All Those Extra Successes...

[foxandwarlock]

This weekend, we had a Strike roll at the table that came up seven succesess out of seven dice. With an Ob 1 and an Add 2 axe, it was a Superior strike with 2 successes left over.

Of course, the goblin rolls his leather hauberk and gets his obligatory two successes out of three dice (I need to get some Izradorian cows) and the really great roll is "wasted"

What about this....

For weapons with an Add 2 or greater, each success above a Superior, increases the VA of the weapon by 1. To represent the force of the dead-on blow.

(Yes, I know that if we were using Defender's Choice rules, the roller could have moved his blow to an unarmored spot, post-roll. Put that to the side.)

[Thor]

Hmmm...

Granted, such a fantastic roll should be rare enough that it wouldn't be tremendously unbalancing, but my first instinct is "No way!"

Consider that such a roll would not be that unusual with an Add 1 weapon like a dagger, making it tremendously potent (and they're nasty already). And I'm hesitant to further reduce the effectiveness of armor. After all, how many Ob 2 armor tests is this goblin likely to make with his 3 dice?

Certainly, your player would have been happy to have those 2 extra successes if the goblin had scripted a block!

Just speaking for myself, if you really feel you need to have an option for something like this, I suspect it would be less unbalancing if you allow the player to add +1 Power to his damage for every two successes beyond Superior. That way, you retain the protective aspect of the armor, but still give the character a bennie for such a great roll.

Alternatively, you could just declare that the gods (I know, you're playing Midnight and that may not apply) have smiled on the character's display of awesome skill, and award the player a Fate point on the spot.

Finally, I just playtested the Defender's Choice rule, and it worked pretty well. That would certainly be a good use for those extra dice.

[Kublai]

I wouldn't allow such a ruling in my games. The reason is selfish as I would never want it to happen to me! :D Imagine all I have is my lucky plated leather between me and that sword. How sad would I be if I was denied that opportunity to save my skin because the attacker rolled really well.

I think I would also not allow any changes - not even Thor's suggestion - because it goes against the BW philosophy that there are limits to what a weapon can do. A mundane dagger simply cannot ignore Plated Chain no matter how well the wielder landed a blow on the breast plate.

Though this does lead to some disappointing moments, I think the times when your own plated leather saves your skin from the "certain death" strike outweighs them all.

[luke]

two successes to move the blow to an unarmored location...

[foxandwarlock]

BAH!

FOO ON YOU ALL!

I thought that might be the response but I wanted to get the weigh in from the experienced parties. So, point taken, it reduces armor effectiveness in an unbalancing way; I see it.


After all, how many Ob 2 armor tests is this goblin likely to make with his 3 dice?

Come play with Wuxing. Freaking goblins and their Izrador cow-hide leather armor :evil: He regularly makes three successes out of three dice, or four out of four if that's what he's rolling. It's insane and I'm confident if we could only get their leather armor into the hands of the race of men, we would all be saved. :twisted:

[Kublai]

:lol:

[Thor]

Come play with Wuxing. Freaking goblins and their Izrador cow-hide leather armor :evil: He regularly makes three successes out of three dice, or four out of four if that's wht he's rolling. It's insane and I'm confident if we could only get their leather armor into the hands of the race of men, we would all be saved. :twisted:

You think that's bad? Try playing with Kublai. He's downright murderous. In our Corso game, he's attempted to assassinate or otherwise kill my character through trickery a total of 6 times now. Three second-tier characters have died in assassinations or traps that were meant for my character! I swear he's out to get me. :shock:

I love him for it, though. :lol:

[foxandwarlock]

SSSSSHHHHH!

What's that sound? Did you hear that? Was that a crossbow?

*eyes darting back and forth*

[Thor]

SSSSSHHHHH!

What's that sound? Did you hear that? Was that a crossbow?

*eyes darting back and forth*

Ack! Don't DO that to me! ::deep breath::

I swear I deserve the Artful Dodger trait if my character survives to the end of the campaign.

[luke]

BAH!

FOO ON YOU ALL!

I thought that might be the response but I wanted to get the weigh in from the experienced parties. So, point taken, it reduces armor effectiveness in an unbalancing way; I see it.

Or you could just play by the rules and use those extra successes to improve your aim and land the blow on an unarmored area...
which doesn't break the rules, unbalance armor or anything bad like that...

and you'd kill more goblins...

-L