Called Shots

[Majestic]

I know this has been talked about a bunch, but I'm not finding what I'm looking for (by using the Palantir). Honestly, there's so many threads that discuss this it's tough to narrow things down.

So what do you do for an alternate rule for Called Shots? Just have the attack hit (as normal) if no Tengwars are rolled? That seems the easiest and smoothest way of handling things, making it so that the players don't celebrate when they roll an Eye during combat.

[zedturtle]

I assume you mean for enemies only? Otherwise, the risk/reward for the player initiated called shot breaks.

[Deadmanwalking]

For enemies, yeah, we just have the Called Shot hit if an ordinary attack would. They also only make Called Shots at all on a player's roll of an Eye.

The rules for PCs making Called Shots remain unchanged.

[jamesrbrown]

For enemies, yeah, we just have the Called Shot hit if an ordinary attack would. They also only make Called Shots at all on a player's roll of an Eye.

The rules for PCs making Called Shots remain unchanged.

I think that fix for a triggered enemy Called shot is nice: If a player-hero rolls an Eye and the next attack against him is successful, it is considered to have the same effect as a Called shot.

[Deadmanwalking]

For enemies, yeah, we just have the Called Shot hit if an ordinary attack would. They also only make Called Shots at all on a player's roll of an Eye.

The rules for PCs making Called Shots remain unchanged.

I think that fix for a triggered enemy Called shot is nice: If a player-hero rolls an Eye and the next attack against him is successful, it is considered to have the same effect as a Called shot.

Yeah, it's worked out quite well, with people not being pleased at all when an Eye is rolled in combat, but nobody dead of it as of yet.

[Falenthal]

I´m on a phone now, so sorry for mistakes. I have two questions regarding this HR: 1) By RAW it´s Eye AND failure. Do you use the Called Shot with just an Eye on the heroes roll? 2) What happens when a hero is engaged with multiple opponents? All of them get the Called Shot? And ranged adversaries (goblin archers, for instance)? Do they also get a Called Shot if they choose to attack the Eyed Hero?

[Deadmanwalking]

I´m on a phone now, so sorry for mistakes. I have two questions regarding this HR: 1) By RAW it´s Eye AND failure. Do you use the Called Shot with just an Eye on the heroes roll?

We've been doing it as any time an Eye is rolled, just like Hazards on a journey. Though at least once, all the foes were dead before it came up, effectively negating it.

Doing it the other way wouldn't be all that different, though. A majority of rolls involving an Eye tend to fail anyway, after all.

2) What happens when a hero is engaged with multiple opponents? All of them get the Called Shot? And ranged adversaries (goblin archers, for instance)? Do they also get a Called Shot if they choose to attack the Eyed Hero?

It's the next attacker in the battle who targets them, whoever that may be, and nobody else. By rolling an Eye the PC has lest themselves open, and the next foe to attack them takes advantage of it.

[Majestic]

Yes, I meant only for enemies.

And to answer Falenthal, yes I think I would only use an optional rule on this when the PC rolls both an Eye and misses. And I think I would likely limit it to just a single attack against them, but perhaps this should be dictated by what makes the most narrative sense, based on the particular circumstances at that time.

[Falenthal]

Thanks, Deadmanwalking and Majestic for the answers.

I had to look again at the exact text of Called Shots under adversaries, because in this game I discover a new rule or explanation everytime I re-read something. I'll copy here the text:

A creature automatically attempts a called shot using the
weapon it is currently wielding as its next action whenever
the companion attacking it fails his attack roll and obtains
an Eye result on his Feat die.

So, from what I understand now, only the creature that was attacked gets to try a Called Shot. All other creatures engaged with the hero roll their attacks normally. By RAW it's not the first creature to attack the hero, neither. Just the one the hero attacked.

If it's just one creature who gets the Called Shot, I'm more inclined to HR that this attack gets a bonus success die.

[Earendil]

I hadn't noticed that the rules require the hero's attack to miss as well as rolling an Eye in order to trigger a Callled Shot. This has an unfortunate side-effect; the Enchanted Quality Runes of Victory causes an Eye as well as a Gandalf to score an automatic hit. But that would mean that you could never trigger a Called Shot when using a weapon with that quality!

So regardless of what the rules say, I'm going to rule that an Eye triggers a Called Shot even if you hit. This has the happy effect of making Eyes suitably dangerous in combat, and has a nice symmetry with the Travel rules.

I already rule that an enemy's Called Shot still hits if they roll no tengwars, but it's just a normal hit.