Can someone explain knockback to me?

[Scifi_Toughguy]

I have read the knockback rules and still can't decided what equals movement backwards. The number of dice to roll confuses the heck out of me as well. If my PCs do an attack and roll 9 Body, then they roll 2d6 for knockback and get a resul of 8, what does it mean?

 

Further more, the table that lists die modifiers for knockback says use +1d6 if it was a martial manuever and -1d6 if the target is in the air. I can't make heads or tails of this. Can someone please help a newbie GM who is all alone in his Hero-fuing?

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

It is quite simple really. You understand how to calculate the BODY of an attack, yes?

 

Well when someone attacks they look at the BODY of the attack and then subtract the result of 2D6 (or 3D6 if the attack was a martial art of some kind, or 1D6 if the target was in the air).

 

So in your example of a 9 BODY attack and a roll of 8, the target of the attack would be knocked back 1 inch (9-8=1).

 

Got it?

 

 

Doc

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

As Doc Democracy said, what you roll on the Knockback dice is subtracted from the Body damage done by the attack. If what's left is a positive number, that's how many inches of Knockback you do.

 

You roll one less die if the target is airborne. That's because if you're airborne, you've got nothing you're even partially braced against (like the ground) so it's more likely you'll get knocked back. If you roll a smaller number of dice, you'll subtract a smaller number, so it's more likely you'll get knocked back, and further.

 

You roll one more die if the attack was a martial arts attack. That's because a martial arts attack is supposed to apply the energy to the target in a concentrated specific way, and energy that would knock the target away is "wasted" energy. If you roll a larger number of dice, you'll subtract a larger number, meaning it's less likely the target will get knocked back, or if he does, won't get knocked back as far.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

The confusing part is that the dice you're rolling aren't how much KB you do, they're how much your target is able to resist/minimize the KB you do. You could call it KB Resistance, if that name wasn't already taken.

 

Some GMs have the target make the KB roll, or else the GM makes all KB rolls himself.

[Tom Carman]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

Quoting from an old source (4th Ed. PDF) I have lying around:

 

Target is in the air - one less d6

Target Rolled with the Punch - one less d6

Target is underwater - one more d6

Attack was a Killing Attack - one more d6

Attack was a Martial Attack - one more d6

Target has Clinging - one more d6

 

So if the target was flying, only 1d6 would be rolled to

check for Knockback. If the target was underwater, 3d6

would be rolled. If the attacker used a martial Killing Attack

on an underwater opponent, the attacker would subtract a

grand total of 5d6 from his BODY to determine Knockback.

 

Knockback can also cause damage to the target. A

character who is Knocked back into a wall (or other upright

structure) takes 1d6 normal damage for every 1 inch of

Knockback taken. For instance, a character who was

Knocked back 4 inches into a wall would take 4d6 damage.

A character Knocked Back into another character will damage

himself and the character he hits; both heroes take 1d6

damage per 1 inch of Knockback.

 

If a Knocked back character does not hit an upright surface

and impacts into the ground, he takes 1d6 damage for every

2 inches he was Knocked back. The character may take less

damage if he hits something soft, or more damage if he hits

something with jagged edges. If he flies into something that

is particularly sharp, the GM can convert the damage to a

Killing Attack of an equal Damage Class.

 

A character with Breakfall skill may attempt to avoid taking

damage from Knockback. A conscious character may

attempt an Breakfall Roll, -1 per 2" of Knockback; if the roll

is successful the character may land on the ground and take

no damage. The character who makes the roll will also land

on his feet, and will not have to waste a half-Phase action to

re-orient himself. Breakfall doesn’t help a character who will

impact into a wall, however.

[Tom Carman]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

Sorry, double post.

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

So, the more body you do in an attack, the more knockback you are capable of doing?

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

So' date=' the more body you do in an attack, the more knockback you are capable of doing?[/quote']Right.

[mayapuppies]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

So' date=' the more body you do in an attack, the more knockback you are capable of doing?[/quote']

Yes

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

Now you've got it. [bODY of attack] - #d6 = inches of KB

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

I think I need t write down that formula. I dunno why it just seems easier to remember. The lack of an example in Fred really threw me for a loop.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

Now you've got it. [bODY of attack] - #d6 = inches of KB

 

It's not minus the number of d6, it's minus the number rolled on those d6 of knockback dice...

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

It's not minus the number of d6' date=' it's minus the number [i']rolled[/i] on those d6 of knockback dice...

That's what I meant, thanks. The # was just to indicate that the number of dice rolled is itself a variable (tho it's usually 2d6).

 

[bODY of attack] - [roll of #d6] = inches of KB.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

Or you could use Knockdown Rules

 

 

(personally, I dislike Knockback - but it's a genre convention for Supers so fits)

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

(personally' date=' I dislike Knockback - but it's a genre convention for Supers so fits)[/quote']

Yeah, I only use it for Supers. (Well, and that one Pulp SciFi game set on the moon...)

[Sean Waters]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

You can (if you like) 'standardise' the dice you roll to determine KB: consider the formula:

 

BODY ROLLED - KB MODIFIER = KB in inches (1 inch = 2 metres in scale)

 

where KB modifier is 2d6 for a normal human mass target on the ground dealing with a normal attack. Instead of rolling 2d6, you can determine a set figure, say 6 (if you are keen on standard rolls), 7, (if you favour averages), or any other number (higher will make KB less of an issue, lower, more of an issue).

 

This will cut out a roll, speeding combat a little, and make KB Resistance more valuable as the results are more predictable, so you don't need to buy so much to be sure of resisting KB.

 

KB will not be entirely standardised though because there is still variation in the Body rolled .

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

The game in question is a supers game, hence the question.

[paladin.oa]

Re: Can someone explain knockback to me?

 

Yeah' date=' I only use it for Supers. (Well, and that one Pulp SciFi game set on the moon...) [/quote']

 

So you multiply the body done by an attack by 3, 4, or perhaps higher to determine the KB inches. Talk about going the distance!