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Taking a bullet for someone else

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 5:21 pm
by flatline
If I'm standing next to you and see someone trying to shoot you, are there canon rules for me jumping in front of you to take the bullet?

It can't be simple initiative rolls because if I beat your attacker in initiative, I've already taken my action before he even declares he's shooting you...

--flatline

Re: Taking a bullet for someone else

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 5:51 pm
by The Beast
AFAIK, you just have to announce to your GM that you want to do that, and then dodge your way into it.

Re: Taking a bullet for someone else

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 6:09 pm
by guardiandashi
The Beast wrote:AFAIK, you just have to announce to your GM that you want to do that, and then dodge your way into it.

its kind of a reverse dodge or parry IE you are intentionally getting in front of the attack to keep it from hitting them

Re: Taking a bullet for someone else

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 7:42 pm
by Killer Cyborg
flatline wrote:If I'm standing next to you and see someone trying to shoot you, are there canon rules for me jumping in front of you to take the bullet?

It can't be simple initiative rolls because if I beat your attacker in initiative, I've already taken my action before he even declares he's shooting you...

--flatline


It's like one of your hobbies is just sitting around with your P-51, looking for cans of worms.
Even though you don't enjoy the taste.
:-D

RGMG 33
So how do I leap in front of the fireball aimed at the one-armed, blind little orphan Timmy... or how can one get in the way of an attack directed at someone else?
It will count as a single action and, as always, you must roll to strike- in this case the strike being to hurl oneself in the path of the destruction. Hight roll wins. The defender (i.e., the guy diving in front of the blast, sword or whatever the attack is) wins ties. So if both attacker and defender roll a 14 to strike, the defender winds and takes the damage meant for Timmy. Yes, Success means the heroic character (now a human shield) will take the damage, and cannot attempt to Parry or Dodge that attack. A failed roll means the blast misses the heroic character and Timmy is struck.

There are also some rules there for tackling Timmy out of the way as a kind of Simultaneous Strike.

Now, people have brought up the potential for abuse from the above rule:
"I have +5 to dodge, and +10 to strike. When I see the enemy point his gun at me, I'm going to dive in front of that tree off to my left, in order to save it!"
Though there are flaws with that kind of argument, of course.

Personally, I think it's bizarre that Strike is used in this case... but I can kind of see it. The goal of dodging is generally to be anywhere BUT one specific place, and the goal of striking (with body block or whatever) is to BE one specific place.
This rule has never really come up when I've run things, that I can recall.

Re: Taking a bullet for someone else

Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:40 am
by sirkermittsg
Killer Cyborg wrote:Personally, I think it's bizarre that Strike is used in this case... but I can kind of see it. The goal of dodging is generally to be anywhere BUT one specific place, and the goal of striking (with body block or whatever) is to BE one specific place.
This rule has never really come up when I've run things, that I can recall.


I have seen a character attempt to dive in front of an attack to save another character only ONCE. said dive was unsuccessful (bad dice roll) and the character being defended was killed.

still it was awesome to observe.

Re: Taking a bullet for someone else

Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 6:05 pm
by Tor
Cliff's: you roll to strike (not dodge) but you win ties since it's "defensive" in nature.

Cyborg brings up an interesting dilemma, although it is rare to have higher strike bonuses than dodge since skills and HtHs tend to add more defensively than offensively. I could only see this coming up for assassins, in which case I think it's hilarious.