In the Core Rules, a normal unarmed strike deals nonlethal damage. What about if the opponent is within (metal) armor? Does the strike hit he head or the vitals? (and therefore it would be a Called Shot with its own modifiers) It's a mess. Any exit for this? Thanks!
An unarmed strike is an unarmed strike. Normally, it deals nonlethal damage. Armor (metal or otherwise) doesn't affect this; it only affects the chance of landing the blow. How you flavor the result is a matter of personal taste; maybe you punched the guy in the face, or you just hit hard enough that the impact resonated through the breastplate and cracked a rib or something.
Called shot rules generally make the attack more difficult rather than less. There's no mechanism in place for something like "aiming for the face to bypass the armor's AC".
In the Core Rules, a normal unarmed strike deals nonlethal damage. What about if the opponent is within (metal) armor? Does the strike hit he head or the vitals? (and therefore it would be a Called Shot with its own modifiers) It's a mess. Any exit for this? Thanks!
Where it hits doesn't really matter under the standard rules. There are variant rules that use armor as damage reduction, and if you are a GM you can houserule it yourself, but otherwise doesn't matter.
That said, striking armor will cause a jolt and potentially impact against the body inside. Anyone who has been nailed in the helmet while sparring in martial arts, beaned in the helmet during baseball, or shot in their armor during paintball can tell you that it still hurts. (I know, not metal armor, but you get the gist I hope)
In the Core Rules, a normal unarmed strike deals nonlethal damage. What about if the opponent is within (metal) armor? Does the strike hit he head or the vitals? (and therefore it would be a Called Shot with its own modifiers) It's a mess. Any exit for this? Thanks!Where it hits doesn't really matter under the standard rules. There are variant rules that use armor as damage reduction, and if you are a GM you can houserule it yourself, but otherwise doesn't matter.
That said, striking armor will cause a jolt and potentially impact against the body inside. Anyone who has been nailed in the helmet while sparring in martial arts, beaned in the helmet during baseball, or shot in their armor during paintball can tell you that it still hurts. (I know, not metal armor, but you get the gist I hope)
Thanks! Well, it's eventually a narrative matter. However, I houserule that a naked punch against an armor whose hardness is greater then the fist deals the same damage to both, attacker and defender.
Maybe all the monks practice the Iron Palm technique?
Or maybe they use palm strikes when hitting the metal parts. I hear those are less likely to hurt yourself while delivering powerful blows.
....ok, I'll admit it: I got everything I know about this subject from the 'real life' section of a tvtropes page....
Remember, unarmed strikes are punches, kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes, handchops and the like. An opponent encases in metal armor still takes damage if you hit the sides of his knees (severe damage actually, due to all the weight on it).