I know an adversary automatically attempts a Called Shot if its attacker rolls an eye and fails.

My question is, can the LM use a called shot otherwise? I was thinking not because of the wording of the rule. But they are just never coming up in proportion to how much info there is for adversary called shots.

If they only come up if they are attacked AND the attacker rolled an eye AND the attack failed AND the adversary attack succeeds AND the adversary rolls a 6 then they are not coming up very much.

In fact, because the adversary has to roll a 6 it makes it less likely a hero will be hit after failing and rolling an eye than more likely.

Do you LMs use called shots at other times?

I don't want to be cruel but I'd like the option to get the PCs' attention when the fight is going too easy.

I've changed it so that when a player rolls an eye, the next attack against them is automatically a called shot if it hits (it doesn't need to hit as a called shot, so no Great+ success).

The rules as written makes rolling an eye in combat mean the next attack against you will pretty much miss.

There is nothing in the rules preventing a Loremaster from making a Called shot for an adversary if he wishes. The EYE simply triggers a Called shot as well (when a companion attacking an adversary fails his attack roll and obtains an EYE result on the Feat die).

I like that. Definitely going to yoink it!

I like it too. In fact as I was reading the passage the first time that's what I thought it was going to get to.

While we're on the subject, are your players attempting called shots? Mine aren't. It seems to me that the conditions for success just aren't worth the risk of failing.

I'm going to try the house rule mentioned above. If the eye is rolled and the next attack hits, it's a called shot. I'd also like to come up with something to encourage players to use called shots.

What about making the success of a called shot be determined by hitting the TN + 2, or something like that? This way, players can spend a hope point to succeed.

I've noticed the same thing, great successes are hard to get especially early on with 2 or 3 skill dice to attack with for your best weapons.

Personally I like that the eye is a kinda mixed blessing, if your opponent got an eye you have been dealt a piercing blow, maybe you are even wounded, making the following attack likely to miss kinda balances the bad luck out a little.... unless they get a great success! in which case you are dealing with a disarmed weapon, broken shield or another piercing blow, or something on that level.... taking away the great success requirement might be kinda dangerous to the life of heroes who have opponents with spears or bows or poisoned swords who get an eye...

For my game, for now at least, I'm leaving it as is and letting adversaries do called shots whenever I want in addition to the when and eye is rolled.

As to making it easier to get a called shot, i kinda like the idea but I think +2 TN is just a little too easy in my opinion. Either make it that by spending a hope point, instead of adding their attribute bonus, (only for called shots) they can pull it off even if it's a regular success, but they can't spend 1 hope point to add a bonus to thier result AND count a normal success..... Either that or stick with the idea of getting rid of the great success requirement while adding to the TN, but make the penalty just a little higher, like 3 or 4...

My "knee-jerk" house rule for Player Called shots:

Allow them to use it After the roll.

i.e. When they roll a Great + Success they can either "spend" the Tengwar on Additional Damage OR "spend" it on a "Called Shot" Effect.

(Edit: Just to clarify - knee-jerk - I have not given it much thought, what it would do to balance, or anything like that. I have not looked at the different effects and combos that could result, nor calculated any probabilities either. Just first reaction/thought "knee-jerk"-style.)

/wolf

My players don't attempt them.

One of the problems about Called Shots is my players don't know how useful they can be (or not be) given an adversary. They don't know who is Craven or what it means or how many Hate points an adversary has or what they can do with them. They don't know what adversaries require two wounds (until the first one). I prod them and try to supply some hints through descriptions, but I never like to bring in mechanics too much.

One thing that helped was when I told them not to make a tactical gamey decisions but to RP how their character fights. Are you a classicly trained swords person? Then you should be disarming. Didn't help much but it got them thinking about RP in fighting a bit.

Also, I could be wrong, but basic math tells me that it's better to try a Called Shot the higher the TN is. With Called Shot there is a band where you would have hit but you did not because you did not roll a 6. The higher the TN is (from Rearward or Defensive stance) the smaller that band is. Not sure if the difference is significant but it's there.

Anyway, I'm fine with it as is because I see it as an option for more skilled players and it will be a fun option to "unlock" when my players approach 4-5 in weapon skills (which will be a while).

FWIW, I play a rule where you can get more than one piercing blow on an attack attempt. Each one requires a test but a given attempt can only result in one wound.

I'd kinda like to tey your "knee jerkreaction" idea out, It'll encourge players to try them more if they get a great success.

I remember when myseklf and the LM of my first game were play testing the combat a bit, I tried out a disarm, I failed and then after discussing how we'd handle the results of a successful disram... the guy who was going to be LM decided that you could pick up a disarmed weapon the following turn so I decided that called shots were not really worthwhile because most of the time they make you miss.

I my players get disarmed they cannot get the weapon back unless they assume a Forward Stance and use their action and succeed at an Athletics or Battle roll. Or they propose something clever and succeed.

If they disarm an adversary I would rule that the Adversary just goes to the backup weapon (or runs away if a weaker Orc or something). But they have not done this.

I like that, us. I'd simply allowed a character to pick up the weapon on their turn, using their action. But then I was trying to have something negative happen each time a PC rolled a Sauron eye icon.

I like your idea better.

I like that.

A variation, that can be applied to both Adversaries and PCs would be: a Called Shot works on a great or extraordinary success, does normal damage on an ordinary success, and fumbles on a failure without a Tengwar rune. That keeps the high-reward, high-risk aspect.