Re: (TFT) More on Sweeping blows.

["Charles Gadda" <cgadda@earthlink.net>]

> Addressing your last point first,
> I think that the reason why SJ said that
> sweeping blows had to be done with a
> cutting weapon was because he assumed
> that they WERE making shallow cuts.

Actually, he was probably thinking about cutting through the targets, which
is not unreasonable, though not the only conclusion.

> I never really understood why
> sweeping blows could not be done with a
> one handed cutting weapon.  Maybe you
> want the extra hand for leverage as the
> blade 'bounces' from one figure to the
> next?  (It would allow you to pick up
> speed and better adjust the angle of
> attack on the next figure...)

Ever handled a "typical" long sword (usually about a yard overall in length)
and a shield? The answer becomes apparent quickly - the usual stance for
this combo is the off leg forward with shield in front. You generally have
to get in kinda close to strike a blow. On the other hand, the two handed
swords usually have a 4-5 foot length for the blade by itself, and don't
have a shield to contend with (you do have to strike around your own shield
to some degree)
>
>
> We thought about doing full damage
> on the first figure, half damage on the
> second figure hit, 1/4 damage on the
> third figure hit, etc. in sweeping blows.
> But in the end Matt and I decided that
> simply saying that all damage in sweeping
> blows is halved.  (Shallow cuts.)
>
> Thus if you have a big figure with
> lots of armor, then you want to get a solid
> hit on it.  You won't do a sweeping blow.
>
> However if you are fighting a bunch
> of low armor races (a gaggle of goblins,
> for instance) then a sweeping blow starts
> looking very attractive.
>
> Against medium armored figures, well
> then...
>
> This gives PC's a hard choice, doing
> a sweeping blow gives you multiple attacks
> in a turn (which is a HUGE advantage) but
> against competent enemies with armor, they
> are weaker.  Hard choices are the essence
> of game play.
>
> All this assumes that you have a high
> enough DX that you stand a good chance of
> hitting more than one figure.  If you adjDX
> is really low, then sweeping blows are
> doubly unattractive.
>
>
> I am not basing these rules on any
> sort of reality.  I was just wondering what
> worked as far a game play goes.


This isn't bad - I wouldnt use it but it is a valid approach, and mildly
simpler than mine (though mine isn't all that complicated and I like it
better - nyah! nyah!). You have the right idea, in terms of focusing on
playability rather than simple reality. Do you still have a -4 to hit for
all attacks in the sweep?
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