Postby LafayetteCCurtis » Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:08 am
Well, maybe I can offer an example of a single attack. Let's say that in the previous action an orc had tried to hit a PC fighter with a downwards diagonal cut (a diagonal Oberhau) but failed to make an impression on the PC. I look at the player and ask how his character defended against that strike and what the character's counterattack would be. He says that the character defended with a Zornhau. Because that's a pretty normal and effective response, I don't give him any circumstance bonuses or penalties for the Zornhau.
Great success (a critical hit followed by a succesful threat roll): he smashes into the orc's head and crushes its brains, or chops into the orc's neck and tears open its carotid artery, or misses initially but manages to follow-up imediately with a thrust straight into its brain or throat. With the longsword's 1d8 damage and +1 Str bonus (assuming the PC's Strength is 12) multiplied by the critical hit, the PC stands a very good chance of instantly downing the orc with this one hit. Even if it survives, it'll have to make a Will save to stay in the fight (otherwise it will instantly run away).
Normal success (a hit, but not critical): the PC hits, but at 1d8+1 damage he has about the same damage as the orc's HD so there's about a 50% chance of downing the orc in one hit. If the damage rolls shows up high then it's a fatal injury as described in the critical hit possibility above, but if the damage is low and doesn't knock the orc out immediately then it's a serious but not immediately fatal injury (like a head hit that concusses and disorients it but leaves it standing, or a cut that goes deep enoug to sever a jugular vein but not deep enough to hit the arteries).
Minor failure (a miss, but not a 1): the PC misses his timing or distance and his blow goes wide--say, he strikes from slightly too far a distance and his Zornhau passes in front of the orc's face instead of crashing into its head, and the PC isn't quick or perceptive enough to convert the attack into a thrust before the blade goes too far and misses the orc entirely. This would leave the two combatants in a bind.
Catastrophic failure (a natural 1 on the d20!): the PC seriously messes up his timing and distance, and instead of an effective counterattack he gives a clumsy swing that barely manages to stop the orc's previous attack. I decide that he overcommits himself into the blow, and he stumbles from the miss--giving the orc a +2 circumstance bonus to attack against him on the next round of combat. (Assuming that none of the PC's friends have taken care of it first, of course, and they usually do. I've found that this way of DMing combat demands serious teamwork on the PCs' part!)
Or let's try a situation where the orc attacked with a low cut to the legs and misses; the PC decides that the successful defense resulted from a Krumphau.
Great success: the orcs' hands are gone--one is chopped of at the wrist, while the other hangs only by the merest thread of skin. I don't need to elaborate on the kind of bleeding that it implies. Of course, even with the critical, there's still a likelihood that the orc can stand up to the damage, and in this case I'd just pronounce that it's disarmed and in a serious daze from blood loss but it's so high on adrenalin that its fight-or-flight instict is still very much alive. Its next action (which, again, will be decided by a Will save) will be either running away or throwing itself upon the PC, braving the gauntlet of the PC's attack of opportunity for one last chance to get a blow in before it dies.
Moderate success: the orc loses one hand, but it's not the dominant one; again, it may run away or it may go into a rage and try to bash away at the player with the hand still wielding the weapon on the next round.
Minor failure: the PC hits the orc's blade instead of its hands. The low cut is stopped all right but the orc isn't hurt either. A stalemate with no clear advantage to either side, so no bonuses or penalties for the next round.
Catastrophic failure: the PC goes in a little to fast and, instead of striking into the orc's blow, his strike only blocks it in a static way. I may either give the orc a +2 bonus or penalize the PC's AC by 2 on the next round.
Now, what if the PC wins initiative and strikes first? Let's reverse the situation and have him attacking with an Oberhau.
Great success: the orc has absolutely no time to react and gets its head cleft open or its neck chopped. Even if it doesn't die from the player's blow, I'm going to give it a -2 bonus to its next attack roll or morale check (depending on which one comes first). If it dies, of course, I may decide to have some fun and declare that i has been cleanly beheaded, triggering an immediate morale check for the remaining orcs (if any)!
Moderate success: the PC whacks the orc on the head, shoulder, or neck, but not necessarily in a fatal way. Depending on my mood, I may give it no penalties or let it suffer a -2 morale penalty to attack in this round only.
Minor failure: the player's swing either goes wide or is effectively intercepted by the orc. The orc's choices for the next action will be quite like what the player does in the first listing above.
Catastrophic failure: oops. The player's blow goes nowhere. I may declare that the PC's sword got stuck on some obstruction, rendering him unable to make the blow at all and wide open to the orc's next attack; or the orc may turn to be an unusually savvy swords-orc (ouch) and effectively counters the attack with a Zornhau or [i]Schielhau of his own. Either way, the orc gets a +2 to attack on the next round.
Is that clear enough? I'm in a somewhat addle-brained state, so please forgive me if it isn't.
