Ever since my room mate finally bought Skyrim last month he's been doing nothing but talking my ear off as to how amazing it is. However, that's not what this post is about. It's about something I saw the other day as he was playing that caught my eye.
Executions.
It got me thinking...
In a real battle I, Red the Dwarf, may very easily decapitate someone in a single mighty blow! Now, in combat I roll to see if I hit and then I roll for damage if I do. If I manage to hit with a critical, I do up to x3 damage, depending on which weapon I have out. Sure this makes for a mighty hit in a lot of cases, but with a lot of the creatures I'm being thrown up against, I have to swing my axe or sword quite a few times before the enemy finally falls dead. If I want to kill them in one shot I have to first get them into the "helpless" state and then use a coup de grace, which even then doesn't guarantee a one hit kill!
Sure there are rules out there for this and I'm probably just reinventing a wheel that someone else already crafted, probably on a roll of 27 or so, but if not I want to offer up my take on all this.
Thus I have invented the patented, 100% awesome, Red Execution Combat Maneuver!!!
It's simple really. Once per combat I can ask the GM if I can attempt to use an execution against my current target, so as to represent the possibility of a really lucky hit striking true to the heart or their head suddenly leaping from their shoulders in a spectacular spray of blood. This is how it would work:
While within melee range of my target, I roll for a combat maneuver against the target. Naturally, they get a combat maneuver defense roll. Upon the target successfully rolling their CMD, my execution is a wasted flop. However, if they fail their CMD, then the fun begins!!!
They then have to roll fort DC 15, just like they would in a coup de grace situation. If they succeed, my attack does normal damage as if it were a normal melee attack. However, if they fail their fort save, I get to decapitate them in a shower of hot, sticky blood!!!
But...what if I manage to do this to say, I don't know...a dragon? I just happen to roll a successful execution against a full health dragon and kill them in one turn. Totally epic? Absolutely!!! Totally unrealistic? Unfortunately...yea... :( no auto-killing dragons today bub!
So, here's how I think the execution system can be balanced out.
1) You can only attempt this maneuver against opponents no larger than one size category larger than you.
2) The target with more health is harder to attempt an execute against.
3) You have to purchase the feat "Combat Maneuver: Execution."
Let's discuss these a little further shall we?
Size Categories
With every single combat maneuver, the limitation ultimately comes down to one thing: size. Despite the age-old saying that "size doesn't matter," it really does. Sorry guys, but it's true!
If I'm a medium dwarf I can bull rush a large ogre, but not a huge sea serpent. Logically this also means that I should be able to execute an ogre in one blow, but not a sea serpent. This helps simulate the fact that it takes a lot more than just knowing where to hit and how to hit along with a little luck to kill larger enemies because the fact of the matter is, there's more to hit and less damage done/square foot to the overall beasty!
If I can't even trip a huge crab, why should I be able to kill it in one mighty blow?
Health
Let's face facts here: the chances of executing an orc that's fresh out of the gates is pretty low because they've got a TON of fight in them and they're probably actively dodging and blocking everything you're throwing at them! You're not going to just saunter on up to a spry warrior and take off their head or rip out their heart without them wanting to say something about it! You have to wear them down first so as to increase your chances of success! Maybe that little bit of sweat in their eyes or that cut along their back gives you just that much of an opening to plunge your sword straight into their heart and drop them dead right before your feet in one fell swoop!
Someone that has been beaten down a bit is going to be much easier to execute than someone that's still fresh. So, to show this, if the target of the execution has 100% health left, the execution is done at a -10. If the target has 90% health left, the execution is done at a -9. However, if the target has 91% of its health left, the attempt is still made at a -10. Only upon actually reaching 90, 80, 70, etc. percent does the penalty actually drop. Anything above 50% is going to have a minimum of -6.
This shouldn't be too hard to keep track of with today's modern calculators, so GMs should be able to handle this little bit of number tracking.
Execution Feats
The final requirement to attempting executions in combat is simple: you have to purchase the feat. This simulates the fact that typically speaking, only seasoned warriors know where to hit and how to hit in order to take down an enemy in a single blow. Someone that just picked up a sword for the first time and is going into battle as green as a leaf on a seedling, they're not going to be capable of such a combat maneuver. They're simply going to be swinging the sword around like crazy and hoping that they make it out of battle alive. Yet a truly seasoned warrior will be much more efficient at decapitations than your every day warrior. This gives the option of multiple execution feats.
Let's go over them.
1) Combat Maneuver: Execution - the player may attempt an execution 1/combat against a target no more than one size category larger than themselves. This does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Upon a successful hit, the target rolls a fort DC 15. If the target succeeds, the attack is rolled as if it were a normal melee attack. If the target fails, it is killed instantly. Nearby enemies that see this are demoralized by -2 and nearby allies of the player gain +2 moral.
2) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Improved - same as Combat Maneuver: Execution, except the maneuver may be attempted 2/combat at a +2. Demoralized enemies are at -2 and allies gain +4 moral. Demoralized enemies must roll a will DC 15 or be shaken for d4+1 rounds.
3) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Greater - same as Combat Maneuver: Execution, except the maneuver may be attempted 3/combat at a +4. Demoralized enemies are at -4 and allies gain +6 moral. Demoralized enemies must roll a will DC 15 or be frightened for d6+2 rounds. If they succeed, the enemy is only shaken for d4+1 rounds.
4) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Flourish - upon a successful execution, the player may make an immediate attack against another target within melee range at a -2.
5) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Inspiring - upon a successful execution you may change the condition that nearby enemies take and you may add an extra +2 to your allies' moral bonus. (Conditions you can choose are: cowering, frightened, nauseated, panicked, sickened, stunned)
6) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Punishing - upon a failed execution, the player may instead apply one of the following conditions on the target along with the damage rolled. Conditions: bleed, blinded, confused, dazed, deafened, nauseated, sickened, staggered, stunned.
7) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Bloodlust - upon a successful execution, the player may immediately rush the nearest enemy and attempt to attack them at a -2 to attack and defense until the player's next turn.
8) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Invigorating - upon a successful execution, the player revels in the blood of their victim and feels a temporary replenishment in their vigor. Gain 10 temporary hit points and regain 2d6+2 health.
9) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Relentless - may attempt executions against targets up to two size categories larger than you.
10) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Overpowering - upon a failed execution attempt, roll for critical damage against the target.
11) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Impact - upon a failed execution attempt, the player may move the target up to 5 feet/5 points of damage in any direction in front of the player or the player may knock the target prone.
12) Combat Maneuver: Execution, Penetrating - upon a failed execution attempt, the damage rolled by the player automatically bypasses all armor of the target.
Side Notes
One thing that I do believe should be a requirement for attempted executions is having proficiency in the weapon being used and possibly the feats weapon focus and weapon specialization.
Please feel free to comment and give me your two cents. After all, I'm only one dwarf with one mind and the more that give me feedback the more I can hone this down to something that just might be worth our time!
