Some effects and hit locations

[devinlc]

Asking the forums for opinions/advice.

I am using hit locations (and fixed armor). However, two issues have come up.

First, with regard to powers like Fire and Frost, when using hit locations, do these powers affect a single location? The power description reads: 

"Use this spell to create a pillar of fire doing 1D6 fire damage to everything in a circle 1 meter in diameter. Multiple levels may be used to set up several fires instead of one large fire or can combine the effects. A target can attempt to dodge out of the affected area."

and

"Use this spell to create a pillar of intense cold doing 1D6 cold damage per level to everything in a circle 1 meter in diameter. Multiple levels may be used to set up several frosted areas instead of one large one or can combine the effects. A target can attempt to dodge out of the affected area."

So, it seems these spells affect the entire body, but does that mean you apply the damage to EACH hit location? Seems too deadly. But see below.

Second, I note under the dragon creature entry the following:

"A dragon’s fire covers an area three meters in diameter with range equal to the dragon’s POW in meters (see Area Attacks, page 140), but armor will protect against this damage. If the hit locations are used, the fire affects all hit locations: 4D6 is rolled once; and divide damage among hit locations."

So, if hit locations are not used, and a person is wearing 7 points of armor, if the dragon rolls 12 on 4D6 it does 5 damage to hit points. In the previous edition of BRP, if you use hit locations, that same dragon did the damage to EACH hit location, meaning it would do 35 points of damage and instantly fry the PC. Now, however, it appears that if you use hit locations, you divide the total damage by 7. This seems to have the exact opposite effect, making hit location damage too weak. Now, if the dragon rolls a 12, you divide 12 by 7 = 1.7 rounded up to 2 damage which is totally blocked by the 7 points of armor everywhere. Even if you rolled maximum damage of 24, that would still be 24/7 = 3.4 per location which means anyone with 4 or more armor points is completely immune to dragon breath. I cannot believe that was the intention.

Neither applying the damage to each location nor dividing up the damage seems to come close to the breath effect if not using hit locations. Has anyone found a good way to rectify this?

Edited June 27 by devinlc

[Lloyd Dupont]

I think the hit location in BRP are only here to check for major wound. Other than that the damage is applied once to the global HP.

[Kloster]

4 hours ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

I think the hit location in BRP are only here to check for major wound. Other than that the damage is applied once to the global HP.

No, either you use global HP and variable armor (and optionally major wounds), either you use localized damaged and fixed armor.

[Mugen]

The Magic rules come from Magic World first edition, which didn't use Hit Locations. Which explains why it says nothing about this.

Looking at my copy of RuneQuest 3, Sunspear is the closest equivalent I can find in a game with localized HP. But the spell (at least its french translation) says it deals 4d6 directly to Global HP, with no mention of hit locations.

I would consider the spell hits 1 location per D6 of damage, but only 1 location suffers the whole dmg. Adjacent locations only suffers half of it.

[Mugen]

I could find another équivalent in Sandy Petersen's rules for (RQ3) Sorcery 

Basically, the Evoke (Energy) deals 1dX to 1 location, even if the details vary with the Energy. X is the spell's Intensity, which is, in short, its MP cost.

http://hibbs.me.uk/snarks/sandysorcery.html#EvokeEnergy