Nonhuman hit locations description

[Alexandre]

Hi all,

this has been a (albeit minor) problem of mine since I started playing RuneQuest. Basically, the lack of description of nonhuman hit locations and the effects of wounds. For example horse hindquarters are equal to a human's abdomen in terms of what happens when they reach 0 HP or -max HP? And the forequarters are equal to the chest? What happens if a 4 legged creature loses a leg? Does it fall on the ground? Should a lizard die of blood loss if its tail is severed?

I understand it's impossibile to have a separate description for every case and most of the time it's pretty easy to wing it but still some guidance would help. Maybe the bestiary would have been the right place to put this stuff? 

Cheers,

Alex

[g33k]

n.b. the "hindquarter" are usually taken to mean the rear leg & hip (more or less).
This isn't the "abdomen" per se, and shouldn't be treated like the "abdomen."
 

Agreed that (a) there's too many versions and variations of body-plan, and specific exceptions to general rules (plus wild Chaotic variations) for a comprehensive ruleset to be viable; but also (b) that additional info/guidance seems like it'd be a Good Thing(tm).

[Scotty]

On 5/28/2024 at 5:10 PM, Alexandre said:

Hi all,

this has been a (albeit minor) problem of mine since I started playing RuneQuest. Basically, the lack of description of nonhuman hit locations and the effects of wounds. For example horse hindquarters are equal to a human's abdomen in terms of what happens when they reach 0 HP or -max HP? And the forequarters are equal to the chest? What happens if a 4 legged creature loses a leg? Does it fall on the ground? Should a lizard die of blood loss if its tail is severed?

I understand it's impossibile to have a separate description for every case and most of the time it's pretty easy to wing it but still some guidance would help. Maybe the bestiary would have been the right place to put this stuff? 

Cheers,

Alex

Answered in the Q&A: 

 

[Scotty]

On 5/28/2024 at 5:40 PM, g33k said:

n.b. the "hindquarter" are usually taken to mean the rear leg & hip (more or less).
This isn't the "abdomen" per se, and shouldn't be treated like the "abdomen."

Because the hinquarters start at the 12th rib, and contain unprotected organs and the pelvis, treat as the abdomen. The rear legs are the legs.

Horse in RQ hit location format. As usual you are free to change this for your own games.

Edited June 3 by Scotty
simpler picture in RQ format.

[g33k]

On 6/3/2024 at 3:14 AM, Scotty said:

Because the hinquarters start at the 12th rib, and contain unprotected organs and the pelvis, treat as the abdomen. The rear legs are the legs.

Chaosium is of course free to define their game as they desire.
But there is no "hindquarters" labeled in the diagram you've shown [EDIT: and I see you've changed your image to one *with* a marked "hindquarter")

Your usage doesn't -- as best I understand it -- follow most "horsemanship" practice.

Note the "croup" above.  UMinn defines the "hindquarters" as follows:

• Hindquarters:
•  Croup: from point of hip to point of buttock
•  Quarters: below the croup

https://extension.umn.edu/horse-care-and-management/conformation-horse#:~:text=Hindquarters,Quarters%3A below the croup

(note "abdomen" is separate)


https://www.selangorturfclub.com/learn-racing/parts-of-horse/  says:

hindquarters: the large, muscular area of the hind legs, above the stifle and behind the barrel of the horse.

Edited June 4 by g33k

[Jon Hunter]

Sometimes just apply common sense nad make a decent call in the moment.

My expoerience on these forums tells me someone will always disagree with how you apply common sense and someone else will think your a genius.

[Alexandre]

47 minutes ago, Jon Hunter said:

My expoerience on these forums tells me someone will always disagree with how you apply common sense and someone else will think your a genius.

This is why I think even a paragraph or two in the Bestiary would be helpful.

[g33k]

48 minutes ago, Jon Hunter said:

Sometimes just apply common sense nad make a decent call in the moment.
...

Many of us do so!

49 minutes ago, Jon Hunter said:

...
My expoerience on these forums tells me someone will always disagree with how you apply common sense and someone else will think your a genius.

Huh... this is surprising to me.
You only experience this on these forums??!?

 

🤪

 

[Stephen L]

On 5/28/2024 at 5:10 PM, Alexandre said:

description of nonhuman hit locations and the effects of wounds

I have always treated wings, tentacles, tails etc. as limbs, and mapped forequarters, thorax etc. to chest, and hindquarters etc. (though I can't think of any etc.) to abdomen, without ever really having giving it any thought.

However, I suspect it might be wise not to show a zoologist the scorpion-man hit location table... 

On 6/3/2024 at 9:09 PM, g33k said:

these forums

You mean there are other forums? Gosh. I wonder what use they might possibly be.