<html><body><div>Well, as you may be aware, and others on this list are aware, I have changed the concept of criticals and specials in SPQR. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Essentially how well you roll tells you how many "successes" you have. </div>
<div>Make the roll = 1 success</div>
<div>Half of the needed roll = 2 successes</div>
<div>1/10 of the needed roll = 3 successes</div>
<div>1/100 of the needed roll = 4 successes</div>
<div>The number increases further if the target fumbles, and in certain situational situations.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I used the above numbers because they are easy to determine on the fly. I've seen other systems with a similar idea that use 1/4 or 1/20, but those numbers are harder to figure out quickly. Certainly an argument could be made for using them.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Attacker and Defender compare successes. Participant with the most successes gets the benefit of the successes in excess of the other. Note that this give an immediate benefit to having %iles in excess of 100.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>One success superiority = normal result</div>
<div>Two Successes superiority = pick one effect off the special effect chart (various things like +5 damage, choose hit location, etc.)</div>
<div>Three Successes superiority = pick two effects off the special chart, or get one of the really special effects, with the equivalent of impaling, etc.</div>
<div>Four Successes superiority = pick three effects or one special and one effect</div>
<div>More than Four Successes = same as Four Successes.<BR></div>
<div>I use "+5 damage" rather than double damage or ignore armor. It may be too much or too little. It generally means some part of the body of the target is going to get hurt, though a well-armored/protected target may only get scratched. I also let the user choose a result on the theory that his skill is what brought up the possibility of a special result, he should get to choose what it gets.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As for your four points of concern about criticals, I can see all but the natural armor problem. Most creatures (including fantasy creatures) with good armor have soft spots where limbs join the body, etc. that could be perfectly legitimate targets.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>SPQR is, of course, still available on my website, <A href="http://www.perrinworlds.com">www.perrinworlds.com</A>.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Steve Perrin<BR></div>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 8px; MARGIN-LEFT: 8px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid" webmail="1">-------- Original Message --------<BR>Subject: [SPAM] Re: [Runequest] Ow being hit with a sword hurts<BR>From: Styopa <styopa1@gmail.com><BR>Date: Tue, May 27, 2008 12:30 pm<BR>To: "RuneQuest Rules" <runequest@rpgreview.net><BR><BR>>snip< I've toyed strongly with the idea that crits are inherently a whacky concept and should be dispensed with entirely. It's odd, because I've always LIKED the realistic fear a character should have of that duck with a heavy crossbow pointed at your head.<BR><BR>Here's the thought: <BR><BR>Specials become freebies - ie, a special attack or a special parry leaves you able to attack or parry again. Criticals would then have the 2x damage effect of current specials, without the ignore armor function. A fumbled parry or dodge escalates the quality of the opponent's strike - from miss to hit, from normal hit to special, and from special to critical. A fumble when the opponent criticals would perhaps escalate it to the current 2x damage + ignore armor supereffect.<BR><BR>Stupid idea?<BR><BR>The reason I bring this up is because I've always had a little trouble with:<BR>- criticals bypassing magical protection? Is it more logical that it does or doesn't? Gameplay ramifications of either way? Or is Protection the "assumed" gameplay solution to the risk of crits?<BR>- criticals against natural armors <BR>- criticals against massively well-armored and protected foes. Should JoJo the trollkin boy REALLY have a 1% chance to stick his toy dagger through the breastplate of the Ogre Lord if he doesn't dodge or parry?<BR>- crits against sorcerous damage resistance.<BR><BR>Oh, and a note from the current campaign: we have a sorcerer that's worked his damage boosting up to 75%. Therefore he maliciously wants to catch a mosquito in a jar, cast damage boost +5 on it with 12 hour duration, and arrange that the jar fall open in the lunar barracks. Mosquito lands unnoticed on otherwise generally filthy lunar hoplite, goes to bite him in the neck, guy dies from massive head wound. If mosquito isn't killed by his reflexive response, repeat until hilarity ensues. This character's goal is to eventually get to damage boosting +15 to introduce 'decapitatory' mosquitoes into Glorantha.<BR>
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