So I've found I'm occasionally doing too much damage to people I'd like to capture.
Stupid bone lacing and bows are going right through people. (Sixth world problems, am I right?)
So...can you reduce the damage done by strength-based attacks?
I know you can choose to do stun rather than physical damage, but can you dial it back so you scratch or damage someone enough to drug them, but not take full damage?

If you're drugging people with a bow or your fists, you're doing it wrong. I'd suggest you look into one of the available remote injection options for ranged injection, and enquire as to getting yourself a hypospray for melee drugging.

Different problems, same question. Sometimes I'd like to show strength or take someone captive, but my skills/strength are potentially deadly. Is there a way to hit somebody, but not do full damage?
If some ganger mouths off, I'd like to hit him - but split him in half.

Could do called shots instead, like intentionally aiming for the meat of the upper arm where the arrow might be more likely to stick in the target instead of blast through him like a cannon shot.

Or maybe just an Intimidation (Physical) test? Yeah, I know that doesn't work well for most orks & trolls and the like.

Otherwise I honestly don't know a mechanic that could work. Maybe just a declared "I just want to bitch slap him and not break his jaw." before the blow, and the attack does half normal Stun damage just because you said you wanted to pull your punch.

So...can you reduce the damage done by strength-based attacks?
Who's there to prevent You from declaring:
"I Attack him with STR x only !" (thus doing less damage)

HokaHey
Medicineman

Shock Gloves
Touch Attack: DMSO Slap Patch + Drug of Choice + Called Shot To Bypass Armor
Called Shot To Disarm
Subdual Combat (deals a fixed amount of stun damage: Strength unmodified by net hits)
Adept Power: Nerve Strike
Martial Art Maneuver: Break Weapon
Martial Art Maneuver: Disarm
Martial Art Maneuver: Disorient
Martial Art Maneuver: Herding
Martial Art Maneuver: Sweep
Martial Art Maneuver: Throw

Just off the top of my head. There are probably others.

~Umi

By RAW I am not aware of any rules about pulling your punches. Two House Rules I might recommend:
1- Declare how much strength you are putting behind the punch (like Medicineman's comment above)
2- Declare how many hits you are willing to take/use. (this demonstrates a skilled fighter actually pulling his punch). With this option I would not allow you to declare your net hits, because with pulling your punch when you are unaware of the defensive capability of your opponent means you could possibly miss.

just my 2¥
-D

Grapple! (SR4a p161 'Subduing (melee only)') Does no damage, but will prevent that mouthy ass hat from thinking he can do jack to you.

I don't consider # 1 a house rule but simply/merely an application of standard rpgaming

with a standard Dance
Medicineman

Medicineman,

I can see that, however since it's not spelled out in the rules it's either a house rule, or at least a local clarification of the rules.

#2 could be applied to any attack test, someone with enough skill should be able to try to not hurt someone too badly on an attack even a fire arms or weapon attack.

Again my 2¥
-D

I only consider changing Rules or adding previously non existent Rules as "Houserules"
merely applying sth that hasn't been mentioned before is not a Houserule ImO

with a Housedance
Medicineman

In my group i allow everybody to limit his own net-hits for a -2 dice modifier. (It's hard to fight someone and NOT wanting to kill him *g*, control always comes at a cost)
I allow this for pretty much everything; It's especially useful for combat castings, since i am running with the optional +Nethits to drain for direct combat spells.

I'd argue that as all attacks have a fixed damage value

using the arrow as an example, how do you know if using the full draw or not is going to penetrate the victims defences ?
and an arrow on half draw is probably not going to have the power behind it to reach/penetrate anything at all.
(it just seems a bit meta gaming to subtract an exact amount of strength in order to do less damage)

the only possible way to limit the damage would be to attempt to 'limit' the net hits

and the only way to do this according to RAW is by called shots and other negative modifiers, not by player choice.

but there's nothing to say you can't called shot to a part of the body ? thus getting less DP less net hits and thus less damage (to a minimum of your DV)

or use equipment that lowers the DV or does stun instead

Right.
There isn't anything in the RAW that covers it.
I have been in a number of situations where I just wanted to wound a target and I've ended up killing them.
I could reduce the net hits or the dicepool through called shots, but I'd still like to hit - and I need to do at least some damage for injection arrows to work. What's a hugely augmented metahuman to do?

Actually, the section for the direct combat spells words it a bit differently. It says for each net hit used to increase damage. My group (when we use it), reads that as meaning that a mage can always choose not to channel that increased energy to avoid the extra drain.

Called shot to knockdown for the backhand to the mouthy ganger.

Called shot special effect -- base damage of the weapon, and net hits add to the knockdown power, reduce speed etc. (shooting in the kneecaps)

My group had this problem once, so we ended up beating a hobo unconscious with his own hobo bag.
(By giving a non-lethal weapon to the character who could use it, but had bone lacing)

I'll say it again - Slap Patches.

Forget injection vector drugs. Slap Patchs require a touch attack to an area not protected by armor, and convert ANY drug to contact vector. Since you're already good with unarmed, it synergizes well.

~Umi

Isn't there already gel-heads and stick'n'shock heads for arrows already? What kind of beast is this that stages a gel-head into physical overflow?

What's the damage code on a laden bindle stick, anyway?

Stick-n-shock yes, gel-heads no. Unless you're thinking of hammerheads for arrows.

And even if firing hammerhead arrows, I'd wager even money that a well built trollbow will still cause Physical damage.

Hammeheads, that's the one. Hey, you could always shoot with your eyes closed for a -6 modifier. That should keep the net successes down.

Yes and using blind fire will switch you from AGI to INT. With a troll bow, I'm sure that will be quite a hit to the dice pool.

-D

There's not even really a need to make your archer a troll anymore, to be honest. With capped bow ratings, an Ork is cheaper and more efficient, and even a human can shoot out max damage arrows if you want.

~Umi

I don't remember.