Protect Companion + Called Shot

[Rocmistro]

Can you attack with a called shot and protect companion in the same round?

I can't see any reason why not but some of the language and interpretation about the Runes of Victory + Called Shot thing got me to thinking about it.

[Rich H]

Can you attack with a called shot and protect companion in the same round?

I can't see any reason why not but some of the language and interpretation about the Runes of Victory + Called Shot thing got me to thinking about it.

Protect Companion has no bearing on how you attack so what circumstances are you think where it could affect Called Shot?

[Rocmistro]

Well if we agree that a "basic attack" and a "Called shot" are two different types of attacks...

If we then scrutinize the language of protect companion that "...may still attack when his turn comes"
We then might conclude that he can attack normally but not do a called shot.

Personally, I don't think that's the right approach, (and I don't think there's a difference between a regular attack and a called shot as it applies to Runes of Victory either.)

But, it's worth talking about and vetting out.

My longest running character is coming up on his 5th rank in his primary weapon. (Longsword, Barding Swordmaster)

It's almost worth running him constantly in Defensive stance now and declare every attack as a called shot to disarm his foe. (5/6 chance of rolling a "T"). That seems very powerful and if we then add Protect Companion...wow.

(note that I have not declared it broken, or imba, or QQ, or anything like that. I'm just saying it 'seems' powerful to the extent of being worth talking about on the forums).

[Rich H]

Well if we agree that a "basic attack" and a "Called shot" are two different types of attacks...

They are still attacks, it's just that their success is determined differently - total roll vs TN and tengwars vs TN respectively, which is what the other discussion is about as the tengwars vs target number determine whether the blow is successful.

[Rocmistro]

Right. I've been following along in the other thread and I think we're all in agreement that a "called shot" is still an "attack" (it's not its own category of die roll/test/task). It's success is just determined differently.

[Rich H]

Right. I've been following along in the other thread and I think we're all in agreement that a "called shot" is still an "attack" (it's not its own category of die roll/test/task). It's success is just determined differently.

I'd go with that, yes. The debate is around how Runes of Victory, and reading an EYE as an automatic hit (like a G rune), interacts with Called Shots.

[Murcushio]

It seems all right to me that someone using Protect Companion can also make a Called Shot while doing it.

My reasoning is this: it would have been very easy for the devs to balance Protect Companion around "this is your combat action for the turn, you can do nothing else." However, they did not do that. Instead, Protect Companion is balanced around two different things; the need to spend Hope (people may recall the discussion of a theoretical limitless Hope engine using Protect Companion a couple weeks ago) and the fact that you have to designate a specific protectee, and if your foe goes after other people instead, of well.

Given that, it seems logical to me that people can still use Called Shot the same turn they're using Protect Companion. It doesn't seem to unbalance the game and the rules are ambiguous enough to allow it.

[bluejay]

Yeah I think there's no problem with the premise here except the probability. You're chance of rolling at least one Tengwar rune on five dice is not 5/6.

It's 1 - (5/6 x 5/6 x 5/6 x 5/6 x 5/6)

Probability is notoriously unintuitive

[Hermes Serpent]

16.66r%


If my math is correct

[zedturtle]

59.8% or closer to 5/8 than 5/6. But Rocco's point still stands, it's going to happen a lot of the time.