critical strike, seige weapons

[Ark]

2 little questions

1-this one my friend pointed out, it dosnt say anywere in critical strike that the damage has to be melee, it just says your next attack is 3,6,or 9, so this raised a question, can it be done through a bow via archer, or stone via grenadier, now for bow you wouldnt be able to add vorpal for your next attack is the critical strike, but still.

2-when reading up on the balista i got an idea, it says a craftsman can use the balista, but has no details on size and such, this means someone with level 1 craftsman or more could carry a crossbow phys rep, but its a balista, giving them a 5 vorpal attack, although the upkeep is still a limiting factor it still seems over powered for 20 points

[cole45]

excellent point on siege weapons. I would like to see wording indicating they may not be moved.

Critical strike is a charge ability. so you can not use with a BOW, because that TOO is a charged ability.

however, grenadier might be possible

[Ark]

exactly on seige weapons, i dont mean useing critical strike WITH the bows charged abilitys, i mean useing it to deliver the critical strike, shoot someone with a bow for "9"

[General Maximus]

Critcal Strike is suppose only to be used for melee weapons.

The reason is you can pick up a bow, charge your critcal strike, and do 9 vorpal. It kinda defeats the purpose of getting archer to level 4. I don't know why melee weapon only is not in the critcal strike description.

As for seige weapons, use comon sense. A seige weapon is large and hard to move around. If you are carrying a crossbow around and trying to say it is a seige weapon, than that is a little chessy. Now if you have a cross bow attached to a stand and than say it is a seige weapon, that would be good. Seige weapons should not be easly moved around or taken on cave crawls.

[Ark]

i dont think critical strike being ranged is a break, empath channel can be used both ranged and melee, so why not the crit. strike, both have there advantages and disatvantages.

[GM-Taki]

Empath is designed to be ranged and it is balanced as a ranged ability. The charge times, armor restrictions and corresponding damages are set up to account for the advantages associated with being a ranged skill. Using it in melee is actually lessening its advantage, which is fine.

Critical strike is designed to be a melee skill and is balanced to be used in melee. The ability to use a skill at range is a significant advantage, and critical strike does not take that advantage into account as it is currently written.

[Jaycen Blackhawk]

Empath is designed to be ranged and it is balanced as a ranged ability. The charge times, armor restrictions and corresponding damages are set up to account for the advantages associated with being a ranged skill. Using it in melee is actually lessening its advantage, which is fine.

I have to disagree slightly with this sentiment.

I feel that allowing a ranged ability to be used in melee is far too great of an advantage.

A thrown packet can be dodged, thrown poorly, or deflect off something. The variables are the balancing factor.

Allowing a 'Channel' to be used in melee takes away all of those variables. It does give a big advantage towards the Empath. Huge. Gigantic.

[General Maximus]

You forget my friend. You just need to hit the mellee empath to cancel out there attack. Very easly done in combat. And please note: you must be channeling the boom through your fist (18"). Can not channel them through a sword or weapon. So good luck on gettign that 15 boom off with a fist with out getting hit. It is no easy. Better to use a packet at close range.

[cole45]

I think a note to critical strike so that it is a melee attack would be fine, and fix the issue.

[Jaycen Blackhawk]

You forget my friend. You just need to hit the mellee empath to cancel out there attack. Very easly done in combat. And please note: you must be channeling the boom through your fist (18"). Can not channel them through a sword or weapon. So good luck on gettign that 15 boom off with a fist with out getting hit. It is no easy. Better to use a packet at close range.

Your statement is mostly true if both people are equal in fighting skill. But the minute one person is better than the other and the balance is thrown off. I'm also a person who believes that rules should be designed with intent not skill so my counter really doesn't make a difference, just wanted to point it out.

Does the charged fist have to make contact with the target or with anything they are holding or carrying? Cause you can't block a packet boom with a sword.

[General Maximus]

I forget to add, the person must hold there hand over there hand becasue there hand is covered with a big ball of energy. So you will notice a person advancing on you with a melle boom.

And yes, you can block a melle boom with a sword, shield, and even use the parry skill agianst it. Melle booms suck.

Critcal strikes are hard to get off if you are not surprising a person or if you are working in a group. But it is nice for a first hit becasue it is hidden.

[Ark]

i feel it just opens up more uses for a skill, im sure most people have seen one instance of a rouge useing throwing knives, ninjas are a good example, that would be a fun concept to play, the only way to resist a range empath channel are the two resist magic skills, both master level, to resist a ranged crit strike you would need missle avoidence, a third and fourth level skill, i think it wouldnt cause a break to allow this to be possible, since when have all rouges been melee fighters?.

[GM-Taki]

Empath is designed to be ranged and it is balanced as a ranged ability. The charge times, armor restrictions and corresponding damages are set up to account for the advantages associated with being a ranged skill. Using it in melee is actually lessening its advantage, which is fine.

I have to disagree slightly with this sentiment.

I feel that allowing a ranged ability to be used in melee is far too great of an advantage.

A thrown packet can be dodged, thrown poorly, or deflect off something. The variables are the balancing factor.

Allowing a 'Channel' to be used in melee takes away all of those variables. It does give a big advantage towards the Empath. Huge. Gigantic.

Allowing a channel to be used in melee really doesn't change anything. If someone is capable of landing a blow in melee without being struck or losing their charge, they could have stopped that same blow six inches from the target and tossed a packet. Using the same skill from 20 feet away is another matter entirely, and that why extending melee to range is not the same as using distance attacks at what is essentially point-blank range.

[General Maximus]

One of the main reason critcal strike can not be used with range weapons is for game balance reasons.

The ablity to throw a 9 vorpal for a 15 count if you have full path rouge and level 1 gernader or archer is broken.

If you want to do ranged vorpal damage, be a archer or a gernaider.

I you want large thrown damage, be an empath.

With the current rules, critcal strike cannot be used as a ranged attack with out creating balance issues with the game.

[Ark]

vorpal? with crit strike you can ONLY do 9, it states that in the skill, thats your next offensive call, the only thing that can add vorpal is touch of death, and lets exclude archer then to avoid confusion, so you have a master rouge, 1st level grenadier that can throw a "9", wich can be countered through NO cost to life with one skill available twice, now you have a master empath, who can throw a "15 magic" wich can only be stopped by 1 master level skill avilable twice with cost to life, i dont see a break. had it been like you said a 9 vorpal for a 15 count i agree it would be broken.