The Science of a "Miss"

When making an attack roll in most role playing games, the result is about as simple as it can be. The attack either hits the intended target or it doesn't. Some games - such as Aces & Eights and Dark Heresy -  incorporate mechanics to determine specifically where the target is hit. Even the Pathfinder RPG has an variant system that allows characters to determine precisely where their want to aim their blows (i.e. called shots). But this post isn't about what happens when or where a character hits its target - this is about what happens when they miss!

 

In the Pathfinder rule system, making an attack roll is about determining whether or not a character is able to land a damaging blow. I emphasis "damaging" because during the course of combat, blows will be struck. It's inevitable. However, many of these may be hits that harmlessly glance off of the enemy's armor or are absorbed by an intervening shield. In game terms, these impotent strikes are still categorized as "a miss".1 So, how can we determine if that "miss" was actually wildly off target, narrowly dodged at the last moment, or turned aside by a heavy shield?

A better question you might be asking yourself is, "why would I want to"? To be honest, there's no real reason to. The character in question fails to beat his opponent's AC, you describe the futile attempt to "bring the pain" in the manner of your choosing, and the game goes on. No harm, no foul. However, for those that want a little more detail to their combat or, like me, are just curious about such minutia, read on.

What follows is a detailed explanation of how I would determine why an attack failed to wound an opponent. It is can be rather cumbersome to implement at the game table, so I've created an Excel sheet that is designed to do all the heavy lifting for you. Just fill in the relevant fields (shaded in blue) before the game and when a fight breaks out, look for the first AC value from the top of the list that exceeds the attack roll. This is the reason the attack failed to generate a wound. The file has yet to be field tested, so if you chose to use it during your games, or simply want to poke at it a bit, please send me feedback with your thoughts and, of course, any errors or difficulties you might notice in using it.

There's a certain sequence of obstacles a character must overcome if they intend to strike a damaging blow against this opponent. Each of these obstacles is represented by different modifiers that gets applied to the target's Armor Class. Typically, these bonuses and penalties get lumped together and their sum is used to determine if an attack ultimately caused damage. If we break that final number down into its components, however, we can determine exactly why a failed attack was unsuccessful.

The game assumes that a target has base AC of 10, adjusted for size and other conditions affecting the target (such as being blind, cowering, or kneeling). If a character's attack result is less than 10 (plus the relevant adjustments), we can assume that the attack failed to even threaten the target. This could be an axe swing that passes over the head of a Small opponent or a bow shot that simply goes wide of its mark.

To continue on, I'm going to assume that the target in question is of Medium size (+0 size modifier) and is not affected by anything that would further alter his base armor class from AC 10.

Now what if the result is higher than an AC 10? That would indicate that the blow is going to land somewhere on the target that is going to hurt. But what if the target has cover? Well, if the attack roll doesn't equal at least 14 (+4 cover bonus), but is higher than 10, it's reasonable to assume that the attack hit whatever the target was using for cover. At this point, a GM might house rule that the attack causes damage to the cover instead. Since whatever was proving cover wasn't the intended target, I might further rule that the attack only deals half damage.

Assuming that our character manages to find his target and circumvent any intervening cover, the target is going to want to move out of the way if he can. This is where his Dexterity modifier and dodge bonuses get applied. Since you lose your dodge bonuses any time  you lose your Dexterity modifier, these get lumped into a single group. If the attack exceeds a 14, or 10 if there is no cover, but it doesn't exceed his AC after applying these modifiers, the target has managed to not be where the blow was going to land. Perhaps he ducked at the last moment, or spun out the blade's reach.

Finally, if the character's aim is true and his opponent isn't nimble enough to get out of the way, his last line of defense is going to be his armor. First he'll try to block the attack with his shield if he has one. If that fails, he has to hope his armor is durable enough to withstand the blow. As with the situation of an attack being foiled by intervening cover, it could be house ruled that an attack defeated by a shield or suit of armor deals some degree of damage to those items. A good warrior values his armor and this sort of house rule would contribute to the sense of one's armor undergoing constant wear and the need to keep it in good repair lest it gains the broken condition, or worse - is destroyed. Lastly, some creatures may be fortunate enough to have exceptionally tough skin or hide that might protect them when all else fails.

1 It seems to me that many players incorrectly assume that each individual attack roll represents a single strike that either connects with their opponent and therefore causes them damage, or misses the target entirely. Not only is this incorrect, but it doesn't make sense. Donning armor and/or a shield will raise a character's AC and makes it more likely an opponent will "miss" them. However, common sense will tell you that the purpose of armor and shields is to absorb the damage from a hit rather than to help avoid the strike altogether. For these people, Pathfinder offers the "Armor as Damage Reduction" variant rules.

Mirror, mirror...

There are many superstitions surrounding mirrors, such as having seven years of bad luck for breaking one, or that they can trap the soul. A couple weeks ago, I came across this blog post with a table of some truly awful effects that mirrors - or any reflective surface for that matter - might have upon their viewers. Something about the disturbing and unfortunate nature of these effects set me to composing my own collection of horrible effects.

Although written with the Pathfinder rule system in mind, it's simple enough to use equivalent mechanics from your own game of choice. I specifically did not list a DC for any of the saving throws as these effects are intended to be used at any level - the DC should scale appropriately with that of the character gazing into the mirror. A suggested DC would be 10 + the character's level.

Become The Monster
Your reflection is a grotesque parody of your true self. Your limbs are twisted and where it hasn’t sloughed off, your skin red and scaly. If you study the image in any way, make a Will saving throw. If you fail, one of your hands twists and warps in horrifying ways. At the same time, the reflection of that same hand reverts to normal. Each time you stand in front of a mirror, you must succeed at another saving throw or suffer a similar transformation to another part of your body until your entire body is vile and deformed. The effect can be ended with a remove curse spell or similar ability. Any deformed appendages remain, although a restoration spell or similar ability can restore your body to normal once the curse is broken.

Betrayed
Everything appears normal in the mirror until you realize that your companions' reflections are leering at you. If you investigate the reflection further, the reflection of one of your companions unexpectedly lashes out at your image. Make a Reflex saving throw. If you fail, your reflection suffers a coup de grace attack. You take the damage and effects that the attack causes. If the result of the saving throw is a natural 1, you are cursed and the attack reoccurs anytime you are standing in front of a mirror - make a new saving throw each time. This curse is lifted when the attack kills you, or is dispelled with a remove curse or similar effect. If you succeed at the saving throw, you (and your reflection) manage to avoid the attack. Your companion’s reflection returns to normal.

Evil Twin
An image of you stares back, but something seems off about your reflected self. If you investigate the image further, make a Will saving throw. If you fail, you find yourself trapped within the mirror. The image simultaneously takes your place. The image has the same equipment and abilities as you, but is of a different moral alignment. If you are of a good alignment, your image is evil, and vice versa. If you are neutral, your image has either a good or evil alignment (GM’s choice).

Hangman's Noose
Your reflection looks back at you, a noose hanging from its neck. Make a Will saving throw. If you fail, the reflection of the noose suddenly snaps upward and both you and your reflection begin to suffocate. Another character must manipulate his reflection to cut the rope. If you succeed at the saving throw, the noose continues to hang from your reflection’s neck, but nothing happens.

Indescribable
The image in the mirror is not of you, but of something so inconceivable and horrifying that you can’t even describe it to yourself. The only escape from witnessing such an impossibility is madness. Make a Will saving throw. If you fail, you suffer 10 points of Wisdom drain. If you succeed, you suffer 10 points of Wisdom damage.


Inferno
The room reflected back at you in the mirror is engulfed in a raging inferno. Everything – and everyone - is ablaze. Make a Will saving throw. If you fail, the room around you also appears to be engulfed in flames. So long as you are in the room, you suffer from heat damage and are at risk of catching fire and smoke inhalation. This effect persists for 24 hours. If you succeed at the saving throw, the fire in the mirror flickers harmlessly and dies out. Everything reflected in the mirror, though, remains burnt and charred.

An Itch You Can't Scratch
Something about the reflection in the mirror makes your skin itch. If you study the image further, make a Will saving throw. If you fail, you begin vigorously scratching at your flesh. Each round, you can only use your standard action to claw to yourself, inflicting 1d3 points of damage in the process (modified for size if other than Medium). If you fail by 5 or more, you use a light or one-handed piercing or slashing weapon (if available) to rake your skin, inflicting its damage upon yourself instead. If you succeed, you reflexively give a shudder, but nothing more happens.

Old Before Your Time
Your reflection beings to slowly age before your eyes. If you continue to watch the mirror, make a Fortitude saving throw. If you fail, you age 1d10 years. You continue to age at this rate every hour until you succeed at another Fortitude save. If you fail the initial saving throw by 5 or more, you age 10d10 years within the span of a few seconds and no additional saving throws are required.

What Was Seen
The image in the mirror is a perfect reflection of the room in which you are standing – and yet something seems off. If you investigate the image further, make a Will saving throw. If you fail, blood begins to flow from your eye sockets as your eyes rapidly liquefy. You are permanently blinded. If you succeed, you realize that the mirror is warped slightly, subtlety distorting the image like a fun house mirror.

Your Own Worst Enemy
Your reflection reaches through the glass and grabs you. With a malicious gleam in its eyes, it tries to pull you into the mirror. Make a grapple check or Escape Artist skill check against your own CMD to break free of your reflection. If you fail, your reflection succeeds at pulling you into the mirror. You must then face your reflection in a fight to the death. If the reflection of anyone else is present, they take no action and do not attempt to help or hinder you. If you die, your reflection emerges from the mirror. Its intentions are left up to the GM. If you kill your reflection, you are able to pass back through the mirror, although you no longer have a reflection. If you break the hold your reflection has on you, your reflection returns to normal.

New Life for the Ancient Dead: Skeletons (Part II)

Originally posted: Thursday, September 17, 2015

This is the second half of the document I had started to share in my previous post. Part one offers some creative ways to modify a skeleton combat to make it more interesting than the typical "smash and grab" encounter. You can find that article here. Part two concerns itself with variant skeletons. The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary offers the bloody and burning skeleton variants; below are seven more variants that I have created.

Skeletons Originally posted: are the most basic form of undead to exist and one of the first types that a fledgling necromancer is likely to learn to create. Because the skeletal system does not decompose like living tissue, it can be animated regardless of how long ago the original creature perished. Although skeletons are the most simplistic form of living dead, much research has gone into the augmentation of these unnatural creations to make them more resilient and more dangerous.

Each of the following skeleton types modifies the base skeleton in a few key ways. Except as noted, these variations can be stacked with one another.

Adamantine Skeleton

Skeletons are easily destroyed when subjected to even a moderate blow. However, some unique methods of preparing a skeleton before animation have been discovered for increasing its durability. One technique involves a special alchemical solution of liquid adamantine. Unsurprisingly, the precise formula is a closely guarded secret of alchemists and necromancers alike.

Prior to animation, the entire skeleton must be fully submerged in the emulsion, during which time it undergoes a process similar to natural petrification. As a result, the bones acquire a metallic sheen - a strong clue as to the skeleton's nature for those in the know. After 24 hours, the skeleton can be extracted and animated as the necromancer desires.

The adamantine variation cannot be combined with the fossilized variation.

Challenge Rating: As a normal skeleton +1.
Defensive Abilities: An adamantine skeleton loses its DR 5/bludgeoning and gains DR 10/-.

Blessed Skeleton

Some remote cultures consider it a mark of honor to serve one's community or diety after death. In these cultures, renowned individuals are chosen to be returned from the dead. The manner in which an individual is chosen varies between mores but, in every case, it is considered to be the greatest of proviliges. Unlike other undead, which are typically raised gainst the will of deities - if not the creature itself - these corpses are animated with the divine consent of a good- or neutral- aligned deity for a specific purpose, such as guarding over a holy site or to serve as a chieftain's elite body guard.

Challenge Rating: As a normal skeleton.
Alignment: Always neutral good or true neutral, depending on the consenting deity. A blessed skeletal champion can be of any good or neutral alignment.
Defensive Abilities: A blessed skeleton gains the positive energy affinity ability. The creator of a blessed skeleton that is not of a good alignment may choose to give the skeleton this ability.

Positive Energy Affinity (Ex): The creature is not alive but is healed by positive energy and harmed by negative energy, as if it were a living creature.

Corrosive Skeleton

A corrosive skeleton undergoes an additional step in the preparation of its animation by being saturated with a caustic fluid. Typically this involved being submersed in a viscous acid for an extended period of time. A special alchemical additive prevents the corpse from being destroyed by the acid. Although this adds a significant delay in the animation process, the result is a formidable and feared monster. Corrosive skeletons do not wield weapons or wear armor as their caustic touch quickly decays the equipment. In addition to the standard changes for the skeleton template, make the following adjustments to the base creature.

Challenge Rating: As a normal skeleton +2.
Defensive Abilities: Corrosive skeletons gain immunity to acid damage.
Melee Attacks: A corrosive skeleton's melee attacks with natural weapons deal an additional 1d6 points of acid damage.
Special Attacks: Corrosive skeletons have the corrosive ichor special attack.

Corrosive ichor (Ex): Anyone striking a corrosive skeleton with an unarmed strike or natural attack takes 1d6 points of acid damage. Whenever a character strikes a corrosive skeleton with a manufactured weapon, the weapon takes 1d6 points of acid damage.

Exploding Skeleton

Clerics, mages, and necromancers harness negative energy to animate and control undead. When the physical corpse is destroyed, the necrotic power energizing it typically dissipates with minimal impact. Sometimes, whether done intentionally or as the result of a misstep in the animation process, the negative energy disperses with volatile consequences. The resulting explostion turns the remaining bone fragments into dangerous shrapnel.

Challenge Rating: As a normal skeleton +1.
Hit Dice: An exploding skeleton's Charisma is considered to be 4 for the purpose of determining its hit points.
Special Attacks: Exploding skeletons have the shrapnel special attack.

Shrapnel (Su): When an exploding skeleton is reduced to 0 or less hit points, it shatters into countless shards that cause 2d6 points of piercing and slashing damage to all creatures adjacent to it. A successful Reflex save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the skeleton's Hit Dice + the skeleton's Cha bonus) halves the damage.

Grinning Skeleton

One of the most unsettling aspects of a skeleton is the way its skull appears to be constantly smiling. Some sorcerers and necromancers enhance their minions by playing off this disturbing visage. In addition to the changes for the skeleton template, make the following adjustments to the base creature.

Challenge Rating: As a normal skeleton +1.
Aura: Grinning skeletons possess the unnerving countenance aura.

Unnerving countenance (Ex): Creatures within 10 feet of a grinning skeleton that have line of sight to it must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the skeleton's Hit Dice + the skeleton's Cha bonus) or, for the next hour, they become shaken whenever they are adjacent to any skeleton. Passing the saving throw renders the creature immune for 24 hours. This is a fear effect.

Special Attacks: Grinning skeletons have the maniacal laughter special attack.

Maniacal laughter (Su): Once per day, a grinning skeleton may unleash a spiteful cackle as a standard action. Any living creature within 30 feet of the grinning skeleton must succeed at a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the skeleton's Hit Dice + the skeleton's Cha bonus) or become shaken for 1 minute. This is a sound-based, fear effect.

Fossilized Skeleton

The oldest of skeletons eventually undergo petrifaction. This natural process strengths the creature when it is eventually animated and makes it less susceptible to magic. In addition to the changes for the skeleton template, make the following adjustments to the base creature.

Challenge Rating: As a normal skeleton +2.
Defensive Abilities: Fossilized skeletons lose DR 5/bludgeioning and gain DR 5/adamantine.
Speed: Size Medium or larger fossilized skeletons reduce their base speed by 10 feet.
Special Abilities: Fossilized skeletons gain immunity to magic.

Immunity to magic (Ex): A fossilized skeleton is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.

A transmute rock to mud spell deals 1d6 points of damage per caster level to a fossilized skeleton, with no saving throw.
Transmute mud to rock immediately heals any and all damage currently suffered by a fossilized skeleton.
A stone to flesh spell does not actually change the skeleton's structure but negates its damage reduction and immunity to magic for 1 round.

The fossilized variation cannot be combined with the adamantine variation.

Rime Skeleton

A rime skeleton is coated in a layer of hoarfrost that saps the warmth of nearby living creatures. In addition to the changes for the skeleton template, make the following adjustments to the base creature. The rime variation cannot be combined with the burning variation.

Challenge Rating: As a normal skeleton +1.
Aura: Rime skeletons possess an icy aura.

Icy Aura (Ex): Creatures adjacent to a rime skeleton suffer 1d6 points of cold damage at the start of their turn. Anyone striking a rime skeleton with an unarmed strike or natural attack takes 1d6 points of cold damage.

Defensive Abilities: Rime skeletons gain vulnerability to fire damage.
Melee Attacks: A rime skeleton's melee attacks (including both those made with a natural weapon and those made with a manufactured weapon) deal an additional 1d6 points of cold damage.
Abilities: A rime skeleton's Charisma is 12.

New Life for the Ancient Dead: Skeletons (Part I)

Originally posted:Thursday, September 10, 2015

I was going through some of my old gaming documents this week and came across this little gem. I always like putting a new spin on things as it usually leads to the players doing a double take or scratching their heads as they wonder why their tried and true methods aren't working. Everyone seems to perk up and take notice once they realize not everything is as it seems. If it's done well - especially if it's done cool - they won't even mind that you might be taking some liberties with the rules as written, such as in the case of alternative spell effects.

The entire document I unearthed includes a number of skeleton variants that I'll make a second dedicated post about later. For now, here are some ideas on how to set the scene and plan out your next encounter that involves skeletons.

The average skeleton is a pretty straight-forward opponent. Being generally mindless, its tactics are simple - tear apart whatever living creature is within reach. It attack with its claws, maybe an old blade with which it died with long ago, and it protected by whatever armor it might have been wearing at the time. The standard array of undead traits aside, a skeleton's key defensive abilities include damage reduction and immunity to cold-based damage.

Rather than being just a "meatless"-shield between the PCs and their objective, a creature GM can find new purposes for this old monster. Below are a few ideas for how you can use skeletons in your next encounter.

Symbiotic Relations

 A swarm of insects may have taken up residence in the vacant skull or a coiled viper might drape itself over the rungs of the rib age. Either way, a meddlesome adventurer is going to find that he has disturbed more than just the restless dead when he goes to dispose of the next skeleton.

Alternatively, it's also possible that a "sleeping" skeleton gets caught up in the undulating mass of a passing ooze. The acidic secretions of these amoeboid creatures typically have no effect on non-organic material, allowing the skeleton to be carried for miles without incurring damage. Larger oozes may accumulate several skeletons over time, unwittingly travelling with its own small host of undead.

Walking Scrolls

Magic spells can be recorded on a variety of mediums, from rolls of papyrus and stone tablets to inked tattoos and illuminated decks of cards. Some clever necromancers have taken to inscribing important spells on their minions. Although this isn't as efficient as more traditional means, it does provide the spell caster with a certain element of surprise. Although the script is plainly visible, it's impossible for onlookers to interpret any of it while the skeleton is in action. On fact, only when the skeleton remains completely stationary, can the arcane script be read coherently.

Unfortunately, the destruction of the skeleton also means the destruction of the spell if it was not cast first. Since positive energy is notorious for reducing the undead to ash, there is no chance of recovering a spell bared by a skeleton that is annihilated in such a manner. The crushing damage of a weapon makes the recovery of a spell possible, although not necessarily easy. Between shattered ribs, crushed femurs, and broken phalanges, the task of piecing together a destroyed skeleton can be a daunting chore for even the most patient individual.

Alternative Spell Effects

Restore corpse
While this spell is traditionally used to prepare a skeleton corpse for animation as a zombie, it can also be used to bolster an existing animated skeleton. Although an animated skeleton cannot be turned into a true zombie with this spell, it can alter its appearance and increase its vitality. As the targeted skeleton regains flesh, it also gains temporary Hit Dice in accordance with its size. In addition, it replaces its DR 5/bludgeoning with DR 5/slashing. The DC to correctly identify a skeleton that has been affected by restore corpse, and its special abilities, increases by 5. Skill checks that fail by 5 or more misidentify the undead creature as a zombie. This use of the spell has a duration of 1 minute.

Skeleton Size	Temporary Hit Dice
Tiny or smaller	-
Small or Medium	+1 HD (4 hp) 1
Large	+2 HD (9 hp) 1
Huge	+4 HD (18 hp) 1
Gargantuan	+6 HD (27 hp) 1
Colossal	+10 HD (45 hp)1
1 This does not include bonus hit points from other sources, such as a high Charisma score or the Toughness feat.

Restore corpse can be countered and dispelled by decompose corpse.

Mythic: You may target the skeleton of a Large or larger sized creature.