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<blockquote data-quote="airwalkrr" data-source="post: 2923284" data-attributes="member: 12460">Another thought occurs to me. Since not all weapons work in the same way, perhaps the ability to threaten in this manner should be limited by weapon type. For instance, I am not going to be afraid of someone pushing a hammer up against my head and saying, &quot;Gimmie your money or I'll bash your head open.&quot; That gives me at least the time between pulling the hammer back and letting go with a swing for me to get out of the way. However, I would be quite afraid of a buccaneer poking a rapier at my back and saying &quot;Gimmie the booty or I runs ya through!&quot;So perhaps whenever you get the drop on someone such that you have a piercing weapon immediately directed at a vital area and are within 5 feet of the individual, you can ready an action to stab or shoot them if they are flat-footed. Any attack made under these conditions automatically hits and is an automatic critical threat. If the threat is confirmed, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or fall immediately to -9 hp. This way, you aren't completely screwed if you get caught in this situation. There is always the possibility that the threat is not confirmed, but if it does and you fail a Fortitude save you are beaten but not dead. Now the baron in question would have a hard time sticking it to a whole party this way, but at least it isn't instant death like the coup de grace rules. Obviously the tactic doesn't work on creatures immune to critical hits. As an added balance, this tactic doesn't work on characters with uncanny dodge, adding a bit of panache to such characters. &quot;Haha, baron! You forgot I am quicker than the eye!&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="airwalkrr, post: 2923284, member: 12460"] Another thought occurs to me. Since not all weapons work in the same way, perhaps the ability to threaten in this manner should be limited by weapon type. For instance, I am not going to be afraid of someone pushing a hammer up against my head and saying, "Gimmie your money or I'll bash your head open." That gives me at least the time between pulling the hammer back and letting go with a swing for me to get out of the way. However, I would be quite afraid of a buccaneer poking a rapier at my back and saying "Gimmie the booty or I runs ya through!" So perhaps whenever you get the drop on someone such that you have a piercing weapon immediately directed at a vital area and are within 5 feet of the individual, you can ready an action to stab or shoot them if they are flat-footed. Any attack made under these conditions automatically hits and is an automatic critical threat. If the threat is confirmed, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or fall immediately to -9 hp. This way, you aren't completely screwed if you get caught in this situation. There is always the possibility that the threat is not confirmed, but if it does and you fail a Fortitude save you are beaten but not dead. Now the baron in question would have a hard time sticking it to a whole party this way, but at least it isn't instant death like the coup de grace rules. Obviously the tactic doesn't work on creatures immune to critical hits. As an added balance, this tactic doesn't work on characters with uncanny dodge, adding a bit of panache to such characters. "Haha, baron! You forgot I am quicker than the eye!" [/QUOTE]

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