers. I leave their particularly nasty version of slow-killing infectious coating for the spikes out!

<snip>

And, again, a week to set a snare, with penalties, is ridiculous. I can make a snare in less than 10 seconds, once I have the materials. I can anchor it in 20 or less. The first time I ever tried to set a mechanically complex snare (Dangle & strangler), it took me less than 10 minutes, when I wasn't sure that I knew what I was doing.

Of course, if the ranger (or any other character with survival) wanted to be good at making snares and traps, he'd take craft (trapmaking). Since Craft is a very common class skill, it's well within any character's reach. And no other skill should be as effective at making traps as Craft (trapmaking). A ranger I play, in fact, spent ranks on Craft (trapmaking) so he could be particularly good at it. Used it to good effect too as a 1st level character faced with a pair of ogres (and given enough forewarning, of course).
That said, I can see using Craft (trapmaking) untrained. Heck, I'd even give a synergy bonus for anyone with 5 ranks of Survival when it comes to making snares and other things useful for catching game.
As far as traps taking at least week and loads of money (note that the cheapest a trap could cost is actually 100 gp and not 1000, not so bad, really), I don't think simple traps (probably limited to CR 1 or 2), should take a lot of time and money unless they are expected to be long-term or permanent fixtures. That's the only thing that should be expected to cost that kind of money. Notice that the trap-making section in the DMG does seem to assume that these are traps designed to strengthen the defenses of a stronghold. That implies permanence to me. A 10' deep pit may still take hours to make, but it won't take at least a week and cost a lot of money. But without the expenditure, I would also expect it to be non-permanent. A side may cave into a slope making it easy to crawl out of, stakes at the bottom would be knocked down or broken, any covering would be long gone by the weather making it a useless trap.
So, ultimately, I think your DM got caught flatfooted and didn't need to stonewall you. But there's really no point in getting too flustered about it. This is a thread where people are debating whether it's ever really appropriate to say "You can't do that" and this is an example where there's no really good reason to say that.