as a player, I hate nat. 20's.

[Zamion138]

Thats sucks man, just pull the first one you had out and change their name......noone will know hahaha, and buy a helmet

[Icefalcon]

As a GM, I always tell my players that whatever they can do in a game, so can the enemies. If they go around shooting everyone in the head, the same will eventually happen to them. Besides, I think Zamion is right and you should buy a helmet.

[auyl]

Natural 20's have never happened to often in my games for it to really be a problem. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it is rare for us. If it's happening constantly for your GM, then your group is in trouble.

[Icefalcon]

Natural 20's have never happened to often in my games for it to really be a problem. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it is rare for us. If it's happening constantly for your GM, then your group is in trouble.

It seems to come in stints at my games. Sometimes, I will go the whole night with none. Other nights, they seem to drop like candy from a pinata.

[Noon]

So you'd taken damage already and there was no one to drag your unconcious body away?

I don't own the book - is there a rule that helmets negate criticals (I remember a D&D PC game where that was the case, as I figured out after wondering why the game was so keen to hand out helmets to the players)

[Icefalcon]

So you'd taken damage already and there was no one to drag your unconcious body away?

I don't own the book - is there a rule that helmets negate criticals (I remember a D&D PC game where that was the case, as I figured out after wondering why the game was so keen to hand out helmets to the players)

The rules don't specifically say that but the helmet (and body armor) would help you take less damage until someone roles over the A.R. In this case, the helmet won't stop the nat 20 from popping his head. At that point though, you might be able to survive as long as you had not taken damage before.

[ArmySGT.]

If I was the GM........ and a Bad guy took down a player with a natural 20...... the result is totally my discretion......

So I would have said your character did get hit in the head, it knocked unconscious (even a coma) and taken him out of the fight. Then let the other players rescue him, and get away....... after much, dice rolls, and frowning to make the players sweat a bit.....

[Zamion138]

If I was the GM........ and a Bad guy took down a player with a natural 20...... the result is totally my discretion......

So I would have said your character did get hit in the head, it knocked unconscious (even a coma) and taken him out of the fight. Then let the other players rescue him, and get away....... after much, dice rolls, and frowning to make the players sweat a bit.....

Well true on all accounts but if your on your 5th char its probaly a pretty brutal game. Plus a scoped rifle prbaly doing 5d6x2 with the crit would drop you if you dont have a massive pool of hp and sdc
And head shots go straight to hp i belive so assuming it wasnt a roll of 5 to be doubled. Your toast it happens even if they get a low roll of say 12 out of a possible 30, 24 hp damage is alot.

[Noon]

There are headshot rules (vs humans)? As said, I don't own the book.


ArmySGT.,

You could just ask the player how they want it to go (rules or GM discretion) and go with that.

Of course that doesn't allow for the player to be under the illusion play followed the rules. Maybe they think they went negative HP but were still not below their PE in negatives but that's not actually the case and the GM has instead opted to ignore those rules. Ie, those rules weren't followed, but the player is left thinking they were.

Some players might want to go by the rules.

[flatline]

Player death should always be a risk. One of the reasons it stings so much in Palladium is that it seems to take so long to create a character. If you could whip up a new character in just a couple of minutes, then it wouldn't be such a big deal.

I've recently been reading the Savage Worlds rule book and one of the nice things I've found is that when your character dies, the next character is built with almost the same level of experience, so it's not a complete starting over. Of course you can do the same thing in Palladium (or any game), but it was nice to see it in print as an actual suggestion.

--flatline

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

Natural 20's have never happened to often in my games for it to really be a problem. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it is rare for us. If it's happening constantly for your GM, then your group is in trouble.

Count your blessings while they last my friend. My GM has a D20 that buggers the law of averages when it comes to nat. 20's. Forces me to be a more thoughtful player and see the value of the strategic retreat.

[Icefalcon]

Player death should always be a risk. One of the reasons it stings so much in Palladium is that it seems to take so long to create a character. If you could whip up a new character in just a couple of minutes, then it wouldn't be such a big deal.

I've recently been reading the Savage Worlds rule book and one of the nice things I've found is that when your character dies, the next character is built with almost the same level of experience, so it's not a complete starting over. Of course you can do the same thing in Palladium (or any game), but it was nice to see it in print as an actual suggestion.

--flatline

In my current Dead Reign campaign, I have the players keep a couple of back-up characters on hand (all near or at the same level) just in case of a character death. I already have two players on their first back-up and we are only four games in.

[dargo83]

and that is one of the main reasons why when i first read the core book i changed a lot of things (i mean almost complete over haul of the game.) The zeds are a challenge only when they outnumber the PCs 5 or more to 1. Me and my players must be the exeption to the rule cause we all average 10+ nat20s per session. Heck I have to have several sets of dice when we play in y one friends game cause he always thinks I have loaded dice (which I don't)

[Icefalcon]

As a GM, I always tell my players that whatever they can do in a game, so can the enemies. If they go around shooting everyone in the head, the same will eventually happen to them. Besides, I think Zamion is right and you should buy a helmet.

I have come to like characters who are quite plane. My next one is a professional cook. I will however be grabbing a **** pot off the first soldier sloucher I come across. I also 100% agree about taking a head shot. No one screams when they pull one off, and our rule is head and heart shot are instant kills regardless if we give them or get them. Meh, Thats what its all about. The group and NPC's are giving our combat master a real hard time about it. I already cant wait to get back in.

Good luck with the new character. Bit of advice, try looking up from time to time. Most people forget to in my games and wind up having a crawler drop from the steam pipes from above.

[ArmySGT.]

If I was the GM........ and a Bad guy took down a player with a natural 20...... the result is totally my discretion......

So I would have said your character did get hit in the head, it knocked unconscious (even a coma) and taken him out of the fight. Then let the other players rescue him, and get away....... after much, dice rolls, and frowning to make the players sweat a bit.....

Well true on all accounts but if your on your 5th char its probaly a pretty brutal game. Plus a scoped rifle prbaly doing 5d6x2 with the crit would drop you if you dont have a massive pool of hp and sdc
And head shots go straight to hp i belive so assuming it wasnt a roll of 5 to be doubled. Your toast it happens even if they get a low roll of say 12 out of a possible 30, 24 hp damage is alot.

It all happens behind the GMs screen...... The players never see the GMs rolls....... They game, the rules, and the direction it all goes is up to the GM and the story they are telling.

So if killing the PC doesn't serve a purpose to motivate the players.... (We need the Warlord/General/Kings Army to defeat this horde) , we must go to (super science lab / cloning facility/ Holy Basillica of the Flying Spaghetti Monster to bring our companion back from the Beyond), then give the outcome that suits your purposes. If one guy keeps disrupting the game with (I swing my sword, I shoot first) at every encounter before dialogue begins...... guess who takes a bullet to the brain pan.

If your the GM, you rule the dice, sometimes I do rolls just to make them think something is happening.....

[Zamion138]

I had a game i was GMing and one player, nice girl and all, could not stop rolling her dice on the loud oak table. So i told her if you roll it does something in game, she stoped for like 10 minutes and then was mindlessly rolling again.
So i had her boyfrind grab her wrist before she could pick up her dice and she had rolled i think somewhere in the middle on a d20.....
I let her roll a dodge, she failed and got hit by the random encounters sniper......random encounter i had no intention of running till her dice shenanagens.
She lived but yeah the roll behind a screen reminded me of that.

[arthurfallz]

If your the GM, you rule the dice, sometimes I do rolls just to make them think something is happening.....

In game notes, I began to write down reminders like "Roll the dice, consult a page in a book, ask what someone's M.E. is, look thoughtful than smile. Straighten face, and continue."

Now I just do it by instinct. Sometimes I don't roll dice, I just have pre-rolled array of dice results so that the players never know if I'm rolling for something or not. As long as a GM is being fair about it, it's good fun to keep players on the edge of their seats.

[Michael Barakofsky]

Natural 20's have never happened to often in my games for it to really be a problem. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it is rare for us. If it's happening constantly for your GM, then your group is in trouble.

Count your blessings while they last my friend. My GM has a D20 that buggers the law of averages when it comes to nat. 20's. Forces me to be a more thoughtful player and see the value of the strategic retreat.

Have you checked out the D20 to make sure its legal? I bought a set of dice because I liked the color scheme of them only to find out when I got home I could not use them in game. The D20 had 2 20s and no 1 anywhere on it, the D6s had 2 6s and no 1s, 1 of the D10s had 2 0s with no 1. The data sheet insert had been placed in backwards where you couldn't read that it was a cheater set and the store had a "you open it you bought it" policy.

[Tor]

After what happened in the last season of Walking Dead, these head shots do kinda seem right at home.

I don't agree that natural 20s would bypass helmets though, unless the helmet had some kind of opening. Depends on what kind of helmet I'd say. If it was one of those full coverage swat helmets then it sholdn't matter what you roll, it may not be environmental in terms of full body but it is environmental in terms of the head unless you're coming at the brain through the neck ala Vlad Tepes or something.

Also, if you find adequate cover between attacks then people shouldn't be able to target you at all.

Aren't there ways to construct defensive walls that have openings for rifles but where the enemy can't hit your head or anywhere else?

[Michael Barakofsky]

After what happened in the last season of Walking Dead, these head shots do kinda seem right at home.

I don't agree that natural 20s would bypass helmets though, unless the helmet had some kind of opening. Depends on what kind of helmet I'd say. If it was one of those full coverage swat helmets then it sholdn't matter what you roll, it may not be environmental in terms of full body but it is environmental in terms of the head unless you're coming at the brain through the neck ala Vlad Tepes or something.

Also, if you find adequate cover between attacks then people shouldn't be able to target you at all.

Aren't there ways to construct defensive walls that have openings for rifles but where the enemy can't hit your head or anywhere else?

Nat. 20 vs helmet for realism it depends on the helemt vs the type of ammo being used. A SWAT helmet most likely could either stop or deflect lower caliber rounds but higher caliber say .45 and up could get penetration from a straight hit especially if designed to penetrate armor to begin with.

As for cover, technically a wall that provides 100% cover also means that you cant attack those your hiding from. That being said if you built that wall you could make small ports to accept a weapon, maybe a ball socket with an opening big enough to slip the barrel of a rifle through. HOWEVER in that case you would be firing blind in a limited arc of fire. Placing a small window (even if it is bullet proof glass) to allow you to see what your shooting at also gives an enemy sharp shooter something to use to hit you when you take a peak to aim.

[DevastationBob]

Or the cultist could give the zombies helmets....

[dargo83]

Or the cultist could give the zombies helmets....

i have done that before and my players hated me, they were lucky the PC with the marksmenship rifle had AP rounds.