Pretty much what it says.
Do you sometimes take the gamble to make a called shot, if the NPC is capable of rolling it?
Would the NPC in your opinion have to be a boss or key NPC to do it?
If so, any particular areas?
Huhu, vitals is your fav then. ^^
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If my players wished to use that subsystem, i would start using it as well. By default, no.
We usually ignore areas unless there's a nat 20 involved.
My players really wanted to use these variant rules. I told them it was an awful idea, but they insisted. I explained to them that the NPCs would utilize these rules the same way the PCs did.
They laughed at the first few groin shots they pulled off. Hilarious, right? (Not really)
During that same battle, however, there were siege weapons involved. An NPC was manning the ballista.
One called shot to the wizard's groin. One critical hit.
The players recanted their support of the called shot rules, and we played as normal from then on out.
How would you design them to resist? It's penalty vs AC based.
So far, i have used it once or twice as a player vs a hostile, and twice as a supportive NPC warrior during a low lvl boss fight. Hampering the swashbuckler was good, he was hard to hit for a lvl 3.
Nah, I dislike the called shots system. It doesn't make sense to me that a direct hit to the eyes with an arrow, or the neck with a greataxe, could be anything other than an instant kill shot.
If my players wished to use that subsystem, i would start using it as well. By default, no.
Yeah, this. I'd love to use it, but my guys balk at having crits used against them.
I use the official Pathfinder Crit Deck and everyone loves it. The one time it had a serious effect on a player (he lost a hand), it resulted in a side quest to raise gold in order to afford a replacement, which everyone had fun with. In the end, he had claw-shot hand that could be used as a grappling hook. Everybody wins.
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How would you design them to resist? It's penalty vs AC based.
So far, i have used it once or twice as a player vs a hostile, and twice as a supportive NPC warrior during a low lvl boss fight. Hampering the swashbuckler was good, he was hard to hit for a lvl 3.
Use creatures or effects that grant high levels of regeneration or fast healing to limit the effects of called shots to eyes. Use creatures with alternate senses to limit the effect of called shots to eyes or ears. Use partial armor rules to beef up the AC of vulnerable spots. Use more spell effects like Blur or any other spell that gives a concealment miss chance. Give the BBEG more hard cover to spoil called shot attempts. Give every BBEG a wand of invisibility with only 3 charges; or worse a ring (but then the players will get it as treasure).
There are lots of ways to limit the effectiveness of called shots. Some make the called shot harder, some limit the duration of the damage from the called shot, some just make them impossible. Heck, if it's the final boss in a big campaign just giving him a ring of improved invisibility makes called shots nearly impossible. You can't aim at the vulnerable spots if you can't see them. Of course you know your players are on to you if they start all looking to buy goggles of true seeing as soon as they can afford them.
If im not mistaken creatures immune to criticals are immune to called shots.