I Don't Allow Called Shots For Damage Options

[Hartbaine]

True enough. And nothing bothers them more than having the same dirty tricks they pull used on them later.

[Kurai]

The -4 dice also means it's easier to dodge. If you can't hit the extra DV is for nothing. It is a kind of gamble. It's no guaranteed win-win situation.

[The Jake]

The -4 dice also means it's easier to dodge. If you can't hit the extra DV is for nothing. It is a kind of gamble. It's no guaranteed win-win situation.

You walk up behind someone using Infiltration and make a called shot to the back of the head from point blank range, I'd say you are (pardon the pun) staring down the barrel of a pretty darn close win-win situation.

- J.

[Kev]

You walk up behind someone using Infiltration and make a called shot to the back of the head from point blank range, I'd say you are (pardon the pun) staring down the barrel of a pretty darn close win-win situation.

- J.

Too true, but if you sneak up behind someone with infiltration undetected, you damn well DESERVE that sweet shot, 1 bullet/1 kill in my GM book.

In one of my games, physad ninja sneaks up behind a mafia enforcer and hits him with the called shot katana. So much damage was inflicted, I ruled she decapitated the guy. In front of her team. Pretty epic.

[Cain]

The -4 vs dodge is meaningless, when you're discussing a medium-sized gun bunny. The combatant is going to have a dice pool of 15-20. Let's assume 20 dice, which means an average of 6.66 successes. Subtract 4 dice for damage, and we're discussing 5.33 successes. In either case, an exceptional target is going to have a reaction of 6. meaning he's going to average only 2 successes. The gun bunny is going to hit and cause damage each and every time. The only difference is that by calling a shot, he does more damage with no meaningful penalty.

[toturi]

The -4 vs dodge is meaningless, when you're discussing a medium-sized gun bunny. The combatant is going to have a dice pool of 15-20. Let's assume 20 dice, which means an average of 6.66 successes. Subtract 4 dice for damage, and we're discussing 5.33 successes. In either case, an exceptional target is going to have a reaction of 6. meaning he's going to average only 2 successes. The gun bunny is going to hit and cause damage each and every time. The only difference is that by calling a shot, he does more damage with no meaningful penalty.

Eh? An exceptional target with only reaction 6?

A base reaction of 6, perhaps. But not after enhancements like Wired Reflexes and its other variants and other powers/spells, etc. I reckon such a medium-sized combat target would have about base 11-15 dice to dodge before Full Defense. Your gun bunny has about 1 more dice after the -4 called shot.

[Cain]

While I won't dispute your numbers, the fact is that most targets aren't going to have a Reaction of above 3, and a difficult target will only have a reaction of 6. Only superior opposition will have defense pools equal to a gun bunny's attack pool. If your target has attack and defense pools of 15+, you've gone past "difficult" and gone straight for "Big bad" territory.

[Kurai]

The Jake: I think I'll have to agree with Kev on that point. If you manage to get so close and want to shoot/strike first you deserve to get that bonus because unless it's a troll he should drop very dead. Probably if it was a troll too.

Jake: Most targets are what would be called "extras" in some games. They don't really stand a chance anyway because they are just not good enough. But if they cooperate they can inflict some damage, wearing the char down, or even drop a char if they get lucky.

But if every Avarage Joe could dodge my 18 dice gun adept, what would be the point of being better than any mundane could possibly become? He deserves to be able to make headshots for extra damage. And statistics doesn't always work your way. In this line of work a miss might well be fatal.

[toturi]

While I won't dispute your numbers, the fact is that most targets aren't going to have a Reaction of above 3, and a difficult target will only have a reaction of 6. Only superior opposition will have defense pools equal to a gun bunny's attack pool. If your target has attack and defense pools of 15+, you've gone past "difficult" and gone straight for "Big bad" territory.

If your NPC has Reaction 3 to 6, then that NPC is very likely a Grunt or an Inferior Prime Runner NPC. In combat, a combat PC has to be countered with a combat NPC. Come on, you know very well that it will probably take at least an Equal NPC to match dice pools with a PC in his main area.

[Cain]

If your NPC has Reaction 3 to 6, then that NPC is very likely a Grunt or an Inferior Prime Runner NPC. In combat, a combat PC has to be countered with a combat NPC. Come on, you know very well that it will probably take at least an Equal NPC to match dice pools with a PC in his main area.

An equal prime runner, at least how I define them, would have either an equal defensive dice pool, leaving them weak on offense; or vice versa. Outside of a dedicated defensive build, which would tend to have crappy attacking ability, you're simply not going to see anyone with a huge dodge pool.

Sure, I could create someone with a high defensive and offensive dice pool, but that goes past what I define as an "equal" NPC, and moves well into the "Superior" range.