[Combat] Aiming/Targeting A Specific Area

[GianniVacca]

I use the Hit Locations option from BRP.

At one of the games in Bacharach one of my players decided to aim at the head of his character's foe. That caught me completely unawares.

I searched through the BRP rule-book, and found a rule on p212, but the way it is worded makes it sound like it's only for missile weapons, not for melee weapons. I hence improvised the following rule:

The character would strike last in the combat round but he would be allowed to modify the result of the localisation D20 by +/-1.

At the end of the game, the players found my rule too harsh. Me, I found it balanced (i.e., it didn't really change the results of the fights); I remember that I used to find the RQ2 rules for aimed blows too easy against foes without a helmet (rule 1: for each delayed SR the D20 is modified by 1; rule 2: halve attack %age and choose hit location).

Thoughts?

[rust]

At the end of the game, the players found my rule too harsh.

I would have no problem with your rule. It is rather difficult to hit a specific location during a

combat, because the opponent usually does his best not to cooperate with such an attempt,

and the head is the one hit location a normal opponent tries to protect by any means - to hit

it should therefore be very difficult, I think.

[threedeesix]

Personally, we use aiming as it works normally for both melee and missile combat.

Mainly because if you look at the section on aiming for a targets weapon it says "If an attacker wishes to destroy a foe’s parrying weapon or shield, he or she should make an attack as normal if the target is attempting to parry. If the target is not attempting to parry, the attack is an aimed attack as described on page 212".

Why would aiming for his sword be any different from aiming for his arm, or therefore his head. Plus look at any form of martial art, boxing for instance, these guys are aiming for the head. Fencers even have a little heart "target" on their chest, that's not there to see if someone accidentally hits it.

I honestly believe the term "take the shot" and such on page 212 were just a poor choice of words, and it was intended to work the same way for both melee and missile combat. At least we have always done it that way and never found it off balancing. After all, if you can aim for their head, so can they.

Rod

[Atgxtg]

One method that I saw in Flashing Blades and wanted to swipe for BRP works as follows:

Pick a target location, roll 2D20 for hit location and hit the location closest to the one selected.

It is fast, easy, and pretty realistic.

[Atgxtg]

It is rather difficult to hit a specific location during a

combat, because the opponent usually does his best not to cooperate with such an attempt,

and the head is the one hit location a normal opponent tries to protect by any means - to hit

it should therefore be very difficult, I think.

Not really. All attacks are really aimed strikes. It's not like you swing your sword wondering where the blow is going to land. combatant's are always aiming at some spot. And the foes' uncooperativeness is really already factored into the normal attack and parry rolls.

Hitting a location is reach much, much easier than it is in BRP. Either than or I'm a master swordsman and don't know it.

[rust]

Not really. All attacks are really aimed strikes. It's not like you swing your sword wondering where the blow is going to land.

True, but one usually aims at a location that has been made possible by the development of

the ongoing combat, for example because of an opening in the opponents's defence.

One can aim at the head whenever such an opportunity presents itself, and there are ways

to create such opportunities for specific hit locations (feints and thelike), but it is extremely

difficult to hit such a location at any other moment of the combat.

In other words: The swordsman can say "I will aim for the head at the first chance to do so"

and succeed, but he will rarely succeed with the plan "I will aim at the head with my next strike".

[Atgxtg]

True, but one usually aims at a location that has been made possible by the development of

the ongoing combat, for example because of an opening in the opponents's defence.

One can aim at the head whenever such an opportunity presents itself, and there are ways

to create such opportunities for specific hit locations (feints and thelike), but it is extremely

difficult to hit such a location at any other moment of the combat.

In other words: The swordsman can say "I will aim for the head at the first chance to do so"

and succeed, but he will rarely succeed with the plan "I will aim at the head with my next strike".

No, not really. When I used to do it, I'd just swing for the head. There really isn't a "opening in the defense". A sword only covers a very small percentage of the body, and all bodies parts are always "open" for attack. Maybe what you say is true in fencing, with the greater swordplay, but it certainly doesn't hold true for medieval weapons.

When we used to play around with swords, we banned head strikes because they were so easy (any we didin''t want to inflict any permanent injury). You get the worst field of view for your head, whereas you can see most of your arms, chest, and legs.

The easiest part to hit tended to be the hands. We hit those even when we weren't trying.

[rust]

Maybe what you say is true in fencing, with the greater swordplay, but it certainly doesn't hold true for medieval weapons.

This may be true, my only personal experience is indeed with fencing weapons.

[Atgxtg]

This may be true, my only personal experience is indeed with fencing weapons.

Tha'ts probably it. Isuspect you can't "muscle" a foil past a parry the way you can with a heavier blade.

[Trifletraxor]

My houserule is that aiming for a particular location is difficult, that is 1/2 skill, both for melee and missile. Simple.

SGL.

[rust]

Isuspect you can't "muscle" a foil past a parry the way you can with a heavier blade.

Well, lets put it this way: One of the most feared rapier fencers of France's 17th century was

Julie le Maupin, a slender woman who was often mistaken for a boy - she once won a serious

fight against three men at the same time ...