Yeah, impressive training level. Pretty much any game system has it much harder to knock someone out instead of just killing them, but it looks like Charles didn't even draw blood.
On the one hand, hey, it's realistic. Sure, it's fairly easy to knock out someone but it's way harder to do 1. in a fight, 2. in a way that allows them to wake up again without major complications and 3. fairly quickly. After all, you have to breach their defenses not just with a blade, arrow or bullet but some attack that can actually knock them (concussive, restricting blood flow to the brain, meds/poison – but those are not usually the weapon of people who just want to disable without injury for some reason; btw. none of those really are harmless knockouts in real life) while at the same time holding back enough that you won't kill them anyway.
On the other hand, many systems nowadays have a disabling threshold before you actually deal a killing blow/can't stabilize them. Of course, it's mostly still ridiculously easy to accidentally kill them anyway (which is fair if you see hitpoints also as a catch-all-stat for the ability to resist damage other than simply absorbing it – if you can't react to attacks, you suddenly are way more likely to take a proper hit while at the same time a big hit just means that the attacker got lucky (well, assuming they didn't want to just disable)). Many systems also have ways for non-disabling damage to still impair.
On the third hand, fantasy settings tend not to have tear gas, flash bangs or tranq darts. If you want to knock out, go for magic.
On the fourth hand, a friend complained that his Shadowrun troll couldn't tank damage with his big physical damage monitor because his armor would routinely not be penetrated by attacks, meaning he'd take stun damage instead (if he took damage at all). Of which he couldn't take more than my squishy elf. (Then there were attacks that always deal stun damage. He could have taken way more if the damage had been distributed between physical and stun damage monitors)
Pick up your copies of YAFGC Volumes 1 - 5 at our online store. Multi-book bundles and sketch editions available.
“Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum. When you have their full attention in your grip, their hearts and minds will follow.”
― Sir Terry Pratchett, Small Gods
Yeah, I thought that was, “lead them by their balls, and their hearts and minds will follow.”
Sometimes running is just preparing an ambush 😉
@Mucat. A somewhat free translation of "testiculos" there.
Censorship be like.
Sir Terry be like, more like.
Hah!
The back of the hand parry – I know it well.
t!
Don't try that with a broadsword. Good way to lose a hand.
<i>(click my username to vote for YAFGC on TWC)</i>
Well, he is a dedicated student.
And they didn't see with a bow (his mom is very proud)
Yeah, impressive training level. Pretty much any game system has it much harder to knock someone out instead of just killing them, but it looks like Charles didn't even draw blood.
"What? We're not living in a game system. I've put, like, 6 skill points into Insight, so believe me, I would *know* if we were in a game system!"
"Quick, roll to detect Dungeon Master!"
DM uses Order Pizza, gains +20 to Evasion and Sneak.
On the one hand, hey, it's realistic. Sure, it's fairly easy to knock out someone but it's way harder to do 1. in a fight, 2. in a way that allows them to wake up again without major complications and 3. fairly quickly. After all, you have to breach their defenses not just with a blade, arrow or bullet but some attack that can actually knock them (concussive, restricting blood flow to the brain, meds/poison – but those are not usually the weapon of people who just want to disable without injury for some reason; btw. none of those really are harmless knockouts in real life) while at the same time holding back enough that you won't kill them anyway.
On the other hand, many systems nowadays have a disabling threshold before you actually deal a killing blow/can't stabilize them. Of course, it's mostly still ridiculously easy to accidentally kill them anyway (which is fair if you see hitpoints also as a catch-all-stat for the ability to resist damage other than simply absorbing it – if you can't react to attacks, you suddenly are way more likely to take a proper hit while at the same time a big hit just means that the attacker got lucky (well, assuming they didn't want to just disable)). Many systems also have ways for non-disabling damage to still impair.
On the third hand, fantasy settings tend not to have tear gas, flash bangs or tranq darts. If you want to knock out, go for magic.
On the fourth hand, a friend complained that his Shadowrun troll couldn't tank damage with his big physical damage monitor because his armor would routinely not be penetrated by attacks, meaning he'd take stun damage instead (if he took damage at all). Of which he couldn't take more than my squishy elf. (Then there were attacks that always deal stun damage. He could have taken way more if the damage had been distributed between physical and stun damage monitors)
I guess his mom taught him well
David S Pumpkins: "AnY qUeStIoNsss?!?!"