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Author Topic: Size dependent attacks  (Read 1500 times)

SQman

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Size dependent attacks
« on: August 08, 2015, 03:49:43 pm »

There's something that has been bothering me a lot: when a bronze colossus attacks a dwarf, instead of just stepping on Urist McUnlucky it will attempt to punch him. The same goes for dragons: as one of the largest creatures it shouldn't bite dwarves in just lower arms. What I wanted to adress is the fact that colossal beasts fight chinchillas the same way they fight other gigantic things.
There should be some attacks that can be performed by large creatures if the size difference between it and its target is big enough, for example:

-swallowing whole: A dragon or a whale should be able to swallow a creature. Of course that action would bypass armor and shield, and probably would just kill instantly. If not, the victim of swallowing could be able to cut through its enemy's stomach causing considerable damage. Swallowed creature's equipment and skeleton could be recovered after butchering the beast or when its corpse rots away (if it was sapient).

-stomping: A giant could just flatten smaller creatures under his feet, as simple as it is. Unarmored creatures would almost always be killed instantly, but a good set of steel or candy armor could reduce the damage. Creatures killed this way are almost completely mangled.

-picking up, throwing and crushing in hands: why can't a colossuc throw dwarves like dwarves do with fluffy wamblers? A humanoid large enough could pick up a dwarf, preventing them from attacking or moving for that matter. Then the creature could just throw the dwarf or crush them with its hand. Throwing is self-explanatory, and crushing would work just like stomping but weaker. Weaker monsters wouldn't be able to kill an unarmored dwarf instantly this way.

Any thoughts or ideas?
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AceSV

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Re: Size dependent attacks
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2015, 04:08:26 pm »

If swallowed whole, you probably wouldn't be able to cut your way out as they do in movies because digestive tracts don't have a lot of empty room in them.  The stomach and esophagus expand to allow large items, so you'd be squeezed against the walls with digestive juices raining onto you.  There's also little air to speak of, so you don't have time to wait for Will Smith to distract the megabeast while you find the trigger, you've only got a short amount of time before suffocation takes you. 

Stomping could be used on knocked over opponents too, not just small ones.  Stomp on a windpipe or vertebra or kneecap or hand.  This could also potentially pin the opponent to the ground, leaving your own hands free.  Even stomp on a foot to injure it. 

I think megabeasts can already pick up and throw dwarves, but in the same way a wrestler can throw an equal sized opponent.  I know that Forgotten Beasts often rip the limbs off of their victims when they grapple with them.  Although I do get reports saying absurd things like a forgotten beast picks up someone by their finger and throws them.  Maybe it should have to compare the size of the GRASP part by the size of the grab target. 
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Vattic

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Re: Size dependent attacks
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2015, 07:41:46 pm »

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iceball3

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Re: Size dependent attacks
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2015, 11:12:25 am »

If a Swallow Hole option were to be implemented, the wielded weapons and armor on someone should be taken into account. Daggers. armor spikes, and loose weapons on your person should all contribute to puncturing the stomach, but then we come with the confusing account on what exactly happens to someone who ruptures the stomach of the creature they're in. Puked up or will they be stuck until they tear through the abdomen?
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expwnent

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Re: Size dependent attacks
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2015, 02:14:06 pm »

Some species have gizzards and might be able to handle eating sharp things.
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klefenz

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Re: Size dependent attacks
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2015, 09:34:03 pm »

If fighting opponents that can swallow you, coating your armor in a vomit inducing substance could be a viable tactic.
Or covering yourself with poison.
Or leaving out mannequins in armor covered with poison, that could work very well.

iceball3

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Re: Size dependent attacks
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2015, 09:49:17 pm »

Yes, also, I can imagine holding something like a pike or a spear towards their mouth will likely impale them and completely screw up their swallow-game, going forward.
Really, actually swallowing something hole would generally be less effective than biting and shaking, which is actually currently in.

Anyhow, back to ideas, I think that enemies who are larger should have large contact areas for their attacks, and contact areas larger than a particular limb's cross section should also hit and distribute it's force against adjacent limbs. This means that, unless you're getting stomped, crushed, bent, or twisted apart, the injury from a giant enemy punching you is more likely to injure you by sending you flying and crashing into something, like into the ground or a tree or a wall, or your ally.

I can imagine big creatures could more easily restrain you by wrapping your whole body or most of it in an arm or hand, or as mentioned before, keep you pinned to the ground underfoot/body, whether deliberately injuring the person in question should depend on the attacker's intent.

For all these afformentioned attacks though, the really large creatures should probably more well telegraph their maneuvers, such that you could brace a pike towards their hand or stab it or jump out of the way before you're trapped, though if you don't fail the rolls too badly, you might have some hands (or at the very least, your teeth) free so that you can stab or bite at the assailing hand.
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