From: dicksion@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Matthew W. Dicksion)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: HERO: critical hits (was Re: CHAMP: 1/2d6 vs d6-1)
Date: 14 Apr 92 01:41:59 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Hawaii

In article <RATINOX.92Apr12221501@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu> ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu writes:
>>>>>> On 10 Apr 92 23:53:13 GMT, laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence) said:
>laurence> It is in FH, at least, under optional rules.  Might also be in
>laurence> Ninja Hero.  I think that the rule is that if your roll is less
>laurence> than half what you need, they you do a maximum damage hit.

>It is in Ninja Hero, it works as you describe, and is marked by that
>now-familiar ``STOP'' sign and a big warning saying: this is wildly
>unbalancing and makes combat extremely lethal.
>From several bad experiences with these kinds of rules, DO NOT USE THEM
>UNLESS YOU WANT CHARACTERS TO DIE. They *WILL* die. I've lost two
>characters this way, both senselessly, because someone was lucky enough to
>roll a 3 with attacks they'd normally have survived.

Um... I can tell there are many more Champions players than Fantasy Hero
players on the net.  First of all, the critical hit rules in 4th ed. Hero
are way worse than most of you seem to think.  They work like this: if I
roll less than half of what i need to hit you, you take max damage from
the attack.  Thus, if I need a 12- to hit you, I score a crit on an 5-.
Furthermore, this rule is not only in Ninja Hero, it is also in Fantasy Hero
and, in fact, in the Hero rulebook itself (somewhere around Hit Location).
Yes, it is optional.  Yes, it makes combat more lethal.  There are,
in fact, players such as myself who *like* the added lethality, so don't go
off screaming at people not to use crits.  In fact, we play with hit location
as well.  This is why xd6-1 attacks become way more powerful than their
'equivalent' x+1/2d6 attacks: max damage matters more.

Now, I feel obligated to explain why I like to use this more dangerous 
system in our Fantasy Hero games.  First, it tends to benefit the party more,
since the typical party member has a better OCV than the typical NPC.
Second, it's much more realistic, and tends to prevent really stupid things
like what I do in AD&D: have my *unarmoured* character charge into combat,
knowing I can't possibly die in less than four rounds.  Third, it's much less
lethal than you think.  In order to kill you outright I would have to score
a crit with a decent attack (say 2d6) on an unarmoured x2 body location.
Very, very rare.  At best I could do 24 body with one whack, and even then,
heal is only 5 points per die, and of course you've bought your BODY up to
at least 13 or 14.  Note that it's very easy to get severely
wounded and ko'ed using this system, but rather difficult to die.  I can
understand if you don't want much chance of your character dying in combat,
but I like to have our group a) think of some way to avoid fighting and b)
pay attention when there is combat.  I just find it much more interesting
when there is the off chance that you might die this turn.  If I didn't like
the (small) sense of danger, I'd be playing Star Wars.
 
>--Rat, (the late Lynx and Serpentine)
>Richard Pieri, Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat/   | /| / /   | The Worlds

--Matt Dicksion     (from a small rock in a big pond)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp