Hitting parts of body?

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Is it possible to target separate parts of body in D@D? Are there any official rules for it and its effects? Because I find the default combat (described in Players handbook) quite boring and repetive - you make attack roll and miss or hit - your oponet makes attack roll and misses or hits... and so on until one of the combatants falls dead.

 

There is a variant rule in the Dungeon Master Guide concearning damage to specific body parts at page 66/67, but nothing about attacking those body parts.

This is not from the official rules, but you could just determin how big bodyparts are in your opinion. Making a random hit would require a normal attack roll. An attack role at a specific small body part gets a -4 penalty. An attack at a specific medium bodypart gets a -3 penalty or something like that.
If you attack for example, a hand, which would be small, you suffer a -4 penalty. A critical hit means it's cut off. If the hand is holding a shield, it is impossible to cut it off.
A finger would be tiny and thus impossible to target.

 

Sean K. Reynolds on this.

D&D is an abstract system. Perhaps your DM ought to be a bit more descriptive.

 

Well, I AM the DM and my descriptions of combat are pretty violent, believe me ;-} But I've played GURPS before and it has very detailed rules for hitting parts of body - eg. hitting in the neck has a chance decapitating the opponent, or enemz hit in the groins may get stunned etc.

 

I have a 2nd edition DM screen that has some great charts that outline the rolls and such that you can make to strike specific body parts.

Honestly, though, I have to agree with Sean K. Reynolds in that it does not make the game better, really. Sure, it might be more "realistic," going for unarmored legs and whatnot, but killing a level 19 warrior with a neck shot kinda takes something away from the game...

Anyway, if you're interested in that, try to find a 2nd ed. DM screen. Check with Tal - if Sorcerer's doesn't sell it he might could point you in the right direction.

 

Well, in 2e, you can make a called shot wherever you want with a -4. There's also a book called Comabat and Tatics wich have a bunch of extra manuvers, and a crical hit system for body parts. There should also be vorpal blades that on natural 20's decapitate the victim... ultra-rare, though...
I also have the dm screen, and it is pretty cool.

[ April 07, 2003, 00:10: Message edited by: fauzman ]

 

My take on this:

First let's begin with the base 10 ac your character has, which your body part should then concievably also have.

Then let's say we add a +4 to it, because the attack is a called shot, and the body part in mention could easily gain some cover by the character twisting and turning. Alternatively, let this be a penalty to the attack roll instead.

The character might have a dex bonus, let's say a +2 there.

Then if the spot is covered in armor we add whatever armor bonus the character has, let's say a +4 because he is wearing chainmail.

Finally we look at the size of the area the character wants to hit; in the case of a medium sized creature's hand, I'd say it's about the size of a dagger. And weapon sizes being treated two size categories higher, this gives the hand a size of fine, in other words a +8 bonus to ac.

The hand is now at ac 28, in other words a hard task. Perhaps it might be a bit too hard depending on what the player wants to achieve... I was making this up on the fly, so I don't have a clue.

I suggest imposing various attack, movement and defense penalties on the victim when it's hit, possibly a small bonus to the damage dealt to it if it is hit somewhere hurtful so to speak. Again, as I was saying, I am making this up as I write, so I really don't know.

Edit: fixing spelling errors and such.

 

I still firmly maintain that D&D is abstract, and such complexities needn't be added.

When you get a critical hit, you might make a chart of various effects that can happen. But you'd need dozens of charts each weapon, monster, and circumstance. I suggest that you simply freeforming it, increasing effects to how relevant the character is to the campaign. E.g., it doesn't matter if kobold A got his ear cut off via a critical hit, but the fight with the Demon Lord Hitewopiq reuslting in the gouging out of his eye may make such a climatic fight more interesting.