Backstab

[Flint]

This skill is a generic term for 'critical strikes' against an opponent.
The victim of a backstab is not necessarily 'stabbed in the back'-- the
attack could be from any direction. If your character successfully
backstabs someone, the target has been 'hit in a vital location,' and will
be badly injured, the severity of the injury depending on your character's
backstab skill level.  You must always use a 'stabbing' weapon, which is a subset of the 'piercing' category.

Since this skill is not necessarily a stab in the back, could we take away the restriction of making it only a 'stabbing' weapon, and just let it include all 'piercing' weapons, since it is a 'critical strike' as opposed to only a 'stab in the back'?

[jstorrie]

The backstab skill implies studying your target and striking precisely in a vulnerable area.  I imagine this would be a bit tough to do with something unwieldy like, say, a pike.

[Gilvar]

Piecing weapons currently incorporates all types of sharp weapons, large and small, slightly sharp, and sometimes even just plain odd. Stab is for small, very sharp things. People are already backstabbing with spears that were made incorrectly, I'd not like to see the trend increased.

and if you begin dumbing down the terminology, soon people will be arguing that backstab is merel a critical/fancy strike and that it could be done with any weapon.

[dolores]

Piercing weapons currently incorporates all types of sharp weapons, large and small, slightly sharp, and sometimes even just plain odd. Stab is for small, very sharp things. People are already backstabbing with spears that were made incorrectly, I'd not like to see the trend increased.

Just to confirm: Do I correctly understand this to mean that if we encounter any large, unwieldy, or not-so-sharp "stabbing weapons" (e.g. spears!), they should be typo'd in game?

--Dolores

[Tlaloc]

Just to confirm: Do I correctly understand this to mean that if we encounter any large, unwieldy, or not-so-sharp "stabbing weapons" (e.g. spears!), they should be typo'd in game?

Yes. Any weapon that you think doesn't seem to fit into the appropriate 'weapon type' should be typoed in-game. For example: axes that don't chop, long-spears which are 'stabbing', swords which do clubbing damage. We'll then look over the items, and either keep them as they should be, or change them as appropriate.

[Majikal]

I know I had two knives that were exactly the same, but one was piercing and one was stabbing. In fact.. I think I might still have them on my char.

[RunningMountain]

Some weapons can do both.  Would be nice to have almost every weapon be interchangeable to a bludgeon.  Since almost every weapon does has a handle or pommel, which is blunt, so you could strike someone with it as a bludgeon and not a slash or chop like the head or blade of the weapon does.

[Bogre]

Some weapons can do both.  Would be nice to have almost every weapon be interchangeable to a bludgeon.  Since almost every weapon does has a handle or pommel, which is blunt, so you could strike someone with it as a bludgeon and not a slash or chop like the head or blade of the weapon does.

Also a lot harder to do with a hilt, since you gotta get a considerable distance closer.

[Agent_137]

yea, it's something to think about for a special future combat command, though.

[Larrath]

In theory, the idea is pretty nice and could work for a handful of weapons.


I feel a need to mention, however, that Zalanthan hilts are rarely made of extremely tough materials.  They'll usually be wood or bone, and while slamming these things down someone foreheads is painful, well...using an average longsword to hit someone's helmet with the weapon's butt will do, at most, something like 2 hp and 5 stun, and that's for a solid hit.

The hilts are just not as strong, and are very prone for breakage.


With this out of the way, again...any weapon whose hilt is strong enough (maybe it's made of stone or something), I am completely for this idea, as long as proper penalties to offense, defense and parry are handed out.

I also can't quite imagine people sparring just by slamming hilts at one another, so maybe it can be a kick-like attack?


Anyway, how is this related to backstabs?  Isn't this thread over already?
The proposal for giving weapons a secondary attack should probably have its own thread.

[Agent_137]

Yes, you are correct.

But I am lazy.

[Anael]

Being one of the silly people who define Kick as a general 'strike', when my characters use kick skill I often emote a pommel/hilt/blah strike.
The nifty thing with flip-able weapons is that you use the blunt end during whole combat. I can't see how you'd effectively run a long fight using only a pommel or a handle. But that might be just me