Piercing vs Skeleton and Skeleton in general

[Bryn]

It'd be nice, when you couldn't even harm skeletons with piercing attacks, since only swing attacks would make sense against those. Heavy, blunt weapons should get a bone-us.

Also, how do you manage skeleton health?
Many games just do it like this: double tap, then its really dead.
So basically, just beat the magicness out of it.
But if we try a more logical approach, we should determine how they are undead.
What makes them undead? Some trinket they wear or a magic sphere inside the skull?
Or does the magic controlling them reside inside the bones, so you need to break enough bones to break their curse. If you think about that, you could provide more detail, more logic and therefore more immersion. I personally don't like it when I see relevant elements of the world/story just explained by "magic lol, ain't gonna explain it"
I believe, while magic is a major aspect of fantasy, its far too commonly used as an excuse to stop the creative process. And even worse, later these simple yet stupid concepts are adopted and recycled over and over again.

So yes, skeletons, y u no stay dead?
Also, I'd like the possibility to stomp on skeleton bones, just in case, you know..

 

[Vincent101]

It could just be magic animating the bones as a whole, so it didn't matter how much they were smashed up, they'd all just stay in the same shape all the time. Sort of like the soul of the creature with the objects bonded to it, unlike the other way around.

 

[Vincent101]

However, I completely understand where you're coming from. I'm quite a sucker for considering smaller details that others don't consider- often things too trivial or realistic and not necessarily enjoyable to consider, but I still take satisfaction in thinking about them. Magic can be as much of a bummer as it can be a fantastic tool for story-telling.

 

[Bryn]

It could just be magic animating the bones as a whole, so it didn't matter how much they were smashed up, they'd all just stay in the same shape all the time. Sort of like the soul of the creature with the objects bonded to it, unlike the other way around.

Ok but how would you beat such a thing? throw it in liquid metal like the Terminator? I mean I'd like that but I believe it doesn't fit the vision of this game.

 

[Pantheon]

Beat it, until it falls apart, grab the skull and run away with it.

 

[Vincent101]

Orrrr just never truly defeat it. After you've smashed it apart, you move on. Consider that.

 

[walltar]

or you just smash it long enough and wait till magic wears of. It must take its power from something and if that something is not infinite then you may be able to drain it by fighting.

 

[Vincent101]

Well perhaps the magic comes from a Necromancer who is far, far away...

 

[the0thMonkey]

Depending on the kind of thaumaturgy, there might be a spell for killing skeletons for good. "Destroy Undead","Free Corrupted Soul", etc.

Also, I think it makes sense for the skeletons power to be derived from a local source of magic. So, a skeleton guarding a tomb is animated because the tomb was enchanted with a powerful spell. Maybe, the farther away the skeleton was, the weaker it was, or the longer it would take to reassemble.

 

[The Hedge Knight]

A sword can break through bone by stabbing rather easily if the user is strong enough.

Unless they sanded down the skeleton bones it doesn't make much sense, and games that restrict player attacks on skeletons like Twoworlds just end up being annoying.

 

[the0thMonkey]

A sword can break through bone by stabbing rather easily if the user is strong enough.

You probably could if the bones were in a person, but on a skeleton, I think it would be difficult to hit the bones. Except possibly the skull.

 

[The Hedge Knight]

You probably could if the bones were in a person, but on a skeleton, I think it would be difficult to hit the bones. Except possibly the skull.

I don't see why, unless he is moving at forty miles an hour and has the bone size of an eight year old I imagine he won't be too hard to hit somewhere.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Human_skeleton_front_en.svg/350px-Human_skeleton_front_en.svg.png

Even if you don't nail him in the front, you can probably cut through in the back or the spine, then tear your sword out to cause even more to break.

 

[the0thMonkey]

I don't see why, unless he is moving at forty miles an hour and has the bone size of an eight year old I imagine he won't be too hard to hit somewhere.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Human_skeleton_front_en.svg/350px-Human_skeleton_front_en.svg.png

Even if you don't nail him in the front, you can probably cut through in the back or the spine, then tear your sword out to cause even more to break.

I realized, we might be talking about different things. I meant piercing damage as in sticking them with the pointy end of a sword. Is that what you meant? It seems like you're talking more about cutting/slashing damage.

 

[The Hedge Knight]

Yeah, if you stab through you can break through a rib or two and get stuck in the rib cage, and when you pull it free you could probably break some more.

 

[the0thMonkey]

Yeah, if you stab through you can break through a rib or two and get stuck in the rib cage, and when you pull it free you could probably break some more.

Fair enough. Generally, I still think slashing with a sharp weapon, or bashing with a blunt one would be more effective.

 

[BrecMadak]

Fair enough. Generally, I still think slashing with a sharp weapon, or bashing with a blunt one would be more effective.

i agree even skellies from HoMM 3 had some resistances against arrow attacks, so same goes for piercing attacks as well.

 

[Vincent101]

Look, you *can* do damage to a skeleton with stabbing attacks, however you would do *more* damage for each of your blunt or slashing attacks, possibly even because they'd strike more surface area.

 

[Kaizer0002]

In dnd, technically skeletons are animated by gems placed in their head (yet by the rules all undead are immune to crits, which is silly). Most undead have a critical weak point that incapacitates them (vampires hearts, zombie heads, etc.) Could make sense that you have to destroy them properly in some matter making them an insurmountable enemy unless properly dealt with. As example, in dark souls you require a certain type of damage to kill skeletons.. or you just push them off a cliff.

 

[Pantheon]

As example, in dark souls you require a certain type of damage to kill skeletons.. or you just push them off a cliff.

Or kill the necromancer resurrecting them.
Skeletons without a necromancer, like the one's in the graveyard before the Catacombs, can be killed by pretty much anything.

 

[martino]

I would like to see a mechanic where physical damage is broken up into three/four types.
Each would have an advance in certain circumstances and disadvantages in others:

Bashing: best against hard armoured opponents, weak against large opponents
Piercing: best against large opponents, lowest base damage
Hacking: average
Slashing: best against soft amoured opponents, weak against hard armoured opponents, highest base damage, highest maintenance.

A weapons damage could be a percentage of these damage types eg
Broadsword: Bashing 40%, Slashing 40%, Hack 20%
Katana: Slashing 100%
Morning Star: Bashing 75% Piercing 25%
Halberd: Bashing 80%, Piercing 20% or Piercing 80% Bashing 20% depending on the action used.
Sling: Bashing 100%

And some Mobs may have extra defenses modifiers eg:
Zombies: almost full immunity to Piecing attacks
Skeletons: venerable to Bashing attacks.
Dragon: improved resistance to Bashing, Slashing and Hacking damage.
Goblins: Small, harder to hit with Piercing attacks.