so i’m running a home brew game with some friends. One of these players is a good friend who has some mild learning disabilities. Anyway, I was running a combat encounter, and the player in question continued to make special attacks (ie charging attacks, Jumping attacks) I started off by simply narrating that He charged up and attacked the creature, but he was expecting higher damage cause he “Charged”. How should I deal with this?
Another player who is super smart, keeps making attacks against specific Body parts (ie eyes, legs etc) how should I deal with this? Are there rules for that kinda thing that I’m missing? Cause it would completely cripple a lot of monsters if it happened that they lost an arm easily, but if the monster only has 30 hit points, how do I gauge when that monster loses body parts etc...
For the player that wants to aim at certain body parts, consider taking a look at the system called "Called Shots" from pathfinder which can easily be adapted to suit your campaign.
There's also a variant where you need to rely on your reaction to make a called shot, as it's very hard to directly attack a certain body part, and you would have to wait for it to be unguarded. The upside is you can inflict a certain status, or attack a weakness. The downside is that you forfeit most of your action and rely on a reaction to perform your attack.
Also worth noting, if your PC's want to be able to do this, ask them if they are comfortable with the monsters doing the same. They'll probably change their mind once they keep getting immobilised by a pack of goblins.
For the first player, who keeps trying to charge, consider testing athletics and making attacks fail outright when challenges are not met for extraordinary attacks, or factor in attacks of opportunity when the player is left vulnerable, making it an option, but not one that's always superior.
Charges and jumping are mostly theatrical so when you narrate it, make it sound cool but may not be as effective as desired. "As you leap from your companion's shoulders, you swing your sword but the bugbear dodges to the side and you only land a glancing blow (2 damage)."
The same thing can be done for aimed shots. "You hit him in the head with your arrow, and he screams in pain as his ear flies off in a gout of blood (1 damage)."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
For the 'targetted' attacks I would increase the AC of the creature for the attack (say by 2 or 3) to account for the needed accuracy- results would vary depending on body part but (for example) eyes may just mean blinded for 1 turn, or maybe two or three hits to a creatures legs before it' speed is reduced or it gets knocked prone. Also as Shwayne noted, of the PC get to target attack then NPC/monsters could do the same. I would only be careful of not inadvertently replicating a classes special abilities as it will reduce their uniqueness. That said , the game is made for that kind of action and the player should definatly be free to try- high risk high reward I'd say.
Teaching players how to play who have learning disabilities is an interesting time, I have a young son who fits the bill. I had to slow down, clarify what the action was, and then explain what that meant in D&D terms. It took a while before that approach took root, but once it did, there were far less arguments and frustration. I had to explain that charging a creature didn't mean more damage, since a monster can see a running person and brace for impact. I had to explain that climbing on top of something and then jumping down would cause him harm just like the monster. I needed to explain that trying to shoot a monster in the eye with his bow was going to be very hard since it was moving. As I continued to explain these hiccups with his choices, and kept it consistent, he started to find new ways to do what he wanted inside the scope of the game's mechanics.
We have a clash from seamless action cartoons and video games being brought into the action economy of D&D. Once I saw this connection I was further able to help him by explaining how that scene in his head would play out in D&D. It turned from, teaching the scope of the mechanics into teaching how to make those ideas come alive. You can do that, but you'll have to spend this turn doing X then next turn doing Y. You can attack that monster's leg, but it may not be enough damage to sever it since the creature is going to try to avoid losing a leg. I had to learn how to use "Yes but..." in a way that was educational. As with teaching the scope of the mechanics, being consistent with how the description of action economy works will begin to settle in.
These approaches will translate well to any type of player: ask, clarify, explain, resolve. Your player who does called shots, you've already asked and clarified what the action is. Next you explain the difficulties of that action, movement, armor, etc. Allow the player any input they need to make sure there is a clear understanding of your explanation, sometimes words are hard. Once both of you are on the same page, resolve the action and make sure to follow that same ruling going forward. If it breaks down and becomes an argument, simply resolve the issue with the words "For now we're going to do X, I'll look into this more after the game". After you do this enough times it should become second nature for the player to make decisions based on the consistent rule set that you've place down.
I sort of have a homebrew system for combat, if they simply say "I want to hit X with my Y" it's a straight roll.
If they say something like "I want to attempt a punch in the solar plexus for a stun" I raise the AC by a few points, if they can hit within that mark outside the norm AC it goes for it, otherwise its a normal attack. If it lands the enemy has to take a constitution roll, if they fail their next attack is at disadvantage.
I try to keep combat more involved so they can do more tactical stuff without taking a feat to do maneuvers.
For your friend looking to do improved damage with lunge attacks allow the enemy to do a dexterity check in attempt to dodge it or outright parry/block with a weapon. Would have it versus either their combat proficiency or acrobatics depending on the situation. For the guy calling targeted attacks think about how they are positioned and adjust the AC, depending on how they are adjusted in the battle and what action they choose to do the AC could be higher, the same, or lower.
Just a suggestion, when dealing with new players keep the combat simple in terms give them options. Example, "You square of with the goblin in front of you his eyes glowing with hatred..." Do you (Player) want to attack with your sword or do you want to cast a spell or would you like to....run? When he/she answers I would like to swing my sword you say make your attack roll and you walk them through the process. When they say I want to cut off his hand, tell them ok you can certainly try...and ask them to make an attack roll. If they hit then I tell them you swung and hit him but you missed his hand the goblin takes 6 damage. NOW if they crit that roll then I usually bend and say ok you cut off his hand. Look at the end of the day the monster will only take the damage dealt until it dies and you and your group are there to have fun. You're the DM you control what happens in combat let the player characters influence the story but at the end of the day you can always let the dice decide so you don't have to be a bad guy.
SHWAYNE from above had a totally valid point that I am going to start using ...flip it on them. Ask them if it would be ok for the Goblin to target the players arm. Would they like to loose their arm this battle and maybe their leg the next?
When they say I want to cut off his hand, tell them ok you can certainly try...and ask them to make an attack roll. If they hit then I tell them you swung and hit him but you missed his hand the goblin takes 6 damage. NOW if they crit that roll then I ussually bend and say ok you cut off his hand.
That's actually an optional rule in the DMG Chapter 9.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
so i’m running a home brew game with some friends. One of these players is a good friend who has some mild learning disabilities. Anyway, I was running a combat encounter, and the player in question continued to make special attacks (ie charging attacks, Jumping attacks) I started off by simply narrating that He charged up and attacked the creature, but he was expecting higher damage cause he “Charged”. How should I deal with this?
Another player who is super smart, keeps making attacks against specific Body parts (ie eyes, legs etc) how should I deal with this? Are there rules for that kinda thing that I’m missing? Cause it would completely cripple a lot of monsters if it happened that they lost an arm easily, but if the monster only has 30 hit points, how do I gauge when that monster loses body parts etc...
Any guidance is appreciated.
For the player that wants to aim at certain body parts, consider taking a look at the system called "Called Shots" from pathfinder which can easily be adapted to suit your campaign.
There's also a variant where you need to rely on your reaction to make a called shot, as it's very hard to directly attack a certain body part, and you would have to wait for it to be unguarded. The upside is you can inflict a certain status, or attack a weakness. The downside is that you forfeit most of your action and rely on a reaction to perform your attack.
Also worth noting, if your PC's want to be able to do this, ask them if they are comfortable with the monsters doing the same. They'll probably change their mind once they keep getting immobilised by a pack of goblins.
For the first player, who keeps trying to charge, consider testing athletics and making attacks fail outright when challenges are not met for extraordinary attacks, or factor in attacks of opportunity when the player is left vulnerable, making it an option, but not one that's always superior.
Charges and jumping are mostly theatrical so when you narrate it, make it sound cool but may not be as effective as desired. "As you leap from your companion's shoulders, you swing your sword but the bugbear dodges to the side and you only land a glancing blow (2 damage)."
The same thing can be done for aimed shots. "You hit him in the head with your arrow, and he screams in pain as his ear flies off in a gout of blood (1 damage)."
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Is this article on cinematic combat stunts relevant?: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/203-fighting-dirty-cinematic-combat-stunts
For the 'targetted' attacks I would increase the AC of the creature for the attack (say by 2 or 3) to account for the needed accuracy- results would vary depending on body part but (for example) eyes may just mean blinded for 1 turn, or maybe two or three hits to a creatures legs before it' speed is reduced or it gets knocked prone. Also as Shwayne noted, of the PC get to target attack then NPC/monsters could do the same. I would only be careful of not inadvertently replicating a classes special abilities as it will reduce their uniqueness. That said , the game is made for that kind of action and the player should definatly be free to try- high risk high reward I'd say.
Teaching players how to play who have learning disabilities is an interesting time, I have a young son who fits the bill. I had to slow down, clarify what the action was, and then explain what that meant in D&D terms. It took a while before that approach took root, but once it did, there were far less arguments and frustration. I had to explain that charging a creature didn't mean more damage, since a monster can see a running person and brace for impact. I had to explain that climbing on top of something and then jumping down would cause him harm just like the monster. I needed to explain that trying to shoot a monster in the eye with his bow was going to be very hard since it was moving. As I continued to explain these hiccups with his choices, and kept it consistent, he started to find new ways to do what he wanted inside the scope of the game's mechanics.
We have a clash from seamless action cartoons and video games being brought into the action economy of D&D. Once I saw this connection I was further able to help him by explaining how that scene in his head would play out in D&D. It turned from, teaching the scope of the mechanics into teaching how to make those ideas come alive. You can do that, but you'll have to spend this turn doing X then next turn doing Y. You can attack that monster's leg, but it may not be enough damage to sever it since the creature is going to try to avoid losing a leg. I had to learn how to use "Yes but..." in a way that was educational. As with teaching the scope of the mechanics, being consistent with how the description of action economy works will begin to settle in.
These approaches will translate well to any type of player: ask, clarify, explain, resolve. Your player who does called shots, you've already asked and clarified what the action is. Next you explain the difficulties of that action, movement, armor, etc. Allow the player any input they need to make sure there is a clear understanding of your explanation, sometimes words are hard. Once both of you are on the same page, resolve the action and make sure to follow that same ruling going forward. If it breaks down and becomes an argument, simply resolve the issue with the words "For now we're going to do X, I'll look into this more after the game". After you do this enough times it should become second nature for the player to make decisions based on the consistent rule set that you've place down.
I hope this is helpful, and remember: have fun!
I sort of have a homebrew system for combat, if they simply say "I want to hit X with my Y" it's a straight roll.
If they say something like "I want to attempt a punch in the solar plexus for a stun" I raise the AC by a few points, if they can hit within that mark outside the norm AC it goes for it, otherwise its a normal attack. If it lands the enemy has to take a constitution roll, if they fail their next attack is at disadvantage.
I try to keep combat more involved so they can do more tactical stuff without taking a feat to do maneuvers.
For your friend looking to do improved damage with lunge attacks allow the enemy to do a dexterity check in attempt to dodge it or outright parry/block with a weapon. Would have it versus either their combat proficiency or acrobatics depending on the situation. For the guy calling targeted attacks think about how they are positioned and adjust the AC, depending on how they are adjusted in the battle and what action they choose to do the AC could be higher, the same, or lower.
Just a suggestion, when dealing with new players keep the combat simple in terms give them options. Example, "You square of with the goblin in front of you his eyes glowing with hatred..." Do you (Player) want to attack with your sword or do you want to cast a spell or would you like to....run? When he/she answers I would like to swing my sword you say make your attack roll and you walk them through the process. When they say I want to cut off his hand, tell them ok you can certainly try...and ask them to make an attack roll. If they hit then I tell them you swung and hit him but you missed his hand the goblin takes 6 damage. NOW if they crit that roll then I usually bend and say ok you cut off his hand. Look at the end of the day the monster will only take the damage dealt until it dies and you and your group are there to have fun. You're the DM you control what happens in combat let the player characters influence the story but at the end of the day you can always let the dice decide so you don't have to be a bad guy.
SHWAYNE from above had a totally valid point that I am going to start using ...flip it on them. Ask them if it would be ok for the Goblin to target the players arm. Would they like to loose their arm this battle and maybe their leg the next?