What's with skip shot?

[Plane Sailing]

What is it about the ability to bounce a bullet off a nearby wall and so negate someones cover (Skip Shot feat)?

Is this realistic and reasonable? what is it supposed to represent? I can't think of any examples from films or novels where this kind of trick shot is used, and I'm at a loss to think "mechanically" how it might work since if a target is behind cover I would think that you would have to hit the pavement or wall at too acute an angle for any richochet..?!?

Seems there are a few gun-savvy people here - is this realistic and reasonable?

Confusedly yours,

 

[D'karr]

It's not meant to be realistic.

A lot of d20 Modern is not meant to be realistic. Some of it is downright silly but cinematic effects work well in some campaigns.

 

[Steve Conan Trustrum]

It's somewhat based in reality. Cops are trained to bounce bullets under vehicles to shoot their targets in the legs, but going for the ol' double bank is a bit much.

 

[Plane Sailing]

A lot of d20 Modern is not meant to be realistic. Some of it is downright silly but cinematic effects work well in some campaigns.

hmmm - off hand I can't think of *any* film where I've seen this done (unless it was in the Judge Dredd film, since the lawgiver in the comic could fire "rubber richochet" bullets... but that isn't exactly d20 modern either

S-C-T: an interesting observation - maybe that is what they had in mind for the ability?

May be worth asking this question on the WotC forums.

Cheers

 

[Crothian]

This was done in robocop

 

[D'karr]

I'll buy that for a dollar.

I actually saw a TV program several months ago, I believe it was on TLC or Discovery Channel. They had this guy that was a trick shot with a rifle and a pistol.

He could shoot a target looking backwards through a mirror. As well as some other quite amazing "feats" of marksmanship. One of the things he did was hit a target using a ricocheted shot.

 

[Henry]

As I recall, wasn't this trick also in some old Roy Rogers movies or Lone Ranger TV shows? Some of the corny westerns had ricochet shots in them, I believe.

 

[Trainz]

Like someone said, it was in RoboCop (albeit he used some internal angle-targeting-computer-thingy).

You know, if my suspension of disbeleif allows for fireballs and dragons, I think I can stretch it a bit more to encompass something much closer to reality such as an aimed ricochet.

I like it. If you don't, don't use it. I'm glad they included it for me.

You could replace it with something more beleivable though. There are so many feats of exceptional marksmanship, I'm sure you could find some that suit your campaign better.

Something about skip shot though: the guy is on the other side of the corner and you use the adjacent metal pole to ricochet the bullet. Fine. How do you do to know where he is exactly on the other side of said wall ?

In my book, he benifits from total concealment if you don't see him at all, thus suffering a 50% miss chance... YMMV tremendeously.

 

[Falanor]

Lethal Weapon 4. Riggs uses his laser sight to get the trajectory but he shoot a guy in the rear to get him to pop up and shoot him again.

 

[Plane Sailing]

obviously I've been watching the wrong films

When I run d20m I'll check with my players and see whether it passes their "I don't believe it" test, else I'll ditch it for my game.

Thanks for all the comments