Rules & Rulings from DF Session 199

Here are some rules and rulings from last session.

"15: You strain your shoulder!"

Ah, the most hated of all critical miss results.

My players comment? "There should be a clerical way to speed up the healing of the 30 minute cripple from the Critical Miss Table." I agree; it's Instant Restoration. I'm sure they meant cheaper, faster, and easier. But no, it's a cripple, but instead of 1d weeks it's 30 minutes; you can speed it up to instant with magic or you can wait. Just like a 1d week break isn't cheaper to heal if you roll a 1 instead of a 6, it's not cheaper if you only have 30 minutes to wait or 1 week. I don't think anyone will like that ruling but it's consistent.

Is Lightning's Stun too powerful?

Lightning stuns with a -1 per 2 injury. It's been suggested that it should be weaker. I think it's fair on the initial stun, but I do think my players are right - it probably should be an unmodified HT roll to recover from stun. I think that's what DFRPG Spells intends, too - so we can do that.

Does the DX penalty for fire affect you if your DR is too high to get hurt?

I said yes. DFRPG Exploits, p. 68, says that the DX penalty doesn't affect you if the injury can't hurt you. My players read this as "If the damage can penetrate your DR" and I read it as "If the fire could harm you." It says injury, not damage . . . my logic is that yes, your DR protects, but fire that could hurt you is distracting. If you can't be hurt by the flame - immunity or native DR vs. fire, say - it doesn't distract you if you have clothes on fire.

What if you have enough natural DR to not get hurt, asked someone running dwarf who'll probably try to get DR 5 for this purpose . . . still no. I just don't see it, given the DR that PCs can purchase. Last thing I need is someone with a barbarian's DR ignoring being on fire because he's got cinematic DR.

Just be grateful I didn't have the 3+ fire damage detonate alchemists fire like the rules says it does. But I know, you have it ready to Fast-Draw but otherwise completely covered from any possible damage or breakage.

Rapid Strike and Step

Just for the record, we don't allow you to Rapid Strike and split the attacks on either side of your Step. You can Step and then Attack with a Rapid Strike, or Attack with a Rapid Strike and then Step, but not split it up. Or Step, Attack, Step with two steps. You get me. No splitting the attack.

With Extra Attack you can. It's part of why it costs 25 points.

And, for what it's worth, I still hate the +4 for targeting a hex and Retreat.